From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Thu Jul 19 17:22:59 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 RAA04573 for ; Thu, 19 Jul 2001 17:22:59 -0500 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.3/8.9.1a) id RAA23628 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Thu, 19 Jul 2001 17:21:37 -0500 Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 17:21:37 -0500 Message-Id: <200107192221.RAA23628@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 #2308 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 Thursday, July 19 2001 Volume 01 : Number 2308 In this digest: Re: IN> The Online Conspiracy Re: IN> Belial the Destroyer Re: IN> WWIN Resurrection IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters Re: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters RE: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters Re: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters Re: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters Re: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters Re: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters Re: IN> Belial the Destroyer Re: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters Re: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters Re: IN> The Online Conspiracy Re: IN> The Online Conspiracy Re: IN> The Online Conspiracy Re: IN> The Online Conspiracy IN> Proto-Superiors Re: IN> The Online Conspiracy Re: IN> Proto-Superiors Re: IN> Proto-Superiors IN> Beth's Sending Email Is Down Re: IN> Proto-Superiors Re: IN> Proto-Superiors Re: IN> Proto-Superiors Re: IN> Proto-Superiors IN> Proto-Superiors 1 -- Squalor ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 05:49:31 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> The Online Conspiracy Whoa -- you are the Keeper of the Cool Points this week, for sure! ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 08:40:11 -0400 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: Re: IN> Belial the Destroyer At 3:53 PM -0700 7/13/01, Maurice Lane wrote: >I've thought about that, too - of course, I had him >handle it by wrapping said impulses around a clump of >Forces and expelling it as a minor-Band demon. > >Eric Burns touched Belial and Word-friction too, >during his Lilith, Queen of Hell saga*. Indeed, he >was almost as mean to Belial as I normally would be... > :) Almost? Moe. Moe my dear friend. You're cruel and vicious to Belial. But generally, you're quite quick, often causing a vicious, swift death. I, on the other hand, enjoy inflicting monumental suffering... and make it *last.* >Moe > >*Insert usual anguished begging for people to update >their webpages. _My_ next update is coming up in a >few days, thankyouverymuch - and I fragging *moved*. >No excuses, people, no excuses. ;) See my last post on where my time's been. - -- Eric Alfred Burns - Impudite of Secrets -- or Mercurian of Revelation (candidate for the Word of Obscurity) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 05:58:35 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> WWIN Resurrection - --- Jonathan Walton wrote: > P.S. Also, when another of my various projects gets > done, namely Moe's > "Tattered Symphony Netbook," look for WWIN to run the > first Tattered PBeM. Coolness. But I still want to know what's happening with Mare Imbrium. ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 09:31:22 -0400 From: "Adams, David" Subject: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters Hello All, I am a list newbie, but I have heard many wonderful things about it. I play in Casca's game currently, but I need more.(no offense Eric) Sufficed to say I love the game, maybe not the mechanics but the idea behind it. And with that, I present my first character. Please do not completely shred me, it's my first time. Salathiel Cherub of Judgment Angel of Bounty Hunters Suggested Word-Forces: ?? Celestial Forces: 5 Strength: 8 Agility: 12 Ethereal Forces: 5 Intelligence: 10 Precision: 10 Celestial Forces: 4 Will: 10 Perception: 6 Vessel: human male/5 Role: Tyler Callahan*/6, Status 2 Skills: A lot, when you have pulled corporeal duty as long he has you pick up a thing or 50. Songs**: Attraction (Corporeal/2, Celestial/3), Healing (All/1), Motion (All/1), Shields (All/2). Angel of Bounty Hunters: Attunement: Salathiel gets a +2 on his check digits for any roll that is directly involved with tracking and capturing his query. Dissonance Condition: It is dissonant for Salathiel to not devote the majority of his time and attention to attempting to track and capture his query. Rite: Collect a bounty without causing undo or unjust harm to the query. Attunements**: Angel of Bounty Hunters, Cherub of Judgment, Ofanite of Judgment, Malakite Judgment, Passage, Warder, Incarnate Law, Dream Walking, Passage, Hunt, Divine Contract, Inevitability, Cherub of Creation, Cherub of the Sword * Salathiel has gone through a lot of Roles in the years ** He knows/has more that have been granted for his service to various archangels and angels. Appearance/Personality: Celestially Salathiel appears as a winged Russian wolfhound, corporeally he prefers rugged looking vessels with a stern facial features. Salathiel is a straight shooter. He has no problem calling you on your mistakes and will help you to learn from them. The easiest way to describe him is as a modern day Wyatt Earp from the movie Tombstone. In his eyes, humans need to be protected from those who flee justice and if the already strained justice system needs some help he will provide it. It's not all right to break the law but if you do, take your licks like a man. History: Salathiel started off in a roving triad assigned to Europe around the end of the 1400's. While doing their rounds through out Europe they stopped off in a town that was being plagued by highwaymen. After a little debate the Triad decided to help out the town. The plan was to set themselves up to be robbed, turn the tables on the highwayman and bring them to the sheriff. The plan worked and they brought in the prisoners. When they turned over the criminals to the sheriff, the sheriff turned over the reward for their capture. No one wanted to accept the money, but the sheriff insisted. After a little debate as to what should be done with the money, the Triad promptly gave it to the local church. Salathiel loved the feeling, the rush, the recognition, the joy of taking the money and giving it to someone who needed it. Salathiel came up with an idea. When Dominic came to visit the triad, they recounted their tale to him and Salathiel asked if the triad could also take up finding more criminals with rewards for their captures. After a long discussion on greed, pride, charity and justice Dominic agreed to his request. Salathiel and his triad started bounty hunting. The seraph and the ofanite lost interest over time but Salathiel spent every free moment finding fugitives, brigands and whomever else was fleeing from justice. Then one day it happened. A word bound servitor of trade asked Salathiel if he could bring in a demon of greed that had been mussing with the merchant traffic in Venice. Salathiel agreed and when he had a break from Triad duty, went to Venice. After a little searching, a lot of investigating, and the Divine grace of God, the demon's operation was brought down and the human criminals were brought to justice. The Trade servitor was so happy that he gave Salathiel a small reliquary in payment and said that he would pass along how helpful he was to Marc. Salathiel wasn't quite sure how to react; this couldn't be given to a local charity. Salathiel took the reliquary and waited for Dominic to show up. Dominic realized that greed wasn't the motivation for Salathiel's actions and that Salathiel had earned the reliquary through his actions. Once Marc heard of what was done, he found Salathiel, put him in his Rolodex and gave him Divine Contract. The condition being that servitors of trade would be able to call upon his services again if need be. A little while later other angels came to Salathiel with other little problems. Anything from help tracking down thieves to help bringing in outcast so that their Archangel could deal with them. Salathiel performed all these duties and reported everything to Dominic, especially the outcasts encountered. With time, Dominic pulled Salathiel from Triad duty and let him freelance his services as long as he promoted the ideals of Judgment. Eventually (more specifically during the Old West), Dominic petitioned the Seraphim Council to give Salathiel the word of bounty hunters. The Council agreed and bestowed the word to Salathiel. Who subsequently went on a bounty-hunting spree to celebrate. The result of this spree was fifteen outlaws brought to justice, three new churches throughout Arizona and a well-established role as a professional bounty hunter. Salathiel's role at the time was that of Mike "Bloodhound" Callahan. Taking the notoriety of his role he settled down in Tempe and started a professional bounty hunting business. Eventually this became a front for Salathiel's other job, training Dominicans in corporeal hunting and tracking techniques. Even to this day Salathiel still takes jobs for other Archangels and Angels in need, for a small price. His prices are fair and he will never take on a job that acts contrary to the word of Judgment. He has been all over the corporeal world and pretty much all over the Marches while on various jobs. Callahan & Co.: The way Callahan & Co. works is that Salathiel plays the current head bounty hunter and Dominicans get assigned to him for training. The new Dominicans are given roles as apprentices to Salathiel's current role and trained by him. They then go through the training process and upon completion are sent off to their new assignments. Eventually Salathiel will retire his current role and take the role of one of the reassigned trainees. The more promising trainee's are invited to stay on as bounty hunters in the company. They all work as corporeal bounty hunters and those in the main office help in training the new recruits. Callahan has the main office in Tempe, three other offices in the US, New York, San Francisco and Chicago, and two offices in each of the major continents. Each of the satellite offices has, at least, either an angel or a high-ranking soldier of Judgment to provide assistance to members of the host in distress. All that the being in distress need say is that "Sally" sent them and they will be directed to the Heavenly operative in the office. The main office is comprised completely of beings aware of the war. Currently Salathiel has two Malakim, three Cherubs, an Ofanite a Kyriotate of Judgment, two Ofanim of Fire, an Elohite of Creation in service to Judgment working for him and a Mercurian of Trade as CEO (reporting to him). The one thing that still remains from when he started is that a large portion of the profits goes to charity. Salathiel will train anybody who comes to him providing that they have approval from their Archangel and pass his personal interview. Callahan & Co. is renowned worldwide and will go just about anywhere to back it up. Well, hope you like it. Expect more after I get back from VA Beach. Dave (Heavenly soldier of Hardcore) Hardcore is not demonic. It is just misunderstood by the outside world. Sounds very Stone to me. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 09:46:29 -0400 From: Cameron McCurry Subject: Re: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters Not a bad notion, but I question why he would be a Servitor of Judgment. Given the role of bounty hunters as retrieving those who try to escape justice, as well as Dominic's lack of interest in mortal laws, it would make more sense for him to be one of Gabriel's. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 09:56:51 -0400 From: "Adams, David" Subject: RE: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters Yeah, I thought about that also. I decided to go with Judgement, because bounty hunters actually help to bring people to justice who should be judged and the idea of a corporeal training ground for Triads was stuck in my head as I wrote him up. Dave - -----Original Message----- From: Cameron McCurry [mailto:cmccurry@earthlink.net] Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2001 9:46 AM To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Subject: Re: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters Not a bad notion, but I question why he would be a Servitor of Judgment. Given the role of bounty hunters as retrieving those who try to escape justice, as well as Dominic's lack of interest in mortal laws, it would make more sense for him to be one of Gabriel's. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 11:47:09 -0400 From: "Jeffery Watkins" Subject: Re: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters Beautifully detailed with a rich background. Complete for even an historical game. This is great! Jeffery _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 11:48:46 -0400 From: "Jeffery Watkins" Subject: Re: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters as well as Dominic's lack of interest in mortal laws I thought one of the books detailed that Dominic was not interested in bad laws or laws that don't promote justic. Jeffery _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 13:17:59 -0400 From: Cameron McCurry Subject: Re: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters > I thought one of the books detailed that Dominic was not interested in bad > laws or laws that don't promote justic. From the main book: "Dominic has little interest in the laws of mankind -or, for that matter, its problems." Which was why I stated it would be more appropriate for him to work for Gabriel if he was going to embody the Word of Bounty Hunters. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 12:17:20 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters Nice work! If I ever run a game of IN again, I will definitely be adding this to my list of NPCs. :) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 10:19:23 -0700 (PDT) From: Maurice Lane Subject: Re: IN> Belial the Destroyer - --- Whistling in the Dark wrote: > Moe. Moe my dear friend. You're cruel and vicious to > Belial. But > generally, you're quite quick, often causing a > vicious, swift death. (shrug) I don't personally hate the character, just the circumstances. The pain and viciousness is there purely to dissuade others from trying that trick again. Negative reinforcement, if you will. > I, on the other hand, enjoy inflicting monumental > suffering... and > make it *last.* How ... Asmodean of you. Feeding your inner Djinn*? Moe "It would seem that MY inner demon's a Calabite, which was pretty surprising, really" Lane *It may be enjoyment, but it's pretty chilly, dude. :) ===== Liber Licentiae Moeticae: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Last updated 06/05/01(this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 10:19:26 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters - --- "Adams, David" wrote: > I present my first character. Please > do not completely shred me, it's my first time. Relax, we'll go easy -- this time. > Salathiel > Cherub of Judgment > Angel of Bounty Hunters I rather like this character. It makes perfect sense that Bounty Hunters would be a Word under Judgement. I suspect that Dominic would be keeping a _really_ close eye on this one, though; all that stalking is Djinnish behavior, after all... ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 10:22:23 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Angel of Bounty Hunters - --- Jeffery Watkins wrote: > I thought one of the books detailed that Dominic was not > interested in bad > laws or laws that don't promote justic. Quite so. Dominic is very interested in mortal law -- he's just more interested in Divine justice. And as for Salathiel being a Gabrielite -- no. Bounty Hunters are about bringing people to justice. Gabriel would be more interested in sponsoring the Angle of Vigilantes. ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 12:20:47 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> The Online Conspiracy From: "Whistling in the Dark" > > However, certain bits have now been declassified, and I'm able to > reveal my Summertime obsession.... That was utterly cool. Which makes me wonder if you've found the information on the upcoming "Majestic" game yet. *evil grin* ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 10:30:00 -0700 (PDT) From: Maurice Lane Subject: Re: IN> The Online Conspiracy - --- Whistling in the Dark wrote: > Some folks have wondered about my long absences on > this list this > summer. Yup. Seriously, I liked this, and it's raised an interesting concept in my head: the eternal dance between Litheroy and Alaemon. They sort of really do need each other, on a deep emotional level. After all, why keep Secrets if nobody cares enough to try to ferret them out? For that matter, is half the spice of Revelations the knowledge that the Other Side is trying to block your enquiries - and failing? If one or the other goes away, the survivor will find his task becoming ... boring. Routine. Too easy for words. Litheroy probably wouldn't mind that, of course, but he'd probably mind the loss of Word-Forces as the struggle wound down from it's artifically-boosted level. If they ever sculpt this pair, it will be a scene of two men simultaneously stabbing each other with one hand and binding the other's wounds with the other*... Moe *The actual form, OTOH, might be interesting. I know that solid rumor makes him an Impudite, but consider: wouldn't a Fallen Grigori make a certain amount of aesthetic sense? ===== Liber Licentiae Moeticae: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Last updated 06/05/01(this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 13:54:53 -0400 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: Re: IN> The Online Conspiracy At 12:20 PM -0500 7/19/01, Prodigal wrote: >From: "Whistling in the Dark" >> >> However, certain bits have now been declassified, and I'm able to >> reveal my Summertime obsession.... > >That was utterly cool. > >Which makes me wonder if you've found the information on the upcoming >"Majestic" game yet. *evil grin* I have -- Majestic doesn't have *quite* the same community feel. The trips through and puzzles to solve are individualized. So, Alaemon's folks are now branching out, it seems.... - -- Eric Alfred Burns - Impudite of Secrets (candidate for the Word of Obscurity) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 14:12:05 -0400 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: Re: IN> The Online Conspiracy At 10:30 AM -0700 7/19/01, Maurice Lane wrote: >--- Whistling in the Dark >wrote: >> Some folks have wondered about my long absences on >> this list this >> summer. > >Yup. > >Seriously, I liked this, and it's raised an >interesting concept in my head: the eternal dance >between Litheroy and Alaemon. If you head up to http://www.reflecting-pool.com right now, you'll see a modest fansite for the A.I. Game (it really does have me obsessed). However, I bought the site with a specific project in mind, and once the Game is over.... Well, Litheroy has a reflecting pool in his courtyard, doesn't he? But aren't Alaemon and Litheroy reflections of one another...? >They sort of really do need each other, on a deep >emotional level. After all, why keep Secrets if >nobody cares enough to try to ferret them out? For >that matter, is half the spice of Revelations the >knowledge that the Other Side is trying to block your >enquiries - and failing? I would grant the first, but not the second (Revelation, BtB -- it's the singular). Litheroy is, to be blunt, a stick in the mud. His absolute ideal universe is one where all knowledge is freely available, where nothing is kept secret, where all cards are on the table. Far from being the end of Litheroy, it would have him ascendent (from his lights), as whenever someone wanted to know something, it would be revealed unto him! On the other hand, Secrets isn't just about keeping things hidden. If you simply bury all knowledge, you're not keeping it secret. That was Mariel's province, not Gebbeleth's. Secrets is about knowing things that others don't, about learning the secrets of others and keeping them from your own. Investigation is a tremendous part of the Word of Secrets. - -- Eric Alfred Burns - Mercurian of Revelation (candidate for the Word of Obscurity) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 14:22:11 -0400 From: Douglas Muir Subject: IN> Proto-Superiors There's not much canon on how a Superior becomes a Superior. Among demons, it's clear that Lucifer makes them, for his own dark reasons (Furfur); in Heaven, it seems to be at least partially ineffable (Khalid). And we know that becoming a Superior is a "phase shift" to a completely different state of existence, with vastly enhanced powers. Otherwise, no details are available. Still, there must be some "proto-Superiors" out there: very powerful angels or demons who are clearly potential AAs or Princes. These guys would mostly follow the standard rules for NPC construction, but they might just be starting to show signs of Superior status. They'd completely lack the major Superior attributes, of course (being able to create new Celestials, being summonable, appearing in multiple locations at once), but they might be able to -- say -- give out more than one attunement. IMO and IMC, a proto-Superior would: - -- Have at least 15 Forces - -- Come equipped with a massive arsenal of skills, Songs, and attunements - -- Be very experienced in both the Celestial and Corporeal realms - -- Already have a large team of dedicated Servitors under them and, most importantly: - -- would carry a major Word, one with at least the potential of being upgraded to a Superior Word. Heaven and Hell's ruling hierarchies would be _very_ sensitive to signs of Superior potential, of course -- although for somewhat different reasons. I've got two or three of these guys sort-of written up. Anyone else have any thoughts on this? Doug M. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 13:25:05 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> The Online Conspiracy From: "Whistling in the Dark" > > > >Which makes me wonder if you've found the information on the upcoming > >"Majestic" game yet. *evil grin* > > I have -- Majestic doesn't have *quite* the same community feel. The > trips through and puzzles to solve are individualized. True. But the sheer levels of mystery and paranoia engineered into the game just screams "Alaemon" to me. > So, Alaemon's folks are now branching out, it seems.... The better to erode your trust, my dear. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 14:47:32 -0400 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: Re: IN> Proto-Superiors At 2:22 PM -0400 7/19/01, Douglas Muir wrote: > >Heaven and Hell's ruling hierarchies would be _very_ sensitive to signs of >Superior potential, of course -- although for somewhat different reasons. > >I've got two or three of these guys sort-of written up. Anyone else have >any thoughts on this? Actually, yeah. I've been playing with the concept that Dukes of Hell (and some equivilant rank/power level in Heaven) actually break the bonds of normal Servitor-hood, without becoming full fledged Superiors. I'd personally stop quantifying them with number of Forces, instead making them Other , and allowing them to have an Attunement for each Band/Choir of their Servitors, as Superiors might. They'd also have Rites without the (to me, somewhat spurious) Essence drain that came with them. However, they would *not* be able to create new Servitors directly, but instead would have to recruit or be assigned Servitors from their Superior. Also, these 'half-superiors' couldn't be Invoked and wouldn't have the same kinds of 'multiple manifestation' abilities that true Superiors have, though they might be able to create a Corporeal and Celestial instance concurrently (with strains and delays). My model here is Demogorgon, destroyed on the cusp of being named Prince. As a Duke of Hell and the Demon of Destruction, Demogorgon probably had built up a considerable organization -- which would have threatened Belial's position once the title and the extra power-boost came through. It also explains how a hopped up Word-bound Demon (Haagenti) managed to consume a Superior before becoming one himself. As a Duke of Hell, while he *wasn't* a Prince (and Mesharch *should* have been able to defend himself...) Haagenti would at least have the level of power to give ol' Sloth pause. (It's also a good reason for a Superior to restrict the number of Dukes he has, since en masse they might be able to depose him. Well, on the Hellside.) I don't have a good title for a proto-Superior on Heaven's side, though. Sefiroth, perhaps? - -- Eric Alfred Burns - Impudite of Secrets (candidate for the Word of Obscurity) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 12:10:17 -0700 (PDT) From: Maurice Lane Subject: Re: IN> Proto-Superiors - --- Whistling in the Dark wrote: > I don't have a good title for a proto-Superior on > Heaven's side, > though. Sefiroth, perhaps? Good one. Intendants might work, too. Go ask Israfel: if she isn't a candidate for this status, well*... Moe *Not that Heaven would normally keep them on the cusp: the Host simply wouldn't have the same political bloodfeuds that keep the qualified candidates down. Nope, Israfel qualifies for the same reason that all the other ones do: their Words are overshadowed by Superior-level ones. So, as long as Song's out there, raising whatever-it-is, Izzie doesn't fully bloom. Indeed, she may even be an early warning system in that regard (as I've suggested in the past)... ;) ===== Liber Licentiae Moeticae: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Last updated 06/05/01(this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 15:24:46 -0400 From: "emccoy@nh.ultranet.com" Subject: IN> Beth's Sending Email Is Down Soooo, here I am at mail2web.com (nice place), attempting to send some email to explain that I have been unable to send email for, oh, over 24 hours now. And it's still down, and tech support says give them to midnight. So please don't feel bad if you're waiting on email from me -- I can read yours fine, but I can't send a thing. *sigh* - --Beth - -------------------------------------------------------------------- Mail2Web - Check your email from the web at http://www.mail2web.com/ . ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 16:23:06 -0400 From: "Eric Bertish" Subject: Re: IN> Proto-Superiors >I've got two or three of these guys sort-of written up. Anyone else have >any thoughts on this? http://www.sjgames.com/in-nomine/articles/INChar/Angels/Malakite.Zuriel.html - -- Casca _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 13:40:26 -0700 (PDT) From: Maurice Lane Subject: Re: IN> Proto-Superiors - --- Douglas Muir wrote: > Anyone else have > any thoughts on this? Well, aside from everything else, I keep seeing ArchCaveAngels. With furry wings. :) Moegiel Kyriotate of Destiny IST Judgement (upon seeing the DP of Heresy) "You make Ogiel go all black-night-wingy and sad-mad and take away friends and make pretty big-big Song go away and then you *BROKE* MY STICK, YOU SMIRKING, EVIL, OVERBEARINGLY TASTELESS (BLEEP)!!!!! "HULK SMASH, AND SMASH, AND SMASH..." ===== Liber Licentiae Moeticae: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Last updated 06/05/01(this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 14:03:58 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Proto-Superiors - --- Douglas Muir wrote: > Still, there must be some "proto-Superiors" out there: [snip] > I've got two or three of these guys sort-of written up. Hey -- share! ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 14:06:40 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Proto-Superiors - --- Whistling in the Dark wrote: > I don't have a good title for a proto-Superior on > Heaven's side, > though. Sefiroth, perhaps? Davidson's book lists the term "Sarim" (sing. = "Sar") for angelic princes -- that might work. ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 18:17:04 -0400 From: Douglas Muir Subject: IN> Proto-Superiors 1 -- Squalor Here's the first of several very powerful Word-bound Celestials. These would be suitable as bosses or as (very!) dangerous opponent; GMs should have little trouble generating plot seeds from their plans. I haven't provided the "stats" and other details, because it's unlikely that these guys would be going directly into combat. After all, they are about as potent as Celestials can get without becoming Superiors. They're roughly as powerful as Soldekai, or the two Angels of Final Judgement at the Gates of Hell -- tough enough to give a minor Superior real trouble in a scrap. If you want to work them out in more detail, though, assume 15-18 Forces, most of their Superior's Rites and Attunements (plus perhaps some from other Superiors), at least a couple of powerful Relics, two or more sturdy Vessels, and a minimum of 80 points of Skills and Songs -- possibly much more, depending on your campaign. * * * * * Scroud, Demon of Squalor Calabite Duke of Gluttony Squalor, n. filthiness and degradation from neglect or poverty; a filthy and wretched condition or quality. -- American Heritage Dictionary True poverty does not come from God -- Yiddish proverb History and Nature: Scroud is that rare but dangerous thing: an intelligent, thoughtful Calabite. Like Haagenti, he worked his way up from the ranks over many centuries; like Valefor, he claimed his Word by eliminating the previous Word-holder. He once worked for Mammon, but cleverly switched sides just before that Prince's collapse to Minor Superior status. Haagenti rewarded him with a Barony, and he has prospered ever since. Scroud's Word is "Squalor", and he serves it well. The previous holder, a Shedite, was an old-fashioned craftsman, corrupting slumlords and housing officials one at a time. Scroud operates on a much larger scale. His favored techiques include things like running highways through working-class neighborhoods, promoting government policies that spread neglect and decay, and encouraging the rural poor in Third World countries to emigrate to urban "superslums". Scroud is very much in touch with politics, and works to create (bad) government policies and incentives as much as he does to spread Squalor on the ground. "Squalor" means "a filthy or degraded condition, usually associated with poverty", and this Word has been growing steadily in strength for the last century. Three billion people live in poverty, and more than a billion live in what the statisticians call 'utter' poverty -- absolute squalor. As slums, disease, overpopulation and misery have spread across the world, Scroud has steadily grown in power. His Word has secondary connotations, too; a wealthy celebrity with a secret drug addiction may be living in utter moral squalor, as may a powerful politician with a taste for naive interns. The Word overlaps with Gluttony, Greed, Lust and Drugs, but stands alone as well; Scroud believes it truly has the potential to support a Princehood, and he may be right. Scroud has all the Calabite love of destruction, but he has channelled it into the destruction and degradation of human environments. Unusually patient for a member of his Band, he takes particular pride in Third World megalopolises like Mexico City, Cairo, and Calcutta. Watching (for example) New Delhi gradually decay from a clean, charming, tidy little colonial capital to a "superslum" of twelve million people, the vast majority living in unsafe housing without running water or medical care... well, it's an act of destruction huge enough to make any Calabite tremble with joy and longing, even if it did take decades to accomplish. Hiroshima? Dresden? Pah! Scroud privately believes that he's destroyed cities on a vaster scale than Belial, and ruined far more human lives in the process. Present Status: To recommend thrift to the poor is both grotesque and insulting. It is like advising a man who is starving to eat less. -- Oscar Wilde Hell is full of dirty housewives. -- Japanese proverb Scroud is one of Haagenti's most powerful servants. He has, depending on the campaign, somewhere between a several dozen and a several hundred lesser demons working for him. Several lesser Word-Bound are among his Servitors; the demon of Slums works for him, as do the demons of Shoddy Construction, Tainted Water, Filthy Restaurants, and Potholes. He particularly likes Balseraphs (who can work effectively in the political sphere) and Shedim (who can spread Squalor effectively, one at a time). As a Calabite, Scroud carries Discord. He is Pallid (2 or 3) and has the Aura of Entropy (5 or 6). The latter Discord typically manifests itself as damage to the infrastructure and architecture around him. When Scroud enters a house, lightbulbs pop, plumbing clogs, the carpets go nappy and the roof develops leaks. If he stays long enough, the walls will begin to slip out of alignment. Scroud can turn a lovely house into a neighborhood eyesore just by dropping in and staying for tea. On the Corporeal plane, Scroud typically manifests as a filthy, stinking beggar, dressed in rags. He can clean up sometimes, and present as a lobbyist or a rich landlord, but his Discords make this difficult to keep up for long -- and anyhow, he has Servitors for that. Plans: A rich man, and an ashtray -- the more they collect, the more disgusting they get. -- Japanese proverb Sin is geographical. -- Bertrand Russell Scroud believes that he's ready to make the jump to Princehood any time. However, several obstacles stand in his way. The biggest one, of course, is Haagenti. The "Big Guy" may have fought his own way up from the bottom, but that doesn't mean he's going to encourage his own Servitors to copy him. If Haagenti finds out that Scroud is bidding for a Princedom, he will -- at a minimum -- strip half his Forces away and whack him with some serious Discord. More likely he'll simply crash through a wall, Kool-Aid style, and devour this upstart whole. He's done it before. The Prince of Gluttony wants powerful Servitors, but potential rivals are menu items. In fact, Haagenti already suspects that something is up. Those Band attunements are a tipoff, as is the growing strength of Scroud's Word generally. He's watching his Duke carefully, and he's been noticeably ill-tempered towards him lately. Scroud, in turn, suspects that Haagenti suspects... it's all getting very iffy. Scroud, like Furfur, would like to summon Lucifer and petition for his Princedom directly; he believes he's just about ready. Unfortunately, the Prince of Lies isn't summonable at will, and he doesn't have access to Furfur's special Song. A trip to the Lower Hells is a frightening prospect even for a powerful Duke. And anyhow, Scroud would like to set the stage properly -- he'd prefer to present his petition on (say) Breadloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, overlooking the endless sea of filthy tenements, squatter shacks, and squalid, soul-destroying _favelas_ that have grown up around that lovely point. Any demon who can help him with this will be richly rewarded when/if Scroud comes into his Princedom. Alternately, Scroud is giving serious thought to negotiating with Lilith. As a Princess, she should know how best to contact Lucifer... and a Geas/6 might not be too high a price to pay, especially if Haagenti is slavering down his neck. Meanwhile, Scroud is building his defenses and playing a waiting game. Rites and Attunements: Cause some aspect of a human's life to become significantly more Squalid (+1 Essence, up to 3 times/day). This could involve anything from having a poor family's electricity cut off to making a human develop a nasty secret addiction. The change must be a lasting one, here defined as "absent intervention, very likely to persist for at least a month". Demon of Squalor: Once per day, with a touch and a successful Perception roll, the demon can discover either the fastest or the most effective (his choice) way to introduce Squalor into something. The attunement works on individuals ("Introduce the Senator to the crooked lobbyist from the drug company," "Get Mrs. Jones hooked on electronic poker") or on any piece of the human environment up to the size of a building or playground ("Get the city to cut those trees down," "Sabotage the lock on the lobby's main door"). It's rumoured that Scroud himself can use this attunement on neighborhoods and even whole cities. In addition to this general attunement, Scroud has developed specialized attunements for three Bands: Balseraph of Squalor (restricted): Scrouds' Liars add their Ethereal Forces to any lie which would make a human ignore, tolerate or encourage Squalor. "This building is in great shape! It just needs a coat of paint." "A powerful man like you is _expected_ to have affairs." "Congressman, your new welfare bill is brilliant. You're giving the poor exactly what they deserve." Calabite of Squalor (restricted): These Calabim can roll on the "subtle destruction" table (IPG, page 39) without first taking the -4 penalty, provided that their attacks directly create Squalor. Damaging housing and infrastructure is the obvious application, but maiming an honest health inspector has been known to work too. Shedite of Squalor (restricted): Scroud's Shedim add their Corporeal forces to their Will rolls when making a human do anything that would fulfill Scroud's Rite (they still get Essence for the Rite, too). They are often found inhabiting landlords, housing inspectors, and urban policy makers. Also, these Corrupters can kill their hosts without taking dissonance, if they do it in a sufficiently squalid manner. Some GM discretion is needed here, but "drug overdose in a filthy alleyway" or "heart attack while surfing child porn sites online" would probably work -- anything that would cause the host's friends and family to turn away in heartbreak and disgust. Relations: Scroud has been quietly cultivating contacts with other Princes. He has even -- oh so carefully -- arranged to have some troublesome Gluttons picked up by the Game. This is dangerous, but it's probably moved Asmodeus from being a "probable enemy" (Squalor is a disorderly Word, after all) to the "neutral" column. Mammon still hates Haagenti, not so much for betraying him as for stealing several Servitors and part of his Word. Fleurity, OTOH, is already a close ally, as their Words work nicely together without competing. Scroud is very wary of Kobal; his demons cooperate with the Jokers, but Scroud himself avoids the Prince of Dark Humor as much as possible. Kobal is Haagenti's closest ally, after all, and just too damned clever... Possible allies: Kronos (Squalor destroys the human spirit), Saminga (disease and crime), Fleurity, and possibly Belial (slums burn nicely, and there's an "enemy's enemy" effect WRT Haagenti). Andrealphus could go either way -- moral squalor is great, but poor, dirty and diseased humans are unattractive. Probable enemies: Mammon, Haagenti, possibly Haagenti's "brother" Kobal. Particularly hostile Archangels: Gabriel, Marc Next up: either an unusually broad-minded Elohite, or a very focussed Habbalite. Thoughts? Doug M. ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #2308 ******************************** The material here is (C) 2001 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.