recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Washington's Axe

This was the axe used to cut down the cherry tree. No, it doesn't matter whether or not Washington ever actually did this: the ethereal civic spirit generated by the legends sported the relic, and it works, so the question is moot.

The axe is actually fairly rusty and dull by now, and really isn't suitable for anything except a club, but nobody wants it for its combat qualities. What they want it for is because it's one of those rare artifacts that boost a characteristic. Specifically, it boosts any Will roll to resist believing a lie by the holder's total Forces (and also acts as a Detect Lies/5 talisman). This includes, most emphatically, the balseraphic resonance. Should a balseraph pick up the relic, he or she will take 1d6 body hits per round as the relic attempts to burn through the Liar's hand. One side effect of this relic is that the holder must also make a Will roll minus his total Forces to tell a lie: the effects last up to one day after the last time the entity last held or possessed the relic. This isn't an issue for seraphim, of course: in fact, they think that it's wonderful. Another side effect is that any balseraph will automatically know when the relic is within 10 feet of him or her, and will usually attempt to kill the holder.

Washington's axe is hardly Unbreakable, but every time it gets destroyed, a new one will end up in the ethereal Washington's possession within a week. He apparently takes great joy in then handing it to the next seraph that he encounters. It's rumored that Dominic himself has been personally given this relic for reassignment, which may explain why George is still around, apparently free to operate without looking over his shoulder for rampaging malakim.
Perdita Pilger

### Songs

Shattering (Corporeal/3, Ethereal/3), Solace (Corporeal/2, Ethereal/2), Succor (Corporeal/2)

### Skills

Artistry (Travelogue)/2, Computer Use/2, Driving/1, Dodge/2, Escape/2, Fighting/2, Knowledge (Tethers)/3, Savoir-Faire/1, Survival/2

Perdita Pilger is a playable ofan who serves Khalid through the angel of Pilgrimage. Perdita would say that she is more spiritual than religious but that she has Faith in Faith. To those who don’t know the ways of angels she looks just a touch over 20.

Her life consists of hitchhiking from one holy site to the next and documenting her travels through social media. Of course, her idea of a holy site isn’t always what her audience expects. While she definitely hits important churches and religious landmarks, she will also detour to tethers of less religious Superiors in the hopes that it will inspire new Faith in those who do not follow the teachings of any specific tradition.
60 e.v.

Yves, Gabriel, and Raphael work together and somehow cause Christianity to spread so rapidly that by now it begins cutting off some of the pagan gods (not those of North or South America, Africa, Asia, or Australia, however) from their worshippers. Because of this marginal success Michael stops considering Christianity a step away from the true path, but he becomes hostile to Yves at this time. At their deaths, the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John ascend into Heaven. They are just as confused as everyone else at the absence of Jesus Christ in Heaven, and so ascend to the upper reaches of Heaven.

The First Epistle of Peter, if by Peter, is written.

## Europe

Nero set fire to Rome during his reign as emperor. He was said to dance on Palatine Hill, as he played the lyre, as he watched Rome burn. He killed his wife, Octavia, and his mother Agrippa. He will eventually commit suicide in 64 e.v. after being declared an enemy of the state by the Roman Senate. Rebuilding begins on the house of the Vettii, Pompeii. Marcus Vitorius Marcellus, Roman politician, is born.

Nicomachus, Greek mathematician, is born.

The Roxolani are defeated on the Danube by the Romans.

Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, Roman governor of Britain, captures the island of Mona (Anglesey), the last stronghold of the druids. Prasutagus, king of the Iceni (modern East Anglia), dies leaving a will which passes his kingdom to his two daughters and the Roman Empire. The Roman army, however, annexes the kingdom as if conquered, depriving the nobles of their hereditary lands and plundering the land. The king's widow, Boudica, is flogged and forced to watch their daughters publicly raped. Roman financiers, including Seneca the Younger, call in their loans. Boudica leads a rebellion of the Iceni against Roman rule in alliance with the Trinovantes, Cornovii, Durotriges, and Celtic Britons. The Iceni and Trinovantes first destroy the Roman capitol Camulodunum (Colchester), wipe out the infantry of the Legio IX Hispana (commanded by Quintus Petillius Cerialis) and go on to burn Londinium (London) (probably destroying London Bridge) and Verulamium (St. Albans), in all cases massacring the inhabitants in their thousands. Paulinus defeats the rebels at the Battle of Watling Street using a flying wedge formation, imposes wide-ranging punishments on native Britons, and the Romanization of Britain continues. Boudica either poisons herself or falls sick and dies.

Paul of Tarsus journeys to Rome but is shipwrecked at Malta. He stays for three months and converts Publius, the first bishop of Malta.

Peter of Rates, first bishop of Braga dies.

## Africa

Emperor Nero sends an expedition to explore the historical city Meroë (Sudan).

Vitellius is proconsul of the province of Africa.

Hero of Alexandria writes *Metrica*, *Mechanics*, and *Pneumatics*.

## Asia

Agrippa II of the Herodians rules the northeast of Judea.

Buddhamitra, Indian Buddhist nun, is born.

Abdagases I, king of the Parthian Empire, dies.
11,600 p.e.v.

The Disaster occurs when the grigori succumb to lust, and led by their chief Azaz'el, conspire against God. The majority of the grigori sign a statement of refusal to obey God's wishes and take wives from among the human women of Earth, to whom they teach forbidden knowledge and the secrets of Heaven.

The grigori's wives give birth to nephilim children, half-human half-celestial monsters who consume all and everything to satisfy their immense appetites. Dominic tries the grigori and finds them guilty; the Seraphim Council votes to cast them out of Heaven. The War begins in earnest as angels and demons do battle across Earth, causing immense disturbances to the Symphony and slaughtering many, many humans.
Symphonia in Nomine Sanctuarium

## Key Differences

### Mortals

Everyone in the world of Sanctuary is a nephil. There is no maximum cap on Forces and mortals may learn Songs as soon as they’ve reached their 6th Force.

### God and the Devil

Anu was the first being in the Diablist Heresy, and the entity from which all else followed. He created Tathamet, the first evil, when he attempted to purge evil from his own being. The two of them ultimately destroyed each other, though echoes of each still exist.

### Lilith

Within the world of Sanctuary, Lilith is a full-blown demon. A child of Mephisto and progenitor of the race of man. She is still the head of the order of lilim (called succubi in the Diablist Heresy), though many serve Andariel instead of Lilith.

### Superiors

The Superiors of Symphonia in Nomine Sanctuarium can be killed, though not necessarily defeated. You should probably stat them out as powerful celestials with 15-18 forces and potent Words so that PCs can challenge them.

#### Prime Evils (Demon Princes)

* Andariel, impudite prime evil of Anguish
* Azmodan, calab prime evil of Sin
* Baal, calab prime evil of Destruction
* Belial, djinni prime evil of Lies
* Diablo, djinni prime evil of Terror
* Duriel, shedu prime evil of Pain
* Mephisto, shedu prime evil of Hatred
* Lilith, succubus prime evil of Freedom

#### Angiris Counselors (Archangels)

* Auriel, cherub angiris counselor of Hope
* Imperius, seraph angiris counselor of Valor
* Itherael, angiris counselor of Fate
* Tyrael, seraph former angiris counselor (now mortal) of Judgment
* There are also those angels who directly serve the will of dead Anu

#### First Among the Reapers

* Malthael, former kuriotic malak angiris counselor of Wisdom and now first reaper of Death

## Further Reading

There are several wikis dedicated to gathering the known information about the Diablo universe. Familiarizing yourself with the various classes and organizations present on Sanctuary can help you figure out acceptable Roles and likely political machinations.

* http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/Diablo\_Wiki
* http://www.diablowiki.net/Main\_Page
* http://us.battle.net/d3/en/game/the-story-of-diablo/
Portunes

### Attunements

Ofan of Wind, Eloah of Wind, Malak of Wind, Malak of Dreams, Malak of War, Seraph of Trade, Dream Walking, Passage, Swipe

### Songs

Anything that deals with barriers, openings, closings, dreams, or water. Assume /4. Any other song appropriate for your game, assume /2 (but don’t give him songs just because. If a skill will do, he’ll use skill).

### Skills

Portunes basically has whatever skills he needs (Assume /3). However, he is most accomplished when it comes to Detecting Lies, Engineering, Fast Talking, Large Weapons, and Lying (all at /5)

Although part of Portunes’s original charter was to keep Janus from the sin of vainglory. Portunes also developed the habit of masquerade as a two-faced Roman god. Specifically, the god of harbors, keys and gates. While the seneschal is best known in his guise as a locksmith, he also lives a double life as one of Rome’s more illicit cryptographers, and he has been known to produce some truly impeccable fake IDs for those who hold Janus’s favor.

However, one would be a fool to let Portunes’s pastimes fool them. He is a malak through and through. Humble though he is, Portunes has been charged with the care and maintenance of Janus’s Quiris ~ an ancient oaken spear that even the other archangels find troublesome to handle.
Valac

Raider of Heaven

### Songs

Concealment (Celestial/6), Direction (Celestial/6), Healing (Celestial/4), Serpents (Corporeal/2, Ethereal/2, Celestial/4), Shields (Celestial/6)

### Skills

Acrobatics/4, Dodge/6, Fast Talk/4, Lying/2, Move Silently/4, Lockpick/4, Running/4

You think the servitors of Kronos are precise? Let me tell you, you know nothing about precision. Name me one servitor of Kronos who could snowboard off a cliff drop into a transitory tether to the Wind, ride it into Heaven, ollie into a dead run for Jordi’s veldt, bag a Fayyum sandgrouse, hop back on their board and jib back into the corporeal all in the eight minutes and fifty-seven seconds they’ve got before the locals trip to the fact that they’re no angel.

By the way, I got this rare bird in my bag ~ you think Haagenti might be interested in making a deal? How about four minutes in his recipe vault? He doesn’t even have to tell his guards to let me in. I’ll pick the day and the hour.
Thanatos

Rittmeister General of the Pale Cavalry

Though both are fascinated with death, Thanatos is basically everything Saminga is not: disciplined, thoughtful, dispassionate, skilled in arms, and entirely uninterested in the occult. There are more than a few demon princes that silently hope that the Rittmeister General will eventually dispatch eir host and take over the administration of Abaddon.

Thanatos could not care less what the other Superiors think. The Rittmeister General has been dead inside since the passing of Beelzebub. E pursues the breaking of the Fourth Seal because it is the only goal that still holds any meaning.

Unfortunately, since the Fourth seal is so rarely broken, the Pale Cavalry has come to be seen as part of Hell’s strategic reserves. Individual cavaliers may travel to Earth to encourage mortal soldiers towards acts of mass murder, but the unit mostly patrols the dry lands because Saminga cannot be bothered.

A demon must already have attained the distinction of Knight before Thanatos will accept them under eir command.
Eligor the Horseman

### Distinctions

Knight of the Black Order, Captain of the Infernal Armies, Baron of Victory, Duke General of Hell

## Resources

### Attunements

all of the War’s attunements, all of Greed’s attunements

### Skills

Eligor is effectively an Archduke. He can have whatever skills you want at whatever levels you want, but combat and business skills should at least have at least token representation.
Sitri

Sitri is a feline sensualist and a connoisseur of bared bodies and souls. They simply love vulnerability and affection, but only on their own terms (which, as a balseraph, they can usually thrust upon others). Sitri’s feline nature brings them into contact with many of the surviving cat gods, with whom they share the kittens of the world, but they also currently manage a number of infernal brothels in Stygia and Hades.
Tamlin

the White Horse

Tamlin was either an ethereal or a dreamshade tithed to Hell by the fae. Although he claims to have originally been a man, his time among the Fair Folk and the subsequent infusion of fell energies has more or less guaranteed that he shall never wear such a form again (though he does enjoy faking it for “conquests” of his own).

Seir rides Tamlin now, but it is the erstwhile knight’s lot to become the Stallion of the White Horseman whenever one is named.
Sarabocres

The word to describe Sarabocres is "voluptuous". It describes her vessels, attire, surroundings, and repast. The demoness speaks the language of luxury fluently and counts herself a peer to the likes of Mammon and Haagenti and maintains her duchy square in the heart of Shal-Mari so that she can enjoy all the diversions it offers.
Oeillade

### Songs

Attraction (Ethereal)/4, Charm (All)/3, Dreams (Corporeal/2, Ethereal/2), Form (Celestial)/2, Numinous Corpus (Claws, Feet, Horns, Tail, Tongue, Wings)/1, Thunder/1

### Skills

Computer Use/2, Dodge/3, Driving/1, Emote/4, Fast Talk/3, Firearms/1, Savoire Faire/3, Seduction/4

Oeillade has been on Earth for some time and has grown rather comfortable filling the role of the hotshot, bombshell legal secretary. She is smart, sexy, and has been cultivating a reputation as an unrepentant maneater.

But none of this is how Oeillade sees herself. From her own perspective, she is a connoisseur of one-night stands and broken romances. She likes to find the most attractive couples she can, “come hither” one of the pair (or maybe both of them, but almost never at the same time), explain how wrong their life will go if they pursue her, and then proceed to seduce them anyway. One thing she won’t do is sleep around the office where she works (unless she’s planning to leave).

While her specific predictions don’t always come true, Oeillade’s habbalic resonance ensures that there will be some major and rather devastating fall out whenever someone does pursue her even after her warnings.

*Oeillade is an advanced character. She would be a good choice for a local superior or a passing antagonist. However, by and large she won’t care about the PCs unless they get between her and her prey or interfere with her "predictions."*

## Meeting the Boss

Andrealphus scares the piss out of Oeillade because she’s not actually sure she knows the difference between love and lust, but she knows that loving the Prince of Lust can only end badly. As a result, she will try to meet all his needs through others rather than put herself in a position to potentially show genuine affection.
The Logothetes

**Domain:** the Eastern Orthodox Church

**Director:** the Demach

This is a purely monastic company, last known to Logres from records dating to the Crusades, centered in Istanbul. Besides prayer, their only concern at the moment is fighting Communism. They made it quite clear that Logres not being Orthodox was a considerable hindrance to any joint action, but they did establish contact protocols.

Through the Logothetes, Logres has come into contact with the Patmos vampires; these are benign vampires, and have been for centuries, as of last information.
Pahaliah

Set opposite to Andrealphus.

## In Service to Faith and the Sword

While Khalid was forsaking Heaven, many of these Virtues wanted nothing to do with him. Now that he has taken a more equitable view, malakim from every corner of Heaven have been begun to coordinate with him.

However, the malakim of the greatest virtues also play a special role in the War if they are responsible for coordinating actions against the Princes of Sin. As such they are expected to liaise and coordinate with Laurence. Each of them holds one of the Sword’s command-level distinctions (even if Laurence does not get along with their Superior).
Penemue

the Pharmacist

### Songs

Ecstasy (Corporeal/1, Ethereal/1, Celestial/1), Fruition (Corporeal/2, Celestial/1), Healing (Corporeal/2, Ethereal/2), Hunger (Corporeal/1, Ethereal/3), Pestilence (Corporeal/4, Ethereal/2), Sleep (Ethereal/2, Celestial/2), Solace (Corporeal/4, Ethereal/4)

### Skills

Chemistry/6, Computer Use/2, Emote/2, Escape/2, Fighting/2, Healing/6, Seduction/2

Penemue never Fell. It was all a giant misunderstanding.

She *loves* humanity. There’s nothing wrong with love. It’s one of God’s guiding principles. Even the angels still in Heaven will tell you that. So maybe she taught the mortals she cared for a bit more about medicinal compounds than Jean and Novalis though was appropriate.

And maybe as a young eloah she spent some evenings in the bed of her most promising students rather than keeping an eye on the grigori as she was charged. These things happen when you truly love the divinity of man over the divinity of Heaven. But Dominic declared she could not return to Heaven and the other archangels backed him, and so she has not returned.

With no angels to talk to, Penemue turned instead to the devils. Many were just as reprehensible as she had been led to believe, but others differed only in whom they had supported during the war. Eventually the new habbalah agreed to serve Mammon, but she saved up enough Essence during her many trips to earth that she was able to buy her way out of her contract when Vapula emerged as a power and even managed to do so again when Fleurity was given his own princedom.

In truth, Penemue thinks she could manage the Word of Drugs better than Fleurity. There’s just so much good one could do with such a Word. But the habbalah has never made a move to seize the Word because she wouldn’t want to be stuck being in charge of its less savory elements.

About the only time Penemue shows her demonic side is when someone scorns the blessings of painkillers, antibiotics, and antihistamines. If someone is so backwards as to reject the marvels of modern medicine, Penemue will ensure they feel the full error of their ways.
Songs of Breezes

Discovered by a kuriotes of the Wind while working in Egypt, these Songs allow manipulation of wind flow for minor effects. While not very popular outside of Janus's service, they are available to anyone.

## Corporeal

This Song causes a strong breeze to waft forth from the performer's hands, with a strength of up to (5 mph times the performer's Corporeal Forces). It will reach out to approximately (10 times the Song's level) in yards, fading away gradually after that.

## Ethereal

Evoking the old saying "Smell the breeze", this Song causes a soft wind to carry a scent into the area. The scent will not be particularly strong, and is strictly imaginary (i.e., the scent of tear gas will be unpleasant, but have no other effect). The area that can be affected is the performer's Ethereal Forces times the Song Level, in cubic yards.

## Celestial

This Song binds a zephyr to the performer, keeping the airflow around him tightly controlled. While so affected, no scent will emanate from the performer. Additionally, dust and dirt over a hard surface will *not* be disturbed by his passage. Finally, the performer may add the Song's level to any roll to resist gases, smoke, etc.
Song of the Last Stand

This rare and dangerous Song is attributed to an ofan of War, used in one of the large battles after the Fall. Rare, because only an ofan can learn this Song, and few archangels will teach it: Michael, Gabriel, Laurence, and Janus. Dangerous, because it is capable of destroying the vessels of several demons in one shot, but at the cost of the ofan's vessel.

Like the Song of Thunder, it affects the three planes at once, and does not have separate forms. Also like that Song, it costs a mere 1 Essence to use, however will drain all of the angel's remaining Essence as it takes effect and creates a rather large degree of disturbance.

Performing this Song redirects the ofan's energies inward. It requires the angel to be utterly still while the energy focuses, until he can no longer hold it in . . . at which point his vessel explodes in a violent release of that energy. This causes body hits equal to **twice** the angel's Corporeal Forces plus his **total** remaining Essence, plus the check digit, reducing in force by 1 point for every yard away from ground zero a vessel is. The Song does not distinguish what it hits however, so angels, undead/saints, and humans are also vulnerable.

Because it is so destructive, it also causes a disturbance equal to the check digit plus the angel's **total** Forces.

However, if something **bad** happens, there's a problem. On an infernal intervention, the Song does not cause the angel's vessel to explode. Instead, it gives him a level of discord (no, not dissonance. Discord.) If the angel already has **any** dissonance, he loses touch with the Symphony on this failure. A roll against his Will is now required, and a check digit of 5 or 6 gives him 3 levels of discord, which will soon render him outcast. A second 666 on this check dumps him straight into Hell as a calab.

Since this Song is so dangerous even for a pure and noble angel, archangels will **never** allow a young angel to learn it. Only an angel who has proven himself repeatedly has a chance to learn this potent but deadly Song. (Read: 11 Forces and at least a vassal distinction.)

As a side note, this Song is also dangerous for the companions of the ofan . . . when he recovers from Trauma, he may brag somewhat about how many demons he sent back to their Hearts. Malakim beware.
Zizuph

### Songs

Direction (Celestial/5), Forbidding (Ethereal/5), Memory (Ethereal/3, Celestial/3), Projection (Celestial/5)

### Skills

Detect Lies/5, Library Science/5

Once there were hundreds of archivists scattered throughout the Hall of Creation. Now there are just a handful, and they tend to be the most traditional of the bunch. Zizuph is a cherub. While in Heaven the angel manages a small squad of ofan gofers and answers to a seraph chief curator. Beneath them are a few loyal kuriotes pages who ensure that all the blueprints and artifacts are shelved and stored appropriately.

Zizuph’s role is to remain attuned to the various ofanim so that they can be summoned when their services are needed ~ and to keep tabs on those few items allowed out of the hall’s archives during the 8th hour.

While the Halls of Creation are still technically Eli’s domain, most of their staff (including Zizuph) are in service to Yves. And given the archangel of Destiny’s respect for librarians, it’s a reasonable enough situation, but Zizuph would rather serve Eli directly.

*Technically speaking Zizuph could be played as a starting character if you removed the Distinctions. However, this angel was never intended to enter the corporeal realm (where most games take place). This isn’t necessarily a hard stop, but the character should be uncomfortable in the mortal world and the player should be prepared for frequent deaths.*
6 p.e.v.

## Africa

Cleopatra Selene II, Ptolemaic princess of Egypt, dies.

## Asia

Gabriel announces the birth of Jesus Christ. When the Jesus fails to pass through Heaven, Dominic starts a file on the soul, to inquire as to his true nature. Yves, Gabriel, and Raphael work together to help the spread of Christianity.

Lady Ban (or Ban Jieyu), Chinese concubine and poet, dies (she was born in 48 p.e.v.)

Feng Yuan (or Zhaoyi), Chinese concubine of the Han Dynasty, dies

Liu Xiang, Chinese scholar, editor of *Shan Hai Jing* and compiler of *Lienü zhuan*, father of Liu Xin, dies (he was born in 77 p.e.v.)

Soseono, Korean queen of Goguryeo, dies (she was born in 67 p.e.v.)

## Europe

Tiberius Claudius Nero is sent to Armenia, then retires to Rhodes.

Emperor Augustus sends ferrets (named viverrae by Plinius) to the Balearic Islands to control the rabbit plagues.
Yves

## Choir Attunements

### Grigori

The Watchers of Destiny watched entire generations. With a successful Perception roll, one of Yves' grigori could "read" an individual's entire family tree, going up or down a number of generations equal to the check digit. On a check digit of 6, a grigori of Destiny would sometimes "realize" that an individual was destined to have a descendant with an unusually important destiny (and might get some details about the predestined one).

The grigori of Yves oppose Beleth (favorable circumstance vs fear)

### Ohr

Those bathed in the light of Yves’s ohrot can ignore all distractions while studying.

### Chezeq

Chezeqim of Destiny can add Celestial Forces to their Perception at each viewpoint within themselves, when "haunting" a place.

## Servitors

### Unknown Rank

* Othniel, the eloah angel of Time
* Twilight Sparkle, a malak
* Xavier, the malak angel of Prudence
Nieuw Holland (the Symphony That Never Ends)

Dutch Australia is the only land in the Japanese half of the world that does not owe allegiance to the empire. It is a smaller exception than maps imply. Though physically large, the country has a population of only 30 million, outnumbered five to one by the Japanese inhabitants of Aoteara alone. Although its economy is advanced, it depends on Brazil for high technology. The zuiderlingen are very anti-Japanese and individually well-armed. Most Japanese think the difficulty of pacification would outweigh any gains from a military conquest.
Stenen Muur

Stenen Muur earned the ire of Heaven by declaring his tether a sanctuary for any celestial expressing queer sexuality, regardless of which side they take in the War. David seems to have quietly approved of this choice, but neither Laurence nor Dominic are amused. Muur will be there if the Stonewall Inn comes under a physical threat, but like most servitors of David he believes that adversity builds character, and that humanity can solve its own problems. Stenen Muur changes Roles every couple of decades. Currently he’s a history professor at NYU. He’s a bit more sexually liberated than most angels, though he still won’t engage in procreative sex with mortals. He’s also built up a bit of a reputation for “Knighting Lusties,” although they often end up in Stenen’s debt rather than the other way around. Andrealphus would love to see Stenen Muur Fall, but since the angel is more concerned with the struggle for equal rights than he is with physical pleasure that doesn’t seem likely in the near future.
Venceslava Love

the Huntress, "Ven"

### Skills

Climbing/1, Dodge/2, Driving/1, Engineering/1, Farming/1, Firearms (Rifle)/3, Lying/3, Move Silent/3, Small Weapons (Whip)/4, Survival (Forest)/3, Tracking/4

“Ven” Love is a hunter and a mechanic. She has a pretty good nose for which of her neighbors are in a militia, but such activities are too political for her taste (unless she needs the extra muscle). Still, she’s a good friend and a good fighter, and gets along well with just about everyone. She’s also an assassin.

Not that any of her hunting buddies would think it of her. T hen again, she doesn’t make it a habit of telling them that most of her chosen prey are actually angels in service to the archangel Jordi. Not that she limits herself, these are just the easiest angels for her to make war on without blowing cover.

If necessary, she’ll team up with city demons to help them take down some truly big game. But it’s an *inconvenience* and a *favor* which means that she expects compensation, and if her “colleagues” aren’t forthcoming, she’ll take it out of them in the form of a Geas.

## Gaming Tips

Venceslava can afford to get a bit sloppy in the woods, where her Role can shield her – but in cities, she will do her best to avoid creating undo disturbances. That means that unless she has proof positive that her target is celestial, her first shot will be a flesh wound. If she can hear the injury in the Symphony, she backs off. Killing angels is one thing, killing mortals another entirely.
Phalet

the Coroner

### Skills

Area Knowledge/3, Autopsy/2, Chemistry/3, Dance/3, Detect Lies/2, Fast Talk/4, Healing/4, Lying/3, Move Silent/2, Savoir-Faire/1

Phalet is something of an enigma. Ze is *always* busy but *never* wants to do the work of the Hell Below. Instead ze greases the wheels of Hell on Earth with a near bottomless supply of Essence. No corpse will pass zir by without being drained, and ze can often be spotted performing stand-up comedy or dancing on the club floor making unsuspecting rubes feel miserable.

Because Phalet is a constant bubble of ebullience and has no real interest in surrounding zirself with zombies ~ ze can sometimes convince other infernals that ze does not, in fact, work for Saminga.

Phalet will likely be known to any demons in the area, but when the sulfur is lit and balefires are going, ze goes to ground and lets others to take the risk. As you might imagine, ze is not the best fit for a combat heavy campaign. However, ze is perfect for stories with lots of research, bribery, and spadework.

## Roleplaying Tip

Pretend to be a servitor of Kobal. Everyone *knows* they’re an unlimited supply of essence. Crack jokes, be sociable, and make sure your enemies take it up with the wrong Superior.
The Song of Swaying Grass as it Races the Wind

The transition from redeemer to angel is both wonderful and traumatic. Although it was only a couple of months ago, the Song of Swaying Grass as it Races the Wind already has a hard time remembering what it was like to spend her days whispering “grow, grow, grow, for you have the love of God” to blades of grass instead of running through their root systems jumping from place to place all across this green land.

She knows that she should build up a human identity, but the world is full of so much wonder and humans seem to ignore the bulk of it. At the very least she has accepted the vessel her archangel has crafted for her, and some day she shall start integrating it into society. But not yet. For now, she still wants to wander barefoot through the woods.
Taotie

Pronounced "TAH-oh-TEE-eh." It is a creature represented in Chinese art by a stylized face of some dragon-like or dog-like monster. Its real appearance is a composition of loops, changing colors from yellow to red, sliding over surfaces, sometimes composing themselves into a face-like arrangement, just before it leaps off the surface to attack. It haunts mirrors. The taotie is a beneficent monster, guarding our world against the Mirror People. At the end of the Mirror War, Huangdi either conjured up the taotie or was given it by an unknown party, to guard the borders between us and the realm of the Mirror People by guarding mirrors. It doesn't just attack Mirror People; it attacks anyone who appears to be making magical attacks through mirrors. The people it attacks usually just vanish. It is powerful enough that some classes of glamour-using vampires are afraid to cast reflections, for fear of it.
Symphonic attunement

Some mortals are unnaturally tuned in to the Symphony, and can hear certain strains above all background noise, even above their own deafness. They can hear disturbances, even if they are not Symphonically aware.

For 4 points, a human is attuned to one kind of disturbance. This can be Songs, the sound of a celestial entering or leaving the corporeal plane, the sound of corporeal damage inflicted by a celestial, the sound of a human being killed by a celestial, etc. Humans without Symphonic awareness can roll to perceive disturbances made by that source. Mundanes may be very confused by the noises they hear; though they receive information about the disturbance as usual, they probably have no idea what it means! A human who does have Symphonic awareness gets a +2 bonus to hear that kind of disturbance.

A human who is attuned to Songs may also learn them over time, if exposed to them often enough. He must meet all the usual requirements in order to actually perform any Songs. However, there is a deeper form of Symphonic attunement. For an additional 2 points, a human can be attuned to a specific Song, and able to perform the Ethereal version of it, thanks to a very narrow link to the ethereal plane. For another 2 points, his attunement extends to the celestial plane as well! Even with a Symphonic attunement, no mortal with less than 6 Forces can perform any kind of Song.

*Note: A Symphonic attunement is a rare gift, one that often drives its recipient insane! It's mostly intended for NPCs, and definitely not intended to give human characters a convenient way of getting around the limitations on what Songs they can perform. You must be born with a Symphonic attunement; it's not something that can be acquired later in life, even with the help of a Superior. Superiors can bestow the Ethereal Connection and Celestial Connection attunements, but even they don't know what produces the rare human able to hear and play in the Symphony naturally.*
The Mahatomarishis

**Domain:** India

**Director:** the Surya

This group is the one with which Logres presently enjoys most contact, followed by los Caballeros. This openness is due entirely to Pendragon Colonel Michael Fisher-King and his family, along with the now-retired Vasura, leader of the Mahatomarishis. The order is a group of Mar Thoma Christians, very active on a number of fronts in India.

Logres has since determined that the Mar Thoma group initially contacted is an "umbrella" group that tries to maintain peace and cooperation among several different Indian groups.
Bavian

### Wordbound or Unique Rites

Regain 1 Essence when you witness someone embarrass themself by publishing or reciting bad poetry.

## Resources

### Attunements

Impudite of Dark Humor, Subliminal, Demon of Bad Poetry

### Songs

Cacophony (Ethereal/3), Charm (Celestial/3), Plagues (Ethereal/3), Motion (Celestial/2), Possession/2, Revulsion (Ethereal/3), Symphony (Corporeal/3), Tongues (Corporeal/2, Celestial/2), Truth (Corporeal/2)

### Skills

Artistry (Poet)/6, Dodge/3, Lying/4, Savoir Faire/4, Singing (Rap)/6, Small Weapons (Knives)/3

### Servants

“Thomas” a 6-Force Familiar with a Ginger Cat Vessel 5/2; “Reynard” a 6-Force Familiar with a Red Fox Vessel 5/2; “Lenore” a 4-Force Familiar with a Black Raven Vessel 3/4

> Roses are red
>
>
> Violets are blue
>
>
> This verse is banal
>
>
>
> And your writings are too
>
>

Contrary to popular belief, Bavian is a *fantastic* poet ~ so good that he almost managed to usurp the whole of Lord Koroidia‘s Essence supply. Unfortunately for Bavian, he did not play the patronage game as well as the demon he hoped to unseat.

When it came time for investiture, Kobal requested that Lucifer give Bavian stewardship of Bad Poetry, a Word he has been saddled with until this day. Further, Bavian is now *compelled* to recite or transcribe bad poetry whenever he tries to speak, sing, or write meaningfully.
Phanuel

### Oaths

I shall use the minum violence necessary to achieve my ends. I shall resort to violence only as a last resort. I shall never initiate violence nor permit it to continue unchecked. I shall accept no terms which might result in renewed violence

## In Service to Faith and the Sword

While Khalid was forsaking Heaven, many of these Virtues wanted nothing to do with him. Now that he has taken a more equitable view, malakim from every corner of Heaven have been begun to coordinate with him.

However, the malakim of the greatest virtues also play a special role in the War if they are responsible for coordinating actions against the Princes of Sin. As such they are expected to liaise and coordinate with Laurence. Each of them holds one of the Sword’s command-level distinctions (even if Laurence does not get along with their Superior).
Thane

### Skills

Detect Lies/4, Driving/4, Fast-Talk/3, Fighting/4, Knowledge (Dallas/5, Law/3, Police/4), Language (English/3, Spanish/1), Lockpicking/1, Move Silently/1, Ranged Weapon (Pistol/4), Savoir-Faire/2, Small Weapon (Police Baton/4)

### Servants

2 mundanes (Gary Reed/5, a sergeant in the Northeast Operations Division, and Dennis Collier/2, a captain in the Plano Police Department)

Thane is the ranking servitor of the Game in Dallas. He is a deputy chief in the Dallas Police Department, in charge of the Assault Unit. This gives him an excellent Role for covering up celestial brawls, especially since he has many other members of the Investigations Bureau under his thumb . . . though not the bureau chief. As a highly decorated police officer with an outstanding reputation for integrity, he is almost untouchable in Dallas. Other Asmodeans obey him without question, and no diabolics would dare to face his wrath.

The angels in Dallas know who he is. From time to time there has been talk of "taking him out," but the angels of Stone are against such a preemptive strike, and Paulinus considers it a last resort ~ after all, better the devil you know . . .

Thane mostly covers for diabolics in Dallas and manages Asmodeus's network of Soldiers and other minions who have infiltrated most of the local police departments. He doesn't do much investigative work himself; he'll certainly pursue any demon he suspects of wrongdoing, but more likely he'll assign one of the other Asmodeans to the case. The fact that he spends so much of his time actually fulfilling the functions of his Role means that, ironically, he doesn't catch a lot of traitors or dissonant demons, which means for the time being his upward mobility in Asmodeus's ranks is probably limited as well.

Thane is not a point of contact for angels who need to speak to the other side. He'll talk to any angel who approaches him, but he's very unlikely to be helpful.

As Mack Grady, the demon is a large, beefy black man with a football player's build and buzzcut hair, balding on top. He's physically intimidating and has a drill sergeant's temperament. Mack is married, to a mortal woman who is completely and utterly cowed by her husband. She does not actually know what he is (though she's heard enough over the years to know he's involved in some kind of odd conspiracy). Mack doesn't abuse her physically, but she's terrified of him, nonetheless.
Sandalphon

### Distinctions

Friend of the Illuminated (Jean), Herald of the Divine Presence (Shekinah), formerly Herald of the Voice of God (the Metatron)

### Source

Liber Neglecta

Sandalphon, the angel of Electromagnetic Wave-Particles and fastest angel in Heaven, is a servitor of Shekinah who joinedher service when Lucifer Fell. Not long thereafter, the archangel of the Divine Presence lent Sandalphon indefinitely to Jean. She is one of the last (if not the last) angel of Heaven to use the ofan of Light Attunement which allows near instantaneous transit along line of sight. She is greatly distrusted by Dominic, who has a whole network in place to track her movements (since no one angel could keep up with her).

She is incredibly powerful and could make a case for elevation to archangel. However, that does not interest her ~ and neither does research (which is why she has never been promoted past Friend, though she holds the higher distinction of Herald in Shekinah's service and served the Metatron as such before the Fall despite being an angel of Light). Instead, she prefers to confront the forces of Hell directly, racing from conflict to conflict ~ shedding light on infernal illusions and doing as much corporeal damage to the servitors of Hell as possible.

Sandalphon might appear in response to a mid-combat Divine Intervention, but she is unlikely to stick around much after the fight. If you really want to have fun with the party, then she arrives completely without warning, and departs in two directions at once (one towards her previous intervention and one towards her next).

Sandalphon has the ofan attunements for the Word, Divine Presence, Protection, and possibly Fire, Lightning, Purity, and Destiny as well.

The Herald of Shekinah is present in some form or other whenever a new tether is established (which includes every battle that has created a tether to Michael).

## Outrunning Fate

Sandalphon has drawn the dark attentions of Kronos.

She has the potential to transcend the normal laws of time and space. Aside from the tactical advantages of such a pawn, the potential to research his own origins would be a prize well worth the time and effort it would tack to capture such illusive game. Even more tantalizingly, Sandalphon has a Fate that would spell great upheaval. Possibly even on the order of a new Celestial Rebellion. Unfortunately, even Kronos cannot get the details, but that just serves to confirm that at least one of the ineffable beings would be significantly impacted by her Fall.

## Other Attributes Ascribed to Sandalphon

* The feminine guardian on the left-hand side of the Ark of the Covenant
* The messenger who collects the prayers of the faithful during Sukkot (the Jewish Fest of Tabernacles) and sends them to Heaven
* The angel responsible for establishing the sex of unborn children
* The Representative of Malkuth
* The transfigured prophet Elijah (who's "merely" a very power Blessed Soul and Saint in actuality)
* The angel of Prayer (actually a servitor of Khalid)
* The angel of Glory (really one of Michael's angels)
* The angel of Tears (an archangel, in truth)
* The Metatron’s twin
* A sworn foe of Samael
Hasmed

Hasmed has always preferred a simple life. One angel, one gun, one round. If that is not enough to solve the problem, it was never Hasmed’s to solve. They try to take a similar approach towards helping humans.

As a spirit of dueling, Hasmed will not discourage a wronged party from seeking satisfaction. However, the angel will encourage them to find a place of focus. High emotions can lead to sloppy or misplaced violence. Hasmed respects neither.

Like many angels of Laurence, Hasmed prefers to stay well groomed. If they are encountered in the woods, they’ll be wearing hunter’s motley. At most other times they tend to wear vest-suits. Either way they will open carry their arms unless local ordinances forbid such behavior.
Saint Peter

St. Peter, down on a rare visit to the Corporeal Plane, gets kidnapped by a bunch of renegade habbalot of Technology who stick him into a plaster statue of himself (using Vaputech Stock Plot Device #5544-5f(c)) and then try to ransom him to Heaven, in exchange for the Inquisition's secret files on Jesus.

A shame Heaven doesn't have any such thing, huh? Or, heck, maybe they do. Maybe Dominic's even so tired of trying to figure out precisely *what* happened in Judea all those years ago that he figures that letting the renegades actually have said files will be a relief. It's not like there's anything useful in them, and the habbalot haven't considered the fact that Dominic can have a cherub attune to the blessed things and track the Punishers, and besides, maybe the demons will uncover a clue.

The habbalot are, truth be told, shocked as Hell when the messengers show up with the files: they expected at least some defiant posturing. But the seraph sings out that Dominic agreed to the trade, and the Vaputech dissonance-o-meter isn't going off, so that's that. Miserable milksops in Heaven, anyway. So, the head habbalah gestures grandly with the aforementioned V.P.D. at the plaster statue.

No effect.

He does it again.

Still no effect.

One last time.

Nada. Zip. No saint.

The Punishers look at each other, then look at their human servant/punching bag. Some quick "interrogation" will indicate that said servant, not actually being there for the forced plasterization of St. Peter, may not have been completely sure *which* one of the half-dozen or so statues of His Holiness he was supposed to have grabbed. Oops . . . .

Now, at this point the habbalah are sweating (and bloody, of course, but that's another story). Lunatic renegade demons or not, they can figure out that stealing a saint is one thing: reneging on a deal with the Cloaked One is just *dumbass*. The angels will no doubt have made similar calculations, substituting "having to tell Dominic that the first Pope is now adorning some matron's back yard", but keeping the dumbass bit.
Sredni Vashtar

the Littlest God, Personal God

Sredni Vashtar first appeared in a short story of the same name.

The polecat ferret is presented as a god of death and struggle ~ complete with unique image, worship rites, and a dedicated worshiper. In Germanic traditions it could be viewed as a Dis, or personal god.

Admittedly, this also makes it a particularly vulnerable god (since one mortal death would be enough to cut off all its worship), but until that happens, there’s no reason why it should not have all the other advantages of an awakened god.
Hazzareth

Hazzareth was Kobal's first joke after the Fall. When the original demon princes were asked by Lucifer to submit candidates for the first non-Superior Word-binding, the Prince of Dark Humor didn't hesitate a second. It is rumored that even Lucifer laughed during the binding of the former seraph.

Hazzy (as he is affectionately called) is the demon of Angels. If you ever wondered who invented spin, know that it wasn't Nybbas. It was Hazzareth all the way. In his line of duty, Hazzareth is charged to use angels themselves, the purest beings in God's Creation, as a way of dragging humanity towards the Pit. How does he do this? Spin, baby.

Angels are something only superstitious people believe in, after all. Y'know, all those people who enjoyed *Touched by an Angel* and *Michael*. Ugh. Makes me want to throw up. Also, talking about angels isn't PC. I mean, you may offend some atheist somewhere, so it's better just to flinch or run away from any mention of angels. Also, angelology is all that New Age stuff anyway. Praying to angels? Hah. Heresy and idolatry. Along with crystals and the Tarot, no one wants to hear about angels these days. And one more thing, only super-conservatives still believe in angels. Bible-thumpers are always talking about the apocalypse and how the archangel Michael is going to kill the dragon and such. B.S., if you ask me.

But, of course, Hazzareth isn't content with just spreading those ideas about angels. He wants a distaste for angels balanced by the image of angels everywhere you can see, so that they are unescapable, leading to more distaste, outright disgust, and a total loss of the symbol's true meaning. Like the demon of Easter has done with bunnies and eggs, Hazzy would totally leach every spiritual connotation from angels if he could.

And, hey . . . he isn't doing a bad job. Of course, as soon as Nybbas started his meteoric rise to power, Hazzy knew where he truly belonged. He's basically on permanent loan now, since Kobal agrees that he's hundreds of times more effective in the Media's services than he had been for the previous millennia under Dark Humor. Whether he ever officially joins Nybbas' ranks is still up in the air, but Hazzareth has learned to keep his options open.

As a side note, it might be important to show why Hazzareth is a good successful supporter of his Word while Nakael is not. First of all, Nakael is only focused on the "real" meaning of "Demons," as he is oathbound to reveal the true horrors of demonkind to the mortal world. This has limited him to the point that he finds it impossible to effectively accomplish his job. Maybe another choir would have been more effective, but the Seraphim Council was too afraid of having a servitor Fall, so it had to be a malak.

As a contrast, Hazzy doesn't care at all what angels are "really like." It doesn't matter to his work. He knows what he wants "Angels" to mean and works to impose that view on the world. He's also a great deal older than Nakael, and, as a balseraph, is much more ingenious and flexible about the way he implements his Word.