Heretical Djinn
My one major issue with the Djinn is their passive nature, and the
fact they can't do anything except know where their attuned subject is.
They can't harm them physically or emotionally, which pretty much makes
their status as "Stalkers" useless, since they must always rely on other
demons to do the actual hurting.
That's why I started thinking: Would the opposite of a Cherubim actually
care if it's attuned got hurt? Maybe the Cherubim would start getting so
sick and tired of watching over people, they'd start hating them. They'd
start wanting to wring the life out of them or worst... They'd become
hunters, not guardians. Attack Dogs, not Watch Dogs.
Thus, I present to you the Heretical Djinn:
Djinn
The Stalkers
Jennifer was gasping for breath as she ran through the alleys, trying to
escape that brawny man who'd tried to rape her. Thank God, she'd been a
gold-medal runner back in High School... She was sure she'd lost him back
three streets ago...
"Hello, Nurse!"
Jennifer screamed and stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw and heard the
brawny man, standing some feet in front of her. Too frightened to ponder
how he'd arrived there before her, she just turned tail and ran in the
opposite direction.
The Djinn smiled to himself, and let her run. He knew exactly where she
was, and where she was going. Soon enough, she'd be too tired to run, and
that's where he'd finally finish the game. Unless he used the song of
Healing to give her a second wind...
Truly, he thought, the Chase is half the Fun...
It's a fine line between love and hate; and just as the Charubim love just
about everyone, so do their fallen brothers, the Djinn, hate everyone. In
fact, they just love to hate everyone. Like the Cherubim they were, Djinn
can track down people they attune to with perfect precision. Very much
unlike Cherubim, however, what they do with their attuned as soon as they
find them isn't very nice. Where Cherubim are Heaven's Guardians, Djinn are
Hell's Hunters.
Resonance: Djinn, just like Cherubim, can attune themselves to the sets of
patterns of any one subject they touch. These patterns can be on anyone or
anything, and while they last (usually less then a week), the Djinn will
know it's general direction and condition, just like a Cherubim.
Djinn dislike Shedites with a passion, as the Corrupters' tendancy to shift
from host to host makes them nearly impossible to keep track of. They also
consider the Shedites to be irresponsible, as the smallest change a Shedite
does on his host can sometimes jeopardise a Stalk. Shedites, in the
meantime, don't understand the Djinn obsession with individual targets, and
consider messing around with a Djinn's hunts to be a nice way to have fun.
Disonnance: Just as Cherubim love just about everyone, so do Djinn resent
just about everyone. But once focused on a target, a Djinn has to center
all his Hatred on that one target, and that target alone. The hatred builds
up until he either goes insane or lets some of it's hatred out and harms
that target. A Djinn can't let an attunement on a target without doing
something to harm a target physically or emotionally. Only afterwards, it's
pent-up rage gone, can a Djinn take the time to focus on something else;
generally another target. Trying to shift focus to another target without
having previously tried harming the previous target will generate dissonance
to the Djinn. This Dissonance condition makes Djinn in prolonged
assignments potentially unstable, as they keep longing for the chance to
finally harm their targets after so much time watching them. Djinn thus
make excellent wardens and secure record keepers, as they'd rather tear
apart a prisonner rather then let him escape, and would rather destroy a
document then let it fall into enemy hands.
Manner and Appearance: Djinn generally look inconspiciuous and keep a low
profile, acting calm and cool, with only a predator-like stare in their eyes
betraying their true nature as hunters. Their hearts pulse with their
emotions, accelerating only when the Djinn is going for the kill. In the
Pit, Djinn are brassy instruments, especially french horns, calling out for
their hunts.
Djinn corporeal vessels are non-descript things, built mostly to allow the
Djinn to walk amongst the Humans, with things like personal appearance as
afterthoughts. Most Djinn actually cultivate a innocuous appearance, so as
not to be noticed when they stalk their targets.
In their Celestial forms, Djinn all resemble twisted beasts of prey, the
features of which tend to be exagerated to knightmarish proportions: fangs
are longer, claws sharper, eyes burn with hate... Only a Shedite's form
causes more fear, which is something Djinn never forget to remind the
Shedites of.
Game Mechanics: With a Resonance Roll, a Djinn can attune himself to as
many patterns as he has Celestial Forces. The check digit of a successful
resonnance roll is the number of days the Djinn will be attuned to his
target. After that, the Djinn must make physical contact to renew the
attunement, though no physical contact is needed. But if the digit check is
a six, then the Djinn remains attuned until he decides to break the
attunement.
A Djinn may use his resonnance on an object to which he's already attuned.
See the Cherubim write-up on P.96 of the IN Book for the table.
To break an Attunement, or to allow an Attunement to fade on it's own, a
Djinn must harm his target, either physically or emotionally. To allow an
Attunement to fade without doing something to cause harm or distress to a
target causes 1 point of dissonnance. This point remains until he finally
causes his target some form of harm.
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EDG <[email protected]>
In Nomine Collection Curator