Dead Presidents
The relationship between the Host and the Loas has
always been ... delicate. Even now, the Purity
Crusade is a sensitive subject among many angels: the
Council itself is divided between those who would add
them to the Ban and those who are more concerned with
results than ideology. More importantly, those
Soldiers of God that also practice Voudon or Santeria
are often on the front lines of the War, and serving
well. Alienating them might prove counterproductive.
However, when all is said and done, the loas are
ethereal spirits, and thus subject to prejudice and
persecution if they step outside the rigid lines
imposed upon them by Heaven. They often are, anyway,
but there is definitely persecution, and then there is
persecution. Maintaining their precarious position
is a constant struggle.
One of the perennial issues is the creation of new
loas. Voudon is a syncretic religion, which means
(among other things) that its deities are in a state
of constant flux, waxing and waning... and sometimes
springing out from nowhere. Heaven disapproves of
this, to put it mildly, but again is unwilling to
frivolously throw away some of its best mortal
servants. The loas, for their part, recognize that
too much provocation might cause the Host to reassess
matters.
This is precisely the sort of situation that
eventually gets resolved through informal
understandings and semi-traditions. In this case,
what has happened is that, every so often, the loas
will add one to their number. Not very often: about
every decade or so, and the new ethereal spirit will
be recognizably at least associated with a divine
religion. The Host grumbles, possibly makes hostile
motions for a while, but never does anything official
or drastic. They could, you know, but they simply do
not choose to do so at this time. Everybody goes
about his, her or its business.
This has been going on for several centuries, and it's
still a nerve-wracking experience for the ethereals -
but a necessary one. Their religion needs to adapt
alongside their worshippers if they're to survive.
Unfortunately, this decade's Choice is going to be
especially tense. You see, there's more than one
candidate, and both of them are simultaneously
'favored' and opposed by factions within the Host.
These days, most potential ethereal candidates aren't
necessarily what mortals would consider religious
icons (to give you an idea, the last loa incorporated
into the pantheon was Elvis Presley). The front
runner was, until quite recently, a spirit
masquerading as the martyred John F. Kennedy: he had
made some inroads as an avatar of the Sacred King,
killed for his people and his blood shed to rejuvenate
the land. He was also doing quite well in encouraging
civic pride and national solidarity, which actually
caused David to have an opinion for once.
Unfortunately, JFK was at least a nominal Catholic,
which is enough to make Laurence snarl even more
loudly than normal.
The loas aren't fools, so this would normally mean
that their backup candidate would be a shoo-in. Said
candidate is a representation of Abraham Lincoln, who
was quietly fostering the concepts of freedom and
equal rights. Blandine's quite fond of him, actually,
and the actual Lincoln just laughed when someone
tracked him down in Gabriel's Volcano and asked him
about it. Alas, Michael has made it clear that _he_
thinks that Uncle Sam is the only rational choice...
You get the picture. The loas have determined that
the only way to resolve the situation is to gather
together and, well, vote. Traditionally, they prefer
to be on the corporeal plane when making such
decisions (it's thought that a physical presence
allows them to better gauge what their human
worshippers really desire in a god). They'll be using
the holiday of Casse Gateau to mask their presence as
they walk among their devotees and debate. Needless
to say, there'll be a few angels as well, to explain
precisely why the loas should choose for or against a
particular candidate. Kyriotates will be at an
advantage here, as the loas will be popping in and out
of hosts more or less at random. Trying to keep up
with them should be fun, and remember: your Archangel
is counting on you. Even if you're not sure whether
it's more important to get the least-objectionable
candidate in, prevent the most-objectionable candidate
from doing same, or just sabotage the whole process
and force a long-coming showdown. Isn't politics fun?
What, you want to know about Hell's role in all of
this? Don't you think that the situation's tense
enough? Besides, there really isn't much the
Diabolicals need to do here, except keep stirring the
pot. The loas are supposed to be working for Beleth
and Nybbas, after all: keep pushing at things, throw
in a monkey wrench or two, and that just might
eventually come to pass...
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EDG <[email protected]>
In Nomine Collection Curator