From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Mon Oct 4 16:17:08 1999 Return-Path: Received: from lists.io.com (majordom@lists.io.com [199.170.88.15]) by pyramid.sjgames.com (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id QAA12585 for ; Mon, 4 Oct 1999 16:17:07 -0500 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.3/8.9.1a) id QAA16584 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Mon, 4 Oct 1999 16:14:31 -0500 Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 16:14:31 -0500 Message-Id: <199910042114.QAA16584@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 #1352 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 Monday, October 4 1999 Volume 01 : Number 1352 In this digest: Re: IN> seraphim and roles Re: IN> more dark age questions Re: IN> servants of dead guys Re: IN> Re: Dark Ages Jean IN> dark ages superiors Re: IN> APG question (forces/damage) IN> Legion IN> APG question (forces/damage) Re: IN> APG question (forces/damage) IN> more dark age questions IN> Another slew of questions Re: IN> servants of dead guys Re: IN> seraphim and roles Re: IN> Legion Re: IN> Legion Re: IN> servants of dead guys Re: IN> Another slew of questions Re: IN> Legion IN> URIEL -- Archangel of Purity RE: IN> Legion ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 15:38:47 -0400 From: Walter Milliken Subject: Re: IN> seraphim and roles At 0:59 -0400 10/3/99, Ben Aldred wrote: >how do seraphim feel about roles. In effect they are lying to the >symphony. However, does giving them a role give them a bend of the truth? >for instance if a seraph has a role of high school student, can they say I >am a high school student or do they take dissonance for this. Does having >a role make something the truth. They can do things that fool the >symphony. Does this make it the "truth"? A Role is a *part* of what the celestial is, so it's not really a lie; it's a partial truth. My view is that such things often make Seraphim uncomfortable, but not dissonant. There is some coverage of this and related issues in the APG and the L.Servitorum, I believe. - ---Walter ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 15:55:53 -0400 From: Walter Milliken Subject: Re: IN> more dark age questions At 16:10 -0400 10/3/99, Liam Astley wrote: > is it in canon as to >which bands and choirs they (raphael, meserach, makatiel, mariel, genubath) >belonged to? Raphael was an Elohite. I don't recall any data on the others, but there is a little here and there. The very useful INcyclopedia site (www.incyclopedia.org) lists Meserach as a Djinn, and Gebbeleth (DP of Secrets before Alaemon) as a Balseraph. Makatiel, Mariel, and Genubath have no Band listed there, but at least you can get page references to their existing canon. There may be some new stuff in the GMG timeline on the deceased Superiors, but it's probably not in the INcyclopedia yet, since it's not out yet. - ---Walter ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 16:05:29 -0400 From: Walter Milliken Subject: Re: IN> servants of dead guys At 16:13 -0400 10/3/99, Liam Astley wrote: >another question - when a superior dies, does its followers automatically >lose all their choir and servitor attunements? this is (surprise, surprise) Nope. They do lose Rites, though. There's a discussion of "orphaned" Servitors in the IPG (and maybe the APG as well). There's also some similar stuff on orphan Tethers in the L.Castellorum. >tied into my dark ages campaign - could there still be servitors of >corruption wandering around able to use some of the powers of that Word? In theory, yes. In practice, it's unlikely, at least for demons, unless some DP took them on but didn't attune them to his Word, in order to gain access to some of the special abilities of the old Word. Servitors without Superiors just aren't tolerated much on either side; they will be at least "in service to" someone. DPs are less likely to want Servitors who aren't directly aligned with their Word, with rare exceptions. >what about ancient servitors of oannes and vephar? Oannes, *maybe*, but they'd probably be in service to Janus now; Vephar, probably not. - ---Walter ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 16:16:41 -0400 From: Walter Milliken Subject: Re: IN> Re: Dark Ages Jean At 11:17 -0400 10/4/99, Liam Astley wrote: >i wasn't forgetting it, i just assumed that even in those days jean was more >involved with the "flash of inspiration" than being some kind of storm god. >without the science/invention link to his word, i don't see how he could >ever have become an archangel in the first place. I think the APG history indicates Jean was tasked early on with overseeing the forces that govern the corporeal realm. So he would have been more of a E-M/gravity/nuclear forces "god" than a "storm god". Rather more powerful.... Among the "elemental" group, I'd say than only Gabriel was likely to be stronger. > still, he's going to be a minor archangel in my >dark ages campaign. after all, vapula isn't even a demon prince yet. I'm not sure he's all *that* minor, if he was in charge of corporeal physics. He just wasn't as relevant to *humans*. And he was opposed by Oblivion, before she got eaten by Haagenti, well before Vapula became Jean's opponent. Don't forget that Jean is one of the early angels, though not as old as Michael and the other "first generation" lot. He's also one of the very few Elohite Archangels, which means he's likely to be respected as a relatively neutral and rational third party in celestial politics. - ---Walter ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Oct 1999 15:23:38 -0500 From: David Edelstein Subject: IN> dark ages superiors >>>well, if that's canon it's canon, but i think i'll stick with them getting on pretty well IMC (should it ever actually happen). after all, these are archangels who have known each other for millions of years. at the point the game would be set, christianity would only be a few centuries old and islam barely out of its infancy. i wouldn't have thought that was enough time to spoil a friendship older than the human race. (presumably in canon they didn't get on that well in the first place)<<< They probably did get along well enough for the first few million years. Keep in mind Uriel's fanaticism. Once he embraced Christianity, he _had_ to accept that Christianity was the One True Religion, and that any other religion was false, a corruption of God's Word. Thus, for an *Archangel* to foster a rival faith could only be a sign of madness, or worse, diabolical corruption. Words will trump million year-old friendships. And don't forget that Lucifer got along very well with pretty much everyone until a mere 25,000 years ago... - -David ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 16:22:29 -0400 From: Walter Milliken Subject: Re: IN> APG question (forces/damage) At 11:33 -0400 10/4/99, Steve Jessop wrote: >On Tue, 21 Sep 1999, Walter Milliken wrote: >> Generally, no. As far as I know, there's no way for a corporeal being >> (human or celestial in a vessel) to lose Forces, > >Depends how strongly attributes are tied to forces. For example, top >athlete A (Strength 10, Agility 10) has 5 corporeal forces. He's shot, >shattering his pelvis. He will probably never reach Str 10 again, and he >certainly won't get back to Agi 10, so he must have lost forces. > >Alternatively, he hasn't lost forces, he just has a pseudo-discord >'Lingering injury/3. Subtract 1 from all Strength-based target numbers, >and 2 from all Agility-based target numbers'. I think the latter is more accurate in this case. I believe the CPG introduces disadvantages for humans as the human equivalents of many Discords. >Same goes for getting old - few 80-year-olds will have the attribute >values they did when they were 25. That's a better question.... I'd say that attributes aren't changed so much as surpressed. But I could see if going either way. In GURPS IN, Forces don't really exist, as such, and the problem doesn't arise. But aging *does* cause true attribute loss there. >Finally, does anyone care to speculate whether Parkinson's, senility, >stroke and/or traumatic brain damage actually reduce ethereal stats? I tend to view these like crippling -- a disadvantage similar to a Discord. - ---Walter ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Oct 1999 15:19:08 -0500 From: David Edelstein Subject: IN> Legion >>>I was not aware of this? Where is he mentioned and what band was he?<<< He's first mentioned in the Infernal Player's Guide (a Djinn, IIRC). The date of his demise is given in the GMG. - -David ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Oct 1999 15:26:51 -0500 From: David Edelstein Subject: IN> APG question (forces/damage) >>>Depends how strongly attributes are tied to forces. For example, top athlete A (Strength 10, Agility 10) has 5 corporeal forces. He's shot, shattering his pelvis. He will probably never reach Str 10 again, and he certainly won't get back to Agi 10, so he must have lost forces.<<< Wrong. Loss of attributes does NOT reduce Forces. This is made clear in the CPG, where it's pointed out that elderly people (or those suffering from disease or severe injuries) may have attributes lower than their Forces would indicate. - -David ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 16:25:40 -0400 From: Walter Milliken Subject: Re: IN> APG question (forces/damage) At 12:56 -0400 10/4/99, Earl Wajenberg wrote: >Another way of putting the issue is, Are forces all parts of >the soul, or are some manifest in the body? For a human, does >the body = corporeal forces? Or are corporeal forces the part >of the soul that holds onto the body? I think it's fairly clear (from dead souls, etc.) that Corporeal Forces are part of the entity, independent of its body (though they will often be reflected in the state of any body). The Trauma rules also suggest (indirectly) that Corporeal Forces are the bindings between the soul and the physical body. This also crops up a bit in the stuff on celestial spirits, who, if I recall right, can't get a vessel without having Corp. Forces. - ---Walter ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Oct 1999 15:30:18 -0500 From: David Edelstein Subject: IN> more dark age questions >>>is it in canon as to which bands and choirs they (raphael, meserach, makatiel, mariel, genubath)<<< I believe that Raphael was an Elohite (it's in the APG, but I'm too lazy to go look right now). I don't think the others have been specified (though Meserach was almost certainly a Djinn). - -David ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 16:36:48 -0400 From: "Chris Bergstresser" Subject: IN> Another slew of questions 1) How do Eli's rites work, exactly? I'm guessing the sex one just requires finding someone -- celestial or otherwise -- who'd be up for it. Would same-sex sex work for the purpose of the rite? The "succeed at 3 Precision skill roles in a row" means pretty much you'd just have to head down to the target range and shoot off a couple of clips (or similar). Both these seem fairly easy to fulfill, rather unlike the "Help deliver a guilty mortal to corporeal justice" or "For at least an hour, possess an object or document worth more than $10,000,000" rites others have. Is it just this easy, another boon from a way laid-back Superior? 2) Up to now I've been kind of assuming if you spend essence to boost a song you get a bonus to perform it, plus any side effects from increased essence. So, the Ethereal Song of Entropy takes a minimum of 1 essence, and if I spend 3 I get a +2 to perform it and it does (check digit * 3) damage. Is this correct, or does essence spend to raise chance of success separate from essence to increase a song's power? 3) Are there any target numbers in the game that *can't* be improved by spending essence? 4) I had an angel go into celestial form on Earth and then try to perform a corporeal song. I let them. Was that correct? 5) How bad is it that celestials are being obvious on the corporeal plane? I've had a group rather noisily and obviously popping supernatural powers in from of humans. Not a *lot* of humans, but a couple of security guards. How do people handle this in their campaign? - -- Chris ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 15:47:36 -0500 From: "Amo Nympham" Subject: Re: IN> servants of dead guys - - Dennis H, Groome V "Amo Nympham" ICQ: 11430261 "I think I woke up screaming 'cause I had a dream that you still loved me" -Stabbing Westward, "ACF" - -----Original Message----- From: Liam Astley To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Date: Sunday, October 03, 1999 3:18 PM Subject: IN> servants of dead guys >another question - when a superior dies, does its followers automatically >lose all their choir and servitor attunements? this is (surprise, surprise) >tied into my dark ages campaign - could there still be servitors of >corruption wandering around able to use some of the powers of that Word? >what about ancient servitors of oannes and vephar? > Nope, they get to keep their attunements. there are a few examples of this in various books. > >p.s. i can't remember if it's been mentioned in one of the books... i know >oannes was killed by belial, but what happened to vephar? Oannes cornered and killed Vephar. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 05 Oct 1999 13:50:24 -0700 From: Steel Angel Subject: Re: IN> seraphim and roles Ben Aldred wrote: > how do seraphim feel about roles. In effect they are lying to the > symphony. However, does giving them a role give them a bend of the truth? > for instance if a seraph has a role of high school student, can they say I > am a high school student or do they take dissonance for this. Does having > a role make something the truth. They can do things that fool the > symphony. Does this make it the "truth"? > If he goes to high school, does the work, and does everything else a high school student does and actually -is- enrolled...Then yes, among other things, that Seraph IS a high school student, the same as one can be a sysadmin, or a a talent agent or 'The guy with the gun pointed at your head, demon.' - - Abracax: Shedite of Riots ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 16:51:29 -0400 From: Walter Milliken Subject: Re: IN> Legion At 16:19 -0400 10/4/99, David Edelstein wrote: >>>>I was not aware of this? Where is he mentioned and what band was he?<<< > >He's first mentioned in the Infernal Player's Guide (a Djinn, IIRC). If you're talking about Legion, I believe he's a Shedite (that's how he's listed in the INcyclopedia entry, and also how I remember him). - ---Walter ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 15:54:46 -0500 From: "Amo Nympham" Subject: Re: IN> Legion Legion a Djinn???? I hate to sound angry and screaming, but he was a Shedite. that's what the whole problem was about: he found a way to take over more than one host at the same time and eventually had an entire village under his control. - - Dennis H, Groome V "Amo Nympham" ICQ: 11430261 "I think I woke up screaming 'cause I had a dream that you still loved me" -Stabbing Westward, "ACF" - -----Original Message----- From: David Edelstein To: In Nomine Date: Monday, October 04, 1999 3:28 PM Subject: IN> Legion >>>>I was not aware of this? Where is he mentioned and what band was he?<<< > >He's first mentioned in the Infernal Player's Guide (a Djinn, IIRC). The >date of his demise is given in the GMG. > >-David > ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Oct 1999 16:56:41 -0500 From: Earl Wajenberg Subject: Re: IN> servants of dead guys Walter Milliken wrote: > Servitors without Superiors just aren't tolerated much on either > side; they will be at least "in service to" someone. Hm. I could see Servitors of both Raphael and Oannes flocking to Eli in fairly substantial numbers (knowledge going hand in hand with creativity fairly well, water being a key part of the material creation), and ol' laid-back Eli taking them in and allowing them to just be "in service to" him rather than re-tuning them, (1) because he's laid back and willing to let them stay that way if they want, but, more importantly, (2) because re-tuning them would DESTROY the last remnants of those Words in Heaven. Preservation isn't the same as creation, but destruction is downright antithetical to it. So I could imagine that Eli has something of a celestial orphanage - -- which is now even more up in the air than the rest of his flock. Earl ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 14:59:42 -0600 From: Tim Groth Subject: Re: IN> Another slew of questions > 1) How do Eli's rites work, exactly? I'm guessing the sex one just >requires finding someone -- celestial or otherwise -- who'd be up for it. >Would same-sex sex work for the purpose of the rite? The "succeed at 3 >Precision skill roles in a row" means pretty much you'd just have to head >down to the target range and shoot off a couple of clips (or similar). Both >these seem fairly easy to fulfill, rather unlike the "Help deliver a guilty >mortal to corporeal justice" or "For at least an hour, possess an object or >document worth more than $10,000,000" rites others have. Is it just this >easy, another boon from a way laid-back Superior? Yeah its to help make up for the fact they have to work really hardto get distinctions/a Word (without an Archangel really pulling for you). [snip], no ideas on #2 sorry > 3) Are there any target numbers in the game that *can't* be improved by >spending essence? Not that I can remember being specificly mentioned. > 4) I had an angel go into celestial form on Earth and then try to perform >a corporeal song. I let them. Was that correct? I'd allow it, I don't remember anything that's wrong with that. > 5) How bad is it that celestials are being obvious on the corporeal >plane? I've had a group rather noisily and obviously popping supernatural >powers in from of humans. Not a *lot* of humans, but a couple of security >guards. How do people handle this in their campaign? With tabloid newspapers, and hell getting info on it through Nybbas (and I always liked the MiB hotsheets thing so i use it in IMC). Timothy, "Angel" of Rambling If you have a hankering for waffles or chicken i know the place for you: http://d106-h032.rh.rit.edu/~tim/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 16:07:01 -0500 From: Shadowstar Subject: Re: IN> Legion At 4:51 PM -0400 10/4/99, Walter Milliken wrote: >At 16:19 -0400 10/4/99, David Edelstein wrote: >>He's first mentioned in the Infernal Player's Guide (a Djinn, IIRC). > >If you're talking about Legion, I believe he's a Shedite (that's how he's >listed in the INcyclopedia entry, and also how I remember him). I think they're talking about Beezlebub actually. It's not _really_ clear by the question. But that's what I assume David was going on. Mind, he also snipped most of the question. . . So we don't know what David was thinking at the time. . . Be seeing you, - - Tafka J. = shadowstar@centurytel.net # Balseraph of Fate, Marquis of Delusions of Grandeur * http://www.best.com/~lyceum/shdwstar/in-nomine ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Oct 1999 16:08:09 -0500 From: David Edelstein Subject: IN> URIEL -- Archangel of Purity NON-CANON ** NON-CANON ** NON-CANON ** NON-CANON ** NON-CANON A long time ago, I wrote up Uriel for In Nomine, and the writeup was approved by then-Line Editor Moriah. However, about two years have gone by and a lot of changes have occurred in the In Nomine universe. At present, I do not know when or if Uriel will be published in an official supplement, and I do not know if my writeup (or anything like it) will be the one used. However, I did receive permission to distribute my original draft, with the proviso that it be made very clear that this is NOT official and NOT canonical. This MIGHT become the basis for the canonical Uriel, but there is no assurance that it will. So you can think of this as an unofficial, advanced playtest. ;) ===================================================================================== URIEL Archangel of Purity "The world is corruptible, flawed and discordant. We must scour it of its imperfections, returning it to its former state of glory." Once, Uriel was perhaps the mightiest angel in Heaven, second only to Michael in force of arms, and second to none in sheer blazing Essence. He was the first and the greatest of the Malakim, and when he ascended to the status of Archangel, Michael stepped aside to let Uriel assume command of Heaven's armies. Under Uriel, the War went much more favorably than it has in recent centuries; demons cowered in fear of Uriel's minions, and while they still often got the upper hand in the battle for the hearts and minds of humanity, they were never able to operate as openly as they do now. Ultimately, it was Uriel's dedication to his job that was his downfall. His determination to cleanse the Symphony of all diabolical taint was a passion that went beyond fanatical; as the embodiment of Purity, Uriel became so bound to his Word that the mere existence of Discord in the once-perfect Symphony drove him insane. He came to see everything that did not stem directly from God as dissonant, and initiated a purge to eradicate it all. His campaign for purity devastated much of Blandine's Marches, where many pagan spirits dwelled. His angels also swept across the Earth, and virtually wiped out all the creatures of myth, beasts that had been spawned by angels and demons alike. Faeries, giants, unicorns, dragons, griffins, were-creatures, undead, and anything else that hadn't been created by God and Named by Yves before the Fall fell prey to Uriel's purifying forces. Most of Uriel's fellow Archangels were aghast at the destruction. They feared that he might destroy the world in order to save it, and they were furious that he felt empowered to run roughshod over the domains of other Archangels, and obliterate everything that did not please him, in his crusade. Called before the Seraphim Council and accused of usurping God's authority, Uriel defended his actions without remorse. Even his most ardent supporters- Michael and Dominic- could not bring themselves to speak in his defense, though they also refused to condemn him. There was a very real danger of a schism that would pit Uriel and his divine army against the rest of Heaven; even if Uriel submitted to the will of the Seraphim Council (and it is debated to this day whether or not he would have done so), the Servitors of Purity were so devoted to their Superior that they might have rebelled nonetheless. At this point, God intervened personally. Uriel was recalled to the higher planes of Heaven, and has not been heard from since. His most powerful Servitor, Laurence, took his place as commander of God's armies. Most of Uriel's Servitors realigned themselves to the Archangel of Swords, though there were a few who had personal conflicts with Laurence, or felt that another Archangel's Word was closer to the one they had been serving; many went over to Dominic's camp, and a few joined Michael. There were an even smaller number who refused to serve any other Superior, and in effect became Outcasts. Some believe they Fell, no longer shielded from that fate by Uriel. Those beliefs are in error. No Angel serving the Word of Purity has ever Fallen. The Tsayadim - -------------------- The Tsayadim ("Hunters") are Uriel's loyalists, who refused to abandon his crusade just because he no longer leads it personally. They do not believe they have been abandoned, or that God's recall of their Superior was a condemnation of his actions. To the Tsayadim, Uriel's "exile" was a necessary action to appease the other Archangels, a sacrifice Uriel made voluntarily to take the heat off his followers. Someday, they hope, the rest of Heaven's hierarchy will stop making compromises in the War against dissonance, and Uriel will return to take his rightful place again. In the meantime, they continue the work that they started back in the 8th century. The Tsayadim hunt down all beings that don't belong on Earth (or the Marches); which to their mind includes not only demons, but all spirits, undead, and magical creatures.....as well as Outcasts, Children of the Grigori, and severely dissonant angels. They are a powerful force of demon and monster-hunters, unquestionably on Heaven's side in the War, but some of them have become a little unstable during twelve centuries of self-imposed exile from Heaven, and they've been known to destroy "impure" angels as readily as they do demons. They are especially fanatical about policing themselves (see below.) Tsayadim have a precarious status; they are Outcasts without Discord, who cannot ascend to Heaven only because they consider themselves still to be Servitors of a Superior who can no longer be reached. They can no longer use Uriel's Rites, but they still have his Attunements and Distinctions. They avoid contact with other angels, not wishing to be drawn into conflict with their brethren unless forced. Though most of them are somewhat bitter towards the Seraphim Council, a few Tsayadim have performed services for other Archangels, or some other Word-bound Superior, and been awarded Rites from that Superior. However, they will accept no Attunements or Distinctions from anyone other than Uriel, or one of the few remaining Word-bound Tsayadim. Every once in a while, a Tsayadite will renounce his lonely path and swear service to a new Archangel. Their former comrades shun such "defectors", though they will not hunt them. Tsayadim view those who abandon the Word of Purity with a mixture of bitterness and envy. The Tsayadim today are secretive, clannish, and intensely loyal, to one another and their vanished Superior. After centuries of hiding within the hidden society of celestials on Earth, their isolation and fanaticism has only intensified. More than a few are half-crazed, and when a Tsayadim does start accumulating Discord, it most often manifests as Paranoia (which is justified, because now they are being hunted by everyone, including their former comrades!) Besides Uriel's Attunements, which are very powerful and which only the Tsayadim may possess, they also maintain a repertoire of Songs that Uriel taught them, and which they guard jealously. Remember that all remaining Tsayadim have survived as effective Outcasts for over twelve hundred years, without the protection of a Superior. They are very powerful and very dangerous foes. DISSONANCE Uriel's angels were the only ones never touched by Dominic's Inquisition. The reason for this is simple; Uriel's angels cannot Fall. The Word of Purity ensures that none of Uriel's Servitors will ever go over to other side, but there was a high price to pay for this protection. Uriel would immediately destroy any of his Servitors who had more than two notes of Dissonance, or a single level of Discord. Even one or two notes of Dissonance was grounds for summary execution unless the angel had a very good explanation! The Archangel of Purity did not tolerate the slightest deviation from his Word; Dominic is charitable and forgiving by comparison. Now that Uriel is gone, his remaining Servitors enforce his Word upon themselves as well as others; the Tsayadim hunt down and destroy dissonant and discordant Tsayadim more ruthlessly than any other creature. It is dissonant for an Angel of Purity to ignore Dissonance or Discord in any angel, or to ignore any demon, spirit, undead, or other unnatural creature. When Uriel was around, his Servitors had the option of reporting dissonant angels to him, and he would duly inform the angel's Superior. Now, the Tsayadim often feel compelled to deal with offending angels themselves. They must either destroy the offending being, or gather other Tsayadim (or other allies on rare occasion) so they can hunt it down and destroy it together. If a targeted angel can clear himself of dissonance, or seek the protection of his Archangel, before the Tsayadim catch up to him, the hunters will reluctantly abandon their prey. CHOIR ATTUNEMENTS Uriel's followers call themselves the Tsayadim, but they are still members of the Choirs they belonged to when Uriel was recalled. Only the original, unreformed Angels of Purity can have these Attunements, as Uriel is obviously no longer able to grant them. This also means that even existing Tsayadim cannot purchase new Purity Attunements. Nor can they earn any Distinctions except those Uriel had already granted before he left. Seraphim - ------------- The highly attuned senses of the Seraphim of Purity can pick out the slightest strain of disturbance in the Symphony. If their target number roll to detect a disturbance is 2 or better -- i.e. if it is within the range of their senses -- they automatically succeed. (Roll the d666 anyway to get the check digit.) Cherubim - -------------- Cherubim of Purity are the ultimate trackers; they do not need to make physical contact to attune themselves to something. They can attune themselves to the trail their target left behind. This can be any physical remains, from a fingerprint to a discarded candy wrapper. They do not necessarily know who or what they are attuning themselves to, but once they're on the trail, they can follow it to the ends of the Earth....and beyond. If their target leaves the corporeal plane, then when the Cherub gets to the location where this took place, he must make a new Resonance roll to avoid losing the trail. If he makes the roll, he can continue following his quarry, even to Heaven, Hell, or the Marches. Cherubim of Purity can attune themselves to something that has caused a ripple in the Symphony, if they hear the echoes. Many of Uriel's Cherubim also obtained his Seraphim's Attunement, making them an evasive celestial's worst nightmare. Ofanim - ---------- Silent predators, Uriel's Ofanim can move without disturbing the purity of the Symphony. They may spend Essence to improve their Resonance rolls without creating a ripple in the Symphony. Also, when entering or leaving the Corporeal plane, they generate a disturbance, but leave no echoes....other celestials within range may hear the initial ripple, but cannot easily follow it back to the source. Elohim - ---------- When applying their Resonance to a subject, Elohim of Purity automatically detect any Ethereal Discord, in addition to the usual information gained, if their roll is successful. On a check digit of 6, they also know how that Discord was gained. Malakim - ------------ Uriel's Malakim were the most dreaded scourges in Heaven, and are still the bane of all dissonant celestials. When targeting a celestial who has Dissonance in combat, they add the target's Dissonance to their Accuracy. And if they strike a target with Discord, add the victim's Discord to the Power of the Malakite's attack! Kyriotates - --------------- Kyriotates of Purity can temporarily "purify" those they possess, by removing any Discord, up the Kyriotate's Celestial Forces. This remains in effect as long as the Kyriotate possesses the host. Mercurians - ---------------- Uriel's Mercurians are still mourning mankind's exile from Eden, and they believe that if all diabolical taint, and sinful discord, is eradicated from human society, humanity will be able to regain God's grace and return to the garden. When applying their Resonance to someone, Mercurians of Purity know whether any other Attunement, Resonance or Song has been used on the subject within a number of days equal to the check digit of their successful roll. They only get a "yes" or "no" answer, so applying their resonance to a celestial will (in all likelihood) reveal the recent occurrence of such outside influences, but it won't tell them that the subject is a celestial himself. They may also use violence against anyone with Celestial Discord without incurring Dissonance. SERVITOR ATTUNEMENTS Ripples - ----------- More perfectly attuned to the Symphony, the angel adds his Celestial Forces to his Perception for purposes of detecting ripples in the Symphony...and subtracts the same amount from the degree of disturbance his own actions cause. (No disturbance can be reduced below 1, however.) Purifying Flames - ------------------------ The angel bathes a target in pure white flames. The range is only one yard for each of the angel's Celestial Forces, but they automatically hit, and cannot be Dodged. If the target has no Discord, the flames do no damage. Otherwise, the target takes simultaneous Body, Mind and Soul Hits equal to his Discord in each area times the Essence used to power the attack, bypassing all armor. Example: The target has 1 level of Corporeal Discord, 2 levels of Ethereal Discord, and no Celestial Discord. The purifying angel spends 5 Essence. The target will takes 5 Body hits, 10 Mind Hits, and 0 Soul Hits. DISTINCTIONS Vassal of Purity - ----------------------- The impure cannot touch a Vassal of Purity; at least, it's pretty hard. When anyone with Dissonance and/or Discord attacks the angel, add the attacker's Dissonance to the angel's Dodge target number; add the attacker's Discord to the Check Digit of a successful roll. Friend of the Pure of Heart - -------------------------------------- The angel knows how pure anyone's motives are, in any situation. He does not know specifics about why someone acts the way they do, but the emotions involved, and the sincerity of the subject's commitment, are plain. This only applies to the motives pertaining to a specific course of action, it does not give the general information available to Seraphim and Elohim. Master of Purification - ------------------------------- Angels of Uriel holding this rank can administer the dreaded Scourge upon a discordant celestial. Though more merciful than death, few submit to it voluntarily. For a cost of 10 Essence, the angel can remove one level of Discord from a celestial, but the victim also loses one Force of the same type, permanently! The angel must lay hands on the intended target to do this. POLITICS - -------------- Most Archangels know that some of Uriel's followers are still around. Usually, the Tsayadim are treated like Outcasts, and generally ignored...both because it's safer to ignore them, and because many Archangels secretly consider the Tsayadim to be doing Heaven's work, operating outside the rules. Michael and David have both given aid and comfort to the Tsayadim on occasion. Laurence considers them to be in defiance of God's will, but avoids persecuting them, because he doesn't want to be seen as pursuing a personal vendetta. Khalid attempts to recruit them, and supports them as much as he can get away with. Jordi and Blandine both have deep animosity for Uriel's followers. The Tsayadim still hunt fantastic beasts that Jordi would like to preserve, and they still intrude on Blandine's Marches. The two Archangels have ordered their Servitors to destroy any Tsayadim who threaten their works, and to completely stay away from them otherwise. Officially, Dominic does not acknowledge the existence of the Tsayadim. Unofficially, he has commanded his Servitors to leave them alone. The Tsayadim are even more relentless in eliminating dissonance than he is, and they police themselves better than his angels ever could. Below is a summary of the feelings other Archangels have towards Uriel and his followers. Blandine "If ever an Archangel deserved to Fall, it was he! He did more damage to our side in one day than Hell's forces have accomplished in a lifetime. I hope God has forgiven him, so that I do not have to. His followers are as dangerously insane as he was." Christopher "Uriel was mad. His followers now protect children from monsters...but they'd kill a child just as readily, for being 'impure'. Stay away from them." David "Sometimes you have to shake the world up in order to get things done. Maybe Uriel went too far. I don't know. But no one else has come forward and offered to do a better job since." Dominic: "He rooted out corruption as none other has done, before or since. His flames burned even hotter than mine, and if they burned too deep, I find no joy in the alternative. I fear we will never again see his like." Eli "What good is purity without beauty? You can sort out the good from the bad without razing everything! Stay away from his remaining followers, they're dangerous nutcases." Gabriel "I admired his singularity of purpose....but all flames must be tempered, lest they burn out of control." Janus "He shook things up all right, but if he hadn't been stopped, he might have left nothing in his wake. His wind scoured everything, indiscriminately." Jean "He performed his function admirably. It was a truly a loss for our side when he succumbed to madness. Alas that his Servitors are also too dangerous to deal with." Jordi "Self-righteous, murderous fanatic! His butchery in Heaven's name was a blasphemy, a slaughter unparalleled in the history of the world! May he never return!" Khalid "It is not my place to judge he who was once my Superior. But his absence leaves a great void, and I hope someday, another will fill his place." Laurence "Uriel was the brightest and the holiest among us, an inspiration to us all. I know that no one can truly replace him, and I miss him greatly." Litheroy "He left no stone unturned, but he searched for secrets only to destroy them. Now his Servitors hide from everyone. A great tragedy." Marc "There's nothing to be gained by mass destruction. That kind of indiscriminate warfare is bad for business, bad for everyone." Michael "All right, he went overboard, I won't deny it. But he was a true warrior, one of the greatest, and Heaven is diminished by his loss." Novalis "Purity, like beauty, is often in the eye of the beholder, and all he could see was unreasoning destruction. His unforgiving nature left no possibility for salvation or redemption. I hold no animosity for Uriel....but I am not sorry he's gone. I only hope he has found the inner peace he was so sorely lacking." Yves "He was needed; he still is. But he became a slave to his own Word, and engineered his own downfall....though he never truly Fell, so perhaps his Destiny is still unwritten. I believe his flames will burn again, but will they light the fires of renewal, or the consuming flames of the apocalypse?" Zadkiel "You cannot protect something by destroying it. He sought to protect us from impurity, but now I must often provide protection from his followers." ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 14:06:40 -0700 From: Steven Feldon Subject: RE: IN> Legion The original mail that you quoted was talking about Beelzebub, the _first_ DP of Corruption. He was a Djinn. The _second_ DP of Corruption, Legion, was a Shedite, of course. steve - -----Original Message----- From: Amo Nympham [mailto:nallix@bellsouth.net] Sent: Monday, October 04, 1999 1:55 PM To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Subject: Re: IN> Legion Legion a Djinn???? I hate to sound angry and screaming, but he was a Shedite. that's what the whole problem was about: he found a way to take over more than one host at the same time and eventually had an entire village under his control. - - Dennis H, Groome V "Amo Nympham" ICQ: 11430261 "I think I woke up screaming 'cause I had a dream that you still loved me" -Stabbing Westward, "ACF" - -----Original Message----- From: David Edelstein To: In Nomine Date: Monday, October 04, 1999 3:28 PM Subject: IN> Legion >>>>I was not aware of this? Where is he mentioned and what band was he?<<< > >He's first mentioned in the Infernal Player's Guide (a Djinn, IIRC). The >date of his demise is given in the GMG. > >-David > ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #1352 ******************************** The material here is (C) 1999 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.