A Week In The Life, Pt. 3

By Eric Hallstrom (hallcon@mindspring.com)

**Flaming
Feather**

Once upon a time, there was an Angel called Netanya. Since she was the Angel of the Selfless Gift she was always on the lookout for those ... odd little things that most Angels wouldn't think of trying; since she always took great care to piss off people who deserved it she was always on the lookout for people to ... ah ... persuade ... to take part.

Why'd she pick the PCs? I donno, maybe they deserved it?

Anyway, Netty needs some people for a ... special ... job. She doesn't groom people for this deliberately, you understand. Things just seem to work out that way.

By this time the week should be about half over, and Netty should be into our hapless ^H^H^H heroic characters to the tune of 3 or 4 Geas-5s and up. So guess what?

She's got a job for them.

Oh, will they quit screaming?! She hasn't even told them what it is, yet.

And for this one, they don't have to worry at all, Netty'll be with them the whole time, all they have to do is stick around her for three days or so and keep her from being ... bothered.

Oh, the Tasaydim, the Game, Judgement, and the Gluttons? Nah, don't worry.

They'll be completely off the trail. And Netty's got the perfect place to keep them off long enough for the heat to die down.

It's just the PCs good fortune that she has to go there anyway.

Nobody'll ever think of looking for them in Hell.

And would they quit screaming?! They're supposed to be grown celestials! It's embarrassing!

A Week in the Life, Part Three: Welcome to Hell, Here's your Accordion.

First, a few meditations on the Divine religions and Destiny within the In Nomine framework. Most people on the List and most In Nomine source material seems to treat them as a counterpart to the Pagan religions, but with a different focus; that is, they simply direct Essence to Heaven instead of to some Ethereal or other.

But there is a factor that looms much larger than Essence when contemplating these religions from a human perspective. In the real world, all the religions which In Nomine names as Divine hold out some form or promise of Salvation of the soul.

In In Nomine terms, truly cleaving to a Divine religion must act as some form of backup Destiny, allowing those who do so to avoid Hell, or achieve Heaven when their own efforts along that line would have failed.

It's a promise, do you see? Inherent in the very structures of the religions themselves. You might call it a covenant, even. And if that promise is a lie, then neither truthful Dominic nor honorable Lawrence could possibly give one of them their countenance.

So, somehow or other, the possiblity must be there.

And thereby hangs a tale ...

Let me introduce you to a man with a problem.

M'sieu Jamié Petín is four things; French, a devout, believing Catholic, about as entirely normal as it possible to get, and deeply, deeply worried. Once, you see, he had a brother, and a good job, and a relationship. Now, he has none of these things.

His brother Francois, was dying, you see, of cancer, and devout Jamié sacrificed all, including his job and the stability of his marriage in an attempt to return his errant (and very non-devout) brother to the fold in the last weeks before his death. The attempt was, finally, sucessful and Francois died in the arms of Mother Church, but ....

But ....

But Jamié has his doubts. Understandible doubts, in the main. Reasonable doubts. But even reasonable doubts hurt, when you're in the position Jamié is in. He can get his job back, he can get his wife back, but ...

But he needs to know. He needs to know that it was worth it. He needs to know that the promise was true. He Needs to Know that Francois is not in Hell.

Now this, in itself, would not be a problem for Netty. Except ....

Except, you see, that Francois never did really believe, even at the end. And you're supposed to confess _fully_, you understand. But it was all so very embarrassing, baring your soul like that, so Francois lied in his last confession. Oh my, did that turn out to be a bad idea.

Unfortunately, it's kind of difficult to get someone to Know that someone else isn't in Hell when they are.

Fortunately, Francois has been on something of a self-improvement kick. He isn't doing well at all, and he's been given a massive kick in the pants. In some people this works, even in Hell. Francois wouldn't have to go back to Hell now, if he left.

Unfortunately, of course, that's not a lot of help if you can't get out of Hell to begin with, as Francois cannot.

Fortunately, Netty can handle that.

Unfortunately, she has to find him first.

Fortunately, she has an artifact that can handle that. In two or three days.

Unfortunately, it's just possible that the denizens thereof might object to a Bright Lilim wandering around in Hell with a beeping Vaputech Palm Pilot for two or three days.

Fortunately, she's sure the PCs will think of something.

And afterwards?

Well, no problem! She'll write a report!

Of course what's in the report, and where she files it will be determined by how useful and competent the PCs were.

And if they weren't ....

Well, there's a minor functionary somewhere in Judgement or the Game who Needs a bust like this, I'm sure there is. Netty'll even give them an excellent price on broken hearts and the Renegade's (Outcast's) Handbook.

No Need to thank her.

It's a Selfless Gift, after all.

**Flaming
Feather**

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EDG <edg@sjgames.com>
In Nomine Collection Curator