From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Fri May 4 22:54:03 2001 Return-Path: Received: from lists.io.com (majordom@lists.io.com [199.170.88.15]) by pyramid.sjgames.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id WAA08609 for ; Fri, 4 May 2001 22:54:03 -0500 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.3/8.9.1a) id XAA26076 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Fri, 4 May 2001 23:02:38 -0500 Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 23:02:38 -0500 Message-Id: <200105050402.XAA26076@lists.io.com> From: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com (in_nomine-digest) To: in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Subject: in_nomine-digest V1 #2204 Reply-To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Sender: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Errors-To: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Precedence: bulk in_nomine-digest Friday, May 4 2001 Volume 01 : Number 2204 In this digest: IN> Consider Pikachu Re: IN> nature of the Symphony (was: Consider Lightning Re: IN> The Lady and the Scarab (Iron Rev submission power!) Re: IN> nature of the Symphony (was: Consider Lightning Fwd: IN> April 22, 2001 (ML) Re: IN> The Lady and the Scarab (Iron Rev submission power!) Re: IN> List Superiors IN> God Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder IN> Who you going to call? Rolebusters! IN> Consider the Scourge Re: IN> The Lady and the Scarab (Iron Rev submission power!) IN> On Madness and Archangels Re: IN> April 22, 2001 (ML) IN> Isaac Re: IN> Consider Freedom... Re: IN> Consider the World IN> Iron Rev Scenario : Eye of the Needle Re: IN> The Lady and the Scarab (Iron Rev submission power!) IN> Iron Ref - ML IN> IRON REV: Undead Flying Zombi Insects... from the Unnamed Pyramid! (Under the word limit, even!) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 16:34:19 -0400 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: IN> Consider Pikachu PIKA PIKA PIKA *throws lightning at Lucifer* *hugs Nybbas* - -Charlemagne ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 20:33:59 From: "Janet Anderson" Subject: Re: IN> nature of the Symphony (was: Consider Lightning Imagine that you're in an elevator with eight > > other people, > > all singing "Blinded by the Light", each with slightly > > different > > (misheard) lyrics. And you own the album and *know* the > > correct lyrics. And they won't shut up. *runs screaming over the horizon* Janet Anderson (I've actually been in a situation similar to this more than once. Right, Moe?) _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 16:40:07 -0400 From: Jonathan Walton Subject: Re: IN> The Lady and the Scarab (Iron Rev submission power!) Damn you, Eric. The scarab was my idea too. Afterall, what unlikely insects go with pyramids? Ah well, I'll just have to twist things a little ... See you all on Monday (heh heh), Jonathan ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 16:44:51 -0400 From: Jason Schneiderman Subject: Re: IN> nature of the Symphony (was: Consider Lightning >> [1] I can actually frame this in mundane if somewhat terrifying >> terms. Imagine that you're in an elevator with eight other people, >> all singing "Blinded by the Light", each with slightly different >> (misheard) lyrics. And you own the album and *know* the correct >> lyrics. And they won't shut up. And if one of them tries to get the >> others to go along with their verson, the others instead ALL sing >> their versions louder than the person next to them, because they each >> *know* they're right and if they can only drown out they others then >> the other seven will come around to the Right Way of Thinking. That's >> hell for you. Of course, from the infernal perspective, it's joyous cacophony -- like being at the Rocky Horror Picture Show in the audience. Everyone's shouting their own, slightly different, version of the dialogue in the hope that, next time, other people will be shouting along with them. The loudest, the sexiest, or the funniest tend to lead, of course. (The Symphony is the film. The audience are the demons. The Princes are the live cast. And I think I can pull away now before starting a Casting thread.) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 20:41:28 From: "Janet Anderson" Subject: Fwd: IN> April 22, 2001 (ML) Moe? How can *all* the Tethers he knew be gone? And why can't he wander around until he hears one? (Yes, I know a Demonic Tether sounds just like an Angelic one, but I bet he'd be able to tell once he looked.) Janet Anderson _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 16:45:43 -0400 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: Re: IN> The Lady and the Scarab (Iron Rev submission power!) At 4:40 PM -0400 5/4/01, Jonathan Walton wrote: >Damn you, Eric. > >The scarab was my idea too. > >Afterall, what unlikely insects go with pyramids? Which is why I went with the Luxor instead of heading to Egypt itself. >Ah well, I'll just have to twist things a little ... This should be fun.... - -- Eric Alfred Burns - Habbalite of Belaboring the Point ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 21:52 +0100 (BST) From: jgd@cix.co.uk (John Dallman) Subject: Re: IN> List Superiors phillip@mbaysav.org (Phillip) wrote: > Reminds me of an idea I had for a comedic IN campaign a while back. > It was a malakite of Yves whose defining oath was 'I shall not suffer > an idiot to live'. Note the lack of the 'when it is my choice' > caveat. Worst part was that he was going to have a role as a high > school teacher. ... briefly. - --- John Dallman jgd@cix.co.uk ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 21:52 +0100 (BST) From: jgd@cix.co.uk (John Dallman) Subject: IN> God Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder Of possible amusement value... - --- John Dallman jgd@cix.co.uk ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 21:52 +0100 (BST) From: jgd@cix.co.uk (John Dallman) Subject: IN> Who you going to call? Rolebusters! So you've just put him into Trauma. He'll be there for at least a day, and you've got his body, clothes, wallet, car and keys. And he has a role that is clearly worthwhile - a private eye, with proper licensing. But you haven't got /time/ to deal with his role. There's that possible Djinn in the hospital - you caught this guy, along with the Belseraph, on their way to him. There's those Ethereals, manifest on the Corporeal - or maybe long-lasting possession - with some very weird powers, and a possible case of them using the Song of Exchange. And there's these potential Soldiers, who have a destiny that Yves has told Michael he doesn't need-to-know, because that would risk spoiling it. He isn't just being unhelpful: he said the same thing to Laurence too. OK, so none of you have had to invoke a Superior for, oh... five days! Then there were four of them, Michael, Laurence, Janus and Jean. That DP didn't last very long. But things are still far too hairy for you to be paying attention to trashing this role, even if it belongs to a Gamester; those potential Soldiers were spotted at the big showdown, and the Ethereals have come along since then, as well as the Shedite of Factions who's been living in a family in the same street as the Belseraph of Lust you got redeemed. Really, things are a bit complicated. Rolebusters! They're mostly Windies, but they have a few helpers. Someone with a Library Card, for example. And someone who's good at bugging. And someone from Trade. They handle their own travel, creativity and demolitions. And they insist on the exclamation mark! If the Gamester is sensible, he'll never go near his old role. Being a Gamester, he might even not do it, although he was being the kind of person who could go missing for a week without attracting comment, and his body is unlikely to have been identified. If you kill someone in a hospital, the mortuary is the logical place to stash them, isn't it? And they don't store bodies wearing their clothes, jewellery, contact lenses, papers, or anything else. Rolebusters! have got all that, now. If he does... well, the house looks the same, and the spare key is still under the flowerpot. His car's been towed, but that isn't surprising; it was left in the hospital car park. His credit cards seem to have been places, mind you, as has the mortgage on his house. His computer is still here, and unchanged, honestly. Some of the e-mail he sent may cause certain problems, you understand: we assume that the Game monitors it all, and some of the things he sent to some people before he was killed will cause them to ask questions. Pity about the problem with the 'phone, which will now only get a small dairy in Ireland. it looks like he blew his savings while he was on the credit card spree, and took out thirty loans on the house. And assaulted the local magistrate who is due to renew his license - next week. "You thought it was next year? Not according to our records." Burning down his house and burgling his office would lack style. We might leave a notice saying "Warning: your role has been booby trapped". Somewhere he won't find it too fast, like in a heel of his spare pair of shoes along with the microphone and the GPS tracker. Oh, and servants of Theft did all this. The trail to them isn't too clear, but it's there when you look. By a fortunate coincidence, we have quite good evidence that the person who sent him to the hospital was a Djinn of Theft; every little helps. Some Windies /like/ their support jobs. - --- John Dallman jgd@cix.co.uk ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 16:55:08 -0400 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: IN> Consider the Scourge That which does not kill us makes us stronger. The world has changed much and yet remained the same since my triumphant emergence from thousands of years buried beneath the sands of the Hebrew's lands. I think I would have liked the poet who wrote that line and spoke of the Fall of the idols that men have raised above them. When you are the living embodiment of torture, sadism, and anger and denied the oppurtunity to slake your thirst a person must turn to introspection and for milleniua there was nothing but that. My fellow Demon Princes have accused me of being a relic of a less civilized age and others have accused me of being a fool for the way I operate. The one known as Lilith thinks I am a madman and a monster but she should know through the fool Malphas by now that being a Shedim does not make me mad but makes me focused in a way that no man can truly understand the depths of my devotion let alone a person who was once human. You question why I instigate riots, why I kidnap the innocent and satisfied with their lives and torture them, why I strip away everything a man has. My father David whom I call Gog and I take my name from understands a fragment of why I do this and that is why he did not destroy me when he had the chance. I am the Scourge of God and it was my duty as the Lord of Fortitude to make humanity stronger. In my day it was bad but in your day it is awesomely horrid to my eyes the ammount of weakness you have allowed to crop into your culture. In Africa children eat their own belly fat in order to survive a few more days and drink from rancid streams while an ocean away American children complain of the variety of the fats they must devour. Women who in olden days would wail the loss of infants to the implacable gods of disease and hunger now slay said babes in their womb before their first breath for conveinance. The elderly are left to rot on machines forgotten by the children they sacraficed much to rear. Even those who suffer most in this world though have lost the meaning of what it is to EXPERIENCE life. Life is pain, sweat, and death from the very moment a child emerges screaming from his mother's womb and only by standing naked like Job with teeth rotted and eyes full of hateful joy calling to God for more can we ever live up to the existence we have. When pain becomes pleasure you will realize there is nothing in your life that is wrong and you will be stronger than any of those around you able to inflict any sort of punishment or judgement you desire on the weak-willed who depend on crutches like family, friends, or self-esteem. You will be like god. In this age where everything is so easy you will find Cruelty has returned to be the Kindest of options available left to mankind leading towards extinction thanks to it's own achievements. Thank me as I inflict unforgettable suffering on you. - -Charlemagne ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 17:10:03 -0400 From: Jonathan Walton Subject: Re: IN> The Lady and the Scarab (Iron Rev submission power!) >> Ah well, I'll just have to twist things a little ... > > This should be fun.... Too much fun, possibly, since, the way things are shaping up, I'm probably going to go over the size limit too. Can we have some sort of "Contest for the Disqualified"? Maybe me and Eric can just take a handicap or something ;) Later. Jonathan ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 17:16:10 -0400 From: "S.D." Subject: IN> On Madness and Archangels Now, I've been looking through the (canon) Superior lists for In Nomine. And as anyone can see, there are several blatant 'counterparts'. War and the War, Divine and Infernal Fire, Divine and Infernal Death (see Night Music for the first), Lightning and Technology, Judgement and the Game, Revelation and Secrets, Dreams and Nightmares, Destiny and Fate, and, of course, Wind and Theft... Some of these connections are easily explained; a former ally or Servitor of their current 'counterpart' (Baal and Michael were Valor and War; I shouldn't need to explain Blandine and Beleth; Belial, Asmodeus, and Alaemon were Servitors; etc.) But what of the others? Yves and Kronos, Janus and Valefor, Jean and Vapula... Well, first, note that in each case the two involved are of the same Band/Choir pair (except Yves and Kronos, but we'll get to that.) And, IIRC, all three were either pre-Fall, or appeared around the same time, or the Prince appeared after the Archangel. Secondly, I'll draw your attention to the recent 'Consider (x)' series of Superiors' points of view. Keep in mind that each of these is in terms of their Word. Laurence sees his fellows as blades, Michael and Baal think in terms of combat, Haagenti speaks of consuming and Vapula is Habbalite-mad... Just remember these for now. Thirdly, recall Gabriel's madness. What was the cause? Word-friction. Well, what if it happened *backwards*? What if the madness came *first*, and *then* the corrupted Word? And Celestials can lose Forces - or replace them - can't they? Imagine it. An Archangel, viewing the world through the lens of his/her/its Word, suddenly realizes that *the Word and God's Will are not the only possiblities.* Gabriel and Belial are perfect examples of opposites; what can happen when there is a Divine and Infernal conception of a single Word. And the Archangel cannot or *will* not believe this is true. So Ethereal (mental) and possibly Celestial (spiritual) or Corporeal (physical) Forces are torn from the Archangel's being instinctively; the Forces that let the Superior realize...and, with no welcome in Heaven, no solace in the Marches, and no place on Earth, what is left but Hell? And Vapula was Hellborn... Of course, a reaction like this might not work for Janus or Yves. Jean, possibly, though it is subjective. But maybe the Dissonance went with the Forces. So, for Janus...One epiphany is followed by a sudden urge to see what his Infernal counterpart would be like. And he decides to start on the greatest masquerade of all - an Archangel playing the role of a Prince. (Of course, it's suspected Dominic is doing the reverse, but not at the same *time*.) Songs provide the needed cosmetic changes, and Janus *is* an Ofanite, meaning he could therefore get from Heaven to Hell to Earth faster than anyone else, and thereby cover his tracks. (An alternate idea is that Janus played Kyrio and split in half, one part with the angelic side, and the other with the demonic urges.) As for Yves? Well, perhaps, at heart, he agreed with the Lightbringer that a Choice was necessary. But perhaps a *different* type of Choice...Thus was born Kronos, Yves' other half, Balseraphic in form only because he continues to lie to himself that he is no part of Yves, and is more than the mere offspring of a spirit's Forces. *** This can be applied to most of the Superiors, if you don't mind going actively *against* canon. If your RP is set appropriately or you want more Princes, perhaps a campaign could be set up around a character finding out that another Archangel is contemplating this, and the angelic PCs trying desperately to 1: keep it a secret from Hell (and maybe Heaven...) and 2: stop it at all costs, whereas demonic PCs might try to make sure it happens... On the other hand, perhaps Jean manages to remember what he did. And the Archangel of Lightning has an idea about how to *un*do it. Of course, it'll require getting to Vapula...somehow. The PCs either are recruited to help him or a Prince recruits them to *stop* him... (I'd save this for relatively late in a campaign series; when the characters are fairly powerful. Or the job could be to have angels persuade the other Archangels to help, and demons try to warn Vapula...) Put whatever spin on it you like, if you don't have a Lightning/Technology servitor among your PCs and would prefer to use one of their Superiors. (Or for a *really* strange game, have Vapula want to Redeem, and say that if he did, he'd go back to being part of Jean...so PCs have to persuade him *not* to!) *** A note: Not sure how well this would work, especially with the fact that Superiors are at the core of it. It's my first campaign seed. C&C for future reference appreciated. ^_^;; ~S.D. Ryukage http://fly.to/sd_nexus ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ JANUS: [flops in a chair] "You see, I have this kind of email address mixup, which sometimes in a totally unrelated way means that I get email meant for an entirely different person which in no way should be at all construed as evidence of disloyalty on my part or considered that I could be at all connected to the person who got the email..." MICHAEL: "All right, who's been spamming Valefor this time? JORDI: [who has been reading it over his shoulder] "I do not understand these human concepts. What is the television event of the Millenium and why is the 'Archangel Charity Execution Auction Live' associated with it?" JEAN: "I calculate a 99.99 per cent probability that this is associated with the disappearance of Marc." DOMINIC: [sarcastically] "You are not certain?" JEAN: "There is always the possibility that he is hosting it." Janus/Wind, Michael/War, Jordi/Animals, Jean/Lightning, and Dominic/Judgement, 'Charity Auction' ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 17:23:59 -0400 From: "Eric Bertish" Subject: Re: IN> April 22, 2001 (ML) >...and when he woke up, it was because of the six >inches of dust that had seemingly (and suddenly) >covered his body. I'm assuming this was the result of Infernal Intervention? >homeless. One of the greatest playwrights in English >literature is currently washing dishes in a London >diner, and trying to figure out what to do next. Why doesn't he become an actor? He'd be a natural (duh) at Shakespearean drama: he knows the words, can bring untold nuances to the roles, and he sounds really, *really* confident in Elizabethan English. And lots of actors wait tables/wash dishes/etc to keep from starving. - -- Casca _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 17:34:50 -0400 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: IN> Isaac Isaac Seraph of Creation The Angel of Criticism Cor-2 Str-4 Agil-2 Eth-6 Int-12 Pre-12 Cel-6 Will-12 Per-12 Vessels: Human 6/ (Charisma +2) Skills: Art History 6/, Bureaucracy 4/, Computer 3/, Electronics 1/, Economics 3/, Savoir Faire 6/, Tracking 6/ Songs: Every song at 2/ save the Songs specific to Eli's service and the Song of Creation which he has all of them at 6/ Attunements: All of Eli's attunements Rites: All of Eli's rites Special Abilities: Fatal Flaw: Isaac can percieve any flaws in any creation whatsoever and with a sucessful resonance check just how badly the flaws will backfire if at all. Constructive Advice: With a resonance check this allows Isaac the best ability to fix something for the better and in more detail with the higher done. Critical Jump: A version of Synchronity the ability allows Isaac to jump to wherever his set parameters take him about what he desires to criticize in the Symphony today from everything where "Critical Analyse is needed most today" to "ANy servitors of Eli who need me to today". This ability has backfired spectacularly on several occasions and Isaac has learned his lesson about specifics since then that he pratically never makes mistakes anymore. Word Forces: 15 Isaac is the man Dominic has as quite possibly currently the most watched Angel in Heaven and he absolutely loathes the position. You see Eli is an angel who has a tendancy to dissapear and re-appear faster than it should be possible to even think about one's location but being that Eli has shaped much of creation and is a Mercurian too he has a more than adequately demonstrated an ability to be everywhere but where Judgement would like him to be and that is Heaven long enough to explain his actions properly but you know the drill "places to go, people to see". However Isaac is relatively easy to track down given he has a cherub on every continent save Antarctica attuned to him and his movements are carefully followed and catalogged in hopes of getting a full understanding of what he and Eli are up to if anything. This should indicate that Isaac is a personage of some importance, well he isn't or at least not anymore as far as he is concerned. Isaac is the first servitor of Eli after the Creator Archangel began his creation and was until just recently the highest ranking Angel in Eli's service in charge of the unique task of serving as Eli's "critic" who would judge whether or not a particular idea or creation was worth it's spot in the Symphony....which you can imagine made him about just as Popular as a sevitor of Dominic would be in a army of Michaelites. Isaac however was second only to his master and kept an iron hand on the creative instincts of the servitors of Eli even as the universe was brought into being and Archangels rose with words such as Flowers, Wind, Oceans, and strange concepts like Dreams, Love, and Fear. When the Fall came Isaac stood proudly against the Horde of Hell and defended the Halls of Creation with his last breath. Then things just started to get alittle funny with Eli.... Comparitively speaking Isaac is still reeling from the loss of the other Archangels of Heaven including Lucifer who was a fond ally of Creations from the beggining, Uriel who was an ideal of creation, and Raphael whom he'd come to view somewhat as a kid sister when Eli just....well pretty much ditched the bureaucracy. Summoned to Eli's office one day Eli had a roughly year and a day talk with Isaac about what he was going to do and asked his servitor to assemble a list of all his servitors and serve as an intermediary between them and the other Archangels so they wouldn't be left out while he was gone on the Earth for an "indefinate period" of time. While he didn't handle them all it was Isaac's judgement that formed a substantial part of helping servitors of creation fit in and quite simply it's part of his gifts from Eli to know everything about every servitor of Creation there is so he was VERY thorough in doing so. Isaac is a patient man, it's his nature as a Seraphim and he knows cosmologically speaking Eli hasn't really been gone more than a second but since all the distinctions were removed Isaac is feeling more than alittle naked and concerned for his brothers, sisters, and it's. Isaac himself has decided to take up with no other Archangel and instead serves completely on his own accord the word of Creation which he believes roughly now is to make sure that no Creationers decide they like their new Archangel enough that they'd like to switch permanently and to help those "not fitting in" stay comfortable and progressive until Eli comes back. Isaac is thus always on the move visiting servitors of Creation and more often than not trying to follow the trail of his Archangel to share bits of news with him about issues that concern him (Isaac is attuned through the Celestial Song of attraction to his Archangel). For the most part servitors of creation respect what Isaac is trying to do and aside from now giving the "old man" a great amount of ribbing which they weren't able to do about his art taste (and lack there of) while he was their distincted superior they appreciate what he's doing. Isaac it should be noted still hasn't lost his opinionated self and has spent a VERY long time sharpening his critical skills because all attempts at it have proven conclusively he unlike most Creations has no artistic ability at heart whatsoever. Nobody likes a critic. - -Charlemagne ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 17:39:48 -0400 From: "Krishnaswami, Neel" Subject: Re: IN> Consider Freedom... Maurice Lane wrote: > > Most interesting. > > As a side note, I am now imagining Lilith as Ayn Rand. I recall linking libertarianism and Lilith has been discussed before, but as it happens Stirner is pretty close to the Star Trek mirror universe opposite of Ayn Rand. Max Stirner is about as left wing as you can get -- /Karl Marx/ attacked him for being a looney-bin idealist who was too high from smoking Hegelian metaphysics to manage tying his own shoes, let alone liberating mankind. Considering the source, that's a criticism that's got to smart. :) When I ran my big IN game, it was before I had discoverd Stirner, so libertarianism was the Official Ideology of Infernal Freedom. That's because I'm one in real life, and figured that sending all my ilk to roast in the Pit was a good way of making sure that my own political inclinations did not infect the game I was trying to run. I *hate* preachiness in rpg campaigns, and under no circumstances will I risk contracting that disease myself. - -- Neel Krishnaswami neelk@cswcasa.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 18:50:13 -0400 From: "Matthew B. Gerber" Subject: Re: IN> Consider the World Phillip wrote: > My. God. Wow. This is the single -best- depiction of Eli I'd ever heard. > If I was worried about him falling before (which I wasn't, but hey), that > would've cleared any doubts in my mind. And it perfectly explains his > walkabout, something which I always felt would be crucial to any long-term > IN campaign, up there with Kobal's joke. Thank you, sir. And Prodigal, and Charles. I'm surprised the reaction is this good... I can't take full credit for it, I hasten to admit. The overall theme of the world as a collection of reactions is pretty much taken straight out of one of C.S. Lewis' points from The Screwtape Letters (Chapter 18, for those playing along at home), and Mason Kramer gave me the seed for it tying into the walkabout. This was a few months ago. When I thought about the Consider threads for awhile, it just gelled. I love it when a plan comes together... Matt ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 23:34:05 +0100 From: "Genevieve Cogman" Subject: IN> Iron Rev Scenario : Eye of the Needle COMMUNIQUE From : Seramma, Malakite of the Sword, Master of the Armies of God To : (fill in PC names here) Subject : Information Message : In the name of the Archangel of the Sword, Commander of the Hosts of Heaven, your assistance is requested and required in a mission of redemption. It is believed that Getharanati, a Balseraph of the Prince of Death, is working at the British Museum. (Description and photos are to be found in the appendix.) This demon is currently serving Nanina, a Lilim of the Prince of Death who has also gained much favour from Technology, and who has had a sentence of death passed upon her by the Archangel of the Sword. It is believed that Getharanati wishes to be Redeemed. Since no local angels of Laurence are skilled in proffering religious advice and soul-searching council to such a demon, you are requested and required to lead him to the light, and bring him to the paths of Heaven. - --- Give that to your players. They can ask for more information -- however, there's very little to be got, and when questioned on how he got the information that Getharanati is Redemption-fodder, Seramma will somewhat embarassedly explain that it came from an Elohite of the Wind, who is now out of contact, but who supplied the photo. However, the characters have good reputations, and surely they can handle something like this? - --- The enclosed photograph shows two people -- a youngish, extremely handsome man, and an older, pouty-looking woman, standing near the Thames, with the monument known as Cleopatra's Needle in the background (Area Knowledge of London to recognise this, otherwise it's a "big pointy obelisk thing".) Characters will make the logical assumption (as did Seramma, and what a pity the Elohite's not around) that the man is Getharanati. Unfortunately, the woman is Getharanati's current vessel. More unfortunately yet, the young man in the photo is Nanina, a Lilim who rather enjoys using male vessels. Oops. Really, the Elohite had no idea. Honest. - --- Let the characters realise that they're going to have to trek around the British Museum, photo in hand, trying not to be too conspicuous. Let them enjoy themselves in the Museum. Throw in a few hints about ethereal activity (after all, the place is full of classical architecture, relics, whatnot) and other little tidbits. Eventually, in the Aztec History section (give them a bonus mark if they went there first) they will see the nice young man from the photo, loitering near a case showing ceremonial butterfly jewellery. - --- So what's going on? Well, Nanina has one of these brilliant schemes involving horrific death and destruction. To be precise, she plans to kidnap some sacrifices, chain them up in a high place, and then unleash on them some variant Vapulan-bred butterflies (she did some people there some significant Favors) that drink blood, with black razor-edged wings. Just your average Samingan plot, really. Since she plans to do this in London, and Real Soon Now, she came to find her local minion, Getharanati. She hasn't as yet spotted his Need to Redeem, though she will very soon now, especially if he keeps on cringing and whimpering like that around her. Getharanati was considering this redemption thing, really. He just didn't plan on having his current boss around at the same time. - --- So what's going to happen? Well, the odds are that PCs will sidle up to Nanina and start dropping not-too-subtle hints about redemption. Nanina, who is nobody's idiot, will string them along to find out what's going on, Need-reading to her utmost. As soon as she clues in that they think she's Getharanati, and that they're hoping he'll Redeem, she will immediately do her best to convince them that Getharanati (currently in the next room, still female, what a coincidence) is actually _her_, and that they should kill him (or, rather, her) on sight. She'll then sneak quietly away, intending to put her plans into operation that very night. If any PCs really throw themselves in her way, she'll do her best to kidnap them to get butterfly murdered too. Getharanati may well get gunned down on the spot by over-enthusiastic PCs, and will certainly defend himself to the utmost if anyone attacks him. If he dies, he should gasp out a few last words that will make the PCs realise they've been played for fools, and put them on Nanina's track. If they actually talk to him, they'll probably realise what's going on -- but by then Nanina will have fled. Fortunately for people hunting Nanina, she has a Hideout. (Well, she has to store the butterflies somewhere.) Getharanati can help them find it -- or, if they've killed him, some convenient documents in his locker at the Museum will help them find it. When they get to the Hideout, cue a few locks, poison needle traps, you know the drill. It should by now be early evening. The crates of butterflies are gone, leaving only square marks in the dust on the floor, though a few dead specimens are scattered around for PCs to cut their fingers on. Fortunately, Nanina has also left a Mission Plan, about how she plans to chain her victims to the mini-pyramid at the top of Cleopatra's Needle, tacked up on the wall. Cue a dash for Cleopatra's Needle, hopefully in time to find Nanina and a few henchthugs using NC Wings to fly up to the top of the Needle and chain a few gagged victims there. It's dark by now, which is why the police haven't interfered yet, but major disturbances, screams, gunshots, fires, etcetera, will get attention. And let's not forget the butterflies. (Optional note: this is right next to the Thames, which is a big murky river, suitable for recurring villains to vanish into and not have their bodies found.) - --- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 17:22:47 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> The Lady and the Scarab (Iron Rev submission power!) - --- Whistling in the Dark wrote: > The Scarab of the Ages I am humbled by your ingenuity. Your choice of pyramid is primo! ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 "Holding a grudge is like being stung to death by one bee." -- William Walton (no relation) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 19:56:08 -0700 (PDT) From: Maurice Lane Subject: IN> Iron Ref - ML Well, that was fun. Sorry about the bad French. Actually, just 'Sorry' in general. :) Moe Le Adventure Humanitie Moetic Ingredients 4 to 6 Six-Force Soldier PCs, somewhat seasoned 1 Six-Force Soldier of the Media 1 Generic Five-Force Government Agent NPC, mildly seasoned (for best results, remove most of the Government from the NPC before cooking) 20 to 50 Five-Force NPCs, aged but unseasoned 3 to 5 quarts standard Adventure Stock Plot Garnish (see below) 1 Wiretap 1 Sprig of Parsley Preparations Your Soldiers should be carefully cleaned of any residual Celestial influences before use: any more than a hint of Angelic or Diabolical seasoning will wreck the delicate flavor of this dish. It is suggested, in fact, that the cook use no Angels or Demons for the main dish. The Soldiers may be acquired pre-seasoned. Take your Soldiers and steep them in one quart of the stock. Periodically drain stock (which may reused) and refill. For best results, include the mildly seasoned Five-Force NPC (do not chop) for a brief time, in order to blend the various flavors. Meanwhile, prepare the Soldier of the Media and the Plot Garnish. For best results, the Soldier of the Media should be thoroughly cleaned of any lingering Diabolical additions prior to cooking. Do not use Soldiers that have had a Diabolical Force added: while more common than fully natural 6-Force Soldiers, this will have unfortunate effects on the final flavor. Coat the prepared Media Soldier with the Plot Garnish: Plot Garnish One confidence game (a pyramid scheme that involves a complicated method to redeem IRA retirement accounts easily and ahead of schedule) 6 Units, Lying Skill 6 Units, Emote 2 Units, Charisma 16 to 20 Units of Skills and Corporeal Songs to taste (recommended additions: 3 Units of Ranged Weapon (rifle) and 3 Units Corporeal Song of Shields). In a saucepan, place the Unseasoned NPCs and add the recycled stock. Let steep. Without draining the stock, add the Garnished Soldier of the Media. Put under low heat and let simmer. When NPCs begin to clump around the Soldier of the Media, add Wiretap and 5-Force NPC. Stir briefly and remove 5-Force NPC. Raise heat on saucepan and cover. Take 5-Force NPC and add to bowl containing steeping Soldiers. Once NPC has been allowed to steep in bowl, the Soldiers must quickly be added to saucepan (5-Force NPC may be safely discarded at this time). Turn up heat and stir constantly: try to keep the Wiretap from touching any of the Soldiers for long periods of time. Especial care must be taken to keep the introduction of the Soldiers to the mix from damaging one or more aged NPCs: violent stirring will wreck the dish. Careful stirring should result in the Soldier of the Media starting to dissolve: if the Media Soldier persists in retaining consistency, a discreet dash of the appropriate Celestial seasoning may be used (again, be careful not to overuse). Do not worry if a 6-Force Soldier or two likewise dissolves: this merely adds a piquant taste to the final dish. Once the Soldier of the Media has been completely dissolved, remove from heat immediately and drain. Serve piping hot with parsley, Fritos and carbonated soda on the side. Serves Four to Six players. ===== Liber Licentiae Moeticae: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Last updated 04/29/01(this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 00:56:00 -0400 (EDT) From: "Rev. Pee Kitty" Subject: IN> IRON REV: Undead Flying Zombi Insects... from the Unnamed Pyramid! (Under the word limit, even!) Undead Flying Zombi Insects... from the Unnamed Pyramid! (It sounds best if you say it out loud, with a serious "announcer" voice.) ___ It all started so innocently... well, if you consider Necromancy innocent. There are many pyramids on the plains of Giza - some famous, most not. It is in a hidden area of one of the less-than-famous ones where Egreniel, a Habbalite of Death, has quietly set up shop. His goal: To go back to the roots of the craft, to study the art of the ancient Egyptian Necromancers, and perfect the creation of undead insects! (Yes, you can use the standard Zombi attunement on insects, but they're anything but "perfected". With no Celestial Forces, they don't get any tougher, and the Numinous Corpus doesn't stick. Waste of Essence, really. Anyway...) Fearful of having his rightful credit stolen, Egreniel has been working quietly and in secrecy, bringing in insects from the surrounding area and rarely venturing out of his hidden chambers for other supplies. He takes great care to guard his secrets - and to his credit, the only other person to realize anything is going on is the Lilim of Technology who tailed him back to his workshop on a hunch, and has begun spying on him regularly since. (Egreniel may be a bonafide genius, but he's not particularly alert....) Zejebar, the Lilim, was amazed at the progress made by the Habbalite, and quickly split her time between her local Vapulan duties (causing business to disregard the environment) and sneaking down the air shafts into the pyramid in her rat vessel to spy on Egreniel. As fond of Samingans as any Technologist, Zejebar has formulated a plan to discredit Egreniel and steal his work for herself. Modifying an ultrasonic emitter to send the appropriate tones was easy. Spreading the rumor that Egreniel was about to go Renegade and seek Redemption took some leg work and a handful of Geases, but went off without a hitch... after all, no one has heard from him in some time. Eventually, it'll work its way back to the Game - or Saminga - and then she can act. This is where the PCs, or their immediate superiors, hear the rumors. If they serve the Game or the War, they will be ordered to detain this demon for questioning. Any other demon will likely want either the fame of bringing in a traitor, or the chance to bribe a demon on the ropes. Angels have an obvious motive; most will, of course, be ordered to proceed cautiously in case the rumors are false. When the first group, whoever they are, show up at the pyramid, one of his insects will alert Egreniel, who will rush to see who it is. When he realizes, the Habbalite will panic, fearing the worst. He may attack, or run, or try to stammer an explanation, before heading to his laboratory to gather his converted insects (either as proof of his loyalty or muscle for his attack). But... they aren't there. This causes the panic to hit never-before-charted heights, and the GM should have him do whatever makes the least amount of sense at this point, which will more than likely get him vessel-killed. Such is life. Where'd they go? As Egreniel ascends the walkways to greet his visitors, Zejebar shifts into her human vessel, which holds the ultrasonic emitter. Carefully tuning it to best affect the group of sixty insects (twenty horseflies, twenty beetles, and twenty mosquitos), she uses the sonics like a dog whistle to steer the insects up an air shaft and into a waiting box. Hiding the emitter nearby, to ensure that it remains "on" until she gets out, she shifts back into a rat and scurries out as Egreniel gets what he deserves. Then, the sixty undead bugs that the Horror has been working on for the past two weeks will be all hers. The perfect plan. Or it would be, if those sixty bugs were the only ones Egreniel had been working on. Every other afternoon, as the Lilim was at her "day job", Egreniel took the batch of sixty now-undead insects into a nearby chamber, threw them some human flesh, and brought in sixty new, live "subjects" to zombify. Over five hundred undead insects are now hearing a distorted echo of an ultrasonic emitter that only worked on a lucky break in the first place. Can you blame them for going completely berserk? Ideally, it will be nighttime, as hundreds upon hundreds of insect zombis take wing and fly through the Giza sky... some towards the encampments and "travelling cities" nearby, some towards the closest town. Hundreds. Of undead swarms. Of "perfected" undead swarms. With increased strength. Increased resilliance. *Working* Numinous Corpi. Acid. Claws. Tongues. And Bad Attitudes. (See the stats at the bottom for more information.) This can be played as a straight-up bug hunt, as the players try desperately to swat the horrors before they make it to civilization. Or to play it more suspensefully, let the insects quietly reach humanity before the players can get to them - this version is a desperate race to *quietly* eliminate the horde before the mortals realize what's going on. The swarms can spread out as much or as little as the GM wants, based on how much he wants to split up the party. Season to taste... and try not to scratch the bites or they'll only get worse. ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: * Having angels *and* the Game show up at the same time would just be plain evil. Don't even consider it. Really. * Most Demon Princes will expect the insect horde to be suppressed. A few (notably Kobal, Haagenti, and Saminga) might appreciate the PCs *helping* the swarm. This plays better against a large group of angels trying to stop the insect invasion. * If the media catches wind of this, it can head straight into a coverup adventure. * And just what's going to happen with Zejebar after all this? ___ Egreniel Habbalite of Death Corporeal Forces: 2 (Strength 3, Agility 5) Ethereal Forces: 4 (Intelligence 11, Precision 5) Celestial Forces: 3 (Will 9, Perception 3) Vessel: Human Male/2 (Egyptian, 30s) Skills: Chemistry/1, Dodge/2, *Enchantment/4, Fast-Talk/1, Fighting/1, Lying/1, Move Silently/2, *Necromancy/6 Songs: Numinous Corpus (Acid/2, Claws/3, Tongue/4), Possession/2 Attunements: Habbalite of Death, Zombi Discord: Paranoid/3 ___ Zejebar Lilim of Technology Corporeal Forces: 2 (Strength 4, Agility 4) Ethereal Forces: 4 (Intelligence 9, Precision 7) Celestial Forces: 4 (Will 8, Perception 8) Vessels: Human Female/3 (White, 20s), Rat/1 (Small, gray) Skills: Computer Operation/1, Detect Lies/2, Electronics/5, Emote/2, *Enchantment/4, Engineering/2, Fast-Talk/2, Lying/3, Move Silently/3, *Necromancy/1, Ranged Weapon (Pistol/1), Seduction/2, Tracking/1 Songs: Form (Ethereal/3), Healing (Corporeal/3), Light (Ethereal/2, Celestial/3), Shields (Corporeal/1, Ethereal/3) **Attunements: Lilim of Technology ___ Undead Flying Zombi Insects from the Unnamed Pyramid! (Did you remember to do the announcer voice again? Good.) GENERAL STATS: Egreniel's Zombi insects don't have individual stats per se. They all have Need/3 (Blood) and the effect of a Numinous Corpus (see below). Each insect can be grounded by one point of damage, knocked out by two, and killed permanently by three. Individual insects (for groups of four or fewer) successfully attack on a roll of 5 or less; swarms of five or more successfully attack on a 7 or less, and do more damage (see below). Individual insects are attacked at a -4 penalty and have a Dodge roll of 8 (4 if grounded). Swarms can be targeted, by area effect weapons only, at no penalty, and have a Dodge roll of 6 (grounded insects cannot be part of a swarm); divide the overall damage between the insects as evenly as possible. HORSEFLIES: These insects can attack from up to five feet away by spitting Acid! Individual attacks have Power -4 (minimum one point of damage); swarms have Power +2. BEETLES: Imbued with the Numinous Corpus of Claws, these insects attack at Power -2 individually (minimum one point of damage), or Power +5 as a swarm... and add +1 to their target number to hit! MOSQUITOS: These insects attack individually with Power -4 (minimum one point of damage), and as a swarm with Power +2. Due to their Tongue Numinous Corpus, however, they may choose to do Mind Hits instead! ___ * Unless using Sorcery rules, treat as a Knowledge skill ** In a full-canon game, give Zejebar the Reanimation attunement - -- Rev. Pee Kitty, of the order Malkavian-Dobbsian, Q4B4L! Meow! "It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth...that you are a slave. Like everyone else, you were born into bondage - born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch...a prison for your mind." -- Morpheus, _The Matrix_ ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #2204 ******************************** The material here is (C) 2001 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.