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I'm in favor of finishing all the Superiors, and Litheroy is the best one anyway.
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Feb 6, 2016 02:37
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Black August posted:Oh, that's a good idea. He's Creation and a Mercurian as well, so he'd have the best chance. It also makes the Grigori and Dark Grigori something of an impact when used, since their entire schtick is being so close to humanity in divinity that they can blend right in without the Symphony kicking up too much of a fuss. Yeah, my take on the nature of Superiors is that each represents the entire metaphysical force behind the Word they represent. The celestial realms are a buffer of sorts where they don't really affect the Symphony, but Earth's rapidly climbing population is in part simply because Eli is on Earth. He doesn't have to will it, it just happens because he is Creation. When Laurence set foot on Earth, the Crusades happened. For my homebrew replacement for Jordi, the very act of Leviathan, Angel of the Sea, ascending to the status of Archangel started the Age of Discovery in Europe decades before it otherwise would have. Superiors are individuals, sure, but they embody primordial forces and affect reality - affect the Symphony - just by being there. Which is why the campaign I plan to run hinges on the PCs and other seemingly mundane, low-ranking angels and demons, and the ethereals and humans. They can act where the Superiors simply cannot without catastrophically destabilizing a delicate situation. This also leads to my planned take on Dominic: few people in heaven like him, and fewer still truly understand him. But whatever accusations anyone will level at Dominic, the one they will not (except maybe Khalid and Gabriel) is that Dominic is unjust. He is what his Word demands of him, and almost everyone would agree that Dominic works very, very hard to hew his Word to heaven.
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Feb 6, 2016 03:52
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 "There are More Things In Heaven and Yrth, Horatio...": An Introduction to GURPS Banestorm As, yes, the wonderful land of Oerth. Or was that Urth? Erf? Oh, right, Yrth. That's the one. It's the one that first appeared all the way back in Orcslayer (the second ever book to use the GURPS system), and continued on as the headliner of the GURPS Third Edition book GURPS Fantasy as Steve Jackson Games's answer to the various fantasy worlds of certain other roleplaying games. It also happens to be one of the few things that survived the great restructuring of product goals in GURPS Fourth Edition. As I noted in the final post of GURPS Technomancer, GURPS 4E has all but abandoned the idea of making a profit off of large, print-worthy length books at this point, and out of the few that do come around most of them are big on the Generic part of the Generic Universal Role Playing System moniker. GURPS Fantasy for Fourth Edition is no exception, being a generic guide to fantasy tropes and concepts as applied to GURPs. There are still very rare exceptions make to have full-length setting books even now, of course. There are the upcoming GURPS Mars Attacks and Discworld titles, the at this point apocryphal GURPS Girl Genius, and the two that are actually tangible and capable of being seen right here and now. One is GURPS Infinite Worlds, which we'll probably talk about eventually beyond its pathetic section on Technomancer that I covered last time, and the other is GURPS Banestorm, which we're here to talk about right now. GURPS Banestorm is the latest update and expansion of the Yrth setting. Once again it is set in the land of Ytarria, the northern continent of the planet Yrth, an alternate universe that was a generic high fantasy setting until the events of the infamous Banestorm. But that's old history, and it happens to be the history that is covered in the very first chapter of the book, so I guess we'll get right to it.  Chapter 1: History Pre-Human Yrth Long ago, the world of Yrth had no humans to claim it. The continent of Ytarria was originally home to squabbling tribes of elves and dwarves, both of whom had disdain for each other but an even greater hatred for the nomadic orcs. While these three species became less at odds as they developed civilization and eventually empires, there was always the undercurrent of tension. This tension ended up breaking the peace in the great western forest of Ytarria, where several particularly violent orc tribes hunted the local elves to near-extinction. Giving themselves the name Defenders of the Shaded Woodlands, the survivors become vicious warriors that began to exterminate the orc tribes around their forest in kind. After the killing was over, the racial supremacist beliefs began, and by 400 AD on the human calender the Defender troubadours had managed to work their way into eastern elven society well enough that they convinced the elven nations to go to war with the dwarven empire of Zarak. It did not go well. Humiliated by the incident with the Zarakun people and seen with suspicion by their own people, the Defenders decided to lay off ever mentioning dwarves again. Instead, they began to focus all of their racist propaganda against the orcs. Of course, an entire species doesn't just lay down and die, and by 1000 AD the Defenders were looking for, and I quote, "a more final solution". Their greatest mages gathered together on the western edge of the great Ytarrian Forest in June of 1050 and performed a ceremony to create a spell to end of the orcs for good. Unfortunately for them, the resulting disastrous arcane force not only failed to target the orcs, it burned the western forests to a crisp, created a massive mana dead zone near the epicenter of the ritual, and introduced erratic storms that heralded dimensional breaches: the Banestorms. The Banestorm The Banestorm touched many dimensions and pulled a bevy of new species from various dimensions. Goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, and reptile men came from the world called Gabrook, centaurs, giants, halflings, and minotaurs appeared from the realm of Loren'dil, merfolk and shark men came from the seas of Olokun, and humans were picked up from Earth. While species such as goblins and minotaurs adapted quickly to their new life and at least some elves were welcoming to their new neighbors, others were not so quick to adjust. The dwarves retreated into their mountain halls, the orcs fought back aggressively against the new invaders, and the mostly Crusades-era Christians and Muslims that formed the human communities had a great amount of difficulty learning how to deal with the existence of magic, monsters, spirits that called themselves gods, and being in close proximity of other opposed human cultures that were formerly distant concerns. And the Defenders themselves were stripped of their pride, their hopes for an elven supremacy, their social status, and even their names. No longer were they seen by the elven lords as the Defenders of the Shaded Woodlands: they were now Dark Elves, the evil Storm-Bringers. Three major types of human civilization began to emerge in the land of Ytarria. The most powerful were the Christians of Europe, whose growth was fueled by rigid feudalism – kingdoms would pop up, gain a cult of personality, and then swallow weaker kingdoms into larger and larger dominions. While many followers of Islam became nomads once more, Abassid rulers shored up power as well, their scholars and imams keeping great storehouses of knowledge that are some of the most complete human records on Yrth. Third, and perhaps most strangely, powerful pagan clans of Norsemen and Celts took over the icy north and an eclectic mix of Native American and east Asian cultures created an empire known as Sahud in the far west. The disparate elements of these two lands seem to suggest that they were time-displaced as well as dimensionally transferred by the Banestorm, coming from periods before or after the Christian and Muslim Crusaders. In between these nations are scattered settlements and enclaves of Jewish, Slavic, Germanic, Indian, and sub-Saharan African cultures. The Spread of Humanity As the 10th Century drew to a close and the Banestorm seemed to finally slow its immigrant-belching to a halt, one human was forming big plans for the future. Simon Menelaus was a scholar, a charmer, and an archmage. With that kind of a resume, why not plan for world domination? And plan that he did, starting with the foundation of the city of Megalos in 1200 AD and the declaration of the Megalan Empire. Megalos swallowed up the goblin kingdom of Yibyorak and forced both their allegiance and their conversion to Christianity, the Knights Hospitaller and their kingdom of New Jerusalem swore fealty when the shrewd warlord Octavius Magnus convinced the Hospitaliers that their shared Christianity meant they had the common goal of spreading the word of God, and the Crusades began anew in 1360. In the end, four Crusades occurred between that year and 1525, but the victories in both land and converts were not as grand as any of the Megalan emperors might have liked. Indeed, the pressures of invasion caused the scattered Islamic kingdoms to forge themselves into three empires: the Sunni al-Wazif, Shi'ite al-Haz, and nondenominational al-Kard. While al-Kard fell to the Megalan Crusaders and was rechristened as Cardiel, the other Muslim nations stood strong and eventually forced Megalos to cut its losses and call a truce.  New Challenges The seemingly invincible Megalos, like Rome before it, soon ended up falling foul of its own success. The death of childless Emperor Diophrates V in 1551 lead to a power vacuum that quickly snowballed from internal squabbles to a civil war, at which point al-Haz and al-Wazif both broke the truce and struck back at the empire who menaced them in centuries prior. Even worse, the Banestorm acted up again, dumping thousands of new humans onto the Araterre Isles. These new humans spoke of a new Christianity called Protestantism and its fight against the Catholic church, and held in their hands powerful weapons they called blackpowder rifles. Both of these things ended up causing the Megalan orthodoxy to have a collective "aw, hell no" moment, with its religious leaders fearing a schism, political leaders worrying what the presence of the Protestants would do to the entire concept of Megalos as the One True Christian Empire, and its battle mages being terrified of the idea that guns might level the playing field against them. The Megalan Empire swiftly declared that gunpowder was a tool created through fraternization with Satan and that the Protestants were heretics. Just to make sure, the Megalan Navy was also dispatched to crush the spirit of Araterre, with Protestant inventors and priests being either mindwiped or murdered and a puppet government established over the islands. Those Protestants that escaped the purges mostly live in the tolerant reaches of Cardiel or locations far away from Megalos, practicing their science and religion in secret. The average citizen of Megalos has knowledge of firearms and gunpowder that only extends to it being Satanic and that you should contact your local representative of the Ministry of Serendipity if some dissident claiming they know how to make or use it happens to show up. The acquisition of the Araterre Isles were the last piece of fortune the great empire would have, however. An attempt to annex the dwarves of the Whitehood Mountains in 1585 both failed and triggered trade sanctions by the dwarven empire of Zarak, Norse and Celtic raids in 1590 chipped away at northern Megalan holdings and forced the building of a great wall to prevent even further losses, Cardiel declared independence in 1788 after fighting back both Imperial and al-Hazi forces that both sought to claim it, and the county of Caithness was founded in former orc territory in 1822 only to rebel and declare its independence a mere four years later. The Last Hundred Years The passing of the 20th Century has only created more strife in the nations of Ytarria. There's been another war between al-Wazif and Megalos from 1924 to 1928, orcs have attempted to take back Caithness and conquer Zarak in more and more frequent raids, the Dark Elves have reappeared and begun to weave sinister and mysterious magics right under the nose of the Megalan Empire, al-Wazis and Megalos went to war again from 1991 to 1995, and Caithness has been locked in a civil war since 1999. It's now 2005 AD, and things aren't much better for nations other than Caithness. Piracy has risen in the south, the Northmen seem prepared to once again strike at northern Megalos, al-Wazif is thinking about having yet another Wazifi-Megalan war, and al-Haz is suffering from loads of internal strife. Next Time in GURPS Banestorm: The people of Yrth, and some stuff on society. Fossilized Rappy fucked around with this message at 03:04 on Feb 7, 2016 |
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Feb 6, 2016 06:16
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Litheroy
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Feb 6, 2016 06:54
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I want to like Litheroy and his concept is solid, but HYPER SERAPH just gives me so many headaches, I just regulate him to being a former child of Raphael and a crazy wandering prophet type, still only a Wordbound. Less Superiors would be better, God in Heaven believe me when I say that. The French version has shitloads.
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Feb 6, 2016 08:03
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Black August posted:I want to like Litheroy and his concept is solid, but HYPER SERAPH just gives me so many headaches, I just regulate him to being a former child of Raphael and a crazy wandering prophet type, still only a Wordbound. Less Superiors would be better, God in Heaven believe me when I say that. The French version has shitloads. Again putting in my two cents worth, my take on things when planning my own campaign is that "Superior" is just a title. Most Superiors got their rank for their sheer power and longevity, but others received the title through politics and mark someone politically important in heaven or hell. My take on the Council of Heaven is that adding a new seat is a very big deal: Leviathan inherited Oannes' position a couple hundred years after his death, Khalid held the spot used by Jordi in the base game, and Laurence and Marc filled the holes left by Azrael and Raphael respectively. It's a huge debate in heaven at the moment that Orc, Angel of the Network, is on the verge of archangel status and is being considered for the Council.
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Feb 6, 2016 13:46
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Fossilized Rappy posted:The Last Hundred Years So humans habe been around for almost a millenium, but gunpowder and probably other sorts of advanced chemicals are tools of the devil? This is yet another medieval fantasy setting eternally stuck in the same vague medieval period, isn't it? I think it might've been more interesting for the Protestants to meet the brainwashing wizard fleets with cannonballs and Greek fire.
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Feb 6, 2016 17:39
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Superiors to the bitter end.
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Feb 6, 2016 18:09
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Superiors: Litheroy Litheroy, Archangel of Revelation is a Seraph that knows that nothing can reach its true potential while secret. He and his angels ensure that nothing remains concealed, and that darkness cannot go undisturbed. Litheroy is strange for a Seraph - he has made real efforts to understand humanity, because he finds them and the idea of secrets fascinating. He's only partially succeeded, and he relies heavily on his angels to help him learn more. He exists in a constant state of wonder that humans spend so much time hiding from themselves, and his own desire to uncover it all is out of that sense of wonder and joy. He and his angels are deeply curious, and they see themselves as an army in the war against the Labyrinth, their name for the tendency of humanity to hide themselves away in secrets until everyone is paranoid and alone. They respect the idea of privacy, but often need to have details about it explained to them more clearly. When Litheory appears on Earth, he prefers the form of an aging man with a sparse beard and piercing eyes. He often wears rumpled clothing, as though he'd been digging through ancient ruins for days and hasn't had time to wash up. Often, he has been. It is dissonant for any Servitor of Litheroy to lie to anyone, for any reason. They can choose not to answer a question, but they can't lie in word or spirit. They don't have to tell the whole truth, but if they tell a partial truth it can't be in a deceptive manner. So - if a normal Seraph gets asked if they're a detective, they can say 'I am assigned to investigate this case' and hope people are misdirected. A Litherite angel can at best answer with a question and hope you stop asking - and a Litherite Seraph is likely to just answer truthfully: Nope. It is not dissonant to reveal that you are an angel, but it is discouraged. Litheroy will discipline you for it, and it's best to just not answer or say 'I can't answer that' or similar. Also, no angel of Revelation may ever hold a Role.  Seraphim of Revelation, when using their resonance, roll d666 normally, but may decide which of the three dice is the check digit after rolling. Cherubim of Revelation know immediately if anyone ever deliberately hides their attuned from them, or if their attuned ever chooses to hide from them. When this happens, they make an immediate resonance roll, but if the roll succeeds, the CD is automatically 6, regardless of what is rolled, and if the roll fails, it has no negative effects. Ofanim of Revelation cannot be stopped by locks or seals, as long as they are puruising something hidden or someone trying to hide anything, including themself. Locked doors open, security systems do not detect them, and so on. They will re-lock behind you, though, and you're on your own for that. Living beings can still stop you, as well. However, this does work for computers, as long as you can get to whatever password-protected screen would stop you in the first place. Elohim of Revelation, when they discover a hidden truth, object or person, immediately know why it was hidden, though not by whom, expressed as a simple sentence. Malakim of Revelation always recognize anyone they have ever fought, even in a different vessel. (Redemption will, however, usually cancel it.) Further, they can make a Perception roll to see through any cover and exploit any weak points a foe has, reducing any penalties by (CD), to a minimum of 1. Bright Lilim of Revelation, when using their resonance to detect any non-obvious Need, roll d666 normally but may decide which of the three dice is the check digit after rolling. If they attempt to geas someone to reveal a hidden truth, their target's resistance roll is penalized by (Celestial Forces). Kyriotates of Revelation, when possessing any animal predator, have the Tracking skill at 6 and are considered familiar with whatever territory they are in. The knowledge can be used by any host, but the Tracking skill can only be used in the predator body. Mercurians of Revelation, when applying their resonance to a group, know who in the group is sharing secrets and who is being kept out of the loop, if anyone, on a CD 3 or higher. On a CD 6, they know what the secrets are. I Tell You Three Times allows you to tell any secret you know to one person and be believed, even without proof, once you repeat it three times. There is no time limit between repetitions, and it costs you 1 Essence the third time you say it if you say it in person, or 2 if you write it down or otherwise record it for the recipient. Either way, only the intended recipient will be affected by the power of the message - everyone else can choose whether to believe it or not freely. The secret must be true. Key to the Locked Mind lets you spend 4 Essence to tell what would be needed to open a dialogue with someone who does not want to talk. This could be a conversational point, a favorite hobby or even an object. You do not get told where to find that key or get any special skill with it, but you will know what it is. If it is used, you get a new reaction roll immeduately, with a bonus of (Total Forces). If that roll succeeds, the target will talk to you for at least (10*CD) minutes, and if you ask a question the target would be reluctant to answer, they must make a Will roll with a penalty of (CD) to not answer you anyway. If the reaction roll fails, the target will respond based on the new CD, regardless of how they felt about you before. Sense of Significance allows you to make a Perception roll to know the importance of any clue you find - you can tell at a glance, for example, that the blood on the floor is the kidnapper's, not the victim's, and with a high CD, even that it contains traces of drugs. You get helpful clues equal to the CD. At the GM's option these can be minor clues equal to CD or a lesser number of more significant clues. On a failure, you lose access to the attunement for (CD) hours. Untangling the Labyrinth allows you to understand directions wel. When confronted with any kind of map or directions, spoken or written, you know if they are accurate and understand them perfectly. You also recognize blind alleys, misleading markers and other means of confusing a trail on sight. You do not, however, automatically detect shrotcuts or solve any pizzles needed to follow the path, but you will instantly know if you have the correct solution. This has the side effect of allowing you to essentially instantly complete maze puzzles on paper. Vassals of Inquiry know if, when they ask a question, their subject is lying or being evasive. They can also detect half-truths when spoken, though not what the truth actually is. Friends of the Quest intuitively understand hidden things, and know automatically if someone has been deliberately hidden within (Perception) feet. They can detect trip wires, secret passages, hidden keys, disguises bruising or hidden weapons equally easily. They know the specific location of the hidden object and generally what that object is. Masters of Discovery can look on any living being and know what secrets they are the victims of - if someone's spouse is cheating, if they have a posthypnotic suggestion implanted, if their food was made with condemned materials, whatever. They know both the nature of the secret and who is responsible. Seekers are those among Litheroy's angels who have dedicated their lives to solving the unsolvable. This Distinction does not grant any special rank, and its ranks include Mothias, who seeks the truth of Christ's divinity, Chamuel, the Angel of the Quest for the Holy Grail, who seeks both the Grail and to understand its nature, and Elspeth, who seeks to understand the nature of mortal and celestial free will and their relation to destiny and fate. Seekers have the right ask for whatever assistance they need when the object of their quest is concerned, but that's their only special responsibility. They do receive one power, however: for 7 Essence they may enter a 10-minute fugue in which time they experience a vision releated to a question or puzzle, usually tied to their quest, but not always. This vision is symbolic andm ust be interpreted, and no powers of any kind can help interpret it. The nature of the vision is ineffable and its meaning can only be suggested, not made plain.  Litheroy tries to avoid politics, because he believes it is impossible to engage in them without hiding something. He is pleasant, but any Archangel with something to hide avoids him. That's fine by Litheroy, who is usually busy with his mysteries and quests. When he does mingle, he is one of the few angels who feels truly relaxed in the company of Dominic, though he finds Dominic's cloak annoying. Jean and Litheroy often come into conflict, as Jean's interpretation of his job involves keeping all non-human innovations away from humanity. Janus, too, generally avoids him, as Litheroy wants to uncover his movements and purpose, which can get in the way of Wind plans a lot. Litheroy has no allies, but is associated with Yves, Michael and Laurence, though only Laurence considers himself associated with Litheroy. Lithory is hostile to Jean and Janus, but Janus is not hostile to Litheroy. Basic Rites: 1. Work at solving puzzles of any kind for at least 3 hours. 2. Convince someone to confess a long-kept secret. 3. For 3 Essence, expose a corrupt judge or cop. Expanded Rites: 1. Spend at least 2 hours uncovering lon-lost treasures of any kind. 2. Debunk a faker or charlatan in front of at least 5 people. 3. Explain the subtext of a story to someone in a way they can clearly understand. Litheroy has a base Invocation TN of 2, +1 for an untouched puzzle book, +2 for a puzzle book complete in ink, +3 for successfully guessing what's in a wrapped gift, +4 for a penient man who comes clean about a secret despite the consequences, +5 for exposing secrets that drastically alter the reputation of a celebrated or significant historical figure, and +6 for publicaly exposing a plot of internation significance or discovering a plot by Alaemon. Litheroy calls himself Litheroy to all times. He never uses pseudonyms by any means and conceals his nature only so far as required by the Law of Heaven. If he could, he'd appear as a Seraph at all times and be done with it. He does not use titles or pseudonyms, with three exceptions: he will accept being called Archangel, Revelation and Father. Archangel is clear - he is one, and it would be disingenuous not to use the title. He thinks his name is prferable, but he recognizes some prefer the formality. Being called by his Word is less pleasant but acceptable. He doesn't believe that a Wordbound is the Word - no celestial can fully embody a concept, nor can any concept fully describe a celestial - but he recognizes its common usage. He accepts Father because he is the Abbot of Litheroy's Abbey and it is proper use of the title. He knows some of his angels mean it paternally as well, and he allows it - he is more complex a figure than mere fatherhood, but he recognizes that he is their father figure. He does not, however, accept the titles of 'Lord' or 'Lord Archangel' and will not respond to them. The Lord is an accepted way of referring to God, and Litheory will not confuse the issue. He refuses other titles and glories as deceptive. He is Litheroy, and that is sufficient. His angels respect this, though they also refer to him as The Abbot when speaking about him. Other angels and more than a few demons prefer to derogatory 'Babblesnake,' but the one time it was done to his face, he wasn't offended. He just pointed out that because his angels are also called babblesnakes, it lacked precision and should probably be 'Head Babblesnake' or 'Archangel Babblesnake.' Insulting Litheroy in general tends to be rather unsatisfying, as he is almost incapable of taking offense and will often request clarification far beyond what would be amusing or hurtful. In Heaven, Litheroy appears in his true form - an immense white Seraph with iridescent eyes. He looks around himself at all times, and his wings are often dingy from crawling under things. When appropriate, he will wear monk's robes displaying an abbot's rank. On the rare times he appears as human in Heaven, he wears his 'usual' human form, but with the monk's robes. On Earth, that is what he shapes his vessels as, though he wears normal work clothing. He never dresses vainly and has no vanity, and even if he wears a suit because he's been told he has to to get in somewhere, it's a plain one. On his own, when not interacting with others, he has been known to use any kind of vessel, any sex, race, age or culture, as he desires to see the world from the many viewpoints of humanity. However, he always answers only to the name 'Litheroy' even in a female vessel and never hides who he is except as bound by Heavenly Law. He dislikes the nickname 'Roy' as misleading and will always correct a speaker even after multiple mis-namings.  Litheroy is enthusiastic and friendly, and he never gets angry or offended. He can be disappointed, but even then it's mild. He is quite to smile and happy to tak. He asks many questions, but rarely unpleasant ones. However, he is very plainspoken - he does not lie and he has no discretion in his speech. He will say secrets or embarrassing personal details about those around him to the worst possible people, and be puzzled when someone takes offense. He never laughs, either. To Litheroy, all of the universe is in two states: that which is understood, and that which isn't yet. With understanding is comprehension, sympathy, empathy and peace. Without it is supposition, fear, confusion and chaos. Revelation is not only his Word, but his holiest sacrament. Revelation gives understanding, and thus everything. Most Archangels define their view by their Word, but few so obviously and unashamedly as Litheroy. To Litheroy, all pain comes from an inability to understand each other and ell evil derives from deception. Hell is the clearest example - all demons turn from the true Symphony to focus on their own internal one, which they can tailor to their whim. Fighting Hell is necessary and destroying demons must be done to keep them from spreading their lies, but it is far better to make them understand the Truth, allowing them to accept it and Redeem. Litheroy's Word fuels his insatiable curiosity and love for humanity. They twist the truth, lie for its own sake, and yet when the truth is revealed, the results are cathartic. The human soul is transformed by revelation, and bettered by it. And yet, despite this, humans will immediately go back to burying themselves in half-truths and self-deceptions.  You'd think Litheroy would be alienated by the human tendency to lie and deceive, but it fires him up. Humans fascinate him because he doesn't understand how they can live as they do. He tries, each day, to comprehend this glorious, contradictory creation, taking joy at each new revelation and heartening with each setback. He is ocnvinced that the core question of human nature can be solved, and will be, that the mystery of humanity will be revealed. When it is, when even the Seraphim can understand the human soul, then Hell will have no traction. Once humanity is fully understood, any lie of Lucifer and his demons will be easily dispelled. It's just going to take some time to get there. Outsiders are often sympathetic to Litheroy's drive to find the truth and reduce it to the simplest form that fully expresses it. However, they are eternally frustrated by his indiscretion. Everyone in Heaven values truth, and Litheroy is their greatest investigator, but knowledge is power and spread it far and wide loses advantages. These people forget that Litheroy's Word is not Investigation, Understanding or even Truth. It's Revelation. It's not enough to learn the truth - it must be spread to all who will hear, and those who won't must be forced to listen. Any culture prizing secrecy subscribes to a dangerous vice, even the Seraphim Council, for they try to keep the truth from others. This is selfish, a need to conserve power at the cost of spiritual growth. Sparing someone's feelings with a white lie or by not giving your honest opinion only sets them up for later heartbreak and feelings of betrayal. If you aren't willing to have people know you did something, don't do it. If you do it, own it. Litheroy exemplfies this. When he is humiliated - and every Windy tries it at least once - he accepts it and tells everyone, using his experience to teach others. He never loses his cheer and he accepts misfortune and even ill will as just a thing that happens. This usually makes others like him more and shames the pranksters. Janus doesn't bother to warn his angels not to try - he feels the lesson is productive. Litheroy was made almost immedaiately after the Fall by Raphael. She recognized that in the wake of Heaven's losses, new angels would be needed, unshackled by memories of the past. Litheroy was one of the first, and he distinguished himself quickly. He was an energetic optimist who worked to spread Knowledge on Earth and in Heaven, forcing them to confront the truth: a third of the Host did rebel and Fell and were sealed away...for now. But now, they had to get back to work. He was also distinction as a Seraph for loving humanity and being interested in them more than in higher things. He was very successful at what he did, and when the first Seraphim Council was convened in 22,000 BC, 625 years after the Fall and his creation, he was invested with the Word of Revelation. While still a servant of Knowledge, he had become one of Raphael's most valuable agents.  Litheroy's Word made him a natural leader in Knowledge, and he directed Raphael's other angels passionately. He was given the task of passing on certain Knowledge to humans, and he began to build Raphael's organization on Earth, always mindful of God's Law and the injunction against revealing Heaven's true nature, but also seeing the need for humans to understand good and evil and the need for Heaven to undersand humans. He was good enough at it that after the demons were freed and the Grigori created, he acted as Raphael's liaison with those angels tasked to train the Watchers. He liked them for their acute perceptions, and he also found himself at the front of Raphael's war with the Princes Gebbeleth and Mariel. Through it all, he never lost his optimism. Next time: Litheroy and change
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Feb 6, 2016 19:34
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Mors Rattus posted:Superiors: Litheroy "M'lady."
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Feb 6, 2016 20:39
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I think you mean "M'Lilim."
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Feb 6, 2016 21:34
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"I was a Nice Guy angel on the Celestial Ladder, but now I'm a Superior PUA... Thanks to the Andrealphus Method!"
Simian_Prime fucked around with this message at 21:40 on Feb 6, 2016 |
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Feb 6, 2016 21:38
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Doresh posted:So humans habe been around for almost a millenium, but gunpowder and probably other sorts of advanced chemicals are tools of the devil? This is yet another medieval fantasy setting eternally stuck in the same vague medieval period, isn't it? I've always found it to be one of the funniest and creepiest aspects of the setting, in its earlier incarnations at least. It's a more amusing answer to 'can we invent gunpowder?' than a flat 'no'.
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Feb 6, 2016 22:45
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Simian_Prime posted:"I was a Nice Guy angel on the Celestial Ladder, but now I'm a Superior PUA... Thanks to the Andrealphus Method!" I'm not sure why this guy exists, myself. Isn't the search for knowledge and whatnot supposed to be part of Yves' bailiwick in addition to Destiny?
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Feb 6, 2016 22:58
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Litheroy isn't about obtaining or keeping knowledge, he's about spreading it around.
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Feb 6, 2016 23:05
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The Lone Badger posted:Litheroy isn't about obtaining or keeping knowledge, he's about spreading it around. Isn't that Jean, then? I get he's supposed to be angelic Sherlock Holmes/Indiana Jones, but I'm still not sure why he's an archangel as opposed to just a notable Wordbound serving Yves or Jean.
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Feb 6, 2016 23:09
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Simian_Prime posted:"I was a Nice Guy angel on the Celestial Ladder, but now I'm a Superior PUA... Thanks to the Andrealphus Method!" Pick Up Angel
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Feb 6, 2016 23:09
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Cythereal posted:I'm not sure why this guy exists, myself. Isn't the search for knowledge and whatnot supposed to be part of Yves' bailiwick in addition to Destiny? I feel like a couple of the Superiors feel redundant; Jordi works better as a Servitor of Eli, Laurence as an underling of Michael, etc. Maybe that's on purpose? I like the idea of Heaven/Hell not being a perfected hierarchy; there are Superiors who should be demoted but they have tenure, or some who got promoted because they serve another role besides their intended purpose (like Haagenthi). Creates more drama.
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Feb 6, 2016 23:15
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There's a lot of overlap, and some books even go over this, especially the GMG. Part of it is strategy; sometimes, a Word is so powerful and broad, that it ends up being intelligent to allow some very powerful Wordbound to ascend to the Superior status and run it from there. There's often talk in books of duties being passed on from certain Words, or accepting duties from dead Words. Also, a Word will often change in perspective and role, allowing some parts of it to break off to follow other methods. Jean, Litheroy, Yves, and Raphael all seem to essentially be 'smarts n' books n' stuff', but can have very different focuses. It doesn't mean there ISN'T unnecessary overlap, however, and that's often an in-setting worry and complaint. Lucifer does it sometimes to maintain cutting-edge competition, force the hands of some Princes, or to double-down on what he feels should be a focus for his plans that century. In addition, as the GMG says, there are more DEAD Princes than there are currently living ones. All the same I still feel that Litheroy is just Omega Seraph and not terribly necessary, but hey, he was Whistling's baby along with Alaemon, and he gave it his best. Cythereal posted:Again putting in my two cents worth, my take on things when planning my own campaign is that "Superior" is just a title. The GMG has a whole meaty sidebar devoted to just that idea! Nessus posted:I think you mean "M'Lilim." you're gonna keep this between you and me but you got no goddamn idea how sick I am of bloody Lilim
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Feb 6, 2016 23:17
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I am pretty sure that 'oh dear god I hate Lilim' is a common feeling among In Nomine fans. Because seriously, guys, Lilim. The game really, really wants you to buy into how special and amazing they are.
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Feb 6, 2016 23:20
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Litheroy sounds like the Archangel of Ruining Heavenly Plans. I bet once you fledge, you aren't really considered a Angel of Revelations until you get your first swirlie.
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Feb 6, 2016 23:26
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Mors Rattus posted:I am pretty sure that 'oh dear god I hate Lilim' is a common feeling among In Nomine fans. Look. ... I understand WHY Lilim are like that. They were pretty all over garbage during Derek's run. Then they became someone's baby. It just got a little too much... just a little too focused on. It got better later on. Lilim are an amazing tool in the setting to explain a lot of things about Hell and demonic operations. But the first thing you do is toss Bright Lilim being this super rare special magical gentle precious snowflake, and you say, "There's as many Bright Lilim as there are any other redeemed Band" and you move on. You know a good trick to make it work smoother? Every time you want a Lilim, you put an Impudite there instead. You keep Lilim to roles as vicious contractors and brokers, most often sitting behind an infernal bank window or passing out cards for people who need a great sharpshooter. You keep them as the subtle glue binding half of Hell together with the endless Geases, instead of this untouchable mystic bunch of green-skinned succubi. Actually, half the fun in a demon game is running smear campaigns against Lilim to take the piss out of them a little. But don't overdo it. The final idea is to give every Band a focus and a role in every Word, instead of forcibly assigning some precious status to them just because they're green, women, and shat out by a mythological figure.
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Feb 6, 2016 23:29
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Black August posted:The GMG has a whole meaty sidebar devoted to just that idea! I think that's the take I'll use for Litheroy in my planned campaign if anyone brings him up, unless the rest of his writeup impresses me: powerful Wordbound who doesn't really have a Superior he answers to on a regular basis, but not a member of the Council and not remotely on the power level of the archangels. He also runs a bit counter to my planned homebrew addition, Leviathan. Leviathan is the Archangel of the Sea, and beyond taking care of the oceans themselves she's also the keeper of heavenly mysteries as waters once separated Earth from Heaven. In other words, her primary job besides maintaining the oceans is erasing evidence of the War on Earth and keeping humanity at large from learning the truth about the celestials. The dissonance condition for angels of the Sea is to tell any human the truth about celestials, the celestial realms, or the War - unlike Khalid, Leviathan's angels cover up evidence of demons and Hell, too. They can encourage individuals to find the truth for themselves and even point them in the right direction, but Leviathan adores the human spirit of exploration and discovery, and would never simply give a human the answers they seek. Then again, Leviathan is also working on expanding her Word to include space travel - she may or may not be [part of] the reason why people have gotten so used to talking about space and space travel using naval terminology. One of the ideas I'm considering for the first adventure hook is that Leviathan is attempting to turn the Sea of Tranquility, the place were humans first set foot on the Moon, into a Tether. It would be the first off-Earth Tether claimed by any celestial, and another dire portent to Yves and Kronos.
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Feb 6, 2016 23:35
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Mors Rattus posted:I am pretty sure that 'oh dear god I hate Lilim' is a common feeling among In Nomine fans.
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Feb 6, 2016 23:49
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Nessus posted:Yeah their core concept is cool but it's definitely leveraging what amazingly special snowflakes they are. I think it'd be less galling if there had been a couple of other similar quirky choirs (maybe there were?) There's a ton of fan material for Minor Choirs and Bands - it's easy to assume that most every Archangel and Prince has made a celestial based off of their Word, like Blandine with Menunim. The thing is with Lilith, Lilim are strong, and a unique product, or at the least a violently patented and protected one, because the second someone else figures out how to make Lilim or one of them makes Prince without her Mother's consent, Lilith is FUCKIN' DEAD. Lilim aren't even quirky, they're just, you know, Pretty Green Women From Hell Who Force You To Do Stuff, and they existed in an RPG culture rife with nerds who were more interested in jerking off and being the coolest best forever than actually playing a drat game. So they got out of hand real fast. Again, every time you feel the urge to toss a Lilim in there, ask if the much more common Band, Impudites, who are CENTERED around charming people, wouldn't be a better choice. Lilim are excellent as the semi-uncommon and brutal contractors who exist to see your soul bent over a hot cauldron if you back out of a deal, and demons, without a gun to their head, will always back out of a deal if they think they can get away with it.
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Feb 6, 2016 23:56
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Bieeardo posted:I've always found it to be one of the funniest and creepiest aspects of the setting, in its earlier incarnations at least. It's a more amusing answer to 'can we invent gunpowder?' than a flat 'no'. You'd think having guns would give them a definite edge and defining feature over the other standard medieval fantasy races. Aside from being crazy fundies. Which come to think about... does this setting have clerics? Do the guys that are the most obsessed about killing dudes with a different belief gain power out of it? Or do they just delude themselves into thinking their wizards are totally clerics, paragons of their god who most likely isn't really around in this alien world? Oh well, these Banestorm could potentially barf out the Soviet invasion force I was fantasizing about a couple pages ago... Doresh fucked around with this message at 00:33 on Feb 7, 2016 |
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Feb 7, 2016 00:31
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Lilim are cool; they just kind of only have a couple of stories in them, which contradicts with how they're supposed to be only moderately uncommon. (They remind me a lot of Charlie's Archons in Erfworld.)
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Feb 7, 2016 00:57
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Cythereal posted:I'm not sure why this guy exists, myself. Isn't the search for knowledge and whatnot supposed to be part of Yves' bailiwick in addition to Destiny? In Wings of Desire, Peter Falk is an angel, and does all his Columbo catchphrases and mannerisms as an angel. I haven't seen enough Columbo to know if that's Littleroy, but it could be an inspiration. Littleroy seems annoying though.
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Feb 7, 2016 01:06
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Fun in-joke from people who played way too much In Nomine: after a while, you start to Matrix code other media, and start to tag people as certain roles. "Oh that dude is totally a Cherub." "She must serve Fire." "Guy is a Balseraph of Greed if I've ever seen one." It works bizarrely well to describe new media to friends also with the same habit, especially fantastical media. I managed to describe Steven Universe as 'A Child of the Grigori and his three rough-times adoptive angel moms struggle to deal with him growing up"
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Feb 7, 2016 01:12
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I do that with Unknown Armies and Mage! It's not a good habit! I've accepted that I'll always be the Demon of Stale Bongwater, and that's okay. I totally want him to be Eli's secret weapon tho. Like he gets him into a High or Low place because he's so harmless, and then you do some linguistic trickery to Redeem him into the Angel of Water or claim that bongs represent community or something. Some kind of real last-minute Doctor Who trick.
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Feb 7, 2016 01:16
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Oh, you reminded me. Another fun fact, the Infernal Player's Guide was one of the first big projects for Beth as Line Editor, and she scourged the hell out of some parts, especially the part with Redemption (yes I know the writer's guide says redemption is lowercase-r, but gently caress the stupid guide, if Falling is always captial-F, then Redemption gets the big R too), which was originally (I read it and can verify) some of the worst writing ever. It described Redemption as this touchy-feeling gentle water wash thing, it was lifeless and silly as all get out. It got hard revised to its current form, where Redemption is an absolute surrender of the self. It's allowing the Symphony, the Universe itself, to come inside your soul and help remake you. It's giving up the false Symphony every demon builds inside of themselves, and abandoning selfishness as the only truth. It's also not guaranteed to work, no matter how repentant the demon is, or how skilled the Archangel works; many demons have died trying to Redeem, and Asmodeus leverages that for all its worth in his propaganda. It'll burn off Forces, it'll hurt, and it's not something to be done lightly or as a "ah gently caress it I'll just swap sides" deal. Another gross quirk that didn't get totally wiped away is how Heaven treats the Redeemed. In the original writing, Heaven was almost murderous towards new angels, treating them like pariahs, harassing then, abusing them, threatening them, and treating them like total dirt even after they were finally 'accepted'. It was appalling poo poo. Some of those writers had some goddamn issues. What makes it extra funny is that later writers who read that spun it off into The Camp, a scary neat game seed idea for demons, which is in the Book of Tethers I believe.
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Feb 7, 2016 01:28
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Doresh posted:So humans habe been around for almost a millenium, but gunpowder and probably other sorts of advanced chemicals are tools of the devil? This is yet another medieval fantasy setting eternally stuck in the same vague medieval period, isn't it? Tangentially, I'm also trying to add a bit more formatting foolery to all posts from now on to differentiate between different headers, so on top of the already existing trend of putting chapter titles in bold and underlined, I am now doing both bold and italics for sections of the chapter and keeping just bold for subsections of those sections. I'm also trying out the whole thing of uploading images to imgur at a forum-friendly size rather than forcing timgs.
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Feb 7, 2016 01:33
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Doresh posted:You'd think having guns would give them a definite edge and defining feature over the other standard medieval fantasy races. Aside from being crazy fundies. Which come to think about... does this setting have clerics? Do the guys that are the most obsessed about killing dudes with a different belief gain power out of it? Or do they just delude themselves into thinking their wizards are totally clerics, paragons of their god who most likely isn't really around in this alien world? Considering it sounds like the Banestorm has been going on 2000 years our time, a displaced good 'ol boy redneck militia would probably be a serious threat for a while. A regiment sized military unit would be a world-changing event. BTW, how does the Banestorm look on the other end? Is it just dudes putzing around and just vanishing in clear day or a major atmospheric event and people disappearing?
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Feb 7, 2016 01:46
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Black August posted:There's a ton of fan material for Minor Choirs and Bands - it's easy to assume that most every Archangel and Prince has made a celestial based off of their Word, like Blandine with Menunim. The thing is with Lilith, Lilim are strong, and a unique product, or at the least a violently patented and protected one, because the second someone else figures out how to make Lilim or one of them makes Prince without her Mother's consent, Lilith is FUCKIN' DEAD. Or you could go Screwtape Letters with it and Lilim fill in as the bureaucracy and legal department of Hell. That could be Lilith's secret to staying alive in Hell: the Lilim are the glue of Hell's organization simply because they're about the only ones who can ensure the management and supply of Hell's legions actually gets done. They're not the glamorous succubi you normally hear about, but your average Lilim is the Hellish version of an office drone or truck driver.
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Feb 7, 2016 01:49
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Cythereal posted:Or you could go Screwtape Letters with it and Lilim fill in as the bureaucracy and legal department of Hell. That could be Lilith's secret to staying alive in Hell: the Lilim are the glue of Hell's organization simply because they're about the only ones who can ensure the management and supply of Hell's legions actually gets done. They're not the glamorous succubi you normally hear about, but your average Lilim is the Hellish version of an office drone or truck driver. That is EXACTLY how I've run them. But the thing is, since they're made by Lilith and come at a high cost in that regard, they usually end up in slightly better positions than you'd expect. Which of course means Lilith tries to make them smart as she can, and uses the Guildhall to cover her rear end. Which also means Lilim are in a weird clique of their own, all of them motivated to keep on each other's asses to get the drat job done. Which means other demons actually resent and dislike them, and many spend a great deal of time trying to defame and get them killed off, since they very frequently hold the keys to forcing matters through a Geas, and as outside contractors to bind deals and get lovely jobs done. So this ties right into Hell's murderous atmosphere and politics, leaving Lilim less 'special green girlfriend' and more 'loathed and feared minority with unique power and cut-throat family circle to keep themselves from dying in droves'. Which Lilith has to fight on her end by pressuring Princes to take care of the property she sold them (because that's what they are in Hell like everyone else, property, not people), or else she'll cut off the supply and see how they deal with no Geases to glue the day-to-day together. But hey, you gently caress up too many times, Lilith will just look the other way while you get torn up into pieces, or she'll just hire one of your Band-sisters to murder you so your loose Forces don't end up in a Prince's hands while they try to figure out how best to recycle you into a knockoff Lilim of their own. All while you're drowning in this awful network of gently caress You's from Geases flying everywhere and the Game has practically incited its own private war to see every last one of you in chains or just wiped clean from Hell entirely.
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Feb 7, 2016 02:00
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Cythereal posted:They're not the glamorous succubi you normally hear about, but your average Lilim is the Hellish version of an office drone or truck driver. Also, every Lilim truck driver or office drone gets really salty when you mention the sexy green-skinned girl image that's plastered over every billboard in Shal-Mari.
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Feb 7, 2016 02:02
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Ratoslov posted:Also, every Lilim truck driver or office drone gets really salty when you mention the sexy green-skinned girl image that's plastered over every billboard in Shal-Mari. I wish there had been more players like you around when the scene was still hoppin' 
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Feb 7, 2016 02:22
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Black August posted:I wish there had been more players like you around when the scene was still hoppin' It's kind of off-topic and I don't have PMs, but would you mind if I ran my currently planned band attunements for my homebrew archangel past you? Or might just be time to bite the bullet and upgrade.
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Feb 7, 2016 02:43
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Superiors: Litheroy - WAIT GUYS LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT Litheroy's role changed around 5000 years after the Grigori were made. He was one of the first angels to discover what at first appeared to be a new breed of human, but turned out to be the Nephilim. He took this information to Dominic, only to be brought into the confidence of that Archangel and Eli, and ordered to silence. Eli had found the origins of the Nephilim - angel/human crosbreeds. Eli more than Litheroy found it was the work of the Grigori, but Dominic noted the skill and zeal of Revelation. He wasn't the only one. In the Roman Empire, Uriel's patronage was undermined by Andrealphus and by Beelzebub, Prince of Corruption. Litheroy fought Beelzebub passionately, uncovering corruption and analyzing Beelzebub's habits and movements. Naturally, tis was all passed on to Uriel, who was able to use it to predict and confront his nemesis. Thus, Litheroy enabled Uriel's 300 year campaign against Corruption, which ultimately resulted in the death of Beelzebub. While Knowledge, Judgment and Purity all supported Litheroy, it was a different event that led to his ascension. The founding of Christianity brought Revelation to the forefront of human ideas, to the point that the final book of the Bibler was the Revelation of Saint John, concerning knowledge revealed from Heaven. As Rom turned to Christianity, seers and prophets and scholars alike spoke of Heaven's revelations. Litheroy's Word grew massively, though he disliked that so many 'revelations' were false and corrected them whenever he could. As a follower of Raphael, he was also part of the work of Raphael, Yves and Gabriel in spreading Christianity. His Word surged, apparently tied to Christianity, and at last, when Rome officially converted and the Council of Nicea was held in 325 AD, the Seraphim Council took steps. Uriel and Dominic openly supported the religion , and Litheroy was made Archangel of Revelation. This day, he maintains his Cathedral near the Halls of Worship, in honor of Christianity.  While Litheroy was happy to be associated with Christianity, which he found fascinating and mysterious, but he was not dogmatic. He was far more interested in investigation, and utterly uninterested in politics. He was isolated from the rest of the Archangels, with his only ally Raphael. He had actually been rather more important and effective before his ascension - without Raphael's governance, he embraced openness and truth in all things. Even Uriel began to exclude him from sensitive meetings, though he never had any dislike of Litheroy. For his part, Litheroy obeyed orders from the Commander of the Host and gave nothing but blunt and unembellished advice when he felt he should. Uriel appreciated that and accepted Litheroy as pure. Following his recall, Laurence has accepted Litheroy in the same spirit, but with the same precautions. While less integral to the War, Litheroy continued faithful service, acting as foil to Jean when he could and working closely with Raphael to study humanity and expose lies. It was a great time...but it would not last. First came the death of Raphael. She sacrificed herself to destroy Legion, and Litheroy took it very hard - she had been his creator, his oldest friend, his truest ally. Jean was also crushed by her death, and while the two became increasingly intolerant of each other over the next few centuries, they comforted one another in the wake of Raphael's death. Even the destruction of Mariel in the aftermath of the Legion affair could not hearten Litheroy. Still, he had a job to do, and he did it. Raphael's sacrifice hurt, but he could at least understand and accept it. Not so when the new Prince of Secrets was crowned in 1800 AD - and turned out to be, apparently, Alaemon, a former Mercurian of Revelation made by Litheroy himself. It can't be confirmed that the two were the same, but Alaemon used extensive knowledge of Revelation to attack Litheroy and his angels. Litheroy was shocked and hurt, but he accepted the challegne and has begun fighting back, exposing Alaemon as completely as he can. In the centuries since, the two have largely existed in stalemate, with most of their resoruce devoted to fighting each other.  Compares to most Archangels, Litheroy is straightforward. He says what he means, doesn't hold back and never fails to answer a question. Many believe him naive, even simpleminded and unsophisticated. Perhaps even childlike. They are wrong. Litheroy understands the world better than most Seraphim. He understands that humans and most angels value privacy and discretion. He just knows that they are wrong, sometimes tragically so. He does not coddle wrongness, whether it comes from a child lying to parents or from the Commander of the Host. He knows it's cost him the support of his fellows, and he pays that price willingly. He is, at his core, earnest. He is serious at all times, taking joy in truth, but he does not laugh. He answers sarcasm with honest and literal responses. He never assumes rhetorical questions, and in fact finds he can often force questioners to question their own assumptions by answering them. Any question is important enough to answer. Any assumption is important enough to challenge. Any secret is important enough to expose. Ultimately, Litheroy is trying to understand. He accepts on faith that humans are important - God said so. Litheroy now wants to understand why. God would not favor them without good reason, so therefore God's servants should decipher that reason. He loves humans deeply and truly, and he loves listening to them, reading their books and examining their history and cultures. In roughly the same way an entomologist loves ants, in fact. While Litheroy is the Seraph who loves humans most and tries hardest to understand them, he lacks essential perception of who and what mankind is, by his nature as a Seraph. He accepts this, and isn't discouraged. He keeps trying. Litheroy has only a few priorities. Reveal hidden truths and penetrate lies anywhere you find them. Spread truth wherever you can, debunking rumor and falsehood. Oppose Alaemon and his efforts to conceal information and hurt Revelation. Study humans to understand them better and give them back the heritage lost to Secrets or Oblivion. Penetrate the secrets of Hell and help the War any way you can, following Laurence's orders when needed. If asked to elaborate, Litheroy can go into detail on each point, but that's it at the core. God loves truth and hates lies, and everything else is window dressing. Litheroy is ocnvinced that if all parties in the War understood each other, there would no demons and no War. Byh iding from each other, demons deny truth and become miserable, then spread that misery. Litheroy wants only to make his enemies understand. He believes they've made a stupid, tragic choice, and as a result, they are less important than the humans they try to deceive. While Litheroy would happily Redeem demons that understand, he fights first and converts only when no innocents are in danger and opportunity allows it. Self-deception is tragic, but the orror of the lies demons perpetuate takes precedence. Litheroy actually has more sympathy for the Hellborn than the Fallen, as an angel Falls by denying the truth of their birthright and thus commiut the greatest of sins. Litheroy is sympathetic, of course, and will help you see the error of your ways, but he believes there's a harsh justice in the destruction of the Fallen. A Hellborn demon, on the other hand, has been lied to from its first moment, with little chance to learn otherwise, so it cannot be said to deny the truth. Litheroy thinks these demons deserve a chance to understand their own nature and that which was denied them. He does not, however, believe that should come at the expense of Earth or Heaven. He is a good soldier, when fighting. He obeys Laurence and the Council and directs his angels to obey as well. He listens to Michael, Dominic and Yves for advice, and while he is often excluded from operations for his lack of discretion, he never hides what he knows for himself. He knows his angels make excellent intelligence gatherers and tries to ensure all they learn goes up the line as quickly as possible. Litheroy avoids politics religiously. If he learns something that can help an Archangel, even one he dislikes, he tells them. If he opposes a plan, he says so and why to anyone that will listen. If he learns something another angel or Archangel wants kept secret, he tells everyone - embarrassment is a small price to pay for eliminating a lie in Heaven. The Seraphim Council mostly accepts this - Litheroy is honest and true to himself and to Heaven's beliefs. Every Archangel that isn't a Seraph themself knows Seraphim and how hard it is for them to conceal anything. Rather than oppose or undermine Litheroy, other Archangels just exclude him, and the idea of secret meetings postdates his ascension. Before then, Michael or Uriel could just ask people to keep silent. But Litheroy will not keep silent unless asked by God or directly ordered to by the Council specifically - and that latter is uncertain. It's just easier not to tell him things. Superior Opinions posted:Blandine: I have noticed Litheroy and his Servitors spending time in the Marches, trying to unravel the mystery of humanity. They are not disruptive. They observe and learn. They ask questions and listen to answers. They do not attempt to impress their agenda onto the dreamers. I appreciate such respect.     Next time: The Abbey in Heaven
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Feb 7, 2016 02:54
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Litheroy seems like the nicest Superior to deal with. Eli's a close second, but he's, y'know, insane even by Superior standards. Yves is niceish, but he's also cryptic, which I have mentioned I have a intense dislike of. While I think the whole story of the time Andre banged Roy is cute, I do gotta wonder what circumstances it could possibly have occured in, given Litheroy's stated 'SMASH DEMON FACES' stance. EDIT: Oh, something I've been meaning to ask: Is Litheroy made up 100% of whole cloth, or is there a historical/angelological origin for the name? Ratoslov fucked around with this message at 03:38 on Feb 7, 2016 |
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Feb 7, 2016 03:28
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