From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Sun Dec 19 20:00:19 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 UAA31516 for ; Sun, 19 Dec 1999 20:00:18 -0600 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.3/8.9.1a) id TAA11366 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Sun, 19 Dec 1999 19:58:58 -0600 Date: Sun, 19 Dec 1999 19:58:58 -0600 Message-Id: <199912200158.TAA11366@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 #1465 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 Sunday, December 19 1999 Volume 01 : Number 1465 In this digest: Re: IN> Movie Trailer: Judgment Among The Flowers IN> Redeemed Malakim IN> ...he hath defiled the head of his consecration.... IN> Belial: Archangel of Cleansing [Statistics] IN> Kyriotaets and Vessels Re: IN> Kyriotaets and Vessels ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 19 Dec 99 11:06:54 PST From: "Azrael" Subject: Re: IN> Movie Trailer: Judgment Among The Flowers Bravo! Bravo! Encore! (This is easily achieved...I'll read it again) It's just sooo beautiful...I love a love story... Azrael ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Dec 1999 12:35:08 -0500 From: David Edelstein Subject: IN> Redeemed Malakim >>>The other idea...Demons can fledge at 7 forces, and Angels fledge at 9 forces. Also, a band or choir is not determined until the point where they actually do fledge (lovely Lilim being a notable exception, of course). What if a demon fledged at 7 forces, then redeemed, before gaining more forces; he would be a 7 force reliever, right?<<< No, he'd be a 7-Force angel. They are possible, they just aren't created that way. - -David ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Dec 1999 16:12:21 -0500 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: IN> ...he hath defiled the head of his consecration.... BELIAL Ofanite Archangel of Cleansing "The World was once pure, but now lies defiled. Cleanse it of the corruption and bring it once more to God's Purity." "And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it." --Numbers 6:9, KJV Belial was the unredeemable, or so most thought. Almost no Demon Prince *relished* his role in the corrupting of God's Symphony as Belial did. He delighted in the destruction that was his Word, and in the dissonant pain he inflicted upon Gabriel, once his Superior and now his worst foe. That dissonace, naturally, was two edged from the beginning. As Belial was a living discordant jangle across the Holy Fire of Gabriel, so Gabriel's purity, her inspiration, her living flames of God danced across Belial, forever reminding him of the Symphony the Calabite had turned inward to deny. However, where Gabriel seemed tormented by Belial's discordant tune, Belial always seemed to handle the conflict through violence, which in turn fueled his Word. Given a release Gabriel was denied, it seemed Belial was the more stable of the two. But is a Calabite ever truly stable? And how could one know? Who knows how long Belial had coped with his own pains in loud silence, flailing and destroying all around him. The day of reckoning came in the burning fires of Pele, a Volcano burning and bubbling below the surface of the water, slowly growing a new Hawaiian Island in the chain. Belial was within the magma and lava and fire, relishing the unleashed destructive force and seeking to harness it into a wave of destruction among the populated islands. But surrounded by water, in his Celestial Form within the burning prototether to Fire... Belial became aware of another. Too late, he realized that he was not alone. That Gabriel had found him and entered beneath him in the flames, and engaged him in combat. The force of the destruction the two wreaked could be felt hundreds of miles away. The tectonic power sent tsunamis forth. This destruction fueled Belial's Word as the pair fought -- but in grappling with Gabriel, Belial found himself comingling with the Divine Fire. Surrounded by the inspiration of Heaven, Belial was forced into confronting his own shallowness. In the final battle between Fire and Fire, Belial's destruction could not stand before Gabriel's Inspiration, and Belial was surrounded and consumed in Gabriel's fire. And there, the two saw the dance of Belial's pure self -- the self-hatred and jealosy of his beautiful Superior, long before the Fall. The pride and ambition. The *corruption* that had been within Belial from the day he Fell. The corruption that had been in his heart even before the Fall. And holding his broken Celestial Form, ready to obliterate the Calabite completely, Gabriel perceived the Cruelty -- and the Self-Cruelty -- within Belial. In that moment, Gabriel stood on a cusp -- to destroy the cruel or inspire the self-cruel to a better way? To wipe her enemy from the face of the Symphony, or to guide him home? And she chose, and gathered Belial close, and asked him if he sought redemption for all he had done. And Belial, seeing the corruption he had become, the stains and flaws in his once-beautiful self, agreed, and begged to be cleansed. He surrendered to the discord in his soul, and let the Fire of Gabriel consume him. Belial emerged from the real and metaphoric Fire a bright, whirling Ofanite once more. Greater by far than he ever was before the Fall. Perhaps even greater than as a Demon Prince. And he emerged with a Word, received in Holy Communion (it is *assumed*) with Gabriel's prophetic flames. No longer the Demon Prince of Fire, Belial was the Archangel of Cleansing. This is, of course, where the trouble started. ++ "And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation *at* the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put *it* in the fire which *is* under the sacrifice of the peace offerings." --Numbers 6:18 Belial presented himself to Heaven and the Seraphim Council, a full, Worded Archangel in the robes of a penetant, bald of head. The Council was thrown into shock -- in ways, it seemed more likely Lucifer himself would walk back across the Marches, beg forgiveness and reclaim the Cathedral of Light than Belial would. Further, while it seemed evident that God himself had granted Word and Station to the Archangel, it was through Gabriel's agency, and no one was certain of what happened. Gabriel herself did not return from her exile to explain, and the Council had no proof but the word of a freshly Redeemed Demon Prince -- and one of the worst of the lot, no less. Dominic announced an investigation. Belial responded with laughter. "I have been Cleansed by the Fire of the Lord," he said. "I am Pure again. Don't you see? Your snoopings cannot approach me, for I have been scoured clean before you. You should submit to *me,* and I will grant you the gift of cleansing." "Your words smack of Pride," Dominic accused. And Belial laughed again, and whirling with an Ofanite's love of speed, he left Heaven as Gabriel had before him, to pursue his Word and mission on Earth. The Council, confused before, was now dismayed. Belial seemed at best primed to Fall again. A renegade Archangel was the last thing they needed. "Perhaps," Yves said quietly, "we should consider the damage to Hell, before assuming the damage to Heaven." When pressed, he would say no more. His words were enough to end debate that day, though the Seraphim Council was still sorely worried. ++ "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing." --Leviticus 14:1 Belial swept over Earth. He sought out his old demonic Servitors where he knew them to be, appearing to them in the pure flames of his own Cleansing and his penetant's robes. Before his erstwhile Servants could react, he took hold of them, one by one, and submurged them into the Cleansing Fires. That one out of a hundred (perhaps) who truly sought redemption in his heart survived. The rest were destroyed. Within scant hours, the Disturbance of Belial's manifestations and redemptions had sent shockwaves through the demonic community, and demons of all stripe -- those orphaned Demons of Fire most of all -- took to ground where they could, hiding from the destruction that stalked them like no Angel before him. Those few who survived, Redeemed in Belial's Service, became the foundation of his Servitors. They too sought Demons, but where Belial's zeal had raised them up, they used methods more subtle, seeking Renegades of all factions. Once found, they Invoked Belial, who would redeem them into his service (or destroy them in the process). Of course, in the process of hunting Renegades, the Angels of Cleansing also encountered Outcast Angels. To them were also offered a chance -- undergo the purification, have their dissonance and Discord wiped clean and become Angels of Cleansing themselves. Some agreed, bolstering Belial's ranks (and giving him his first Malakim.) These early Angels, redeemed and cleansed into Belial's service, formed the foundation of his Servitors, and remain among Belial's most passionately loyal. ++ "To teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the law of leprosy." --Leviticus 14:57 After the inital flood of Belial's Cleansing of the Servitors of Infernal Fire, the Servitors of Cleansing have settled into a force on Earth. In echo of Belial's status, a Cathedral has appeared in Heaven, disturbingly close to Uriel's abandoned Halls. Tethers to Cleansing have begun to appear and be stablized as well. Belial himself has not returned to Heaven since that first day. He walks the Earth, seeking to make pure what is corrupt. He is among the most dilagent of demon-hunters, though his armies are yet too small to make a difference. In part, this is because he does not (or has not, at least) created any Angels. Instead, his organization grows through redemption or through Angels petitioning to join his service. It has been rumored he experiments with dismantling the Forces of captured demons and reassembling them into Angels where Redemption is not an option -- and it's said he's founded a flight of particularly fanatic Malakim by this method -- but there is no proof of this. Belial and his Servitors work to cleanse the Symphony of corruption and flaws, concentrating on the discord of Infernal powers. Belial has been concentrating on his own old strongholds initially, knowing them well (and being offended by the evidence of his personal Fall and corruption). He has been destroying the Tethers to Infernal Fire wherever he can, as well as trying to expunge (or redeem) his own former Servitors. He doesn't scorn breaking the plots and pollutions of other demons, of course. Hell has reacted to this. Belial's redemption -- especially given his extermely passionate crusade of purification in the beginning -- has rocked the foundations of the Infernal Order. His former Servitors are torn between throwing themselves into other Princes' service (for protection) and fighting each other to take over his organization. It is believed by most Orphaned Belialites that Lucifer will choose another Demon Prince of Fire, as Gabriel has grown increasingly more stable with Belial's redemption and he would not wish her to be unchecked long. In this, they are likely wrong. Lucifer chose Belial at the dawn of the Fall, and Gabriel had no ability or experince in dealing with such dissonance until it was too late. Now, a Word Conflict with Gabriel after millenia of fighting Belial every second of every day would mean even a powerful Prince would be torn apart, and Lucifer is not likely to waste the effort. It is more likely he would crown a Prince of a varient word, to combat her. (Perhaps even, ironicly enough, a Prince of Cleansing....) The Demon Princes are in disarray, fighting for the gap in power. Furfur seems to be the only winner, his Word growing with the destructive aspects of Belial's abandoned Word and his ranks swelling with Servitors (including many Word-Bound) seeking a like-thinking Prince. As he moves towards true, Major Princedom, Furfur is aware of Belial's campaign to destroy the old Tethers to Fire and has begun to take steps. Belial wants to cleanse? Cleanse *this,* baby.... As for the other Demon Princes? Damage control is still the reaction. Belial's redemption (into an *Archangel,* no less) fuels the hopes of Renegades and flies in the face of Infernal Propeganda. If Belial himself can Redeem and survive, then maybe.... Already, Nybbas and Kronos, working in concert, have begun spin control, of course. After all, Belial ended up destroying *far* more demons than he redeemed angels in his initial crusade. He is proof that Redemption is possible -- but he can be twisted to 'prove' Redemption is horrible and deadly just as easily.... Kronos and Baal have also begun to gather their forces to wipe out the fledgling Servitors of Cleansing quickly. Belial's Word is too close to Uriel's for comfort, especially if the Ofanite Archangel manages to recruit the Tsaydim where others have failed and bring them back to the forefront of the War.... ++ "What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him." --Mark 1:27-28 In Heaven, the Crusade of Cleansing (and the parallels to Uriel that disturb Kronos so much) has been noticed with concern. There are almost no Archangels who support their new brother -- the peaceful Archangels view his swift violence with alarm, the warlike Archangels note his disregard of the Heavenly strategy and the mystery of his Word and Station. Even Yves is concerned -- one cannot force a man to Destiny. One cannot choose to be selfless at the point of a sword. Most alarming is the similarities between Belial's current hit, destroy and run tactics and his old tactics as a Demon Prince. A Fall back out of grace seems inevitable to some (most notably Dominic). And if he *does* Fall, he's likely to bring a good number of fanatic Angels with him. And his ranks are growing, without a doubt. The surity of his cause and drive for purity have made him as popular among the Host as he is unpopular among their Superiors. He is dynamic and committed, bringing a new passion for the destruction of Hell's works that many Angels have not seen since Uriel's recall. Further, it is rumored that his Servitors *cannot* fall, even as Uriel's couldn't. Further, Belial's very reputation in Hell makes him attractive to some Angels. After all -- if the very scion of destruction can Redeem, there is hope for the cause of Heaven. And while Belial does not walk in Heaven, his Servitors do and are loud in their support for and evangelizing of the Archangel of Cleansing. Gabriel supports Belial, and Belial renders her deference as his Superior, despite his Archangelic station. Gabriel is distant, however, reacclimating to a Word of Fire not consumed in conflict and dissonance -- and a spirit which chose to inspire rather than punish. In ways (and ironically), Belial makes this easier on Gabriel, by punishing and cleansing the cruel as Gabriel once did. ++ "And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." --Mark 1:39 In appearance, Belial is an energetic man, shaven bald in monk's robes. When needing to appear incogneto on Earth (which he is not disposed to do, but is sometimes necessary), Beliel generally will wear plain clothes or hand-me-downs, in intentional contrast to his sophisticated veneer as a Demon Prince. He is always bald, and always manifests in male form (to date). He is enthusiastic, hammering at those around him with speech and handshakes. His frenetic passion is infectious, and he often draws others into working with him on any project -- from cleaning up a toxic spill to firebombing an Infernal tether. His zeal is like a recovering smoker - -- the fanaticism of the convert. His course seems certain at all times, and he never speaks with doubt. Nor, to even Gabriel's regret, with humility. - -- Eric Alfred Burns It was then I felt my heart break like a in-sabre@annotations.com fragile Scooby Snack upon the harsh teeth of http://www.annotations.com Reality -- and it's been broken ever since. http://www.annotations.com/~journal --Johnny Bravo ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Dec 1999 16:12:35 -0500 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: IN> Belial: Archangel of Cleansing [Statistics] BELIAL Ofanite Archangel of Cleansing "The World was once pure, but now lies defiled. Cleanse it of the corruption and bring it once more to God's Purity." [For history and description, see the post "...he hath defiled the head of his consecration...." preceding.] As the Archangel of Cleansing, Belial and his Servitors are proactive in the War, not waiting for others to come to them. They carry their message and duty to the heart of the corrupt, and use fire, water and the strength of conviction to make it pure again. DISSONANCE The Servitors of Cleansing are charged with putting the world through the crucible and making it pure. Their lot is hard. They receive dissonance if they take *any* action that encourages the corrupt or that corrupt the pure. This includes assisting any Demon in any task other than the seeking of Redemption (though that assistance can be roundabout, skirting the edges of dissonance). The Cleansers are also expected to be pure in act and deed, always. Therefore, any act which violates their Choir dissonace conditions has its dissonance penalty *doubled.* BAND ATTUNEMENTS _Seraphim_ Attuned to the Truth of the Symphony, the Most Holy of Cleansing are adept at rooting out any sign of demonic corruption. Seraphim of Belial can double their Celestial Forces when computing the range of detecting a disturbance created by Infernal powers, and receive +3 to their Perception rolls for it. They may also add two to the Check Digit of the roll to determine what happened. If they succeed at the Perception roll at all, they will know the deed was done by a demon (but not which one). _Cherubim_ (Restricted) The Hounds of Cleansing are the Shephards and Guides, staying close to their charges and leading them from corruption to having their sins washed away. With a successful Perception Roll, a Cherub of Belial can discern the corruptions within their Attuned's souls. For mortals, these can be the secrets of guilt and selfish pleasures hidden inside their souls. For Angels (or demons) this is the amount of dissonance they carry and the types of Discord they possess. The Cherub learns the sins of their Attuned based on the Check Digit of the Perception Roll, with greater information learned for higher digits. _Ofanim_ (Restricted) The Wheels of Belial are his terrible swift swords, bringing the wrath of Cleansing down upon the corrupt. Ofanim can choose "the place most in need of cleansing" as the location they seek when using their Resonance, even if that place is not "in the public consciousness" as a polluted place. Note that a toxic waste dump is just as polluted as a Tether to Lust for purposes of this attunement. _Elohim_ (Restricted) The Powers of Belial are his crucibles. Objectively weighing the purity and corruption of those around them, they know just how to apply the right pressure to force out the unclean aspects. As part of their Resonance roll, Elohim of Cleansing can learn how their target feels about a given activity, and what manipulation will reinforce or discourage those feelings in the future. _Malakim_ The Virtues of Belial are rare in the extreme, given that most of his Angels come from Redemption or being Outcast Angels (at least to date). Belial's Malakim are charged with the ultimate cleansing -- destruction of the offense to the Symphony. Whenever one of these Malakim comes within his Ethereal Forces times his Celestial Forces in yards of an Infernal, he can make a Perception roll to detect the demon and learn the Demon's general direction. The demon may resist with Will. _Kyriotates_ (Restricted) In Cleansing one finds purity, but in purity one does not find uniformity. Belial's Kyriotates are charged with learning the diversity in cleansing, to ultimately know best what is clean but different... and what cannot *be* cleaned. (It is also said that the first of Belial's Servitors to actually *be* Cleansed and Redeemed, and not destroyed instead, was a Shedite. This new Kyriotate was nothing like Belial, and Belial learned a lesson from that.) Kyriotates of Cleansing can more easily possess those with Discord or Disadvantages, subtracting the level of Discord from the host's total in terms of how many Forces they need to allocate to the host. The Kyriotate *must* allocate at least one Force to the host, however, and the Kyriotate suffers from the effects of the Discord as though they had it. By living within one's flaws, the Kyriotate learns how easily a pure life can be maintained within them. _Mercurians_ Intercessionists of Belial are the shephards, gently leading the corrupt to rebirth. The Mercurians of Cleansing try to insert themselves into bad situations and lead those involved to good ones. Often they can be found in roles of social workers or minor gang members, working to change the tenor of an area. With a successful perception roll, a Mercurian of Belial can see if a man's path is generally selfish or selfless, with examples of both granted to the level of the Check Digit. (Note that by using this attunement at -4 the Angel can tell if a Demon -- drowning in selfishness -- seeks redemption. However, the gamemaster should make this roll in secret. If the roll fails, the gamemaster should lie.) SERVITOR ATTUNEMENTS _Firewalker_ This attunement is identical to Belial's Demonic attunement (In Nomine p.167). As the Holy Fire of Gabriel has cleansed Belial, so the flames can restore lost Strength to his Servitors. _Purity of the Crucible_ While there is much concern over Belial and his possibly Falling again, this is not a concern his Servitors have. With this attunement, so long as Belial -- the ultimate Demon redeemed -- remains angelic, so will the Servitor. No Angel of Cleansing with this Attunement can Fall so long as Belial hasn't. He can become dissonant and gain discord as a Malakite does, but will not actually Fall. Generally, this Attunement is granted when a demon is successfully redeemed into his service, before even a Choir Attunement. Note that Belial *hates* dissonance and discord in his Servitors, and he and his organization actively patrol for it. His Cherubim are often used for this service. Unrepentant Angels can be punished, Outcast or even destroyed. It is also feared that should Belial actually Fall, he will drag down any Servitor with this Attunement down to Hell with him. But Belial's Servitors would never believe that could happen -- or that Belial himself could Fall in the first place.... DISTINCTIONS While Belial's organization is new, he has redeemed some powerful demons into his Angelic service, and has used this foundation to build an organization. Therefore, there are Distincted Angels in his service early. _Vassel of the Holy Flame_ This Distinction is the equivilant of Belial's old "Knight of the Infernal Furnaces" Distinction in ability. _Friend of the Reborn_ Adept at the baptism that brings darkness back into the light, these Angels can, when pouring water over or otherwise performing a ceremony of baptism on a person (and expending three Essence) can once a day restore them body, mind and spirit. The effect is the same as singing all three Songs of Healing at level one on the target. _Master of the New Life_ The Master automatically detects any choice a person makes that leads them onto a new path for life -- for better or worse -- within 10 yards times his Celestial Forces. RELATIONS It is worth noting that no Archangel other than Gabriel is even Associated with Belial. Belial's redemption is too fresh, his methods too controversial and even violent, for any of the others to accept him. In the fullness of time, especially if Belial begins to associate himself with Heavenly Society, this can change. As for Belial himself -- there are several Archangels whose tactics and messages are onces he can approve of. His sympathies are largely with the War faction, naturally. Those who take the battle to the enemy and force change are, in their own ways, supporting the Word of Cleansing, after all. Belial has no rancor for the Peace Faction, however. Novalis in particular may not agree with Belial's mission or values, but her own crusade is utterly pure, and Belial respects the Cleansing she promotes. Those Archangels whose convictions seem suspect or variable, on the other hand, have Belial's contempt. Eli's randomness, Blandine's ephemeral nature and especially Marc's... *compromise* seem to Belial the most insidious paths to corruption. And he has a certain suspicion of Dominic -- while he agrees with Dominic's methods and certainty very much, he cannot forget his persecution of Gabriel. ALLIED: Gabriel (Gabriel considers herself allied with Belial) ASSOCIATED: David, Jordi, Laurence, Michael, Novalis, Yves (No one considers themselves Associated with Belial) HOSTILE: Blandine, Eli, Marc (Blandine, Dominic, Janus and Marc are Hostile to Belial) BASIC RITES * Tell an inspirational story to a sinner. * Clean up a polluted lot. * Attend a Confirmation or Baptismal service at a church. CHANCE OF INVOCATION: 4 INVOCATION MODIFIERS +1 A bottle of disinfectent +2 A newly consecrated church or other newly created holy place +3 A "Higher Power" oriented recovery meeting (12 step program) +4 The skull of a demon's vessel, no longer attached to the rest. +5 A defiled place, made pure again. +6 A demon, sincerely seeking redemption. - -- Eric Alfred Burns It was then I felt my heart break like a in-sabre@annotations.com fragile Scooby Snack upon the harsh teeth of http://www.annotations.com Reality -- and it's been broken ever since. http://www.annotations.com/~journal --Johnny Bravo ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 20 Dec 99 11:01:32 PST From: "Azrael" Subject: IN> Kyriotaets and Vessels What happens when a Kyriotate with a Corporeal Discord like Discoloured or Crippled or Stigmata takes a host? Do they suddenly change colour etc...like a chameleon, do they suddenly lose a limb? Do vessle work on the same system of movement as we humans i.e. does amuscle contract and pull on a bone in order to create movement? Or do they work on force of will/mystical movement? Frex, I you were to cut to the bone the flesh around somesones vessels wrist, severing tendons and muscles etc.. could they still move their fingers? Azrael "Christmas is about presents, more specifically those that are given to me; have a good one" ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Dec 1999 19:56:32 -0600 From: "Amo Nympham" Subject: Re: IN> Kyriotaets and Vessels - -Dennis H. Groome V "Amo Nympham" ICQ: 11340261 http://evm-gamers.freeservers.com "I think I woke up screaming, 'cause I had a dream that you still loved me" -Stabbing Westward, ACF >What happens when a Kyriotate with a Corporeal Discord like Discoloured or Crippled or Stigmata >takes a host? Do they suddenly change colour etc...like a chameleon, do they suddenly lose a limb? > the discord is carried to that host. kinda hard to swap bodies to hide when you have horns, huh? >Do vessle work on the same system of movement as we humans i.e. does amuscle contract and pull on a bone >in order to create movement? Or do they work on force of will/mystical movement? Frex, I you were to cut to the bone the flesh around somesones vessels wrist, severing tendons and muscles etc.. could they still move their fingers? this is where I refer to the GMG, the section on Vessels (pp 18-19). from what I gather (rather than quoting text), Vessels are identical to human bodies except for the lack of need for sleep or food, the agelessness and the immunity to disease. so, yes, cutting a tendon would have the same effect. ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #1465 ******************************** The material here is (C) 1999 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.