recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
The Dare Lodge

**Domain:** the United States of America

**Director:** the President

This is almost certainly the newest guardian Order on Earth, having been founded in 1777, during the American Revolutionary War. Les Chevaliers referred Logres to them. They are centered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under cover of being an eccentric Masonic lodge. They have been quite open and welcomed establishing contact protocols. They say their mission is to promote the spiritual good to be found in the Enlightenment movement, though they also clearly regard the United States as their territory.
Sitotisk

### Wordbound or Unique Rites

Wear a newly purchased novelty t-shirt for no less than three hours. Usable once per day.

## Resources

### Roles

Martin Housebrook, Graphic Designer/3, Status/2

### Songs

Attraction (Corporeal)/3 (Ethereal)/4, Form (Celestial)/4, Tongues (Corporeal)/3

### Skills

Artistry (Digital Design)/3, Computers/2, Driving/1, Emote/2, Fast Talk/2, Fighting/1, Savoir-Faire/1, Seduction/2

Sitotisk appears to be a young man (or woman) in his mid-twenties. Attractive, charming, and with a deep passion for something. What that something is tends to change a lot (he is a djinni), but whatever it is he’ll channel it into his art (then call up Jaala, the Demon of Shopping Binges, to see how much she’ll charge to make people buy the thing).

His #1 fan oversees Sitotisk’s website, social media presence, convention booking, job proposals, and anything else which needs doing but which Sitotisk can’t be bothered with.

*Even though Sitotisk is Wordbound, he is still a suitable starting character for an adventure. Incorporating him into a campaign may be harder, as his Word will force him to move about to wherever he can best serve the conspicuous consumption of t-shirts.*
Leo The Lion (Disambiguation)

Leo The Lion can refer to one of the following:

* Leo The Lion: King Of The Jungle
* Leo The Lion, an Italian film

Disambiguation page for Leo The Lion (Disambiguation)The following is a list of links to pages that might share the same title.Please follow one of the disambiguation links below or search to find the page you were looking for if it is not listed. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.
Songs of Serpents

> Each one threw down his staff, and they became serpents.
>
>

The Songs of Serpents call upon both the literal and metaphorical associations of serpents, both in their ability to cure and in their ability to poison. It is a perfect choice for Passover, the Jewish holiday commemorating the Exodus from Egypt.

Before calling down the Ten Plagues, Moses attempted to convince the Pharaoh of God’s truth by throwing down his staff and turning it to snake. When the Egyptian priests do the same, Moses’ snake proceeds to eat them.

Given the trouble that serpents have caused heaven’s plans, this Song is tightly regulated.

## Corporeal

This version of the Song can turn a staff, vine, rope, or similar length of organic matter into a venomous serpent for quintuple the check digit in minutes. Additional Essence may be used to improve its skills or enhance its venom. At the end of the duration the snake turns back into the original material.

## Ethereal

The Ethereal Song of Serpents calls upon the curative properties of snake venom. For a number of hours equal to your check digit you may add your check digit to your Medicine skill.

## Celestial

The celestial variation of this song plays a variation on the seraphic theme, giving the speaker's words the sound of truth for dectuple the check digit in minutes. During this time all Lying and Fast Talk rolls are made as if your skill was increased by your check digit. On a check digit of 6 you may even manipulate seraphim, though they will realize your deceit once the song ends.

Available: Baal, Fleurity, Gabriel, Jordi, Novalis

Required Essence: 1

Degree of Disturbance: 3

Summoned Asp

1 Corporeal (Str), 1 Ethereal (Pre), 1 Celestial (Per), Climbing/5, Dodge/4, Fighting/5 (Power-3), Move Silently/6. Venom Power 3 Speed 3.
Ruhiel

Unfortunately, despite the seeming importance and interest of Ruhiel's Word, there's not much to say about this particular seraph. As the angel of Angels, Ruhiel is charged with making sure that angels are always a force for the betterment of the Symphony as a whole and that the image of angels in human society is never corrupted, both tasks which she takes *very* seriously. To tell the truth, it isn't all that hard. As much as the diabolicals would like to make angels out to be a "mysterious alien menace" or some such thing, humanity isn't buying it. The most difficult of Ruhiel's tasks is to make sure that the names of angels aren't used in occult or cultic practices that harm humanity. For instance, if a sorcerer believes that he can call on the power of Michael or Gabriel to perform dark deeds, or if the worship of angels is used to bring people away from the worship of God, Ruhiel and her servitors step in to reassert the Truth, that angels should always been seen as a symbol of hope for humanity and a sign of God's favor looking down on them.
Shtuyot

Shtuyot evolve from imps who fall in love with the sound of their own voices, and push narcissism to diabolical heights. Unable to look beyond their internal Symphony, they have minds too fractured to be comprehensible to anyone but another Discordian, and they love to impose their state of confusion on others.

Babblers can be found wandering the streets of most Principalities, babbling to themselves. Other demons give them a wide berth . . . it's rumored that prolonged exposure to one can permanently scramble your mind, though this is probably just diabolical superstition.

Their celestial form is an amorphous blob that sometimes seems almost humanoid, other times appears truly shapeless . . . as if they couldn't decide whether to become impudites or shedim. They are covered with endlessly gibbering mouths, but no other facial features. When given vessels (rarely), they quickly become covered with filth, grow tangled beards and wild hair, and mumble and drool on Earth, much as they do in Hell. They are not so much diabolical instruments as random noise, like static.

Two princes are known to regularly (if uncommonly) make use of shtuyot. Kobal and Malphas have both been known to recruit a Babbler, grant it a band attunement, and turn it loose on Earth for perverse reasons.

## Resonance

Discordians resonate for confusion. They can apply their resonance on a number of beings at once equal to their Celestial Forces, by making a Will roll. (In a combat situation, they suffer the same restrictions as balseraphim.) Their victims may negate the effects with a Will roll (this is not a Contest ~ the victim only has to make his roll). Anyone who successfully resists with a check digit of 6 will inflict a point of dissonance on the shtuyah. Anyone who fails to resist will hear the Babbler clearly, but for a number of minutes equal to check digit of the Babbler's resonance roll, nothing that anyone else says will make sense to the victim, and what he says will sound like incoherent nonsense to everyone but Discordians. This applies to all forms of communication, including written or sign language!

## Dissonance

Discordians can't make sense when communicating with others. They speak nonsense words, doggerel verse, or random stream-of-consciousness recitations of whatever's going through their disorganized minds. It would take a deliberate (and dissonant) effort of will to actually communicate something that makes sense.
Ulysses

### Oaths

Suffer not an evil to live, when it is my choice. Never surrender or allow myself to be captured by the forces of Lucifer. Think before acting, think before acting, think before acting. Obey the spirit, as well as the letter, of my Superior's commands.

## Resources

### Songs

Might (Corporeal/3), Light (Celestial/6), Motion (Celestial/3), Shields (Corporeal/3), Tongues (Ethereal/3)

### Skills

Fighting/3, Large Weapon/3 (sword), Ranged Weapon/3 (shotgun)

Dominic has his little ways to deal with angels with poor impulse control. Ulysses has poor impulse control: to his credit, the angel even realizes this. He's tried so hard to keep himself from doing stupid, idiotic things and/or going in to situations half-cocked and fully unprepared. Unfortunately, he's not very good at it.

The last situation he was in ... well, let's just say that, while technically successful, the way he handled it was very, very sloppy. His Superior was not amused at all, especially since it was one of \_his\_ Servitors that had achieved minor immortality in Heaven as the architect behind the "Petunia Incident." There was even a ballad written about it. So, when Ulysses came before Dominic to beg him to put him somewhere, \_anywhere\_, where the angel could learn some self-control, the temptation would have been too much for anyone.

Ulysses currently has the vessel of a goldfish. Said goldfish lives with all the other goldfish in an aquarium in a busy politician's main office. Ulysses swims around all day and watches the humans go past; occasionally, he gets fed some truly foul-tasting flakes. It's a boring life, even when he resonates those coming in and out of the office: you see, he's ordered not to do anything about it except make full reports every week (yes, Dominic stops by to see even him).

Oddly enough, Ulysses is starting to get the point. Yes, he's bored, and yes, inaction is incredibly hard on a Malakite, but the angel is starting to learn how to control his actions and temper (it's not like he has much else to do). In the meantime, there's always the hope that a demon or three will attempt an armed assault, or something. He's cleared for action on that scenario - and it might take the attackers a \_long\_ time to work out where the death rays are coming from...
Songs of Bomf

This song is particularly powerful and gives infernals a major edge.

## Corporeal

The Corporeal Bomf works much like a calab’s resonance. Singing the Song is like making a ranged attack with Power equal to the singers Corporeal Forces. It may be dodged by not resisted.

## Ethereal

The Ethereal Bomf grants diabolic life to inanimate objects. It lasts a number of hours equal to the product of the check digit and the singer's Ethereal Forces. If the check digit is greater than the total Forces of the object, the singer may spend additional Essence equal to the target’s total Forces to make the effect permanent so long as the animated object satisfies a Need equal to its highest Force.

## Celestial

The Celestial Bomf temporarily rearranges a living creature's Forces and injects them with infernal power. In order to have any effect it must succeed with a check digit greater than the total Forces of the creature targeted and the singer must spend additional Essence equal to the target’s total Forces. The subject may resist with a Will roll. If they fail, they will become a lilu of another color for a number of days equal to the Celestial Forces of the singer. So long as the target does not use any infernal abilities they can revert to normal once the duration is over, otherwise the change is permanent, and the newly minted demon will owe the singer a Geas equal to the singer’s Celestial Forces.
The Order of Saint Anthony

**Domain:** the western Umma (Arabia and North Africa)

**Director:** the Pillar

Logres was referred to this group by los Caballeros, who occasionally contact them through their Iberian members. They are an order of Coptic Christians, with centers in Casablanca and Alexandria. They sometimes work with the Arcophoroi. They take both the Christians and the Mohammedans of Arabia under their protection. They were at pains to point out that their domain does not include the entire Mohammedan Umma."
Taob

Taob is a surgeon and magician who takes a particular interest in “beautifying” women for the male gaze. She is a dude, a bro, a mensch, and more man than you or anyone you’ve ever known could even imagine being. Quite simply, anyone even slightly attracted to men is attracted to Taob, and she loves fucking with them.
Saint Robert Ervin Howard

The Other St. Howard ~ well, it's that or call him the Other St. Robert. That would be even more confusing ~ quite enjoys being a saint of War: for one thing, he's got a really, really good vessel now (just as strong, fast and with all the iron thews one could hope for). For another, Michael lets him go down to Earth even when there isn't a Cadre mission going on. The Other St. Howard exists, purely and surely, to kick ass and take names, and his Cadre missions reflect that. Wielding a sword that could gut an elephant is optional, but deeply appreciated on the rare occasions when it's germane.

And, yes, he does wear sandals, and always keeps an eye out for a jeweled throne to crush with them. Hollywood will do: the movies weren't too bad, but the casual rip-offs were a bit insulting.

## GURPS, 3rd edition, statistics

ST 13 [30] DX 11 [10] IQ 12 [20] HT 13 [30]

Attractive Appearance [5]; Divine Favor (Michael) [13]; Doesn't Eat or Drink [10]; Immunity to Disease [10]; Essence Control +7 [22]; one level of Power Investiture in each realm [30]; Slow Regeneration [10]; Symphonic Awareness [15]; Temperature Tolerance +10 [10]; and Unaging [15].

Bad Temper [-10]; Duty (Michael, 15-) [-15]; Extreme Fanaticism (devotion to his mother) [-15]; Impulsiveness [-10]; Sterile [-3]

Believes that he has enemies; Collects antique weapons; Occasionally wears a ridiculous black sombrero; Sings loudly and shadow-boxes in public; Sometimes signs his name with an odd Celtic spelling. [-5]

Boxing () [1]-10; Driving (automobile) () [2]-11; Fencing () [1]-10; Guns (pistol) () [1]-13; Guns (rifle) [1]-13; History () [8]-14; Hobby (sports trivia) () [1]-11; Literature () [6]-13; Lucid Dreaming [] IQ [1]; Riding (horse) () [2]-11; Survival (plains) () [1]-11; Writing () [12]-17

English (native) () [0]-12; Spanish () [½]-10

Attributes 90 + Advantages 140 - Disadvantages 53 - Quirks 5 + Skills 37 + Languages ½ = 209.5 points

This is REH at 26 years old; he died 4 years later, so he might have a point or two more from his mortal life, maybe. Add around 20 points for his time as a Saint, mebbe in Attunements/Songs/Rites/PI from Michael?
Sorcery

## Magia vs. Goetica

There are two forms of magic. *Magia* is magic simply by having magic powers. You do the magic thing as directly as you move your fingers, or at least as directly as you speak a language you are fluent in. *Goetica* is a matter of pacts and rituals and incantations and, really, amounts to getting supernatural beings to do magical things for you. It depends on something else's magia.

Magia can be good or evil, just like any natural ability. Goetica strongly slants evil, but that is simply because the supernatural beings that are willing to take part in it are almost always infernal. Innocent goetica is a theoretical possibility, but not much of an historical reality.

## Irreversibility

Sorcery has its limits. Certain changes of state are irreversible in this setting, barring miracle, including:

* Fay Marking. Mortals can be turned into fays, but not vice versa.
* Adam's Marking. A creature (usually a fay) may acquire our capacity for all knowledge, good and evil, but they cannot lose it, cannot un-know it.
Synarchism (the Symphony That Never Ends)

Kiyoshi Shibata was a Japanese expatriate with no known counterparts in other parallels. Shibata's studies in Cologne brought him into contact with the self-named Rationalist philosophers who sought to restructure society according to the dictates of pure reason. Shibata reworked their theories into a grand scheme of "sociodynamics", which appeared in a dozen books from 1849 until Shibata's death in 1884. These works claim a definitive scientific explanation of all of human society.

Shibatan analysis is based on cultural elements, which he called "sympathies" in the individual mind and "factions" in society (the debate over the precise relation of these two terms continues in theoretical synarchism). These create individual and collective opinions through a dynamic competition. To a sweeping and subtle analysis Shibata added a utopian call: although in the past "factions" had evolved only by their own inner logic, the time had come to remake them according to the dictates of reason, and so impose at last true order on the ungoverned chaos of human affairs. Shibata thought this process was the basic story of history: the natural evolution from primitive anarchy to *synarchy*, the final society in which every institution and every thought work in harmony for the greater good.

Despite simplifications and fundamental errors in Shibatan theory, its hybrid of "scientific" social analysis and revolutionary utopianism proved a potent blend. Its persuasiveness was enhanced by evolutionary theory, which Shibata helped introduce to Europe. The whole Rationalist movement was virtually hijacked by Synarchists, and Shibatan theories emerged as perhaps the dominant strain in intellectual life during the 19th and 20th centuries. Even today, it is more natural for most theorists in Shikaku-mon to think in terms of culture than, for instance, economics. Synarchist parties became the most significant political organizations in most European countries.

Synarchists in countries outside the Swedish sphere of influence had already reclaimed much of their independence by the time the Britannic War finally put an end to Swedish pretensions. Nevertheless, synarchism remains alive as a utopian/radical movement, and Shibatan-style social theory remains one of the major themes in contemporary social science.
The Ladder of Perfection

This isn't really a relic, per se: it's just an ordinary book written by Saint John Climacus.

Well, this version was written and published in Heaven, incorporated into its pages everything that the blessed soul could discover about the nature of angels and Heaven in three hundred years of patient questioning, and makes demons queasy just to look at it, but other than *that*, it's just an ordinary book.

*The Ladder of Perfection* is most often found in angelic tethers, where it's assigned as a study aid to those attempting to shed dissonance. There's no real game benefit (although particularly benevolent GMs might allow someone who's constantly and exclusively studying the book to slightly increase the rate that they shed dissonance): it's mentioned for local color. However, as it *is* a level/0 relic, it can be used as the basis for unique artifacts . Many copies are minor reliquaries or talismans, for those angels with a scholarly bent.
THE Gun

Vapula swears ~ he *swears* ~ that he didn't create this artifact. Nobody believes him, but they should ~ for one thing, even he's not insane enough to manufacture something like this; for another, it works perfectly. Of course, neither Jean nor Eli would create something like this, either. It's just one of those little mysteries, apparently.

*The* Gun looks like a cap pistol. To use, point at someone and pull the trigger. The target (which must be a living human, ethereal or celestial) gets to make a Will roll at -6 to resist the effects. If he or she fails, then the modified Celestial Song of Life takes effect -

Why, yes, I did say "Celestial Song of Life". May I continue?

Thank you.

Anyway, the modified Celestial Song of Life takes effect. Humans will immediately be transformed into a reliever, imp or gremlin (GM call which, based on whether the person is nice or not) of the same number of Forces. Ethereals are turned into a pillar of salt. Actually, that's a lie: they get turned into a pillar of Primordial Clay (level equal to their Forces). Celestials ~ well, that's the strange one. They get turned into a 7 Force human: any extra Forces are turned into 1 Force babies, which will grow up into perfectly normal 7 Force humans themselves.

There's also a very loud boom.

Why, yes, the effects *are* permanent ~ and of course anyone could use the relic. Every Superior on both sides is screaming for a *reason*, after all . . . .

## Statistics

(Come on. Aren't you even a *little* curious about how far above your budget this little toy is?)

* *Relic/6* (Modified version of Celestial Song of Life) 48pt
* *Reliquary/6* (only useable with Relic) 12pt
* *Self-Powered* +0pt
* *Use Enhancement*: anyone may use relic +6pt
* *Use Enhancement*: anyone may use reliquary to fuel Song +3pt
* *Fragility*: **really** Unbreakable +8pt
* *Disturbance*: Continuous Disturbance (6pt) -6pt
* *Activation Time*: 1 round +1pt
* *Visibility*: Instantly recognizable-3pt

*Total*: 69 points. Rumors of a one-shot version of this relic (cost: 12 points) are completely fanciful.
Tyrael (Symphonia in Nomine Sanctuarium)

## Tyrael (Symphonia in Nomine Sanctuarium)

### Word, affinities, or equivalent

Justice

Can be modeled using Dominic's stats until they are more fleshed out.

## Tyrael (Symphonia in Nomine Sanctuarium)

### Attunements

All of his unrestricted prior attunements

## Resources

### Songs

All Songs which had been available to him as an archangel at /6

## Servitors

* Angus, a seraph
* Fujimaro, malak angel of Gi ("righteousness")
* Inarius
* Izual
* Humilitas, malak angel of Humility
* Raguel, malak angel of Judgment, Tyrael's chief executioner and presumed heir
* Rosalina, a mercurian
* Torviel, a malak
* Ulysses?, a malak
Saint Robert Anson Heinlein

Not the best engineer, not the best author (although every Cadre member is secretly convinced that he or she is the best author in the bunch) and not the best combatant, St. Robert still runs the Cadre. As much as anyone can be considered to run this bunch of anarchists, of course. Anyway, the reason why is simple: most of the younger members decline to argue with Bob. It's practically blasphemous. Besides, he does have a flair for leadership, and an unending font of ideas. Jean finds that having him around for his younger angels (who also decline to argue with St. Robert) to bounce ideas off of is efficient: when he can get away, St. Robert acts as a coordinator ~ and tries his best to get on Earth missions himself. So far, he's been unsuccessful. There's always something coming up at the last second to keep him from going.

He'll do it one day, though. Just see if he doesn't.
The Holy See (the Symphony That Never Ends)

In Homeline the Pope is the sovereign of Vatican City, the smallest state in the world. In Shikaku-mon the Holy See is treated as an independent state which owns no territory at all. The constitution of the Italian Republic gives the Church special legal privileges in Italy, including the equivalent of diplomatic immunity for Pope Innocent VII and his staff.

The Holy See has considerably more wealth and power in Shikaku-mon than in Homeline or most other developed timelines, in large part because Catholics make up almost half of the world's population and at least 90% of its elites. The influence of the Holy See in the world of diplomacy is considerable, and all important governments (except the Swedes) pay attention to it. It has a permanent (nonvoting) observer on the High Council of the CEM, which it helped design.

But while the Holy See is wealthy and influential, it is not very *holy*. It often seems to act more like a multinational corporation than a relihious body. Many Catholics are quietly scandalized by the seemingly exclusive concern of the Holy See for worldly affairs, and are considering it increasingly irrelevant as a religious authority.

Incidentally, Vatican II never happened and the reforms of 20th-century Homeline never took place. Mass is still said in Latin throughout the world.
Skylia

Physical strength doesn't mean much on the celestial plane ~ but the illusion of strength is prevalent enough to mislead some of the less intelligent demonlings into pursuing it. The crudest of all demons are those infernal spirits who obsessively developed their Corporeal Forces and survived to "fledge" as skylia.

Brutes brawl with each other endlessly. Proving their might is all they live for. Of course, corporeal combat can do no real damage on the celestial plane and is basically meaningless. Outside of skylia breeding grounds (mostly in Gehenna and Abaddon), where few other demons venture, a Brute's life expectancy is short ~ he'll inevitably pick a fight with another demon, who will probably demolish the puny Grunt in celestial combat.

Grunts make fine cannon fodder . . . they aren't useful for much else. Ba'al lets his servitors fight hordes of Grunts in Gehenna, to practice corporeal combat skills "safely." On the corporeal plane, a Brute with a vessel could be a very powerful warrior, and occasionally they are brought to Earth, for jobs requiring mindless brute force. Of course, they require a supervisor smart enough to keep them on task, and powerful enough to terrify them into obedience. Calabim most often receive this duty.

On the celestial plane, skylia are greenish humanoid creatures with muscle-bound, gorilla-like frames and bone-ridged skulls, a puffy cloud lit with various darker colors surrounding them. Their vessels are usually similar in build; broad-shouldered, with bulging biceps and pectorals, tapering waists, and tiny heads. Musical comparisons are pointless . . . banging on a pot might amuse a Brute for a few minutes, before he bashes it over someone's head.

## Resonance

Skylia have an affinity for brute force; they also all have the Angry discord. A Brute can make a resonance roll (Will-based) whenever he wants to apply his Strength (for any purpose ~ including combat, or resisting certain Songs). If successful, he may add the check digit to the target number of his Strength roll.

Instead (or in addition), when a tannean has a Geas placed upon them to perform a specific deed, it then has an effective Strength equal to its Celestial Forces multiplied by its Corporeal Forces, but only for the purposes of fulfilling the Geas. It gets much more dramatic if a lilu manages to Geas several tanneanim to work together; tanneanim fulfilling a joint Geas can multiply ALL their Celestial and Corporeal Forces together for the effective Strength of the team. The results can be literally astronomical.

## Dissonance

It's simply not in a skyli's nature to think . . . at least, not in lieu of flexing his muscles. When faced with an obstacle (inanimate or otherwise), a Brute has two choices: take the direct (brute force) approach, or surrender. Brutes can refrain from attacking an obviously superior opponent, or walk away from a barrier they know they can't breach, but they suffer dissonance if they stop to think about other alternatives (like negotiation or detours).
Quintus

My, was Quintus surprised when he ended up in Heaven: it seemed that those Christians were right all along ~ or at least closer to right than he was. Still, David was very happy to see him, and after a few centuries looking around bemusedly, the blessed soul was ready to serve David in the corporeal world again. The saint is, oddly enough, still half-pagan; he spends his free time going through history texts to determine which archangel was behind which Greek or Roman myth (he's pretty sure that Novalis was Ceres; David, of course, was behind the legend of Atlas). He also sometimes forgets and swears by Zeus. As a human, Quintus is merely attuned to the tether at the Lake of the 40 Martyrs, but it doesn't seem to be a problem. The site is pretty much out of the way, from the War's point of view.
The Light of Heaven

### Members

ohrot of all archangels, seraphim and malakim of the Sword, ofanim of War, possibly elohim and kuriotates of Purity

### Source

Liber Neglecta

The Light of Heaven is a paramilitary group of angels, primarily ohrot of all archangels, malakim of the Sword, seraphim of the Sword, and ofanim of War, who all have an attunement from Michael that allows them to remain invisible to those with celestial sight as long as they remain inside Heaven or within a tether connected to Heaven.

The ohrot pack themselves into as much divine territory as they can, while the Swordies are stationed at the top of every known tether, regardless of which archangel it is dedicated to. Rather than being posted at each tether, the Michaelites are able to get to each tether at breakneck speeds.

Demons believe that their celestial form will be torn apart whenever they try to enter Heaven because that’s what always happens, but it’s not a feature of Heaven itself, it’s a secret group of rather obsessive angels that is actually getting in their way.

Rumors whisper that a group of Tsayadim who are still loyal to Uriel serve alongside the Light of Heaven. They are obsessed with keeping heaven pure and will remain invisible at all times in order to make sure they are never detected. Elohim and kuriotates of Purity are never found among the Tsayadim of the Marches, and these rumors suggest that this is because they are protecting Heaven. If these angels are ever caught, they would have to face Judgment. Of course, this does not necessarily mean that Dominic would find against them. After all the exile of Purity is “self-imposed”.
Saint Paul the Apostle

It was going to happen eventually.

It seems that everybody who gets to Heaven when they die has a little list of people they want to meet, and things can become difficult if the people they want to meet never showed up in the first place (want to make an angel wince? Ask where St. Jerome is). And, of all the 'oops' there are, the worst is . . . well, Paul.

No, really. Shocking, huh? You would think that Paul would have managed to peg either his Destiny (from Laurence's point of view) *or* his Fate (from Malphas's) with his work in early Christianity, but it didn't happen. When asked, Yves just shrugs and reminds the questioner gently about why blatantly direct interference is frowned upon by his servitors. Too much of the "Saul, Saul, why doth thou persecuteth me" bit, and the poor human's free will goes out the window.

A real embarrassment all around . . . but apparently Paul's been riding the Reincarnation Express all this time, and somebody finally got a lock-on. Unfortunately, so did Hell. There's going to be a fun little fight over this one soul.

Now, the PCs will probably not be mighty enough to handle the careful ~ very, very careful ~ nudging of Paul (who hasn't yet made any inroads towards either state; heck, he's a 13-year-old girl this time around). They *will* be mighty enough, no doubt, to assist the team of Destinians/Faters sent down to fiddle with the controls.

Said fiddlers will do their best to explain why they need strange, bizarre things done in strange, bizarre ways, but you know how specialists get when trying to explain stuff. Need I also mention that the Other Side will be doing the exact same thing?

Now, this can easily be played for laughs, but for those who like a sharper, darker edge, look no further than the blade held by the malak of the Sword assigned as a liason to the angelic team. After all, if Paul(ine) should achieve her Destiny, why...

... don't you think that it's time that this worthy soul finally received its proper reward?
Tethers

## Secret Tethers

Secret tethers are a valuable commodity ~ especially for archangels who do occasionally have reasons to interact cordially with demons.

Regardless of which archangel the Light of Heaven is associated with, they cannot patrol a tether that they do not know about. In order to be thorough, Laurence is also obvious ~ and that means that any archangel who has business that they don’t want the Sword to know about has to find a way to conduct their Heavenly transit in secret. Secret tethers are only protected by the ohrot who serve that archangel (and even then, only if the archangel wants them to be).
Ristel

### Roles

Card Sharp/5, Status/2 *(Feel free to increase this up to 4 if you need a high roller)*

### Attunements

Lilu of Dark Humor, Calab of Dark Humor, Demon of Drunken Wagers

### Songs

Charm (Corporeal/3, Ethereal/3, Celestial/3), Draining (Ethereal/4), Opening (Ethereal/4), Posession (Celestial/2), Sleep (Ethereal/2)

### Skills

Dodge/3, Escape/3, Fast Talk/5, Gambling/5, Mixology/3, Move Silent/3, Seduction/3

Ristel is an androgyne demon who serves Kobal. They have a predilection for tempting mortals to foolishness and wagers while in their cups. Regardless of the outcome, Ristel will walk away with a Geas hook, some Essence, or both.

In spite of their cute appearance and a charm that only seems to grow as the night goes on, few people can really remember how Ristel looks come the following day. This suits the demon just fine, as they like to see the results of their handiwork.

Ristel is a frequent guest of the Extremely Spirited Duke of Alcohol (who has rather a strong taste for the Jester’s brand of humor).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀, the demon of Post-Truth (they don’t see the need to keep a consistent name, but instead revel in the constant opportunity to play with new identities) is the self-aware kind of balseraph (which means the kind that’s in danger of becoming aware of nothing else.) Yes, they have a personal Symphony, and this personal Symphony overlaps sometimes with notes from outside it, but it’s imparsimonious to imagine any “greater” Symphony beyond this. Their having the Word of Post-Truth makes them endlessly fascinated with the *way* this can play out in all sorts of stories they interact with ~ Truthful stories about people *using* this idea to better realize their own personal Truths, or coming to the personal Truth that this is a healthier and happier understanding (to them) than the imparsimonious version. So they listen to the Symphony (their Symphony) and turn up those notes. They hear more and more stories taking about them, and their idea, and it’s a very wonderful story to tell oneself.

When and if (as far everybody else is concerned) Post-Truth declines in importance, they won’t know. They’ll become one of those withered balseraphim living as gods in their own minds. Poor things.
Paris (the Symphony That Never Ends)

Paris is the nerve center of France, and the home of the King, all the government bureaus, and most of the large corporations. With 19 million people in its metropolitan area, it is by far the largest city in France and, in fact, the largest in Europe. It is still the mmost important cultural center in the world and the most international of the great cities. Putting the headquarters of the CEM anywhere else was scarcely considered.

Unfortunately, the "City of Light" does not really deserve its reputation for beauty on this timeline; apart from a few areas maintained as enclaves for tourists or the wealthy, the city is a typically grimy 21st-century agglomeration. The city center was renovated tourismin the last century at enormous expense, but urban pollution and street crime reach even here and much of the effect of ancient buildings like Notre Dame or the Palais is lost in the looming presence of the arcology complex to the northeast.
World Intelligence Taskforce (WIT)

WIT is the sunder-guard for the United Nations and thus presumably for the whole world. Well, they try. WIT was founded in 1948, in Israel, during the Palestine War, when a British commander of UN troops found himself up against Arabs commanding djinnish forces. He received surprising kinds of help from an American diplomat. The diplomat turned out to belong to the Department of the Ulterior. The British commander turned out to belong to Greenwood and was able to bring in an agent of the Eclipse Directorate working in Beirut when the two of them needed still more help. (No one suspected any involvement by the Eidah Yaakov, one of the two Jewish Orders, or even suspected the existence of the Order.)

Ever since then, the British, American, and French sunder-guards have always lent support to WIT, and the membership has slowly broadened to include sunder-guards of other nations and even esoteric organizations of other types ~ sometimes including Circles and Orders. The Kerdeans have been openly associated since 1953. Other associated groups include the Men of Sherwood, the Knights of Solomon, and the Teslaniks. The sunder-guards of Russia, China, or any Arab nations other than Saudi Arabia and Lebanon have been excluded, causing much ill feeling.

WIT exists within the UN's organization without the UN's knowledge, maintaining its precarious position with some esoteric skills of its own (the blank white cards that always appear to be the right ID, no matter the circumstances, for instance). It lends its strength to any sunder-guard that appears to need it ~ often without being asked, which occasions some annoyance. It has sometimes tried to intercede when opposed sunder-guards fight each other, but the results have always been very messy.

The current commander of WIT is Brigadier General William Warfield-Gordon, working with a few dozen special-operations soldiers with esoteric training, and with various UN diplomats who are members of their nations' sunder-guards.
The Hordes of Hell

## Hell’s Cleaners

The infernal affinity for deception actually makes them better at cleaning up their messes than Heaven. All that’s really needed is a balseraph or two to twist the facts until the witnesses are prepared to believe their lies about what "really happened."

That said, most demon princes only clean up their mess because they don’t want Heaven (or the Game) to learn about their Earthly activities. However, Alaemon, Asmodeus, Beleth, and Kronos actively embrace the cover-up ~ though each has their own reasons.

Once an agent of the Game decides that a large-scale cleanup needs to take place, the War will help them requisition any local talent which might reasonably lend a hand ~ no matter who the demon normally serves. (Servitors of Haagenti in particular have proven surprisingly useful in removing evidence).

### Mixed Parties

In the wake of a really big mess, it’s entirely possible that both Heaven and Hell will dispatch teams to the site. Because a new fight will just exacerbate the damage, this may well be the only time you’ll see Servitors of Khalid and Asmodeus working the side by side.

## Reasons for Serving Hell

* "I'm clearly not going to get into Heaven, so I might as well make the best of Hell."
* "Heaven won't protect me from Hell, but maybe if I serve the Hell, it won't destroy me. For a while."
* "Hell offers better short-term benefits than Heaven. I'll side with Hell now and repent later."
* "I want to be on the winning side, and it's obvious which one that is."
* "The Light and the Dark are really the same thing from a sufficiently mystical point of view, and the Dark is more fun."
* "Heaven is slavery. Hell is freedom. Freedom no matter what!" (A line of argument familiar to Lilith.)
* "I want **X** more than ANYTHING! More than Heaven! More than I want to escape the pains of Hell!" Popular values for **X** include:
	+ a great treasure
	+ great wealth in general
	+ a particular person as lover
	+ great beauty and/or sex appeal
	+ sorcerous power
	+ great physical/martial power
	+ the success of a favored cause
* "How dare you call the Great and Worshipable Thingie infernal!"
Principle

### Strands

They are all typically elemental spirits of Society, Technology, or Structures, but some have been known to combine with other elements as fit their own particular principle.

## Resources

### Attunements

The vast majority of principles are servitors of Godless Communism and so have the Socialist Atheist Goetia attunement.

Should a divine entity manage to pierce deeper into a Communist state, they may encounter a principle. These tend to be similar to seraphim, defining and re-inforcing the truths of Godless Communism. Weaker principles (or ones still being tested) may be in service to a commissar, but most of the time they are the ones calling the shots.

*Principles are the equivalent of other pantheon’s gods.*
Walpurgisnacht

> The play stops on Walpurgisnacht,
>
>
> and the Earth does not turn even once more.
>
>
>
> The story will not change.
>
>

Walpurgisnacht, or the eve of St. Walpurga’s day is one of the many names for the night of April 30, the day before Beltaine. It is a powerful night for the forces of Heaven and Hell, as well as for some of the more powerful ethereals. As such, it would be quite reasonable to tie some of the night’s traditions into your campaign.

## The Fires of Protection

With so many people setting bonfires, April 30 is a great night for the servitors of Gabriel to head out and dispense their various forms of justice. No matter where they are, there is likely to be a source of Essence nearby. This may even be why the fires have such a reputation for holding evil at bay.

However, since the association of the fires is with Protection and not Retribution, Zadkiel is also quite active on this night. It is they who typically answer the prayers for sanctuary or healthy livestock.

## The Witches’ Night

Sorcerers do not like being obvious. At the same time, they will take advantage of whatever power is at their disposal. If people throughout the world believe that dark magic is at its peak on this night, then it is at its most powerful on this night. It is the perfect night for Kronos to push these sorcerers towards their Fates, and the baroness Hatiphas is often at the fore of these attempts.

Andrealphus is also fairly active on this night, but for an entirely different reason.

## The Horned God

The Horned God is a powerful ethereal entity. He is one of only a handful of deities to have attained their godhead *after* the end of the Purification Crusade. He is worshiped by Wiccans and a number of other neo-pagan movements, and one of the largest rites in his honor happens on the night of April 30. With such a large supply of Essence at his command, this is also the time when he is most likely to appear in the corporeal realm.

On this day in particular, he is more than capable of throwing a spanner into the works of either Heaven or Hell, though he usually prefers to stay out of their battles unless specifically importuned by one of his worshipers. Servitors of both Andrealphus and Eli have a nasty habit of trying to subvert the Horned God’s rites so that they server their own Superior (even if Eli himself has a tendency to show up in support of the new god).
Shal-Mari

### Inhabitants

Andrealphus (impudite prince of Lust), Haagenti (calab prince of Gluttony), Kobal (impudite prince of Dark Humor)

### Source(s)

Tafka J. on the In Nomine Collection

Once, an up-and-coming Kobalite was on top of things playing the Vegas circuit in the corporeal realm. . . That was, until one of his hijinks got him ousted by forces of the Game and Greed.

Almost as jaded as his Prince, he now has a new plan and it's truly sinister indeed.

He's managed to worm his way into the Shal-Mari Postal Service. He has a plan to unveil the new stamp to be used on all post that goes through Shal-Mari. To make things even more amusing, he's decided to unveil two stamps. He'll let the crowd decide, and soon all of Shal-Mari will be sending their important mail with these stamps.

One of the stamps shows Asmodeus, dressed much like a young Elvis.

The other stamp shows Mammon, dressed like the older, fat Elvis.

The prank is definitely suicidal, but one chance to get some measure of revenge before his Forces are ripped apart would not only make him laugh all the way to the Guillotine (or whatever instrument of utter destruction that is used), but it would also bring a smile to his Master's face. After all, that's the most important part.
Songs of Blots

This Song, of which only an Ethereal version is known, is only useable in the Marches (more specifically, dreamscapes). It's considered odd, even there.

Once sung, what looks to be a globule of black ink appears in front of the singer and follows him or her around. The "ink" can be used by throwing it against the wall (a wall being defined, in a dreamscape, as anything that the singer decides is a wall). Effects are as follows:

* For one extra Essence, the inkblot is a portable hole: the singer can reach in and pull out random dream-fragments (and we mean random). The utility of this feature is obscure.
* Spending three Essence, however, is a better call. The singer can climb into the hole: once inside, all attempts to detect the singer are at -5. The portable hole is usually ignored by searchers ~ lots of weird things in dreamscapes, and it looks too small to hide anyone.
* The most interesting thing to do with one of these blots, though, is to spend 6 Essence, throw the blot against the wall, back up and run through. The singer pops out into another dreamscape, determined at random. Pursuers roll one die: on even numbers, they just slam into the wall. Cherubic and djinnic resonances are, incidentally, disrupted by the impact. On odd numbers, a train, truck (or anything else that the GM has ever seen a Warner Brothers cartoon do in this sort of situation) comes out and does 1d6 Mind Hits to the pursuer from sheer cliched revulsion. Oddly enough, most players will violently dislike the idea of rolling dice when they don't like either outcome, so the GM should take pity on them and roll the die herself.

This Song was first found as part of a very odd ethereal artifact in the shape of a Viking hammer. Users had to swing the hammer to get the "ink" to spurt out, but that was more than counterbalanced by the fact that the user didn't have to spend any Essence. The holders of that artifact took advantage of this mostly by running a lot.

Oh, yes, it took a *lot* of time and dignity before Heaven was able to get the Thor-blotter properly studied . . . .
Satanachia

Satanachia may be serving Andrealphus directly in the Bordello right now (he does love his lilim), but as the patron of the oldest profession she is never without wider influence. Unlike her rival, Saleos, Satanachia truly believes in fair exchange. She’s wise enough to know that it’s not always possible, and that desperation and poverty can still *force* someone’s hand ~ but when somebody finds their way into one of her professions willingly, Satanachia tries to lend a hand.