From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Thu Nov 2 23:19:23 2000 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 XAA30837 for ; Thu, 2 Nov 2000 23:19:21 -0600 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.3/8.9.1a) id XAA26245 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Thu, 2 Nov 2000 23:19:09 -0600 Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 23:19:09 -0600 Message-Id: <200011030519.XAA26245@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 #1901 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, November 2 2000 Volume 01 : Number 1901 In this digest: IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1894 IN> The Angels of Final Judgement IN> The forgotten Prince (No, not Mariel) Re: IN> Relic question. IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1895 Re: IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1894 Re: IN> The Angels of Final Judgement IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1896 Re: IN> Michael, the Peacemaker? (Sappy, I suppose. In a fairly weird sense.) IN> Meserach Re: IN> Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk... IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1896 IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1896 IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1896 IN> test Re: IN> test IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1896 IN> Re: Laurence after Armageddon? IN> Point? Point? What is this "point" you keep speaking of? IN> The Essence of Purity 3/? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2000 14:37:01 -0800 From: James Walker Subject: IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1894 >I've found out the meanings for all the names of these guys except for the >following: Lilith, Kobal, Decarabia, Marchosias, Rosier, Hayyael, and >Metatron. Lilith is normally translated as 'Night Monster' or (slightly better) 'THE Night Monster'; 'Lil' is definitely 'night', however I've also seen her name translated as 'Queen of the Night' and as 'Queen of the Lili(m)'. The Babylonian version was Lilitu. 'Fraid I can't help with the others. I stared into the Abyss, and the Abyss blinked first......... (with apologies to Nietzche) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 22:40:50 -0500 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: IN> The Angels of Final Judgement Some weird thoughts about the Angels of Final Judgement and what they exactly do. *WHO ARRIVES IN HELL WHOM THEY FREE?* I mean isn't completing your fate pretty much a done deal that your going to hell? I mean is there a celestial bureaucracy that causes occasional misfiling? What? Then some ideas hit me. 1> The Repentant Let's say some horrible human being has certainly commited a large selection of evil in his lifetime and has achieved his fate but not his destiny....however on his deathbed or just before he prays for forgiveness and was trying to make restitution. The Angels of Final Judgement's Malakim or some unique gift to them no doubt allows them to sense this and they can be sorted for heaven. 2> The Hellishly gifted Sorcerors who have accepted the Sorcery Attunement from Haptiphas or whatever her name is, Those who have rites from Hell, Hellsworn and those who have songs in all likelihood are all in for a nasty surprise when they hit bottom. However it's quite possible for a any of these people to never achieve their fate or to ACHIEVE their destiny and still get pressed to Hell by the resulting infernal power in their veins. Again in all likelihood I believe the Angels of Final Judgement have some attunement that allows them to percieve this and thus sort them from the bad for cleansing. 3> The diabolically tricked I imagine it's still a fairly common pratice that some demons try to sneak past the righteous into the gates of Hell for tormenting. Whether it's some artifact or whatever that allows them to sneak the souls down here they look VERY out of place in the roving masses of the damned and thus the Angels of Final Judgement are here to pick them out. Another possibility... 4> The Not so Finally Judged This is noncannon I think but if any soul can cross the Hellish wastelands and escape his prince to get to the Gates of Hell (not abandoning all hope all ye who enter) and get to the Angels of Final Judgement, he can get another judgement...and probably will be destroyed if he doesn't suceed...a better punishment than sent back among the mass I think....but that seems unangelic. It also implies a cleansing is needed for the Damned like demons but it's still a cool possibility and certainly good for a legendamong the damned. - -Charlemagne ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 19:46:48 -0800 (PST) From: Maurice Lane Subject: IN> The forgotten Prince (No, not Mariel) Ah. That lovely time between spurts of writing, when you can spend you time idly cackling about your next project, instead of actually cracking down and doing it. Well, enough of that. Has anyone ever gotten around to writing up a version of Beelzebubb, or seen it? I need to take a good long look at him, the better to really warp the concept for Oops.* (Once _he's_ done, and a few others, I don't really have much else to say about that particular concept. Of course, I never expected Mariel to show up, so what do I know?) Even something that just talks about him a bit would be fine: I need to get a handle on the personality... or, more accurately, what was _perceived_ as his personality by the general celestial public. For some reason, this Prince isn't talked about too often. I guess getting toasted by Uriel and overshadowed by your successor does that to a rep. :) Moe ===== In Nomine stuff: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Everything else (not that there is, right now): http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/main.html Last updated 9/5/00 (this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? From homework help to love advice, Yahoo! Experts has your answer. http://experts.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 22:47:57 -0500 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: Re: IN> Relic question. At 7:31 PM -0800 11/2/00, Ryan Elias wrote: >Maurice Lane wrote: >> >> Hey, are there any flying birds out there with >> feathers longer than, I don't know, two feet? > >I've got some pretty bloody big eagle feathers. Not two feet (a touch >under a foot and a half by my measure), mind you, but pretty damn long. >Maybe a larger eagle (like that big golden thing in that disney mouse >movie?), or an albatross (what flavour is it? ^_^) would measure up? Some of the true seafaring albatrosses have two foot pinions, as do some condors, and certain cockateels. What, am I Jordi-boy today? - -- Eric Alfred Burns - Habbalite of Belaboring the Point ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2000 14:50:44 -0800 From: James Walker Subject: IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1895 Meserach: lovely stuff, but three nitpicks: 1)why would Meserach actively do anything? (S)he sits in Hell and sulks. Other demons turn up, and declare themselves to be Demons of Sloth to avoid doing anything. When Baal complains that Sloth isn't helping the War, he gets told he can harvest some of the surrounding demons if he goes away. Those demons when assigned to Earth try to establish Tethers so that they can stop fighting The War. 2)why change? Janus does, and Meserach is Janus' rival. Janus kills a Servitor of Sloth; Servitor is replaced. And replaced. Areas abandoned by the Wind are ignored. Battlefield is static. Wind panics...fortunately, Haagenti comes to the rescue. 3) Opinions:would Valefor have an opinion? Meserach dies before he hits the scene. Even if he knew, he wouldn't tell. While Baal would probably appreciate Slothies unwillingness to run away (run! AMBLE, maybe). 'Twas a good read though. A boy is a man in training - but still just a boy, easily hurt. A man is a knight in training - but still just a man, just muddling through; A knight is a saint in training - but still just a knight, proud and rash. A saint is a friend of God - and still just a boy, who needs his friend. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 21:56:02 -0600 From: "Charles Glasgow" Subject: Re: IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1894 - ---- Original Message ----- From: "James Walker" To: Sent: Friday, November 03, 2000 4:31 PM Subject: IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1894 > > Well, there's a difference between losing a friend/servitor and losing a > > trusted mentor, somebody you regarded as your all-around superior, the > > shoulder you came to cry on when *you* were feeling doubts. I mean, if > > Yoda suddenly turned to the Dark Side, that would really shake Luke up, ya > > know? > > And while Laurence can't Fall, being a Malakite -- Laurence *can* have a > > sudden crisis of confidence. "Oh, my Lord... the being that I could never > > defeat, that humbled me with ease in our first duel, that I've been > > wondering for the past 13 centuries how I could ever hope to fill the > > giant-sized boots he left behind... he's now the other side's general? I > > am *SO* dead.... dead, lost, crunched, wiped, history, good-bye, see ya, I'm > > *TOAST*..." > Unlike Luke, Laurence isn't a whining little prat. Fine. Consider what young Obi-Wan would have done if he turned around one day and suddenly, entirely unexpectedly, saw Darth Qui-Gon Jinn, Sith Lord, standing behind him. (This is, of course, happening *before* the events of Episode One.) Would Obi-Wan suddenly fall to the Dark Side? Nope. Would Obi-Wan drop his lightsaber and whine? Nope. But would Obi-Wan be able to *win*? Probably not. > 1st reaction:horror. 2nd reaction:'so that's why I was chosen - Michael > couldn't be trusted. 3rd reaction "How the [bleep] am I supposed to *BEAT* this guy? I've never come close to being able to take him in my entire life!" > :"Michael's still in Heaven? Taking damage from the Light of > Heaven? David! Janus! Zadkiel! Gabriel! Help me kill him! Dominc! Stop him > leaving! (which he can do with his Warder Distinction). Everybody gets hurt > lots, but Michael dies. Everybody *just* gets hurts lots? If Michael can't even take *one* of them with him, he's not just slipping, he's fighting with both feet in a bucket and a blindfold on... .. and, well, if they lose any one of the ones on that list, save possibly Zadkiel, the balance of power shifted significantly in Hell's favor Any *two* of them... *way* in Hell's favor. Remember, Laurence is one of the mightiest warriors in the Host in his own right, who consistently makes the top three on the list of "The Average Demon Prince's Worst Nightmares"... and Michael didn't just beat Laurence, he *humbled* him. > > Of course, if Michael falls, the discussion is pointless. Because Michael > > would announce his Falling by butchering several of his former compatriots > > on his way out of the Pearly Gates. And then come back the next day leading > > a demon army [1] and butcher the place. *eg* > One of the many reasons Hell cannot win outright (as opposed to conquering > the Corporeal realm) is that demons in Heaven fry. If Michael falls then he > starts burning, gets dissonance from violoating the Pax Dei, creates > disturbance when he destroys anything/one,[interesting point - a demon > entering Heaven creates disturbance; does Falling in Heaven do the same?], > has to tangle with the entire War faction simultaneously (and David is a > match for Baal, so would actually have a small chance against Michael > alone!], In a mass melee such as you describe, I foresee Michael using the Ofanite of War attunement to move first before anybody else can, and then start playing hit and run. Stone is only dangerous if you stand and fight against him... Stone does *not* win wars of manuever. The Wind can of course maneuver, but the Wind cannot hope to beat Michael alone. (And the other beautiful part about Ofanite of War is that it *does* allow you to make tactical retreats, if they're for the purpose of winning the overall battle of maneuver.) And with that huge grudge, plus the threat of the Warder distinction (clever tactic, though), Dominic's going *first*... I mean, if Michael ever Falls, the first warning that it happened at all is going to be when Dark Michael jumps out of the coat closet and cuts Dominic's head off. Just to pay back old grudges. As well as worry about that Warder attunement (*very* clever idea there, by the way). After all, while the disturbance of Michael Falling will rock all of Heaven, they still won't know *which* Superior Fell until *after* the screaming starts... And while the Light Of Heaven will crisp your average demon in short order, Demon Princes can last a while. And if they can't? OK then. He leaves. And then Dark Michael puts out a sign staying "You can't win the war if you're hiding in Heaven all the time -- and anything that sticks a nose outside of it, I'm cutting the whole head off. Don't like it? Try and make me stop. Correction -- make *US* stop." > and may get more dissonance for running away (depending on how his > new Word operates - which assumes that he's still Word bound!). IIRC, as soon as you Fall, you lose your Word. You don't get a diabolic Word until Lucifer gives you one -- which requires him to meet you first. > >In my own opinion, Michael Falling = Game Over. YMMV. *eg* > You give up too easily. Laurence would not - I didn't say Laurence would give up. I'm just saying Laurence would be really, really, REALLY not sure about his chances of winning. Even while totally terrified and with knees knocking and heart quivering, Laurence would still without hesitation march into battle for honor's sake. Agreed, 200%. But if there's anything in all of creation that can make Laurence afraid, the thought of going up against Michael in a battle to the death -- with the fate of Heaven on the line -- has got to be it. > heroic last stands Emphasis -- "last* stand..." *eg* > are part of what Knighthood is all about! When younger, Laurence would probably have > been very like Reepicheep. Yup. > Also, given the sort of things that would give Michael dissonance, > consider: he may end up as the Demon Prince of Cowardice! Now *there's* a thought to hurt the brain... owowowowowowowowowowowowwwwwww! Of course, this whole discussion is really moot, 'cause the odds of Michael Falling are, IMO, somewhere down around... "When Malakim start dropping into the Pit like hailstones, when Dark Novalis is busy spreading toxic waste across the entire biosphere and torturing flower girls to death for grins, when David has committed suicide out of despair over his newfound belief that Heaven has no way to win, when *practically every other being in creation* has decided to go Jump and swear allegiance to Lucifer, Michael will think about it. And then he'll spit in Lucifer's general direction, look at Laurence, and say 'Well, at least we can still take *some* of them with us...' " - -- Chuckg ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 21:58:11 -0600 From: "Charles Glasgow" Subject: Re: IN> The Angels of Final Judgement - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charles Phipps" To: Sent: Thursday, November 02, 2000 9:40 PM Subject: IN> The Angels of Final Judgement > Some weird thoughts about the Angels of Final Judgement and what they > exactly do. > > *WHO ARRIVES IN HELL WHOM THEY FREE?* According to the CPG, it's Hellsworn who have truly repented their evil, rejected Lucifer and all his works, lived virtuous lives, and never ever used their Infernal Rites or Attunements again even once... .. but never were able to find an Archangel so he could remove their Infernal Force and Redeem them the old-fashioned way. Fortunately, God is merciful, and has the ol' Angels Of Final Judgement waiting at the gates of Hell to catch even these guys. [snip] > 2> The Hellishly gifted > > Sorcerors who have accepted the Sorcery Attunement from Haptiphas or > whatever her name is, Those who have rites from Hell, Hellsworn and those > who have songs in all likelihood are all in for a nasty surprise when they > hit bottom. However it's quite possible for a any of these people to never > achieve their fate or to ACHIEVE their destiny and still get pressed to Hell > by the resulting infernal power in their veins. Again in all likelihood I > believe the Angels of Final Judgement have some attunement that allows them > to percieve this and thus sort them from the bad for cleansing. Like you said. *g* - -- Chuckg ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2000 14:58:49 -0800 From: James Walker Subject: IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1896 >Yes, I don't know where he got "the breasted one." El-Shaddai means "God >(El) of the Mountains". > >- -David Tah. - --James. PS I love El-Elyon. The implications disturb nearly everybody. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 20:10:00 -0800 (PST) From: Maurice Lane Subject: Re: IN> Michael, the Peacemaker? (Sappy, I suppose. In a fairly weird sense.) Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 22:03:20 -0500 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: Re: IN> Michael, the Peacemaker? At 5:14 PM -0800 11/2/00, Maurice Lane wrote: >Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 00:24:35 -0500 >From: Whistling in the Dark >Subject: Re: IN> Michael, the Peacemaker?> >>I am not going to even _dignify_ that with a >>response... >>Oh, cr**. >Mu hu hah hah hah. >Moe Moe Moe. >You're not the only warped brain on this list. It's >just... you work for *Heaven.* If I thought that I was the only warped brain on this list, I wouldn't check for new digests like a clockwork automation. Heck, I might not even _subscribe_. And I won't even go into how much I have to push myself, just to make sure I'm clearing the (absurdly high) bar raised by the rest of you... :) Moe ===== In Nomine stuff: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Everything else (not that there is, right now): http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/main.html Last updated 9/5/00 (this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? From homework help to love advice, Yahoo! Experts has your answer. http://experts.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 23:04:45 -0400 From: Douglas Muir Subject: IN> Meserach >Meserach: lovely stuff, ...thank you... >but three nitpicks: >1)why would Meserach actively do anything? (S)he sits in Hell and sulks. Meserach hates humanity with the burning, obsessive hatred of a Djinn. He's also very proud -- proudest of the Cherubim, now the most arrogant of the Stalkers -- and, like Baal is determined to be proven *right*. These things motivate him to attack mankind, even though his Word encourages him to sit around and watch paint dry. Notice that, in the writeup, he doesn't do much _but_ try to corrupt humanity. He has little interest in organizing his servitors, playing Infernal politics, messing around with Ethereals, or directly fighting Heaven. In those areas, his Slothful nature predominates. But he hates, hates, hates people. >Other demons turn up, and declare themselves to be Demons of Sloth to avoid >doing anything. You may have noticed that I made being a Servitor of Sloth a not entirely attractive career option. Yeah, maybe you get away with not doing much. OTOH, maybe your Prince tears your head off one day when he realizes that you're leeching off his Word. >3) Opinions:would Valefor have an opinion? Meserach dies before he hits the >scene. Valefor was around for about 300 years before Meserach got gobbled. 8th and 11th centuries, respectively. >'Twas a good read though. Thanks again. Doug M. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 22:14:50 -0600 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk... From: "Maurice Lane" > > 1). I officially Wish That I Had Thought of This > First. Coming from somebody who makes me say the exact same thing more times than I can count, I take this as a great compliment. :) And I only realised that I hadn't explained what the Angel of Creative Mayhem attunement does, here goes: Angel of Creative Mayhem: The posessor of this attunement can add his Ethereal Forces to either the accuracy or power of any attack made with an improvised weapon. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2000 15:16:01 -0800 From: James Walker Subject: IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1896 >*giggle* > >I just had a notion. Anybody remember that Seraph of Fire in Liber >Servitorum.. Oh Yes! >I'm trying to imagine the poor Servitor of Flowers who's volunteered to do a >50-year tour of duty IST War, just so he can earn the Mercurian of War >attunement and take it back home to Novalis' service with him... and what >kind of ordeal he'll endure in the process of trying... >(The Malakite of Flowers will probably have the easiest time, admitted. Or >maybe the Seraph of Flowers who got assigned to Michael's >all-Mercurian-of-War Crisis Negotiation Team...) >Chuckg But neither of them can! Only a Mercurian can be given the Attunement! "Welcome to War! Now don't look so nervous - do you think I've never worked with Mercurians before? You don't want to fight humans, that's good! That's who we're trying to defend isn't it! And of course, you're untrained - be a waste of Heaven's resources to have you up the front. Yes, I thought you'd feel happier if we explained everything upfront. What will you be doing? Medic? Oh, maybe one day, but a stint in Heavy Artillery for a decade will help you get into the spirit of things!" Actually, offering to be a medic would be the way to go. Healing and Harmony are the most common Songs the Flowerchildren have (plus the Cherub Attunement), so being medical backup would be effective, and Michael's about effectiveness. Other variants on this would be: a Seraph of Trade who wants the Seraph of the Wind attunement (very useful for negotiations, but the contract you'd be expected to design..) ; a Mercurian of the Sword serving Judgement (Hellsworn deserve to be hit! And imagine how Dominc is going to react on hearing that from a Friend). Seraph of Judgement(or Revelations, but less fun) serving Dreams; Kyriotate of Animals serving Revelation (and trying to work out why anyone cares what humans think!); Or truly weird: Bright of Creation serving Stone (err - how does smashing in someones' face with a rock help me earn the ability to make nice jewelry?). - --James A boy is a man in training - but still just a boy, easily hurt. A man is a knight in training - but still just a man, just muddling through; A knight is a saint in training - but still just a knight, proud and rash. A saint is a friend of God - and still just a boy, who needs his friend. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2000 15:24:06 -0800 From: James Walker Subject: IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1896 >Date: Wed, 01 Nov 2000 18:00:36 GMT >From: "Jo Hart" >Subject: Re: IN> Michael the Peacemaker > >>Yup. The old soldier, finally able to retire and look back on a job well >>done. > > >http://www.btinternet.com/~jhart/IN_cutscenes.html JO, you are making by heart, mind & soul ache...... ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2000 15:28:42 -0800 From: James Walker Subject: IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1896 > But I suppose it's possible that Michael was the Angel of War > before the Rebellion, and only became the Archangel of War after he'd > defeated Lucifer. Could anyone tell me if this interpretation is supported > by canon or not? As the Eldest Angel, I doubt he would have been below Archangel level. However, he's referred to somewhere as to have been responsible for stirring up the friction is the stars so that Gabriel & Lucifer could light them, so competition might have been his Word; The Fall plus Divinve Intervention caused Word Shift? A boy is a man in training - but still just a boy, easily hurt. A man is a knight in training - but still just a man, just muddling through; A knight is a saint in training - but still just a knight, proud and rash. A saint is a friend of God - and still just a boy, who needs his friend. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 02 Nov 2000 23:29:20 EST From: BillionSix@aol.com Subject: IN> test Hi. I'm sending this from the email website at AOL.com. Let's see if it htmls. Reverend Brian A. Rogers ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 22:33:11 -0600 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> test From: > Hi. I'm sending this from the email website at AOL.com. Let's see if it htmls. It works. :) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2000 15:39:58 -0800 From: James Walker Subject: IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1896 My contribution to the Sidekick 'competition'. Does anyone care to imagine how he'd interact with Samael? MESZAROS Ofanite Angel of Hussars Corporeal Forces - 6 Strength 12 Agility 12 Ethereal Forces - 4 Intelligence 4 Precision 12 Celestial Forces - 6 Will 12 Perception 12 Suggested Word-Forces: 13 Vessel: Human Male/6,Charisma +2; Light Cavalry Horse/6, Charisma +3. Skills: Acrobatics/6, Area Knowledge (India/3, Canada/1, Europe/6), Artistry (Dress Sense/4), Detect Lies/1, Dancing/5, Dodge/6, Driving(Tanks)/4, Emote/5, Fast-Talk/3, Fighting/4(Fisticuffs), Knowledge(European History/3, Horses/4), Languages (Austrian/3, English/3, French/3, Hungarian/5, Polish/4), Large Weapon(Lance/2, Sword/6+Sabre Specialisation), Move Silently/4, Ranged Weapon(Pistol/2, Rifle/4, SMG/1, Turret Mounted Gun/3, HMG/2), Savoir Faire/6, Singing/3, Small Weapon (Rapier/2), Survival (Farmed Countryside/2), Tactics/6, Throwing/1(grenades), Tracking/1. Songs: Battle (Corporeal/2, Ethereal/1, Celestial/6), Blades(All/4), Direction(All/3), Motion(Corporeal/6,Ethereal/3, Celestial/3), Speed(All/6) Attunements: All of Laurences' non-restricted Attunements & Distinctions; Mannerliness; General of the Armies of God; Seneschal of Sword Beachhead (Normandy Tether), The Angel of Hussars. Artefacts: Sword of Laurence; it is also a talisman(sword/6). His current uniform is an indestructible talisman(Savoir-Faire)/4. Additionally, he will normally be carrying a minor item or three to grant as rewards for outstanding service by his subordinates. Laurence took away his relic tank, but has promised to give it back for Armageddon. Special Rites: Lead a successful scouting mission into enemy territory and report back useful information (+3 Essence); Encourage your allies with dashing behaviour; Attend a Ball or similar function in a Hussars' uniform and cut a dashing figure; Outshine a less honourable rival; impress a member of the opposite gender while behaving honorably. Special Abilities: Increases his Charisma by half (round up) while in uniform; Automatically assess a mount's capabilities for scouting or raiding. Special Attunement: 'Scouting': Similar to Baal's Weak Link Attunement, however will only detect weaknesses which can be exploited honorably. Like Weak Link, it can be used on one's own side (where the inability to detect a weakness to dishonorable actions is far more annoying). Meszaros will grant this Attunement to anyone who has earned a Distinction from Laurence, and occasionally grants it to favoured reconnaissance experts. Meszaros lives to prove that only the good guys can be truly impressive. Throughout the Middle Ages he led Hungarian light cavalry against all opponents, creating legends of dashing exploits and climbing through the ranks of the Armies of God. There has never been a Demon of Hussars; the equivalent Word in Demonic is Corsairs - Meszaros has destroyed more Demons holding that Word than he can remember. He fought at Kircholm and at Parkany, and led the 8/13th Hussars on Sword Beach during the Normandy landings. Promoted to Heavenly duties directly after WWII, Meszaros has been responsible for intelligence gathering, morale & propaganda. Naturally he interprets his duties through the lens of his Word. Hussars are light cavalry; they exist to sweep away minor threats and warn their side of more serious opposition. He maintains morale by dashing behaviour, jokes and compliments; where this fails he will order an elohite to investigate the matter and determine the nature of the problem. His subordinates are expected to report diabolical plots immediately (Meszaros has both email & an answering machine) and then attempt to destroy it. If they fail to destroy the plot, or believe it too powerful to make even an attempt at destroying worthwhile, Meszaros will notify Laurence. His impressive appearance and affable nature make him ideal for dealing with normally hostile groups, such as Servitors of the Wind or The Media. Meszaros is also the Servitor responsible for persuading new Bright Lilim to serve the Sword. (One of his favourite techniques is to point out that Laurence is totally committed to winning the War, so that after Armageddon, he'll have lost his purpose in life - maybe if the Lilim was present at that point, she would be able to help him explore the non-violent aspects of his WordŠ) Equal Opportunities was a shock for both Meszaros and his then superior, the Angel of the Sabre, who resisted the concept (women still cannot compete in sabre at the Olympics). Until then Meszaros had encouraged the idea of heroes performing great deeds and having women fall into their arms. His response was simple: if women (especially female Soldiers of God) were going to be heroic, then men would have to learn how to swoon over heroines. His early attempts at achieving this have been disastrous. He does however have great hopes for his latest plan. As cyberware and similar technology become available, he hopes to train up the next generation of computer nerds in the skills needed to maintain the heroines' combat bikes etc. With a new generation of warrior women burning up the highways, their tech maintained by hordes of admiring males, Meszaros hopes to expand the meaning of his Word to fit the 21st Century. THE TWO MINUTES Meszaros swept through the Plaza Pico, flirting, joking and laughing, charming and self-confident. His target was here, celebrating another tasteless but successful movie. 'Mr Bushman, if you would spare me - two minutes - of your time? I have a proposal I would like to share with you.' "Shoot." 'A fellow called Saminga has been persuaded that the best way to further his concerns is to buttonhole you concerning a new show, which I have dubbed Genocide, in which his schemes are resisted by my troops. Naturally his personnel are the heroes; however mine would use the costuming and special effects that are currently available to us.' Mr Bushman raised an eyebrow. "You're crazy". 'So is Saminga. He believes that if his goals are accurately portrayed, he will garner popular support. In return for coverage of my more telegenic troops in your other home town, I am happy to demonstrate how we foil his plans.' Bushman sighed. "I like it, but that isn't how the Game is played, and it's the Game that worries me." Meszaros smiled. "I have already dealt with this. As Saminga does not trust you, he will insist on having final say on editing. We simply film a selection of views, and allow him to make his choice - and so carry final responsibility. Naturally he would have to pay you for this privilege. Also, he will over to provide the initial funding. I suggest that your friend Andre be asked to endorse the cut which most closely follows the rules of the Game.' Mr Bushman returned the smile. "When can we start filming?" 'If you can provide a crew to film the Brea water reservoir tonight, then your people will be alive tomorrow, and will be able start editing the film. You'll need to edit in toxic waste warnings; the originals have been removed.' "He's doing what! You three in the corner - follow this guy and film everything you see!" I stared into the Abyss, and the Abyss blinked first......... (with apologies to Nietzche) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 23:03:27 -0600 From: "Charles Glasgow" Subject: IN> Re: Laurence after Armageddon? - ----- Original Message ----- From: "James Walker" To: Sent: Friday, November 03, 2000 5:39 PM Subject: IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #1896 Great writeup, but I focused in on one of the side comments in it the most... > Meszaros is also the Servitor responsible for persuading new Bright Lilim > to serve the Sword. (One of his favourite techniques is to point out that > Laurence is totally committed to winning the War, so that after Armageddon, > he'll have lost his purpose in life - maybe if the Lilim was present at > that point, she would be able to help him explore the non-violent aspects > of his WordS) There *is* such an aspect to the Sword? Even War has *some* non-violent aspects... his Word specifically encompasses both non-violent yet intense competition, as well as the peace that follows War. But the Sword? Laurence was purpose-built from the ground up to be the Perfect Demon Hunter, and then was refined and tempered into Heaven's General... there's not a single solitary mote of anything else in him that *isn't* there to serve those purposes. Now that makes Laurence a *really* tragic figure. And yet, it's so true -- even *Michael* can at least potentially conceive of a world without the War betwen Heaven & Hell, because he predates the War and the Fall. But Laurence has *never* known *anything* but the War... and even moreso than all other young celestials, he was forged for it like a living weapon. It's all he's ever done or ever thought about doing. He truly is the Sword... he was drawn, forged, quenched, tempered... and is now being used. But what to do with a Sword after all wars have come to an end? Hang it on the wall and let it rot? Makes me wonder if this poor knight's Destiny is "To die gloriously in battle leading Heaven to the final victory" -- and his Fate is to "Die in a noble yet futile last stand vs. the triumphant hordes of Lucifer." All roads lead to his eventual death? The only difference lies whether he dies achieving or failing? *Very* tragic. And also, perhaps, why he's Commander of the Host. Not because he's the best -- but because he's good enough to get the job done, and because it's the only job he can do. - -- Chuckg ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 21:07:53 -0800 (PST) From: Maurice Lane Subject: IN> Point? Point? What is this "point" you keep speaking of? Thanks for the answers on the feather question, guys. :) Morgan (SAW) Kyriotate of Destiny Petitioner for the Word of, Now, will Beth laugh, or whale on me for shamelessly borrowing two of her characters, or laugh _and_ whale on me? Quite a stumper, I'd say. A Really, Really Tough Pen These artifacts are the reason why a Seraph can say, "The pen is mightier than the sword" without dissonance (well, actually, they say, "Some pens can be mightier than just about any sword out there, if you get it from the right entity." It scans better in Angelic). They are most common among angels of Archives, but Servitors of Destiny and Revelations can get their hands on them, too. Physically, A Really, Really Tough Pen (or ARRTP) appears to be an old-fashioned goose feather quill pen, presuming that you can find a goose with iridescent, two and a half feet long feathers. ARRTPs are made from Archangel feathers, which is one reason why they aren't too common (granted, Superiors keep shedding them all the time, but Archangel feathers have a thousand other uses). The powers of an ARRTP are three. First, of course, you can write with it. Considering that it's two and a half feet long, you can write with it quite easily, really. It never runs out of ink, never blots, and left-handed people can somehow use it without getting their hands all messy. Seeing as most angels happen to be left-handed, this is astoundingly useful. You can also use an ARRTP to write on anything, anywhere. Deep space, underwater, in the middle of a volcano... the ARRTP laughs at location. Well, it would, if it could laugh. ARRTPs aren't sentient. Second, and of more interest to the less erudite, an ARRTP also happens to have the same statistics as a Long Sword. A Flaming Long Sword with a built-in Essence reserve. This came as quite a surprise to the first angel who, fairly desperately, tried to use an ARRTP to parry a blow... and succeeded quite well. Again, the fact that it's a two and a half foot long feather doesn't seem to affect its ability to whale on somebody, then set him or her afire. Third, possession of an ARRTP seems to just bring out the best in a writer (in other words, it's also a Talisman for Artistry (Writing)). You have to actually use the pen to get the bonus, but seeing as it never runs out of ink, never blots, and doesn't smudge your hand, that's not much of a problem. It won’t do anything about your hand cramping, though. The Angel of Medicine officially discourages use of an ARRTP for more than an hour at a time, unless you're in celestial form. You may also want to avoid trying to write serious material with an ARRTP: while not sentient, they do mostly come from a certain Archangel, and can get imbued with her own personality. Needless to say, this relic can come in many, many forms and levels of power. The prototype for it is wielded (in every sense of the term) by the Archangel of Archives herself, and is said to have power over the nature of reality. While it may not utterly destroy or negate things, it is rumored that anything written by the Ultimate ARRTP will become True for the rest of eternity... which is unsurprising, considering that it was made from one of Yves' feathers. The fact that the Archangel of Destiny doesn't have wings just emphasizes the almost unique nature of this relic. Of course, Hell has their own ARRTPs, held by Servitors of Nitpicking and Fate (with the Ultimate Dark ARRTP brandished by the Princess of Nitpicking). The only real difference is that a Dark ARRTP cannot be used to write anything that _isn't_ completely serious. Oh, yes, and the ink is red. A Really, Really Tough Pen (This is the _disposable_ version. They go up quick in potency and cost after this.) Corporeal Artifact/1 1pt Flaming Sword/1 3pt Reliquary/1 (only useable with Flaming Sword) 2pt Talisman/1 (+1 to Artistry (Writing)) 2pt Fragility: Unbreakable 5pt Instantly recognizable -3pt Total: 10pt Note: No Superiors were plucked during the making of this writeup. ===== In Nomine stuff: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Everything else (not that there is, right now): http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/main.html Last updated 9/5/00 (this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? From homework help to love advice, Yahoo! Experts has your answer. http://experts.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2000 00:16:19 -0500 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: IN> The Essence of Purity 3/? The Word of Purity The Word of Purity is very misunderstood and as it has been mentioned before is the very summation of the Malakim word. However like the Malakim themselves it should not be given Hitler like connotations for while Purity is an ideal many can only hope to strive for Uriel embodies that such a striving should take place and that such a striving can be achieved though he himself still struggles (though many believe that he was called to Heaven because he at last achieved total purity, those who loved the Ethereals stood against such a statement). WHAT PURITY MEANS.... Michaels word is the summation of conflict from seeking truth to crushing a demons head for the greater good and Gabriel's word is passion, inspiration, and burning a demon for the greater good, Uriel's word like them holds hidden subtexts beyond gutting a demon for the greater good. Purity of course advocates such unlike Novalis because demons are living bastions of dissonance against a perfect symphony and while they can be realigned to restore their place in the choir they by their very existence cause the intent God had for the world to go seriously off. In Uriel's opinion a dead demon is a blemish that has been removed but a restored demon is replacing something of what has been lost that needs to be rebuilt, the latter is prefferable but either way the purity must return....the Malakim (and others presumably) until then exist to strive to greater heights than even God orginally intended to fill the gaps in the music...."covering for their brothers" if you will but this is only elevation. Beyond the war though is the struggle to achieve perfection that Purity embodies. In many ways it shares a lot with the Buddhist ideal of Nirvanna and Hindu ideal of Brahmen (quite ironic)...the ideal of complete unity with God. Words that have been known to serve Purity are far more than the Sword (to cleave away evil) and Faith (to lighten men's hearts against darkness) but they represent much of what Uriel sought to approve. It is no coicidence that the two servitors had such different words and why Laurence was his right and Khalid his left; one advised him of how to wage war, the other to win souls. Other likely words are as followed for Uriel.... Abstinence (the very enemy of Gluttony as a princible) Chastity (the very enemy of Lust as a princible) Peacefulness (the very act of being against Rage and Wrath) Contentment (the enemy of Greed) Repentence (the very enemy of Evil) Diligence (the enemy of Sloth) Cleanliness (that filth may not infest your soul or body or home) Willpower (the very embodiment that Hell is wrong and that THEY are the enforcers of darkness) Pennance (Sacrafice went to War) Idealism/Idealogy (the higher concepts perished during the war and the world eventually fell to Malakim of blandine) While Uriel dwelled among the Host none of the Princes of Hell dared challenge the bearers of the word directly against them because Uriel unlike Laurence or Michael would wage such horrofic war against you in both culture and battle that your word would suffer greatly....while others may blanch at such examples Uriel had to make note of that it was his DUTY as Purity to force them to acknowledge what they had left behind and truth be told his pride and sense of duty would never brook to allow a servitor to suffer for serving him beyond what he asked (why so many were loyal to him)...perhaps a part of his guilt for watching the Romans force so many Christians to the lions without him able to stop them...to interfere with their will (For did not the Lord choose to allow himself to be killed because it was their will?). "Vengence is mine so says the Lord" To Uriel this meant dearly the Host and not the Lord himself and Vengence was something not feared as a concept among his servitors. To give back equally for crimes of horror was an act of justice to Uriel despite his Christian Faith. It was quite ironic that as Lucifer set himself up a heirachy of Princes to oppose Heaven, Uriel seemed to be doing the same to Lucifer....perhaps hoping to crush his spirit and demons every bit as much as he had done to the rest. Uriel's defenders of course deny this. - -Charlemagne ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #1901 ******************************** The material here is (C) 2000 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.