From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Sun Apr 15 14:45:15 2001 Return-Path: Received: from lists.io.com (majordom@lists.io.com [199.170.88.15]) by pyramid.sjgames.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id OAA04921 for ; Sun, 15 Apr 2001 14:45:14 -0500 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.3/8.9.1a) id OAA09053 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Sun, 15 Apr 2001 14:52:24 -0500 Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 14:52:24 -0500 Message-Id: <200104151952.OAA09053@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 #2157 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, April 15 2001 Volume 01 : Number 2157 In this digest: Re: Open Tethers... (was Re: IN> April 9, 2001 (ML)) Re: Open Tethers... (was Re: IN> April 9, 2001 (ML)) IN> April 13, 2001 (ML) Re: Open Tethers... (was Re: IN> April 9, 2001 (ML)) Re: Open Tethers... (was Re: IN> April 9, 2001 (ML)) IN> April 15, 2001 (ML) IN> Re: Open Tethers Re: IN> April 15, 2001 (ML) Re: IN> The Fall of Magog IN> Concrete Cuddlys Re: IN> Two Quick Questions. Re: IN> April 9, 2001 (PK) Re: IN> April 15, 2001 (ML) Re: IN> April 15, 2001 (ML) Re: IN> April 15, 2001 (ML) Re: IN> April 15, 2001 (ML) Re: IN> April 15, 2001 (ML) IN> Michael, Prince of Betrayal IN> Dissonance and Discord (was St. David's penitentiary) IN> The once and future king IN> Strange, even for a Habbalite ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2001 23:38:17 +0100 From: "Genevieve Cogman" Subject: Re: Open Tethers... (was Re: IN> April 9, 2001 (ML)) >Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2001 13:18:17 -0500 >From: "Charles Glasgow" >Subject: Open Tethers... (was Re: IN> April 9, 2001 >(ML)) > >>Honestly, I'm waiting for the Seraphim Council >>meeting where somebody suggests to Lauernce that >>(except for those Tethers that have limits on how >>many Forces can pass up and down them per unit time, >>of course) if everybody just let everybody else use >>each other's Tethers, regardless of political >>affiliation, just so long as no actual running gun >>battles were dragged right to the Tether's doorstep, >>Heaven could *really* steal a march on Hell. In the Liber Castellorum, I don't think it says that angels _won't_ let each other use their Tethers. It's not a case of not letting someone else take the quick route through it up to Heaven, or down through it, usually... It's just the case of having to let the Seneschal of Flowers deal with the six Calabim out there with machine pistols while you take a run through her Tether and up to escape. And explaining it to your Archangel later. And to Novalis. Or it's just a case of having to explain to the nice friendly Seneschal of Judgment why you're going up to Heaven with those big bulky cases, and what you're up to, because surely no righteous angel would object to sharing information for the good of Heaven... oh, it's been classified secret? No problem. (Scribble scribble, dear Master Dominic, two angels of War came through here two hours ago carting a large box with Warehouse 23 seals on it and claiming to be on private business for Michael...) Or perhaps you'd like to take all these relics and reports up with you for the Seneschal of Lightning when you go, since you're passing through, and drop them off at the following offices in the Halls of Progress. List enclosed. Or maybe the Seneschal of Creation will be happy to let you go through! But you wouldn't mind posing for her art class first, would you? It's so inspiring to the human artists. (Her ... nude ... art class.) Certainly the Senechal of Protection will be glad to let you go by. Perhaps next time you have some spare time, you'll come and help out at the soup kitchen, rather than indulging yourself with fast cars and other relaxation. Guilt. Guilt. Or it's a case of Jordi being quite happy that you go down through his Tether... you don't like cats? You should have _said_. You don't need to have an outright THOU SHALT NOT USE THE TETHERS OF OTHER SUPERIORS policy for angels, to make life ... interesting ... for them. And these don't have to be used every time -- just enough to make characters realise that Seneschals are actually performing a public service in maintaining the Tethers, and to get them to interact with them a bit, rather than just viewing them as subway stations straight to Heaven. Genevieve (Oh, as to Demonic Tethers -- making anybody who goes through them _pay_ is all part of being a demon. Yup.) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2001 18:23:26 -0500 From: "Charles Glasgow" Subject: Re: Open Tethers... (was Re: IN> April 9, 2001 (ML)) - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Genevieve Cogman" To: Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2001 5:38 PM Subject: Re: Open Tethers... (was Re: IN> April 9, 2001 (ML)) > In the Liber Castellorum, I don't think it says that angels _won't_ let each > other use their Tethers. It's not a case of not letting someone else take > the quick route through it up to Heaven, or down through it, usually... > > It's just the case of having to let the Seneschal of Flowers deal with the > six Calabim out there with machine pistols while you take a run through her > Tether and up to escape. And explaining it to your Archangel later. And to > Novalis. This is why I said "So long as no actual running gun battles are dragged to the Tether's doorstep..." [snip a whole bunch of ways for paying for one's Tether use in favors...] Good point about the Judgement one, though -- then again, nobody but an idiot does anything in front of Judgement servitors, whether at a Tether or otherwise, that he wouldn't mind the possibility of a written report of showing up in Dominic's "IN" basket about... As for the rest -- sure, it can be done that way. Indeed, in most campaigns, it is done that way. I just, personally, me, find that Seneschals making demands, or even requests, for the usage of one's Tether to be... selfish. It's literally trying to put a toll booth on the highway to Heaven. It gets in the *way*. How much easier could things be if Seneschals just enacted a "freedom of the high seas and navigable waterways" policy on their Tethers, subject only to the *minimum* common-sense restrictions (such as, of course, no leading Tether-threatening hostile forces straight to the Tether, etc.)? How much more smoothly could the overall cause of Heaven work if angels went around acting like they *didn't* have to get their rewards right now where they could see them, but instead trusted to God that their acts of charity would be returned unto them by the Symphony in all good time and the fullness of events? > You don't need to have an outright THOU SHALT NOT USE THE TETHERS OF OTHER > SUPERIORS policy for angels, to make life ... interesting ... for them. And > these don't have to be used every time -- just enough to make characters > realise that Seneschals are actually performing a public service in > maintaining the Tethers, and to get them to interact with them a bit, rather > than just viewing them as subway stations straight to Heaven. Admittedly, yes, stupidity should have a price or else it just keeps on being stupid forever. Just chalk this up to my general "You know, the 'default' settings doesn't have angels cooperating enough with each other" rant. - -- Chuckg ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2001 19:27:58 -0400 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: IN> April 13, 2001 (ML) Good Friday translates roughly as "Layeth the Smack Down Day" in heaven huh? I wonder if Heaven's Christian angels have other holidays they celebrate in some way. Is Easter a healing day? Cool beans though I wonder if SOME angel of Novalis Christian wonders if as usual Laurence if forgetting the meaning of his saviors teachings. "That's why I spend my good fridays preaching to Baal's vessels when his demon's summon him." "Your a Malakite right?" "Yes." "That's the only way I can see you doing this, along with lots of vessels." - -Charlemagne ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 00:24:38 +0100 From: "Genevieve Cogman" Subject: Re: Open Tethers... (was Re: IN> April 9, 2001 (ML)) >I just, personally, me, find that Seneschals making demands, or even >requests, for the usage of one's Tether to be... selfish. It's literally >trying to put a toll booth on the highway to Heaven. >It gets in the *way*. >How much easier could things be if Seneschals just enacted a "freedom of the >high seas and navigable waterways" policy on their Tethers, subject only to >the *minimum* common-sense restrictions (such as, of course, no leading >Tether-threatening hostile forces straight to the Tether, etc.)? How much >more smoothly could the overall cause of Heaven work if angels went around >acting like they *didn't* have to get their rewards right now where they >could see them, but instead trusted to God that their acts of charity would >be returned unto them by the Symphony in all good time and the fullness of >events? It would be admirable and excellent. I would like to say, though, that I have very rarely seen any PC angels acting that way . . . ahem. I am sure there are countless good examples out there of PC angels who do that. ;) Actually, what does strike me at this point is that we _are_ talking about uncommon events. All across the Earth, there is doubtless plently of cross-Tether use going on comfortably and conveniently, which never gets near our discussions here, because there aren't any problems or ongoing crises associated with it. It's only in our carefully sculpted, artistic campaigns, that such things ever get discussed -- and that's because we have things happening in them. ;) Uncommon events, crises, said pursuits with gun-waving demons... we never hear about the hundred times before when Joe Michaelite quickly skipped up through the convenient Tether of Flowers, muttering a private opinion about laxness and pacifism as he forged through the flowery gambollers on the other end. We just hear about the one time, in campaign, where things actually _do_ happen, where the interaction gets played out, and where the Seneschal of Flowers may have the odd opinion to express about public highways. ;) That's why it comes up in our games -- GMs often throw in the "Seneschal's little request" to improve play or to work a further element into the plot, because it's what's currently ongoing. For all we know, the hundred times before the Seneschal just waved them through with a smile. I know that in Fiat Justitia, most of my Seneschals kept on waving the group through without more than a cursory query as to what they were up to. By the way, where does it say that the default setting is "constant quid pro quo"? The section I found, on p.59 of the main rulebook, says: "It's polite to request the Seneschal's permission before entering a Tether. If your Superior is hostile to his master, your request may be denied, though a caretaker will rarely slam the door in the face of a desperate fugitive." Genevieve (Oh, one further point. Given the charity and generous nature of angels, if your fellow angel (and Seneschal)asks you for your help in a matter concerning the well-being of human souls, presumably he wouldn't do so without reasonable cause. And presumably a generous-hearted, noble angel would be _glad_ to help, and wouldn't place his own selfish desires above the needs of the humans around him . . . ) >> You don't need to have an outright THOU SHALT NOT USE THE TETHERS OF OTHER >> SUPERIORS policy for angels, to make life ... interesting ... for them. >And >> these don't have to be used every time -- just enough to make characters >> realise that Seneschals are actually performing a public service in >> maintaining the Tethers, and to get them to interact with them a bit, >rather >> than just viewing them as subway stations straight to Heaven. > >Admittedly, yes, stupidity should have a price or else it just keeps on >being stupid forever. Just chalk this up to my general "You know, the >'default' settings doesn't have angels cooperating enough with each other" >rant. > >-- >Chuckg > > ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2001 20:26:48 -0400 From: "Rolland Therrien" Subject: Re: Open Tethers... (was Re: IN> April 9, 2001 (ML)) - -----Original Message----- From: Genevieve Cogman To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Date: Saturday, April 14, 2001 7:02 PM Subject: Re: Open Tethers... (was Re: IN> April 9, 2001 (ML)) > >(Oh, as to Demonic Tethers -- making anybody who goes through them _pay_ is >all part of being a demon. Yup.) Hell, I'd be surprised if a Demon DIDN'T ask for a toll for anyone wanting to pass through who doesn't just wave a Princely permission slip in front of him. Anything else doesn't seem Selfish, really. Maybe while passing through a Tether of Hellish Fire, the Seneshal hands you a package in brown wrapping, and asks you to drop it off at a Government building while you're heading in the right direction anyways. Just don't -drop- it... Or maybe the Seneshal of a Tether of Gluttony is willing to let you call in some special help from his Tether, if you can steal an exotic (And apparantly delicious) rare animal from the zoo's latest exhibit. Or maybe that Seneshal of Technology, once hearing you have a few Malakites on your tail, decides to offer you his latest invention, a functionning particle beam blaster he -assures- you has had it's bugs worked out. Of course, Lillith's tethers are open wide for anyone to use, no matter the circumstances... Which honestly worries most Demons, who know Lillith never gives anything she can trade for... What with all the traffic those Tethers get, that's a lot of minor favors she's collecting. - -Exit the LoneWolf ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2001 20:13:45 -0700 (PDT) From: Maurice Lane Subject: IN> April 15, 2001 (ML) OK. Umm. Err. Well, it seemed a good idea at the time. Still does, but a rereading indicates that this one is just a tad, well, odd. It is, indeed, Easter-specific, and is set in the same universe as my Ethereal Archangel Galahad. It's also, God help you all, a balanced starting character. Even _I_ find this wrong. :) Morgan Kyriotate of Destiny Petitioner for the Word of Just Look Up the Name in a Latin Dictionary, For Crying Out Loud. Here's one: http://www.june29.com/IDP/IDPsearch.html Happy Now? :) Cuniculus Malakite (Former Ethereal) of the Sword Corporeal Forces: 3 Strength: 7 Agility: 5 Ethereal Forces: 3 Intelligence: 6 Precision: 6 Celestial Forces: 3 Will: 6 Perception: 6 Vessel: young human male/3 Skills: Dodge/2, Fighting/4, Knowledge (Theology/2, The Marches/2), Large Weapon/3 (Sword), Move Silently/2, Running/1, Tactics/1 Songs: Dreams (Corporeal/1), Light (Celestial/3), Motion (Celestial/3), Shields (All/1) Attunements: Malakite of the Sword Oaths "Suffer not an evil to live, if it is my choice." "Never surrender or allow myself to be captured by the forces of Lucifer." "Always remember that 'evil' and 'different' are not synonyms." "Always accept a sincere attempt to make amends." Thank Christ for Archangel Galahad. Cuniculus was not a happy ethereal, once upon a time. You see, Laurence has - had - these issues about ethereals that get spawned from Divine Religions: there weren't supposed to be any, so any that showed up had to have been abominations. And he absolutely hated Cuniculus-the-ethereal - not under that name, of course: the Malakite tends not to use his old name any more. Not out of shame: it's just that he's a much more serious individual now, and feels that his name should match his new outlook. Anyway, Cuniculus and Laurence had an adversarial relationship - and, seeing as one was a minor ethereal created from the commercialization of a Christian holiday and the other was the head of God's Army, things ended badly. The problem was, things ended badly every year: the ethereal would get destroyed only to be reformed the next year - and promptly get spitted again. The worst part was, Laurence did it in such a cavalier manner: he never bothered to look at Cuniculus after the first time. If he had, he might have realized that he was eventually killing a co-religionist. You can't be associated with a religious holiday for too long without learning a thing or two about it, and Cuniculus was associated with _the_ Christian holiday, theologically speaking. The thing was, the more he learned, the more that he liked the message. From there, it was a short step to becoming a believer. The only problem was, he couldn't convince the Archangel of the Sword of that. Laurence was so hopped up on 'protecting' the day that he couldn't make the conceptual leap to considering a mere ethereal worthy of following the same Lord as he. That Message couldn't be for the parasites, correct (no matter that Christ hadn't come for the angels, either)? So, Cuniculus just had to keep running and pray for a miracle. Galahad descending the Ladder with the Grail in his hands was good enough, even by the ethereal's exacting standards. Cuniculus was one of the first ethereals to flock to the new Archangel of Virtue's banner. Being less than 9 Forces, he had the option of fledging (rather than just stabilizing), and took it with both hands. A bit of training later, Cuniculus the ethereal had become Cuniculus the Malakite. Being a Malakite was interesting: among other things, it gave him a better perspective on his persecutor - such a good perspective that it allowed Cuniculus to forgive the Archangel. Laurence was only doing what he thought was right, after all. His honor had forbidden him to do anything else. Now that God had corrected him, Laurence had changed his behavior without rancor. However, there was nothing wrong with a little positive reinforcement. Cuniculus' own sense of honor refused to do anything less. Still, it got a bit tense for a moment or two, when Laurence realized precisely who the Malakite petitioning to join his service was. Needless to say, Galahad came along (Cuniculus is reasonably certain that he didn't actually hear the Archangel of Virtue mutter something about how he'd pay money to see *this* reunion), but it probably wouldn't have ended in bloodshed anyway. However, it was probably bemusing for the Archangel of the Sword to have someone deliberately look into his eyes and /demand/ to be scanned for honor. It ended well: Laurence, after a long, silent moment, formally swore him into the Sword's service. Neither has ever referred to the subject again, which is fine with the Malakite. He's not here to bring up the past. Cuniculus is currently working where he's always worked (the Marches and earth), and despite early friction has settled in fairly well. Laurence's Servitors have always valued competence, and at any rate the number of angels derived from former ethereals is steadily growing. He's not the most unusual angel in Heaven (and won't be, as long as Gojira is out there). It helps, of course, that Cuniculus is now a Malakite through and through. He's careful to be less trigger happy than the stereotypical Virtue, and retains a soft spot for children, but his sense of duty and reliability have begun to endear him to his comrades. In fact, the only ones that still grumble about having an ethereal in service to the Sword are the quartermasters - and that's not very serious grumbling. It's just that Cuniculus' celestial form (like other angels that were formerly ethereals) is distinctive, and that makes life difficult to those that have to provide his equipment. I mean, have you ever _tried_ to create standard body armor that includes protection for a tail? And let's not even discuss the modifications needed for the helmet... ===== Liber Licentiae Moeticae: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Last updated 04/01/01(this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail. http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 03:38:20 From: "Janet Anderson" Subject: IN> Re: Open Tethers >Or maybe the Seneschal of Creation will be happy to let you go through! But >you wouldn't mind posing for her art class first, would you? It's so >inspiring to the human artists. (Her ... nude ... art class.) Would an angel mind this? Even a Servitor of Laurence, who undoubtedly has issues with gratuitous or public nudity, could understand the concept of an art class. Of course, he'd probably be the one in a hurry ... but he's also the one who, if he promised to come back, would do so. But about Tethers -- I haven't got the *Liber Castellorum* yet but I've been assuming that restricting Tether use (for angels) was the exception rather than the rule, and that if you absolutely had to escape, get backup, or get to heaven in a hurry you *could* use any Tether. The main problem would be when the angel making the request and the angels staffing the Tether were of Words unfriendly to each other. In such cases, the angel would be *unwilling* to use the Tether because he found its staff distasteful or unfriendly, and because he didn't want to be under obligation (or have his Superior under obligation) to the Word in question. Also, I'm sure Genevieve is right that certain Servitors would be delighted to give certain other Servitors a hard time even as they allowed them access to the Tether. For example, I'm sure Servitors of Dominic hate using any Tethers other than those of Judgement, the Sword or Yves, and maybe Stone. War or Fire would be disagreeable and possibly painful (can you say "hot foot?" I thought you could). Creation would be downright embarrassing. Janet Anderson (Happy Easter!) _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2001 23:59:42 -0400 From: "Rolland Therrien" Subject: Re: IN> April 15, 2001 (ML) - -----Original Message----- From: Maurice Lane To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Date: Saturday, April 14, 2001 11:18 PM Subject: IN> April 15, 2001 (ML) >OK. >Umm. >Err. > >Well, it seemed a good idea at the time. Still does, >but a rereading indicates that this one is just a tad, >well, odd. It is, indeed, Easter-specific, and is set >in the same universe as my Ethereal Archangel Galahad. > >It's also, God help you all, a balanced starting >character. Even _I_ find this wrong. :) > >I mean, have you ever _tried_ to create standard body >armor that includes protection for a tail? And let's >not even discuss the modifications needed for the >helmet... Cure you, Moe... Curse you a Thousand times... I SOOO Wanted to write up an Easter Bunny, but I couldn't get the concept right... And now it's too late... Oh well... I'll get my revenge soon, you'll see. I'm bringing back the "Crusade of the Sword", and pushing it further then before... By giving Laurence a new "friend" in the Marches... ...Oh, and I'll be working on some new Leitmotivs, too. Remember, Moe, you made me do this... =P - -Exit the LoneWolf ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2001 22:02:12 -0700 (PDT) From: Maurice Lane Subject: Re: IN> The Fall of Magog > Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2001 21:06:44 -0400 > From: "Charles Phipps" > Subject: IN> The Fall of Magog > > Okay this is going to be odd but one of my games is > going to involve > considerable ammounts of "flashback" to Magog and > his servants fall from > grace and I need to clear some ideas with you all. > > 1:) Do angels suffer dissonance for "evil" actions? "Evil"? Not in canon. Violations of their Word or Choir nature (or deliberate perversion of the latter)? Yes. The two don't always match up. :) > > Magog's servants who in my game are a legion of > angels of David i must show > are following the corruption of their Prince and to > that end I was > considering... > > The Elohim serving as "heretic prophets" to lead the > Israelites away from > God to test their ability to hold onto their faith Dissonant if they pervert their resonance, or start fiddling with their own objectivity: otherwise, I'd say no. > Seraphim leading war parties of the Assyrians into > battle with their great > intellects turning the tide against foolish mortal > commanders Dissonant if they strike first, use missile weapons, or lie (including perverting resonance). > Ofanim raiding and burning down stores of grain and > homes in order to leave > people destitute Other than perverting their resonance and/or violating David's own rules, nope. > Malakim as such I think will slowly drift from his > service personally and > not be present at all Probably. :) > Mercurians will serve as architects of fear as they > tell the Assyrians what > will cause mortals to break and what shall not with > perfect accuracy That won't be dissonant, provided that they don't get their hands dirty. Or start topping off on Essence from their 'trainees' (otherwise known as perverting their resonance). > > I'm not yet sure what Kyriotates and Cherubim will > do.... Kyrios will find it easier than most: they just have to stop caring about their hosts. Cherubim - heh. They can not protect their attuneds, the better to 'make them strong'. > I'm curious if any of these things in and of > themselves will cause angels to > fall for that unfortunately is a clear sign Magog is > off his rocker, > dissonant might be fine but I'm fairly sure while > David is willing to ignore > that, the stuff would eventually destroy someone > before Magog... I don't know. David is a Malakite, and Malakim do. Not. Like. Dissonance. In general, I'd say that (presuming canon), a lot of what you're suggesting isn't really going to be dissonant, per se. In fact, a lot of it could sound like just a somewhat overenthusiastic service of Stone, which is probably one reason why Magog managed to get away with Falling (being a Kyriotate, he could serve his Word and betray his Choir nature more easily than just about any other Choir of angel). I'd recommend looking at the "Perverting your Resonance" paragraph on page 126 of the GMG and fiddling around with that, or else try to go for specific violations of David's Dissonance conditions, especially where there's conflicts between them and the requirements of the Choir. Hope this helps. :) Moe ===== Liber Licentiae Moeticae: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Last updated 04/01/01(this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail. http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 01:02:21 -0400 From: Cameron McCurry Subject: IN> Concrete Cuddlys And now part two on stuffed animals and their service to the War.... The idea of the Comfort Bears has caught on pretty well over the past few years. Several children have been healed of psychological wounds with their help and many Relievers get to spend time on Earth to further the Word of Children. Quite a few have earned their angelic status with what they have done. You think the forces of Hell were going to take that calmly? Not at all. It was a group of Servitors of Dark Humor that got the idea. They raided a few of the places the bears were being stored, stole a few and filled the insides with concrete. As a bonus, they even got to torture the Relievers that were inside the bears. Once the work was done, they enclosed a little tag on the stuffed animals that read "Concrete Cuddlys. Teaching children early on that life is hard." They even got one of their Soldiers to deliver the modified bears to some children. The media picked up on this pretty quickly. The demons of Dark Humor managed to get a great laugh at the distraught looks of the volunteer's faces. All in all, they thought a wonderful joke had been played. What they didn't count on was the punchline being their crucified, eviscerated Vessels being dumped off at the local Tether to Dark Humor. Servitors of Christopher may be fun loving and peaceful, but that doesn't mean that they are pushovers. While the clean up was being done on the whole mess, the Angel of Nursery Schools had a flash of inspiration. She had seen crime being brought to schools. Even the pre-schools she worked at were not safe from violence by humans or demons. Since she couldn't legally carry a gun because of her Role, her options at defense were rather limited. She managed to take the bears that had been tampered with, got some stuffing and called up a friend of hers that was a Servitor of Eli. The next day, her invention was complete. The Bears of Concrete (Hey; she thinks it's a nice name. You want to argue with her?), like the Bears of Comfort, look no different than a regular stuffed animal. But the owner can activate it with the expenditure of one Essence. Then the teddy bear hardens to the point that it becomes a powerful blunt weapon (Lawrence glares balefully when the topic is brought up). Most demons have learned to be cautious around nursery schools once this weapon became public knowledge. It's very embarrassing (Almost fatally so) to explain to your Prince that you sustained Trauma inducing blunt force damage from a plush bear with a corduroy nose. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2001 22:20:51 -0700 (PDT) From: Maurice Lane Subject: Re: IN> Two Quick Questions. Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2001 18:40:07 -0700 From: "Wade Hursman" Subject: Re: IN> Two Quick Questions. >The Order of the Eternal Sword: Short Version: The nightmare under the bed for demons. Sort of like Malakite Mounties (always getting their man - or in this case, demon), but with a soul killing at the end and (probably) a lot more collateral damage along the way. The Head of the Order is the Angel of Righteous Vengeance, which should really tell you everything that you need to know right there. Oh, yeah, three other things (all rumor, but nobody's willing to bet otherwise): 1). They've never failed. Ever. 2). Hell isn't far enough to run. 3). Demons that survive long enough get Laurence on the Hunt. 4). They've never failed. Ever. OK, four things, but the first thing needed to be repeated. :) Moe ===== Liber Licentiae Moeticae: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Last updated 04/01/01(this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail. http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 05:36:10 -0400 (EDT) From: "Rev. Pee Kitty" Subject: Re: IN> April 9, 2001 (PK) On Sat, 14 Apr 2001, Maurice Lane wrote: > >But what if Saminga wasn't *quite* that stupid? > > > ...not least because that was a way neat expansion. > All right if I add it? :) Now why on earth would I mind? :) - -- Rev. Pee Kitty, of the order Malkavian-Dobbsian, Q4B4L! Meow! Some people desperately want to be a a part of the crowd. Some people are special; they stand out in a crowd... And then there's the ME PHI ME - WE STAND ALONE. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 07:36:01 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> April 15, 2001 (ML) From: "Maurice Lane" > > Cuniculus > Malakite (Former Ethereal) of the Sword Ye Gods, Bun-Bun is in *SO* much trouble now... ;;;) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 07:36:01 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> April 15, 2001 (ML) From: "Maurice Lane" > > Cuniculus > Malakite (Former Ethereal) of the Sword Ye Gods, Bun-Bun is in *SO* much trouble now... ;;;) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 07:36:01 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> April 15, 2001 (ML) From: "Maurice Lane" > > Cuniculus > Malakite (Former Ethereal) of the Sword Ye Gods, Bun-Bun is in *SO* much trouble now... ;;;) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 07:36:01 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> April 15, 2001 (ML) From: "Maurice Lane" > > Cuniculus > Malakite (Former Ethereal) of the Sword Ye Gods, Bun-Bun is in *SO* much trouble now... ;;;) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 07:36:01 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> April 15, 2001 (ML) From: "Maurice Lane" > > Cuniculus > Malakite (Former Ethereal) of the Sword Ye Gods, Bun-Bun is in *SO* much trouble now... ;;;) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 14:12:10 -0400 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: IN> Michael, Prince of Betrayal >Shedim of Betrayal are in a way Michael's personal form of vengence against >Heaven as Shedim who possess angels or soldiers of god (the later almost >exclusively) do not need to increasingly corrupt their hosts further and >gain a bonus of their corporeal forces when doing so. > >Does this mean that Shedim of Betrayal can possess angelic Vessels? (Most >Shedim can't...) If so, I'd suggest spelling this out--it's an added bonus >for the attunement, arguably a more important one than the parts that are >spelled Your probably right on this end because posessing an angelic vessel and gaining the benifits of a bonus of one's corporal forces is too much for a shedim as they become practically invincible creatures because of such. However I think personally the ability to possess angelic vessels is worth well more than the bonus for heavengly soldiers even if one is less likely to encounter both. It makes Michael's minions much more fierce if a Shedim (who can with high willpower dominate most soldiers anyway) is able to jump through your VERY companions! On a related note giving a fallen form of Michael was very difficult as everyone on the list seems to rather universally agree Michael is the last of the Host to fall in all likelihood including likely over people like David and Laurence who have it built in their chemistry. :-) Another problem is of course that everyone notes if Michael did fall he'd probably take out half the Heavengly host on the way out or immediately do something drastic like kill Baal or Lucifer while he's down there. Word forces lacking or not I go by the rule Archangels have many forces and Michael's physical is enough to compensate for the lost attunements, rites, and forces. Not to mention finding a suitable word grand yet suitable for play for Michael. So I decided Yves was probably the sticking point for Michael because he's hostile? If Michael learns that Yves really IS nothing more than a "vessel of God" much as Michael sending an projection in a vessel down to Earth (it makes sense really) then the idea he is not nearly so important in God's eyes is a shattering slap in the face to everything Michael claims is the truth really. Still not perhaps enough to make him completely reject the Host at first so he could fall without burning down Laurence's house or taking the time ot behead david...and we now know killing Yves is a useless gesture until God himself is defeated by Mike (or so our crazy boy believes) Thus mikey as the Prince of betrayal is good with Pride, Wrath, Conquest, Lies, and Evil comming up as well. Personally I'm thinking Baal will be able to triumph over this Mikey in the end... Though the idea of in this timeline Laurence killing him is quite fun. - -Charlemagne Everyone ever done a redeemed or never fallen Baal? He'd make a fun Malakim ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 15:01:15 -0400 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: IN> Dissonance and Discord (was St. David's penitentiary) >Um, not really. You're making the mistake of thinking that demons are like >angels (too much dissonance and they switch sides). Demons cannot "fall" >up. Too much Dissonance, and they get DISCORD. > >Sometimes it's "nice" Discord, sometimes it's nasty. Imagine having a >shift of 20 demons suddenly developing Angry/4 and Berserk/3. Or >Murderous. Or even Lustful ("Dammit, we can't get 'em to stop long enough >to break up the rocks, anymore...") Or they might just get really FAT. Or >blue. Now this is the real question however isn't it? Does certain sources of dissonance lend itself toward different types of discord? For instance we mentioned the source of dissonance in this case being the fact the demons are deliberately bound in David forged iron chains that prevent them from escaping being forced to break up rocks in the Penitentary of Saint Davids. Now let's compare it to an Impudite of Baal who in a moment of whimsy takes a assault rifle and blows away a toystore and it's grandmas and children.... (something which seriously brass Baal off-I wonder if he feels guilt for harming innocents?) Now in the former case wouldn't heaven's holy light encourage a demon to get discords related to David's imprisonment such as... Discolored> Grey Vestigium> Stone skin Vunerability> Stone weapons Paranoia> Fellow demons Need> Rocks, Brotherhood while the later might inflict upon the Impudite in question... Cowardly> His innate tie to his word makes him start exagerrating his cowardly nature by such an action and more likely subconciously (Demons hate when Prince's justify this stuff) wants his prince to punish him for it (WE DO NOT!) Discolored> Yellow for obvious reasons... Murderous> Obvious reasons... Slothful> Choosing the attack the innocent rather than those who can fight back. Princes and Archangels I think gravitate to inflicting discord which is the exact reverse of one's offense (though I see a case that the opposite might be the case-make your "little actions" seem much bigger-Dominic inflicting Lustful discord to degrade and humiliate a servitor who slept with a charge so he comes crawling back is a sick but important image) For instance Baal might assign the above discords for the action even if they didn't earn them on their own. - -Charlemagne ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 15:07:39 -0400 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: IN> The once and future king >Nice. I'd love to see a fiction piece with him meeting >the other "king," though. Be careful what you wish for... Arthur: Oh no not you again.... The King: Yeah it's me Arthur baby. Ready and willing to lead the young men and women of America through the Battle of the Bands to the end of the Battle of the bands. Risking it all for peace on Earth. Arthur: Right.... The King: I have you to thank for that Arthur. Without you it never would have occured to me to return to Memphis and lead the Rock and Roll youth of today in our battle against that soulless noise Nybbas and Fufur produce. Arthur: Right....umm have you got your ethereal soldiers yet? The King: Yes sir, one million one Elvises ready for battle. Arthur: A MILLION!? Elvis: Every king has his castle, every king has his kingdom. >Maurice Lane wrote: >I liked this one. The religious beliefs of >Arthur-in-Heaven pretty much recapitulating those of >Arthur-in-myth was a nice touch. It seemed a crying out shame that Laurence who is so obviously the sum of chivalric ideals should be so put at odds with the realm of dreams and thus the lore his concept springs from. Besides the idea of Arthur being "fake" and a dreamcreature didn't sit well with me either so I thought I'd make an Arthur for Heaven who fits the ideals of the realm but was historically accurate enough to slip under the table. - -Charlemagne ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 12:43:35 -0700 (PDT) From: Maurice Lane Subject: IN> Strange, even for a Habbalite Hi, this is another "blame my girlfriend" special (although I don't think that this is where she would've gone with it). Such is life. :) Moe Malkira Habbalite Knight of the Winged Chariot Angel of the Willing Victim Corporeal Forces: 3 Strength: 5 Agility: 7 Ethereal Forces: 4 Intelligence: 7 Precision: 9 Celestial Forces: 6 Will: 12 Perception: 12 Word-Forces: 11 Vessel: human male/3, Charisma +1, human female/2, Charisma +2 Skills: Dodge/3, Emote/3, Fighting/3, Knowledge (psychology/3), Lying/3, Savoir-Faire/2, Seduction/3, Small Weapon (Knife/3, Whip/3) Songs: Charm (Corporeal/1, Celestial/3), Dreams (All/1), Entropy (Ethereal/3), Hysteria/3, Nightmares (Celestial/3), Sensation (Ethereal/1, Celestial/3), Shields (All/2) Role: "Mark Durling" (idle rich/5, Status/5) Attunements: Habbalite of Fate, Impudite of Fate, Bad Company, Fated Future, Knight of the Winged Chariot, Angel of the Willing Victim Angel of the Willing Victim: Malkira will automatically recognize those individuals who want to be victimized, and to what degree. This means, among other things, that he can also recognize those who (due to their deep self-loathing) would willingly embrace their Fate. These latter individuals recognize Malkira, too: they might not realize that the 'angel' is a supernatural creature, but they will be drawn to him (an automatic success to reaction rolls, with a 6 for the check digit). Actually killing one of these latter unfortunates will not cause disturbance, provided that the victim is perfectly willing - and Truly understands the consequences of dying after meeting his or her Fate. Extra Rites : Bring someone to their Fate, with their full and knowing cooperation (+3 Essence). Well, it seemed a good idea at the time. The previous owner of the Word of Willing Victims (an Impudite of Death) had just been ripped apart by a squad of Laurence's Order of the Eternal Sword, and nobody wanted Saminga to appoint a replacement. The Prince of Death was simply not getting the idea: this Word was supposed to be romanticized by it's holder, but Saminga simply didn't have the subtlety (or intelligence) to bring that off. Kronos didn't even have to insist very hard. Unfortunately, it seems that Kronos wasn't thinking very clearly, either. A Lilim or Shedim would have been perfect for this Word, but the Prince of Fate instead sponsored a Habbalite. To be fair, Malkira seemed perfect for the position: he took a sensual pleasure in breaking his victims before he forced them to damn themselves. Granted, most Habbalah are the same way, but Malkira did it with style. Holding the Word of Willing Victims would be easy for him. That was true, actually. In fact, that was the trouble. It's said that the only thing that a true sadist really hates is a true masochist. At first, Malkira delighted in the way that the talking monkeys would flock to him, eagerly panting to be destroyed. He didn't have to worry about finding them, analyzing their weaknesses and going through the tedium of wearing them down; they instead would serve themselves up on a silver platter, begging to prove their inferiority. They would provide instant feedback on what was working on them, and why: in fact, he discovered that revealing the 'truth' about his nature and task merely made his willing victims more eager to embrace their Fate. He was soon sending humans to Hell like clockwork. However, somewhere along the line, Malkira got bored. This was too easy. There was no fear, no terror to be had from his victims anymore - just petty frustration and a deeply disturbed need to abase themselves in front of this majestic agent of a maltheistic God. Granted, that's what most Habbalah think that they want out of life, but Malkira is finding that wanting something isn't the same as having it. Worse, this self-culling that his victims are doing is beginning to highlight the difference between them and the rest of humanity - he doesn't like to admit it, but Malkira is starting to realize that perhaps most mortals aren't prone to self-destruct. He can recognize those who actually are - and few of them are in any kind of position of authority and respect (and the ones that are usually have some sort of progressive imbalance in their brain chemistry). It's getting a bit much, in other words. Malkira is even starting to wonder whether permitting a emotional response to things is wise - he's started experimenting with instilling Emptiness in his subjects, and at least now they don't want to whine as much. Frankly, he's starting to feel envy them for that - there are times when Malkira feels the urge to whine, himself. Not having to feel the need to do it would be a relief, actually. Malkira really has no idea of what kind of trouble (or grace, depending on your point of view) he's in. He's jaded with his job, has unknowingly eroded the philosophical and emotional foundations of his view of the world, and is playing with fire by his steadily-increasing use of Emptiness on his targets. Eventually, the last will backfire spectacularly upon him, and he'll experience the mindset of an Elohite for the first time. The perfect objectivity, perfect control that will result when that happens will be like a fiercely addictive drug to him: once he experiences it, the Redemption clock will start counting down. If Malkira had any friends, they'd be deeply disturbed by his current behavior: the more humans that come to him seeking self-destruction, the more disgusted he becomes from having to give it to them. As it is, he's barely going through the motions. If it weren't for the fact that his victims are throwing themselves on his sword, he'd probably already have attracted the Game's attention. Really, his days as a demon are numbered. Which makes no sense, if you think about it. Kronos is, most emphatically, not stupid: he should have seen this scenario folding out about twenty moves ago. Apparently, he hasn't - or he has, and there's something else going on... ===== Liber Licentiae Moeticae: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Last updated 04/01/01(this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail. http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #2157 ******************************** The material here is (C) 2001 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.