[Nobilis] Tabletop play

[Geoff Hall]

Okay, I own Nobilis and have done for a number of months. I love it, I love the setting, the writing in the book, the concept, everything about it. It's by far the most beautiful, well crafted and inspirational roleplaying book I've ever read (hell, it probably ranks up there with any book I've ever read.) My question, how does it play?

I've not had the chance to give it a go 'face to face' as it were and I'm really interested in how what is undoubtabley a very unique mechanic actually runs with an HG and real time players. Personally I play in a PBeM of the game, whilst it's suffering from standard PBeM dying syndrome right now, is an excellent excercise in creative writing and a great way to explore the setting an social interactions of the Nobilis.

So I know the game works wonderfully as a PBeM. Great, I'm glad (really, I absolutely adore writing for my character, Nicholas Rothschilde, Marquis of Shadows.) So how does it play in real time? The example of play is a great read but how easy is it for an HG and players to pull that kind of stuff off just out of the blue with no thinking time to speak of? Inquiring minds want cool frickin' stories!

Ahem. Yeah. Anyway, for reference here's a link to the yahoo group the PBeM runs on followed by a link to a page on the HG's website which gives a (very) brief rundown of the characters:

Edit: Seems the group is set up to be members only so ppl can't check it out. Damn HG ;)

Characters in the game (http://freespace.virgin.net/andrew.kenrick7/nobilis.htm)

And hey, following is a little piece of writing done for the PBeM by Chris, the player of Sound and Fury. He has a grudge against the Power of (I believe) Precision and decides to go about nettling him in a most unsubtle way...

This is the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures in Paris. This is where they calibrate. This is where they ask questions like 'Precisely how long is a metre?' And this is where they answer them.

Tonight the air is filled with clanking. The clatter and clank of a full suit of milanese plate armour, worn by a large man, carrying a big sword, who walks out from underneath a bridge and towards the BIPM.

Through gates and past security cameras without a sideways glance. The visor is down and the face hidden. Up to the doors of the Pavillon de Breteuil. The claymore arcs downwards and the doors burst open wth a crash.

Alarms give tongue around the building, and a smile forms beneath the helmet. Five feet of tempered steel whirl in a two-handed grip, and glass display cabinets shatter, precise models and delicate electronics are sundered, decades of research is desecrated.

The guard who peers around the doorway, nervously tensing the trigger of his gun, receives a gauntleted fist in the face.

The central room is encased in steel. Not so much due to the security, but because the temperature and pressure must be kept precisely right. The wheels of the combination lock turn, tumblers quietly clicking into place. Before long the heavy door opens.

Within the room, apart from a variety of scientific apparatus, are a couple of lumps of precious metal, a platinum-iridium alloy. One is long and thin. There are two marks on it, and the distance between them was, until recently, the very definition of a metre. The other is a small cylinder, and its mass still is the definition of a kilogram. They are as precise as precise can be.

The armoured figure produces, from some hidden holster, a blowtorch.

When he is done, Otto makes his way out through the debris and back to the bridge into Locus Kalarati.

[florin]

I played a couple of sessions face to face before schedules changed, and we couldn't meet any more.

One thing about email vs FtF RP is that email always has more description. I have yet to meet a GM or player who wants to give a paragraph or two's worth of description in a FtF game, but lots of people don't bat an eye at doing it in an email game.

The game goes fast, though. The longest parts of scenes that I saw where the players trying to figure out what they want to do. Resolution is quick as lightning.

I need to dig up another game. :)

[Ineti]

Originally posted by florin
I need to dig up another game. :)

Bring the book with you on Sunday. :)

[Jere]

I think table-top brings out the strengths of Nobilis in its crazy improvisation and sense of drama. Can't imagine playing it any other way.

[Snoopy]

I had some players who were more used to D&D and WW type stuff, and went for the combat approach. Damn that was cool. Didn't work, but it was cool.

- Next time, more cunning required Snoop

[florin]

Originally posted by Ineti
Bring the book with you on Sunday. :)

I already told Berkanna I would. :) It's good you reminded me, though. I think I was forgetting...

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by Snoopy
I had some players who were more used to D&D and WW type stuff, and went for the combat approach. Damn that was cool. Didn't work, but it was cool.

- Next time, more cunning required Snoop

Oh dear, what happened to them?

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by florin
I played a couple of sessions face to face before schedules changed, and we couldn't meet any more.

One thing about email vs FtF RP is that email always has more description. I have yet to meet a GM or player who wants to give a paragraph or two's worth of description in a FtF game, but lots of people don't bat an eye at doing it in an email game.

The game goes fast, though. The longest parts of scenes that I saw where the players trying to figure out what they want to do. Resolution is quick as lightning.

I need to dig up another game. :)

Sounds good to me! I really hope I can get a FtF game sometime...

[ParadoxDruid]

I ran a Nobilis campaign a few months back...

Worked really well with my players, but the "primaries" were people I chose for it-- I picked people who like description and drama more than action or combat. There were a few other players who played a session or two as supporting cast characters or the like.

The plot was a long-term attack against their Chancel by an Excrucian who was working through a rival Imperator. There were some great complications, like the excrucian being in a strange sort of love affair with a Cammoran agent, which helped shield his activites from Entropy's watchful eye; the Christof, Power of Innocence, who was about the least innocent Noble imaginable; and needing to get the assistance of the Power of Time, who unfortunately moves _backwards_ through time; eventually, one of the PCs was false arrested and put on trial by Entropy.

I think it works really well face-to-face. You definitely get less description, but you get the chance for all SORTS of social intrigue and manuevering in conversations.

*happy sigh* I had some great characters for that one.. We had the rivalry betwen the Powers of Delusion and Disillusion, the very savvy Power of Hospitality; and the slightly-Malkavian (in the scary- oh my god, he killed her for no reason!) Power of Irony.

[Jeffwik]

Originally posted by Jere
I think table-top brings out the strengths of Nobilis in its crazy improvisation and sense of drama. Can't imagine playing it any other way.

Ditto.

[Geoff Hall]

Okay, now I'm just jealous.

[Samhaine]

I haven't yet played a PBEM game of Nobilis, but I've found where it differs from other tabletop games is its sense of freedom and, as others have pointed out, the absolute ease of conflict and task resolution. The players know that their characters can do just about anything, so long as they can outsmart any empowered opposition. It becomes about figuring the most effective and efficient means of doing something, rather than trying to figure out how to do it at all.

For example, I ran a flower rite where the players had three or so hours left until we needed to finish, and the characters had less than a day left in game to solve the problem. The characters decided that the best solution was to go to Europe, find an egress to the World Tree, take a trip to Heaven, pick up a dead soul, and bring it back to Earth to help them overcome the rite. All while pursuing their own personal goals and idioms during the trip. And it was all done in a few hours of real time.

Basically, tabletop Noblis seems like it runs itself most of the time. All the GM needs to do is come up with some basic structure to the areas the PCs are most likely to care about, feed in plot or interesting setting now and again, and be able to think quickly to fill in the gaps. The characters will pursue their own interests and agendas, and most of the time all the GM has to do is react. I've never before had a game where most of the play time is spent having IC discussions and poking about the local area turn out as so much fun in actual practice.

The one real problem I've had so far came when the characters wanted to host a party of Nobles. Coming up with a bunch of NPCs, all of which have to be as unique and cool as the PCs, all of which have to have their own agendas and motivations, is a whole hell of a lot of work after a while. If anyone has some suggestions on how to come up with multiple neat NPC Nobles without suffering burnout, please do tell.

[Geoff Hall]

And more jealous. These games sound like a lot of fun and give the distinct impression that Nobilis works damn well as a tabletop game. I just wish I had someone to play ftf with now =/

[ParadoxDruid]

On a fun side note: In all my days reading RPGs on my university's campus, the ONLY time someone has ever come up and approached me was when I was reading Nobilis. We talked Nobilis for a while, it was fun.

So I bought a Nobilis shirt- I've yet to meet an annoying person who likes Nobilis, so it's kind of a weeder to me, I guess. lol. Than again, a few good RPG buddies don't like it-- but I already know if they're annoying or not (they are, but in a good way). :)

But yeah- GMing Nobilis FtF can be quite the ride... sometimes, the game runs itself and other times, you're trying to come up with unique personalities and motivations every 5 minutes. I cheated by making up like 20 nobles with anchors and all, and basically pulling them out of a hat when I needed more cast.

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by ParadoxDruid
But yeah- GMing Nobilis FtF can be quite the ride... sometimes, the game runs itself and other times, you're trying to come up with unique personalities and motivations every 5 minutes. I cheated by making up like 20 nobles with anchors and all, and basically pulling them out of a hat when I needed more cast.

See to me that just seems to be common sense. Of course with my total inability to make to to prep for games I'd never get around to doing it... Still, much common sense to be found here.

[Mapache]

Originally posted by Samhaine
The one real problem I've had so far came when the characters wanted to host a party of Nobles. Coming up with a bunch of NPCs, all of which have to be as unique and cool as the PCs, all of which have to have their own agendas and motivations, is a whole hell of a lot of work after a while. If anyone has some suggestions on how to come up with multiple neat NPC Nobles without suffering burnout, please do tell.

Hmmm, we just started our Nobilis game (http://nobilis.mapache.org), and the very first thing we're doing is holding a party to meet other Nobles. I think our HG should be able to handle it, though...

[Jeffwik]

Originally posted by Geoff Hall
And more jealous. These games sound like a lot of fun and give the distinct impression that Nobilis works damn well as a tabletop game. I just wish I had someone to play ftf with now =/

Was it fun? I was Balzac, man! Balzac!

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by Jeffwik
Was it fun? I was Balzac, man! Balzac!

Must. Play. Nobilis!

[thenorm42]

Heheh, I'd really like to have some playtime with Nobilis, rather than just talking about it! Having said that, I already feel I've got my thirty quid's worth out of the GWB just from reading through it and enjoying all the Flores and stuff - maybe it'd be cheating if I actually went and played it too? Maybe it's all a Flower Rite on the Power of Economics...

Norm

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by thenorm42
Heheh, I'd really like to have some playtime with Nobilis, rather than just talking about it! Having said that, I already feel I've got my thirty quid's worth out of the GWB just from reading through it and enjoying all the Flores and stuff - maybe it'd be cheating if I actually went and played it too? Maybe it's all a Flower Rite on the Power of Economics...

Norm

Hehe, not a bad point. And I agree, the GWB was (well!) worth the money just to read it. I'm getting some PBeM play but, obviously, that's just not the same as tabletop and I'd love to try it that way. I could use one of the concepts that didn't make my final character in the PBeM (and I had LOTS of concepts.)

[thenorm42]

Eek, and I did wind up paying for it *twice*, owing to Wizard's Attic going bust on me *mutters*! Maybe if I pay over the odds for it, but still get good value out of it, THEN it's a Flower Rite on Economics or something... :D

Have you tried any chatroom / messenger-based gaming? I'd quite like to see how well that works.

Norm

[Geoff Hall]

I've not had the chance but would certainly take it if I got it. It's not quite the same as doing things face to face but it's a lot closer than PBeM!

[thenorm42]

Hmmm, maybe we should get one going? There seems to be a lot of demand, though I get the impression that many are a little scared by the idea of HG-ing. If we do it on a Sunday, it'll be easier to accomodate people in differing timezones. Any thoughts? Would anyone else be interested?

Norm

[Geoff Hall]

Not a bad plan although I'll hold up my hand as someone who's scared of HGing ;-)

Sunday is probably a good day for it as well, at least for me...

Anyone else?

[sben]

HGing actually isn't all that hard, it turns out, having started doing so recently.

What you need:

* Willingness to provide some structure for the players to work with, esp. if they're new to Nobilis. I didn't want to prejudice my players with (say) chancel concepts, and when it came time to design it, they kind of floundered. Once I suggested something, they ran with it (it turned out to be similar to something one of them was thinking, but was feeling shy about) and made it very cool.

* PCs with interesting hooks. Bonds are very good here.

* Awareness that you can (perhaps should) start small and grow from there. My first scenario centered around the chancel and a bane, so that the players could stretch their wings in relative safety. The second scenario went out into prosaic Earth, to demonstrate how much more powerful than mortals the nobles were. The next story will involve other nobles (consequences from story #2), and the one after that will introduce an excrucian-shard.

After two stories, I already have a zillion plot hooks that the players and/or I have set up for me.

[thenorm42]

Right, so Sben has volunteered to HG for us, then. :D (kids)

I'd be willing to give the whole HG thing a try (as a long-time player of MUD, I actually find the idea a lot less daunting than doing it face-to-face. I worry I might not be any good, but then again I'll never know unless I try (my GMing experience is limited to a few sessions of WHFRP about five years ago - though, those were very good, if rather hack-and-slash, sessions).

Norm

[mgrasso]

I made the mistake of trying to run a Livejournal-based PBeM when Nobilis 2nd ed. came out and got 20 people into playing. Not surprisingly, it crashed and burned within 2 weeks of starting. I was paralyzed and didn't know how to start it. Damned if that wasn't some of the most fun chargen ever, though. Four Chancels of five Nobles each creating a Chancel and Imperator... and some wonderful character concepts too. I'll have to shamelessly poach them if the occasion ever comes to run Nobilis tabletop.

[Thunder_God]

HGing?

You people could each post your NPCs here and then a "bank" would be created for people to draw upon, 2-3 interesting NPCs per person shouldn't be too hard. You could just use all the un-used character concepts you had and didn't use as NPCs, you know how they work.

[Geoff Hall]

Well I admit that quite apart from being pretty certain that my GMing skills aren't up to much (attempting to hone them in numerous abortive 1 on 1 sessions with my 11 yr. old isn't the best practise...) I personally really don't have the time to do the necessary prep work to run a game. I'm talking the statting out of NPC's here more than anything and thinking of more and more cool Powers to introduce of course ;) Having just started a Masters in physics and technology of nuclear reactors my schedule is, as I'm sure you can imagine, pretty choc full most of the time. I can scam enough free time to participate in games an evening or 2 a week but actually finding the time needed to successfully run a good campaign? I can't even manage it for D&D! However the excellent experiences I've had from just reading the GWB, let alone participating in the PBeM have left me hungry for more so I'm up for it if someone is willing to run a game and we can find a time to play.

I actually already participate in one online game using a program called openrpg that can be found Here (http://www.openrpg.com) which is pretty good. It's my old D&D group from when we were all still at university together, we've been running online for 2 years now. So I know that these online games can work very well although they certainly tend to move more slowly than face to face. Of course they're definately more forgiving too, you get time to think a bit about what you're going to say before you type it!

Hmmm. I think I've probably rambled enough there for now... (oh, I may well be able to scrounge up a few players frm my PBeM if we can get this thing going although I can't promise anything.)

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by Thunder_God
HGing?

You people could each post your NPCs here and then a "bank" would be created for people to draw upon, 2-3 interesting NPCs per person shouldn't be too hard. You could just use all the un-used character concepts you had and didn't use as NPCs, you know how they work.

Solid plan. We can create numerous PC's and then pick one and donate the rest to the 'bank.' I figure everyone can do that without too many problems :D

[thenorm42]

Yeah, that's a really good idea! Having a bank of NPCs to draw on would be very useful.

Plus, while a bit bored on a night out last night, I've come up with a possible story hook or two. Obviously these things all depend on the characters / chancel / imperator / players, but it'd be good to try!

:wonders if this thing will snowball and he'll wind up HGing for a hundred people at once...

Norm

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

I'm in for online Nobilis. Just let me know what time. :D

[thenorm42]

Ooh, yay, another person!

:starts chanting *Snowball! Snowball!*

Norm

[Geoff Hall]

w00t!

Time to create a Power of 1337 ;)

[thenorm42]

Heheh, maybe he could be a bad guy, and I can take great pleasure in letting you dismember him slowly. :D

Or perhaps he could be part of a puzzly bit, where you have to glean clues from his L33tspeak...

[Kurotowa]

I'm also all for on-line Nobilis. Certainly never going to play it FtF anytime soon. And even if we don't, I'll try and find time to write my Noble of Memory up in more detail than the rough ideas from this (http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56944) thread.

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

What is the preferred online format, by the way? I have a MUX that we can use, if need be.

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by Kurotowa
I'm also all for on-line Nobilis. Certainly never going to play it FtF anytime soon. And even if we don't, I'll try and find time to write my Noble of Memory up in more detail than the rough ideas from this (http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56944) thread.

Hey, that's a neat little idea :)

One of mine, whilst reading the book through, was a Power of Illusion w/ 5 Domain. So what comes up in flavour text later in the book? Yup, that exact character! Scuppered that idea pretty quick I can tell you ;)

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by thenorm42
Heheh, maybe he could be a bad guy, and I can take great pleasure in letting you dismember him slowly. :D

Or perhaps he could be part of a puzzly bit, where you have to glean clues from his L33tspeak...

Either way I'd never play him as if I did I'd have to stat up a Power of Suicide to have domain over my iminent demise ;)

[thenorm42]

Ooh, this is going quite well, 3 people already. I'll just put up another post on the Game Registry bit.

:now has an idea of who the bad guy might be, plus what he looks like...

Since it's Nobilis, any chatroom or MUD (I play on MUD2, the direct descendent of the first MUD ever, and by far and away the best :) ) would do - no need for dicebots or anything like that. The RPG open thing might be an idea, though, as some of the add-ons might come in handy.

Shall we organise some sort of preliminary meeting? When's everyone available? Where shall we go?

I really like your sig btw Oddsod.

Norm

[Kurotowa]

Moday evening's likely filling up for me, Wednsday is sub-optimal but doable, and everything else is clear. My ISP gives me connection troubles to things like IRC and MUD, but MUD is more stable than IRC so that'd be my preferance. As for time, I'm EST, but flexable.

[Geoff Hall]

Well Thursday is out for me (I game on openrpg w/ my old uni group then) but in general I think other nights would be okay. I may be starting playing in a game in a few weeks though but I don't know details of that yet...

I can do irc w/o problems, have no clue about MUD (any version) and am an avid user of openrpg (go here (http://www.openrpg.com) to check it out if you don't know what it is.)

[Kurotowa]

A MUD room set up for gaming is dead easy, I've done it before and it wasa breeze to learn. If you know IRC, it's a first cousin. As for the OpenRPG, I'm not familiar with it, but learning a new interface never hurt. My only fear is that it would be like IRC, with persistant disconnects, instead of MUD where I just lag for a couple minutes then snap back.

[thenorm42]

I was thinking of Sunday, as then it's least likely to cause problems if we're in different timezones. We could have the preliminary chat tomorrow night though? (I'm on GMT time, so that might have to be taken into account)

Norm

[Kurotowa]

As long as I have a day's warning, I should be able to do whatever time is needed, at least for a planning session. What time and where would be good?

[Geoff Hall]

Well I'm all GMT-ee as well so that makes 2 of us.

[thenorm42]

Ooh, good, so it's not just me. What about you Oddsod, where you at?

How far are you behind GMT Kurosawa? I think we could meet up in the RPGnet chatroom at 10 PM GMT, but I don't know what time that would be for you. Though if you're free in the daytime, we could hold it at 7 PM GMT and it'd be lunchtime or something for you?

Norm

[Geoff Hall]

10 pm should be okay by me. Which day are we talking about now, this coming Sunday or sometime this week just to meet up and chat it out?

[Mostlyjoe]

Well I'm damn curious now. I've never played the game or have any idea how it works...but it's interesting. When do you plan on playing? Can I watch?

How does it handle task resoultion?

[Kurotowa]

The idea is to get together and bounce ideas around for the game. Compare character ideas, brainstorm about Imperitor and Realm, newly en-Nobled or not, etc.

I'm GMT -5. For now, I can do GMT 7 or 10, whichever you want. This may change in the future, if my job hunt ever pays off.


ParitySoul> Nobilis is diceless, and extremely complex. Check out some of the RPG.net reviews for details.

[thenorm42]

(tries to write a potted version of 'How Miracles Work' that is possible to understand and doesn't attempt to rewrite the GWB)

I'll assume you know a bit about the setting already (if not, I recommend reading this - http://www.guardiansorder.com/pdfs/Nobilis_EnNobledflyer_USletter.pdf - to start ... it got me into the game, anyway!)

Powers (the player's characters) generally interact with the world through the use of miracles. Aspect miracles cover physical / superpower type stuff (this can take on a mythic bent - say, shooting down the sun with a bow). Domain miracles cover anything that affects your Estate (the concept associated with you). Realm miracles cover anything at all (!) within your home Chancel. All of these have a stat ranging from 0-5, plus there's a stat called Spirit which governs protection from miracles, control of Anchors, and a variety of other lesser effects. Each stat also has a pool of miracle points associated with it, which can let you use powers over and above your usual stat level.

Domain and Realm miracles have a level, depending on what they're trying to do - illusory Ghost miracles are level 1, lesser divinations are level 2, etc. You can do miracles of a level up to your Realm / Domain score often as you like, going higher costs MPs. Note that even 'lesser' miracles are blooming powerful, lesser creations (for example) can make up to 10 tons of physical stuff.

When miracles oppose each other directly, highest miracle level wins. When they oppose each other indirectly, it's up to the HG what happens. You can't use your miraculous effects on other miraculous creatures directly, and even indirect effects have to overcome a spiritual armour called Auctoratitas, the strength of which is determined by Spirit.

When up against non-miraculous opposition, then the powers of the Nobilis are very, um, powerful - it's unusual that they won't be able to get what they want done. These can be treated as an opportunity to show off and be both creative and tactically efficient.

Basically, it's a damn good setting, exceedingly well (and characterfully) written - dealing with ultra-powerful characters in a mythic way - and the book is so beautiful it'd be worth the thirty quid if it was purely ornamental.

*tries not to sound like a hopeless fanboy and fails*

Norm

[thenorm42]

7pm GMT would probably be the best for me - shall we have it in the RPGnet chatroom?

[Kurotowa]

There, or at least meet there and create our own room on the same server. The time sounds good to me. How many people do we have for this now? Three or four?

[Geoff Hall]

Well there's the 3 of us and I'm pretty sure that Oddsod Blok'ed
was wanting in. We should PM him I figure! ~Goes to do just that~

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

I'll show up as soon as possible, since I'm at GMT -5 or so and I'm supposed to be traveling about 200 miles that day.

[thenorm42]

Ok, so 7pm GMT tonight (Tuesday), in the RPGnet forums Chatroom (found at the top of the main Forums page, should anyone else wish to show up). See you all then!

Norm

[Geoff Hall]

Okay, tonight it is although for 7pm I may be a bit late as I can't get off from university today until about 6pm and I can never tell how long it's going to take me to make it back.

I assume this is mostly going to be discussions of exactly when, where, general potential character ideas with a bit of iperator/chancel stuff thrown in. I don't know about you guys but I don't (yet) have a character figrued out, even in concept form but I'll see what I can do about figuring that out today. ~Gets out a thesaurus~

[Geoff Hall]

Mmmm, Karmic Providence, the Power of Fate.

Now to work out stats, gifts, background, etc.

[thenorm42]

There's just one little houserule I'm considering using, to try and increase the usefulness of Realm - particularly, to let players combine Domain and Realm usefully, since these really seem to be the two most 'overlapping' stats (which Realm frequently loses out on, at least when I make characters, as it's both less flexible and less individual to the character than Domain).

Characters with Domain 2 or 3 can add 1 to their Realm score for Realm miracles involving their Estate, up to a maximum of 5 (6?).

Characters with Domain 4 or 5 can add 2 to their Realm score for Realm miracles involving their Estate, up to a maximum of 6 (7?).

Possibly some sort of vice-versa rule could exist too, but I'm not sure that Domain needs it...

I'll also probably emphasise the 'nobility / leadership' psychological effect of Realm more than the 'inspirational' psychological effect of Spirit (Spirit has lots of effects already...).

: has a sudden vision of someone taking Domain 4 and Realm 4 on a starting character...

Do people think this is a good or bad idea? It could make for some truly frightening in-Chancel Nobles, especially if they've got a broad Estate!

Norm

P.S. Ooh, cool, Fate and Karma, nice! They'd make great Estates...

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by thenorm42
P.S. Ooh, cool, Fate and Karma, nice! They'd make great Estates...

yes, this is to be my character, a Noble by the name of Karmic Providence who represents the Domain of Fate. As I say I need to figure out stats/gift/background, etc but that's my basic idea. The best bit is that such a character can easily fit in with pretty much any Imperator. Dark, fates that lead to humanities self-destruction, Light, fates that lead to humanities rise and fulfillment of it's potential, Hell, fates that lead to the corruption of human souls and the desecration of beauty and Heaven, fates that lead to an enhancement of the beauty in the world.

[thenorm42]

Your way of putting it immediately made me think of a Heavenly character, 'cos of the way you put Karma (with its Justice associations) in with it.

Though, then again, I can easily see a Dark or Fallen Angel power with Fate who's near to the Excrucians in tastes and alignment (fate ties in with astrology and so with stars, and we all know who the starry-eyed ones are...).

Norm

P.S. Any opinions / objections to the Realm-rule?

[Geoff Hall]

It seems okay to me although it might discourage the creation of high realm characters even more and reinforce the 'domain is more useful' mentality. I'm unlikely to make a high realm character at this point though (power of fate HAS to have a high domain ;) ) so it would be useful to me. However, as I say it may degrade the usefulness of of high realm characters. Of course it would also make a Tempest with a very broad domain and absolute nightmare in his/her chancel... we'll see what the others think tonight I guess!

[thenorm42]

I dunno, the rule is mainly only useful to characters with Realm equal to or greater than Domain (as obviously, if your Domain is higher than your Realm, you'd usually use Domain miracles for stuff to do with your Estate, even in-Chancel). So I think it probably tips the balance much more towards Realm than against it.

What I was intending was that it'd make characters who have points in both Realm and Domain more useful. I often find when trying to think of characters that it's either one or the other, and it's hard to justify spending the points on both. This rule would make the 'average' Domain 2 Realm 2 / 3 character that much more useful. It also means Realm miracles acquire some Estate-related character, rather than being equally super-flexible for every Noble that uses them.

And yeah, it does open up new horizons of terror for Tempests with high Domain. I was considering capping its effects at 5 for both, to stop this, though then it might make Domain 4 Realm 3 much more attractive than Realm 5.

But, if you guys don't like it, we can easily ditch it! It was just a thought.

Norm

[Kurotowa]

I'm of the school of thought that says "make sure it's broken before you fix it." Let's see what our characters are like and if we feel there's a gap there that needs filling before we start tweaking the rules. It's an interesting idea, one we should keep in mind, but I'd rather start simple my first time.

As for the Noble of Fate, it sounds damned cool. But so did my first Noble idea, the Noble of Lost Things. What I found out was it was far to vauge and ill-defined a domain to work. I'm not saying that Fate would be the same, but at first glace it does also seem to be more a catagory than an element of reality. Also, it brings in questions of predestination vs free will, who is ruled by fate and who isn't, and it gets very very messy.

Yeah, don't mind me. Just kicking the tires to see what falls off, as always.

[thenorm42]

Fair point, it probably is best to see how the characters go before I start messing with the rules, however much I enjoy messing with them. :)

I think, that since his character is more specifically associated with Karmic fate - punishing the bad and rewarding the good, I assume - it'll be a bit easier to miracle-ify.

Norm

[Kurotowa]

Perhaps. That seams more like a Code than a Domain to me, since it can take so many forms. Also, how do you do Divination or Preservation with it?

Ah well, that's what the chat's for. Give you equal time to poke holes in my ideas, then we all sit down and fix the holes together.

[Geoff Hall]

Well the focus of the fate would depend on the nature of the character really. I could change it around slightly to empahsise karmic fate. Something like Fortune Kismet, Power of Karma. Ah well, we'll have a chat about it later (I'm still stuck @ uni doing my essay, I may well be quite late to the chat.)

[thenorm42]

Agh, been chucked out of RPG Net chat, and no-one seems to be in there when I went back in. Anyone about on here?

Norm

[thenorm42]

Right, had one chat session, we've pinned down one PC Estate, and got a few ideas for another, plus a few thoughts about possible Imperators. We're planning to meet again on Friday, 7pm GMT - that OK with everyone? How about you Oddsod - I assumed you were too busy / knackered with travelling and whatnot to attend.

We can keep kicking ideas for Estates and other stuff around on this thread too.

Norm

[Geoff Hall]

My latest idea is, as I said in the chatroom, the Power of Antipathy. Of course there's no guarantee that I'll stick with that idea... I'm so fickle!

But yeah, I guess it'll probably help if we can stat up as many discarded ideas for our PC's as possible for you, or do you just want the concepts and you'll do it?

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

I can probably make Friday at that time, at least I think so. Might as well mention the character I had, though: he is the ghost of a 19th century German aristocrat as the Power of Revenge and Dark Passion. Further details available upon request.

[thenorm42]

Ooh, cool! Is he a ghost in a 'I've got the Dead limit and can only interact through Anchors' way, or is he a more tangible ghost? Please do throw out the current stats for him!

I think it's probably better that you stat up your own characters - they are yours, after all. I'll then try and make NPCs that can kick hell into them, um, I mean, provide a proper challenge. :D

[thenorm42]

Btw, Kurosawa, someone was pointing out on the Nobilist today that one of the best things about having Memory for an Estate is that you can protect yourself from causing Dementia Animus in mortals very easily. Sort of liking having a Neuraliser from Men In Black with you all the time. :D

[Geoff Hall]

Of course you do need a high Domain to do that, Lesser Destruction is a level 5 miracle after all.

[Thunder_God]

My copy(and the one I ordered for my friend) of Nobilis from Amazon haven't shipped yet, so bah! :P
And come on people, where are the NPC Write-ups? Forget powers, just give them the backstory, motives..

[Jere]

Originally posted by Thunder_God
My copy(and the one I ordered for my friend) of Nobilis from Amazon haven't shipped yet, so bah! :P
And come on people, where are the NPC Write-ups? Forget powers, just give them the backstory, motives..

Take a look at my game's wiki:

http://www.respectstartstomorrow.com/oceanwiki

[thenorm42]

As I understood, Amazon get Nobilis from Wizard's Attic, which has gone bust. That might explain the delay...

[Thunder_God]

Originally posted by Jere
Take a look at my game's wiki:

http://www.respectstartstomorrow.com/oceanwiki

Thanks :) But the people on this thread said they'll help come up with more(I'll do my share once I get the book..), there can't be too many very flashed(fleshed?) out characters when you might need a dozen or more in a day's notice.

[Geoff Hall]

And do NPC's I shall, however I have reasonably little free time so I can't promise numerous NPC's knocked up at speed. I have concepts, I just need the time to write them up...

[Thunder_God]

Just making sure not everyone forgot, y'know?

[Geoff Hall]

Concepts:

Corruption;
Illusion;
Gravity;
Atoms;
Bones;
Ornaments.

That's it for now, personally I think I'll be playing the Power of Enmity, probably called Antipathy Jones. I'm considering his stats but will probably go with something like the following:

Aspect 1
Domain 4
Realm 1
Spirit 2

Gift: Durant

Affilitation: Dark

I'm working on Restrictions/Limits and will think about a proper backgroud, defining the Estate and Anchors later tonight.

I'm actually really tempted by the Immortal gift, just for kicks (and cos I love Highlander...) but it seems a litte...expensive. I may use it in one of the NPC's though.

[Thunder_God]

Originally posted by Geoff Hall
Personally I think I'll be playing the Power of Enmity, probably called Antipathy Jones.

I think you're onto something, in Nobilis we can have our name tell what we are/represent and not have it too pretentious. I think Calamity Jane never sounded better(While she certainly did look good in the animated series, oh yes, red red hair and a face pale enough to spook a ghost).

[thenorm42]

I'm terribly sorry - I've just realised I've got to go to my grandfather's 80th birthday on the Friday and Saturday, and won't be able to get to the chat. You're welcome to have it in my absence of course, but would it be possible to meet again on Sunday? Say, 7pm?

:apologises profusely...

Norm

[Kurotowa]

Works for me.

[Geoff Hall]

Sunday instead is fine, it gives me a bit more time to work/think! (I crashed out at 9pm earlier tonight and have just been woken up by the baby but I'm still knackered... there's not enough sleep in all the world right now!)

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

Originally posted by thenorm42
Ooh, cool! Is he a ghost in a 'I've got the Dead limit and can only interact through Anchors' way, or is he a more tangible ghost? Please do throw out the current stats for him!


His stats are on another computer, but I'll get them before we have the chat. I do remember that he has the Dead Limit, so he's an honest-to-Cneph ghost. He's also got the Invisibility Gift, a Gift that allows him to pass through any barriers through a Lesser Destruction of Boundaries (if I remember correctly), and a custom Limit (I believe) called the Hand of Breeze. He counts as Aspect -1 for particularly cumbersome activities when relating to the world outside the Chancel. He can push some buttons, maybe lift small objects, and that's it. I haven't looked at him lately, so I need to go back and check.

[Kurotowa]

Two Aspect 1's and a Dead Aspect 0. We are soooo gonna get the smack laid down on us if we're not very careful and very smart. OTOH, Enmity and Revenge go well together, and together with Memory we could certainly make a good set of puppetmasters. Maybe we all work for the Imperitor of Grudges.

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

As I said, I forget exactly what the custom Gift does. I remember that it's automatic, though; even if someone sneaks up on the character with a machine gun and tries to shoot him in the back, he'll go intangible right when needed and the bullets will fly right through him.

[Geoff Hall]

Yeah, I'm kinda hoping we can avoid needing to get into any straight up fights... ah well, there were a couple of other potential players, hopefully we can convince someone to play a high Aspected death machine...

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

Shouldn't be too hard. And even if we can't, we will have ways of dealing with attackers without playing T-1000.

[Geoff Hall]

True enough, it just becomes a little more difficult when you can't directly hurt the opposition at all... One high Aspect character can help out lots in that department. I'll just make everyone/thing in the vicinity hate said enemy and hope my Durant gift allows me to not die ;)

I need a teleportation gift...

[thenorm42]

>>Two Aspect 1's and a Dead Aspect 0. We are soooo gonna get the smack laid down on us if we're not very careful and very smart.

This is one of the reasons I want chargen to happen before I think up any concrete stats etc. for any antagonists. This way, I can make sure they'll have methods and abilities appropriate to you.

Norm

[Geoff Hall]

HG> "The Excrucian Shard, Aspect 5 of Noble Death, charges towards you so fast you can barely see the blur."

Player> "Err, I make all of the local spirits feel great enmity towards him so they will attack him."

HG> "He rips them to shreads, this takes approximately 1 second."

Player> "Well, shit." ~Flees~

[Kurotowa]

And getting someone of at least Spirit 3 to do our nettling would also be good. Oh well, I'll think about how much I really need Domain 4, and probably get Durant too.

[Geoff Hall]

Well I've made a minor change to my original plan, I've sacrificed my point of Aspect for the Eternal gift (there is relevence to this as my background will show). I could switch my Realm point to give me Spirit 3 I guess...

[andrew_kenrick]

Ooh! Ooh! Nobilis fun!

Is there space for a little one? I have never had the opportunity to play Nobilis, although I have HG'd it before (once ftf, and also Geoff's PBEM game).

How frequently will you require players to appear? I can make most sundays, but now and again won't be able to.

Hmm ... ideas, ideas ...

Andrew

[Geoff Hall]

Ahh, my HG ~hides!~

[Geoff Hall]

Crap! I just remembered, I'm going out on Sunday night with a few old mates. Damnit, I'd totally forgotten. ~Sighs~ I'll post up my character write-up on this thread on Saturday I guess along with a few suggestions for Chancel/Imperator properties I'd quite like. I'm definately not going to be able to make (this) Sunday though. Damnit.

[Wolf]

Ooh Ooh!

Any room for an even smaller one?

I'm also part of Geoff's pbem-group and would be very interested in playing a more realtime game! (I'm GMT and Sundays would be great). [edit: that is - sundays in general are good for me, this particualr sunday I'm away :(]

No idea on a Power...or rather far to many ideas to pick one out yet - I'm eminently flexible and am happy to fill out any 'voids' (Aspect 1 Aspect 1 and Aspect 0 eh?).

Excitedly,

JB

[Geoff Hall]

Hey Jan, welcome aboard my thread! So, just how long since you last posted here (i.e. rpg.net) :confused: It must be many many months now!

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

I have his stats now, and he's got Spirit 3. Still has Aspect 0, though.

[Geoff Hall]

What I have so far (stats subject to change):

Antipathy Jones, Duke of Enmity, originally known as (approx. translation) Slinks with Malice

Attributes

Aspect 0
Domain 4
Realm 1
Spirit 2

Gifts

Eternal
Durant

Virtues

Grudge Bearer

Limits

Hated
Manifestation (need to discuss what form this will take)

Restrictions

Cannot Cross Running Water
Cannot Enter a Home Uninvited
Relevatory Trait (need to discuss what form this will take)
Summonable (Cannot be Bound)


And that's it right now. I've got a general background that's currently coalescing in my head and I'll try to get down in some legible form tomorrow and I know he'll be starting play with 1 Anchor which I also need to figure out.

[thenorm42]

Hey, he's not your HG any more! *You're my player now!* /League of Gentlemen :D

Hiya Wolf and Andy! Yeah, there's room for you two, though I think any more and it might get a bit hard for me to handle. Don't worry too much if you can't make the chat Geoff, just post your character and chancel ideas on here.

Norm

[thenorm42]

Right, I'm off for a day or two, won't be back until Sunday's chat (7pm GMT, in the RPGnet chatroom, found at the top of the Forums boards).

Also, people have been asking what *sort* of game I want to play. The short answer is a fun and reasonably straightforward one, as opposed to a serious philosophical or emotional game. A little humour (of a Sandman : Season of Mists variety, for preference) would probably also go down well, as I think Nobilis is eminently well suited to that. It'll probably be a campaign of fighting powerful antagonists (possibly Nobles, possibly Excrucians, possibly other things), though I'd hope after a short while these sessions could be interspersed with more character-led sessions.

Long answer ... um, I'm still working on the long answer. :D

Oh, and if anyone upsets me I shall set the Powerpuff Girls on your character : http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=74985 . Well, not really :D, I just thought that R. Sean Borgstrom's take on Mojo-Jojo was hilarious, and deserved a wider look (since the thread dropped away in about five seconds flat).

See you on Sunday!

Norm

[Wolf]

Originally posted by Geoff Hall
Hey Jan, welcome aboard my thread! So, just how long since you last posted here (i.e. rpg.net) :confused: It must be many many months now!

Heh heh heh - probably more then a year I think. Man I'd forgotten how great these boards are! So many many threads to catch up on...how ever will I get any work done now? ;-)

Speaking of which it's been a dull day at work - which of course meant lots of time for Nobilis thoughts. As such I have a vague character idea that I thought I could run up the pole and see if it fits in with whatever you guys have already discussed?

How does the Angelic Domina of Blades sound? She's fiesty, of inhuman aspect and can do amusing party tricks with edged weapons - especially to people other familia members find annoying...

Still working on pinning down attributes and picking amusing gifts - so still wide wide open to suggestions. Could probably contribute a realm point to the chancel (anyone thinking of having high realm?).

Hopefully,

JB.

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by Wolf
Heh heh heh - probably more then a year I think. Man I'd forgotten how great these boards are! So many many threads to catch up on...how ever will I get any work done now? ;-)

Who needs work anyway? ;)

Speaking of which it's been a dull day at work - which of course meant lots of time for Nobilis thoughts. As such I have a vague character idea that I thought I could run up the pole and see if it fits in with whatever you guys have already discussed?

How does the Angelic Domina of Blades sound? She's fiesty, of inhuman aspect and can do amusing party tricks with edged weapons - especially to people other familia members find annoying...

Still working on pinning down attributes and picking amusing gifts - so still wide wide open to suggestions. Could probably contribute a realm point to the chancel (anyone thinking of having high realm?).

Hopefully,

JB.

Well I can't speak for everyone but I'm not certain, given the other characters, how an Angelic Power might fit it! That said it takes all sorts and it should make interactions more interesting... Power of Blades would be cool and a high Aspect, kickin' arse and taking names character would be damn useful to have around. As for Realm, well I don't know myself but unless Oddsod's ghost has high Realm I think we're lacking there as well...

[Geoff Hall]

Antipathy Jones ~ The Duke of Enmity
aka (approx. translation) Slinks with Malice

Attributes

Aspect 0
Domain 4
Realm 1
Spirit 2

Gifts

Eternal;
Durant.

Virtues

Grudge Bearer.

Limits

Hated;
Manifestation (Blows struck truly in the name of love ignore his Durant gift. For example, if two people love one another and Antipathy is harming one, if the other gets up the nerve to attack him through the love for his/her partner said attack will ignore Durant.)

Restrictions

Cannot Cross Running Water;
Cannot Enter a Home Uninvited;
Revelatory Trait (Eldritch runes of black smoke coalesce from the air about him briefly and randomly as he speaks);
Summonable (Can be Bound.)

Wound Levels

1 Deadly
1 Serious
2 Surface

Bonds

The welfare of Enmity 4
His Imperator 2
His Chancel 2
His Familia 2
Caitlin Green 2
His grudge against the Power of Expectations 4
The Code of Hell 4

Anchors

Caitlin Green
Caitlin is an experienced civilian military analyst. She is currently embedded deep in the bureaucracy of the juggernaut that is the US military where she advises the highest level generals and the President himself in all manner of military tactics and strategy and the probable plans and ambitions of other nations based upon their actions, both stated and hidden. She is an avid warmonger, spreading enmity towards the other peoples of the prosaic Earth at every opportunity and Antipathy loves her for her ability to aid his Estate, even unwittingly. This love for her abilities and goals was more than enough for him to bind her and make her his Anchor and she now furthers his Estate by continuing to induce enmity towards those of other religions, races and nations throughout all levels of the US military.

Antipathy has space for two other Anchors although he has not, at this moment in his life, bound anyone else to him. Should he come across someone who fits his criteria, especially if that person happens to be important to the current Power of Expectations, he will certainly enact the Servant's Rite and take them as his.

Affiliation

Hell, The Code of the Fallen Angels

Design

Antipathy’s design is one of silver sprigs of Basil sprouting from and entwining a twisted and uncharacteristically thorny example of the purple Lobelia flower, all against the traditional backdrop of Hell, a virulent, poison-green circle, lightly spattered with translucent darkness.

History

I was born long ago, many thousands of years in the thinking of the scholars and scientists of the prosaic Earth. I no longer remember where nor when, such things fade into unimportance with time and perspective. There are, indeed, few things that I do recall from those long ago days, of my time as a mortal. I know that I was a member of some tribe, some primitive, backwards group who wandered. I recall walking, always walking. I also recall my name, although there are few still living who do. Translated into this language called English it is something like 'Slinks with Malice' but that does not do it justice. The mere words of this rendering cannot convey the significance of a name in such times. More than something to be called by your name was who and what you were.

Of course who I am has long changed and, thus, so has the name that I choose to take. Still, my one true name has not changed, nor will it, and I shall be defined by it until the day that I die, if such a time ever comes. For now, though, I have taken a name upon myself that has lasted for some hundred years or more on the prosaic Earth. Anipathy Jones. I rather like the way it rolls off of the tongue, evocative of who and what I am it will suffice for the time being. In a few hundred years I may feel differently but what's a century or so between names?

Speaking of the future, when you live as long as I have the term 'future' begins to take on a different meaning. No longer does next week, month or even year begin to concern you so much. It is only the truly long term goals and issues that continue to make an impact. The sanctity of your Estate, the goals and code of Hell - or whatever affiliation you choose to live by I suppose - the outcome of the Valde Bellum, your own, personal, goals that you have yet to achieve. Everything else just recedes into the background, mortal worries for short lived Powers and the ants of humanity. Yes, there are few things I still consider worthy of my time or notice, the only immediate ones being my Familia or current Anchors, nothing else that fades so swiftly in time penetrates my millennia of detachment from the rabble of mankind.

So what have my near countless years made of me? Am I an inhuman monstrosity? A being so far removed from where I began as to misread and misunderstand every action of humankind? I like to think not. My Estate, that of Enmity, is so deep rooted in the psyche of the human race that I can never become wholly cut off from their motivations and desires. Hatred is too powerful a force in the human world to remove me fully from it. I endure as Enmity endures and as Enmity endures humanity breeds it own suffering and corruption, sending itself and it's souls to their rightful place in the bowels of Hell. Thus am I true to myself, my abilities, my affiliations and my origins simply by my continued existence.

Naturally over the span of years many things have made their mark on my being. Oddly the good and pleasurable incidents disperse from ones memory far more swiftly than the bad. Tragedy is remembered far longer than good fortune, or so I find to be the case. Nonetheless even the greatest tragedies of a persons life eventually vanish from memory given the passage of enough time, unless my brother intervenes to preserve them that is, yet there is one that leaves a lasting mark upon my very soul to this day. One that inconveniences me at every available turn, one which I shall never be done avenging even if Creation, and I with it, lasts on into the infinity of true eternity. The Power of Expectations shall pay. For all time and in all of his many incarnations he shall pay, from now until my death he shall pay!

Why must this be so you may well ask? Expectations has worn many faces over the years since I first encountered him yet that first incarnations crimes against my person have earned my ire for every future person enNobled into that role. I was only recently enNobled myself then, still trying to learn my role in Creation and to master my powers and abilities. Coming from such a backwards people as I did I thought myself a spirit and my people had many expectations about such beings. Spirits were supposed to be unable to cross running water or to enter a persons tents if not invited, they always had some trait, something slightly wrong, that showed them to be something other than human and, most annoyingly of all, they could be summoned by someone who knew the right magicks and their true name and even bound if the sorcerer was powerful enough.

Well it seems that something that I did in my first months as a Noble offended the sensibilities of Verisimilitudes Tongue, the then Power of Expectations. How it was done I am uncertain but he managed to turn those expectations of what I now was against me. A Rite using my old tribe as a bridge (for in those days I still felt a great bond with them) caused me to become bound by the very restrictions I expected spirits such as I believed I now was to be bound by. To this day Verisimilitude's actions haunt me, my movements and actions are restricted, my lack of humanity obvious and my very being summonable and bindable by mortal practitioners of the arts! That last galls me the most and those who dare such an affront on me inevitably suffer far more than they gain, however the ignobility of it twists my insides with anger and Expectation is all to blame. True, I may have spent hundreds of years rarely venturing out from my Chancel, writhing with impotent rage at Verisimilitude and those that followed him, but my hatred never dimmed and the grudge I bear against him holds true to this day. Every Power of Expectation that lives is now my target and so shall it always be!

But enough of my own enmity towards a lifelong enemy. I suppose you wish to know where I stand at this time of my life. My world is expanding, Enmity is increasing all over the prosaic Earth and my Estate grows stronger by the day. My self-confinement to my Chancel, often mocked by my Familia and other Nobles, is at an end. Restricted though I may be I have spent a few centuries now venturing forth even when my Estate is not threatened, to aid in the Valde Bellum or for more self-centred reasons as I see fit. I have taken Anchors, they have died, I have taken more. It is the way of one who lives eternally, everything changes, all is constantly in transit, there are few truly immutable things after all. Eventually you learn to live with it and the loss of even a loved Anchor begins to sting less. In the end everything hurts less but all the things which once caused you joy feel more hollow, less tangible. That is the gift, and curse, of my eternal life.

Antipathy Jones ~ The Power of Enmity, AD 1997

[Wolf]

Originally posted by Geoff Hall

Well I can't speak for everyone but I'm not certain, given the other characters, how an Angelic Power might fit it! That said it takes all sorts and it should make interactions more interesting...

As you say it takes all sorts - and not all Nobles within a Familia follow the same code.

Hey I'm not saying it would be a barrel of laughs for an angelic power to be part of what sounds like it might be a predominantly Infernal family - but it certainly sounds fun to play (whats bad for the character is often fun for the player and all that). After all, what's the fun in being a servant of Hell if you haven't got some innocent as a counterpoint? And it isn't like I haven't been in a similar 'affiliation mismatch' before ;-)

Tentative attributes would be:

Aspect 4
Domain (Blades) 2
Realm 1
Spirit 1

Gifts: Durant

Still mulling over bonds, restrictions etc - though would likely include something along the lines of 'unable to refuse a challenge' :-).

JB.

[Geoff Hall]

Heh, well at least I'm not the only one who's totally stoked about this whole thing :D Power of Blades is it? Having 'intercepted' a txt message from Andrew (okay, he sent it to the wrong person, my manipulation-of-EM-waves-fu isn't that strong!) I'm assuming this is Kill Bill inspired? I must see that movie...

Ahem, yeah, anyway. What do you think of Antipathy?

And now on to the point of this post: General musings on Chancel and Imperator

Chancel

Given the seeming lack of high Realm characters it would probably be a very good idea to avoid completely taking the negative mana mine property.

As an alternative to generate some Chancel points to spend it's probably an idea to have a few Banes and quite possibly a low level (so it's not too much of a hinderance) Erus.

I think our Gates should probably be at least Convenient for, well, conveniences sake.

It's quite expensive but the property Treaty Chancel could be very useful. Have Lord Entropy's favour is never a bad thing!

Some of the interesting Resources could be fun such as, for example, Thought-Record, Normal Magic, Faerie Magic, etc.

Imperator

Empathy: Preferably Cruel (nets us a point to spend)

Galeid: NOTHING! Taking the positive versions of this has the potential to screw with a large chunk of my character, specifically his background, his restricitons, his virtue and one of his bonds. The negative version is something I'd rather avoid...

Grant: Personally I'm a big fan of the Petrify with a Look Gift. Of course it's totally unnecessary but I think it's cool :D . Naturally we'd need to come up with an appropriate Handicap to offset this...

Guiding Hand: Whatever, not bothered.

Incomprehensibility: Soul Twisted! :D

Integrity: Nothing or Principled.

Love: Nothing or Passionate.

Mastery: Taking one or more instances of Untalented could be a very useful (if potentially limiting) way to get some more IP's to spend.

Mystery Cult: Okay so it would be a real pain in the arse but a Corrupted Mystery Cult could be very cool and would get us an IP.

Respect: Nothing.

Warding: Dim or, if it can be afforded, Bright. This one rocks.

[Wolf]

Originally posted by Geoff Hall

I'm assuming this is Kill Bill inspired? I must see that movie...

Ahem, yeah, anyway. What do you think of Antipathy?


Actually I also have yet to see the film (next weekend I hope) but from what I hear I may well be ahem 'borrowing' from it come next weekend.

Antipathy is vintage you ;-) Very nice background and an amusing collection of restrictions all tied together with a bow for the HG :-D

I of course am going to prove I can make a character without adding nasty background or flaws.....awww who am I kidding.

Stoked doesn't begin to cover it :-D

If I may add to the chancel discussion? Popularity is also very nice - but likewise expensive.

In terms of Imperator 'Advising' is always a nice one to have for avoiding oopsies. Conversly Demanding is a 'fun' way to get points - you'll certainly never be bored. Untalented can likewise be a floavorful disadvantage, once you have a strong idea for the Imperator. Mmmm Bright Warding is nice, though expect to be being constantly pushed to the forefront of the conflict...Interesting times ;-)

JB.

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by Wolf
Actually I also have yet to see the film (next weekend I hope) but from what I hear I may well be ahem 'borrowing' from it come next weekend.

I just hope that I get to see it before it drops from cinema screens! Maybe Rich will want to go again, I'll ask him tomorrow...

Antipathy is vintage you ;-) Very nice background and an amusing collection of restrictions all tied together with a bow for the HG :-D

Are you implying that I like making things difficult for myself ;) [mocking tones] How could you be so cruel :eek: [/mocking tones]

I of course am going to prove I can make a character without adding nasty background or flaws.....awww who am I kidding.

Stoked doesn't begin to cover it :-D

You're worse than me bucko, the day you make a character with a nice and happy past is the day the Excrucians have eliminated the Estate of Messed Up from Creation!

If I may add to the chancel discussion? Popularity is also very nice - but likewise expensive.

Feel free. It's no help to me of course as I've taken the Hated Limit, that's why I skipped past it. It could be damn useful for everyone else though.

In terms of Imperator 'Advising' is always a nice one to have for avoiding oopsies. Conversly Demanding is a 'fun' way to get points - you'll certainly never be bored. Untalented can likewise be a floavorful disadvantage, once you have a strong idea for the Imperator. Mmmm Bright Warding is nice, though expect to be being constantly pushed to the forefront of the conflict...Interesting times ;-)

JB.

Well I suspect this is going to be one where actual confrontation is expected, nay required! Rather unlike Blood on the Ash where things are far more philosophical and restrained ;) ~Remembers causing a huge bloodbath in Surrey not so long ago~ Ahem. yeah...

But yes, feel free to weigh in, I'm putting my thoughts up here as I wont be able to get to tomorrow nights chat and seeing as you wont either this seems like a good time/place to throw out your ideas. As such mentioning what you do/don't like with mine would be probably be a good plan too.

I certainly agree about waiting to classify any Untalented disads until we've got a feel for our Imperator, however we can certainly set a number on it before then. Also, if you have thoughts on the Guiding Hand aspect of the big guy then that's cool, personally I'm not bothered one way or another so shall bow to other peoples ideas there (at the moment that mean yours.)

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

Figured I might as well post the character here.

Heinrich Bärmann - Viscount of Revenge, Baronet of Dark Passion

Attributes

Aspect: 0
Domain: 2
Realm: 2
Spirit: 3

Gifts

Invisibility
Immaterial - Customized Gift PM or post to request further details.

Limits

Dead

Restrictions

Cigar Bond: Nearly identical to Cigarette Bond, only difference being Cigars.
Hand of Breeze: The character is functionally Aspect –1 when dealing with the physical aspects of Prosaic Earth. This means that while he can lift small objects, press buttons, and occasionally do other feats of very minor physical labor, he’s got little to no chance of moving vault doors or lifting boulders by himself.

Wound Levels

1 Deadly
1 Serious
2 Surface

Affiliation

Follows the Code of the Dark.

Bonds

Sanctity of his Estates: 5
Anchor: Wilhelm Kerstein: 4
Anchor: Jana Pristina: 3
Anchor: Hans Engelsich: 3
Anchor: John Berman: 3
Survival of Bavarian history and uniqueness: 2.

Anchors

Wilhelm Kerstein
The current head of household for the Kerstein family, direct lineal descendant of Ludwig Kerstein of Bavaria. He is the head of a law firm with a specialty in immigration. He routinely exalts his family's triumph over "that fool Bärmann" to anyone who knows what he's talking about, and if they do not know he quickly acquaints them with this. As if their ancestors' acts were not enough, the family's continual holding to the idea of Prussia or northern German supremacy has earned them Heinrich Bärmann's undying hate. With his Imperator's help, Bärmann bonded Wilhelm and has used his body to bond his other Anchors.

Jana Pristina
If the Kersteins were the actors in Heinrich Bärmann's death, the Pristinas were the orchestra. Originating from a Slavic state to the far southeast of Bavaria, the Pristinas sought unity in Germany in order for Germany to force the Austro-Hungarian Empire to accept pro-Slav legislation. While not as politically active as the Kersteins, the Pristinas were powerful merchants, with commercial endeavors that stretched from farms in Alsace and Lorraine to defense contracting in Vienna itself. They provided the money and the equipment for the assassins to commit the act and escape, and it was they who spread around the money to have the act quietly moved aside. A great-great-granddaughter of the family, Jana Pristina moved away from München to extend the family business' sway elsewhere. Bärmann has since learned of the Pristinas' involvement in his death; his dislike of Balkan Slavs and his generally hateful nature have led him to despise the accomplices of the Kersteins, and thus Jana was bound.

Hans Engelsich
The Engelsich family were once the supporters of the Bärmanns, their closest allies in the effort to secede from the Prussian Empire before too much change occurred. After Bärmann's death, they drifted away and the coalition of support broke up. Eventually, the Engelsich family moved to Berlin and became important figures in German national politics, supporting the cause of German unity, particularly northern German unity. Eventually they sent one of their sons out of the country to obtain a graduate-level education in economics elsewhere; by Fate, he arrived soon after Wilhelm Kerstein was bonded, and thus became bonded himself. Bärmann views the family, and Hans in particular, as vile traitors to the cause.

John Berman
Heinrich holds special hate and bitterness in his dead heart for this man, whom he quietly torments and spites to vent some of his need for revenge. John Berman is a direct descendant of Heinrich Bärmann, son of Heinrich's great-grandson and the first of the family to be raised with a strictly American education. Heinrich's grandson was the one to Americanize the family name, but it is John, who changed his name from Johann at age twenty-two, that Heinrich particularly hates. In addition to his complicity in his father's desertion of the family name, he also has joined a Berlin patriots' group, an unforgiveable sin to his great-great-grandfather. However. Heinrich Bärmann tolerates this membership, though he frequently mentions it in his verbal assaults on his great-great-grandson; to Bärmann's eyes, there is great potential for revenge in his descendant's membership in this society. It is a malicious and gleeful hate that allows him to hold John as an Anchor.

History

"One hundred and thirty-two years ago, the Kerstein family and the Bärmann family fought for the future of Bavaria, whether to continue as a separate kingdom or fully cooperate with the drafting of the 1871 Constitution. The head of the household at the time, Ludwig Kerstein, battled Heinrich Bärmann in the courts and bureaucracy of München at the announcement of Bavaria officially joining the empire Bismarck wrought. Bärmann fought for secession, while Kerstein plotted his enemy's downfall. One day, Bärmann won a battle in the legislature, allowing for the possibility of state secession as an amendment to the 1871 Constitution. Kerstein and his allies could not accept this; on the way home from the legislature, Bärmann was waylaid, stabbed eleven times and left to die in an alley."

That is what the history books would say about me, if they knew the truth. But human history is written by the victors or, more appropriately, the liars and the easily deceived. The humans believe that I was a minor figure, a passing gnat on the corpus of Bavarian politics. I suspect the goldmongering Pristinas of buying favorable accounts for their conspirators. That aside, it has been agony made ethereal flesh to exist for decades after decades, watching my family decay and degrade. My fingers could not grip the implements it would take to properly discipline them, nor could I exercise my voice, which once boomed through the halls of the buildings of München, to prove to them their fall.

Still. There were some advantages to being dead, namely that I could watch as shadowy figures moved through the circles of power in Bavaria, quietly subverting the laws and amendments I had crafted for my country. I watched as countless things grew and flew away, things for which I would know no names until many years passed by. Now that I walk the halls of the Nobilis, I have gathered some amount of evidence to suggest that there was otherworldly involvement in my demise. I suspect several Powers of having had a hand in my death, including the Power of Subversion and the Power of Germany. However, I learned that the Power of Germany has been replaced at least three times since my death, after the ending of the three World Wars, with the last being the so-called "Cold War".

Since my death, I have become ever more supportive of revenge even as I become more hateful. Everywhere I look, I see humans and others who do not seek their just recompense for wrongs done to them. The spread of "conflict resolution" and peacefulness harm the honorable execution of revenge, as well as a petty concern for the value of worthless lives. They also attempt to suppress wrath, greed and spite, in a foolish effort to make Creation bland and mush-mouthed, devoid of the fires that have driven it for eons. It was irritating to see my hated rivals die in the French-caused famines before I was able to strike them down myself. Now I am forced to use their spawn to sustain my grip on existence. It is an intolerable situation, but one to which I am forced.

My enNobling has led me to preserve, however much I may hate them, the children of my enemies. I will never let them forget their crimes against me, though I use their bodies to further my agenda and that of my Imperator. With my newfound power, however, there are newfound problems. The pestilential gadflies of the Light once possessed the Power of Dark Passion, keeping her in a stone vault and defending her Estate themselves, in an effort to suppress Dark Passion whilst not doing the Children of Harumaph's work for them. They could not bear to have the rage-filled eyes of Dark Passion looking out at their beloved human herds. Then the Power of Freedom, himself a Power of the Light, listened to the whisperings of the Power of Suggestion, and at her word he opened the vault. Dark Passion roared from the vault, re-entering the world in a storm of righteous fury. Ever since, the Light has worked, subtly or otherwise, to reclaim Dark Passion; on occasion they have succeeded, but the Dark has always taken it back.

I look at Creation and I see holes in the fabric of existence, holes that were once occupied by things killed before their time, their bodies eaten. I look to the Excrucians; their crimes against existence will be avenged. Now that I have a body, I will divest them of theirs, as well as their power.

[Wolf]

Oddsod,

Can I just say that is a wonderfully detailed and flavorful background. A very angry ghost :-D

I don't quite get where Dark Passions comes in though?

JB.

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

Originally posted by Wolf

I don't quite get where Dark Passions comes in though?

JB.

What? I don't understand the question.

[Wolf]

Originally posted by Oddsod Blok'ed
What? I don't understand the question.

Heh heh - I thought that after I posted it. Uh you talk about how the power of Dark Passions has been imprissoned and was then set loose - how does this relate to you now having the estate of Dark Passions? Or am I reading it all wrong and it was you that was trapped all the time? Perhaps you've discussed this more in chat and I'm missing something obvious?

JB.

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

This character has it because at the time of his enNobling, the Dark possessed the Power of Dark Passions. Possession of that Power, sometimes in conjunction with the Power of Passions, would likely have been going back and forth between the Dark and the Light throughout history.

[Wolf]

Ah. Ah ha. Ok I see. Nice!

Heh heh heh I really like the image of the two sides battling to control an estate that isn't tied to a particular Imperator like most are.

JB.

[Geoff Hall]

Hmmm, the question is where is Andrew and has he settled on an Estate?

[Wolf]

Originally posted by Geoff Hall
Hmmm, the question is where is Andrew and has he settled on an Estate?

On Friday Andrew was thinking about playing the Power of Passion - an infernal inferno (he likes high spirit characters). Of course that may have changed so don't quote me - you know how it is with Nobilis ideas (ooh ooh I've just had another one...)

JB

[Geoff Hall]

Yeah he told me the same thing, I was wondering if it might have changed given oddsod's 2ndry Domain though. I'm sure we'll hear from him soon one way or another.

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

How many PCs are we looking at for the game? 3? 4?

[Geoff Hall]

Well we've definately got 4, you, me, Wolf and Andrew (who hasn't posted his Noble yet but has him statted up by all accounts) but wasn't Thunder_God looking to make a PC as well? He was just waiting for the GWB to be shipped to him or something like that. Or I could be wrong... definately 4 though. Minimum.

[andrew_kenrick]

Wheee! This is gonna be fun! I can't make every sunday, but should be at most, although not til 8pm or so GMT. Assuming thats ok, here are my initial thoughts on my Noble. I'm still mulling over background so will come back and edit it later this afternoon.

I'm going for an Infernal Noble of Passion (not Dark Passions - but if you think I'm stepping on your feet Oddsod, please say, and I'll work it from a different angle) from the corrupted angle of passionate but ultimately emotionless love and affairs, obsessions and fanaticism. Truly nasty stuff really, and probably not how passion should be construed.


Antimon Hart, Baron of Passion

Attributes

Aspect 0
Domain 1
Realm 0
Spirit 5

Gifts (heres where the rest of the points have gone ;-)

Devoted Populace (3 cp)
Durant (1 cp)
Glorious (2 cp)
Immutable (1 cp)

Virtues

Fervent - Antimon will not commit to an action or a cause that he does not truly believe in, but once committed will pursue it to his dying days.

Limits

Focus (undecided amount, as yet)
Light Touch

Restrictions

Health Linked to Focus
Repulsed by the Creator's Name

Affiliation

The Code of the Fallen Angel

... to be continued later

[Geoff Hall]

Okay, from Andrew's post and a PM with Oddsod and my own feelings would people perhaps prefer to start this thing (in general, as in when we're playing) from 8:30 or maybe even 9pm GMT instead of 7? Oddsod is in the US so the later, I assume, the better and I have kids so starting later in the day would be better for me as well. Less fobbing them off for, as they would see it, no good reason. If I know Jan (Wolf) well enough, and I think that I do, I can't see him having a problem with starting at a later time. So if someone brings this up tonight it would probably be useful for all of us... That or we can hope norm reads all that he's missed in this thread the last couple of days!

[Kurotowa]

Originally posted by Geoff Hall
Well we've definately got 4, you, me, Wolf and Andrew (who hasn't posted his Noble yet but has him statted up by all accounts) but wasn't Thunder_God looking to make a PC as well? He was just waiting for the GWB to be shipped to him or something like that. Or I could be wrong... definately 4 though. Minimum.

*whap* Hey, don't forget about me. Just because I've been sick and laying low don't mean I've disapeared. Although with all the Dark and Infernal types, I'm reconsidering if Memory is right for this Familia.

[andrew_kenrick]

Hey! No need to get violent! ;)

Well, assuming that Passion still stands and doesn't overlap too much with Oddsod's noble, then we seem to be shaping up as a Familia of emotions - enmity, revenge, passion etc. I really can't see why Memory couldn't be made to fit? Might be kinda cool too!

Oh, and on a related note - I can't seem to get the rpg.net chat room to work :eek: Anyone got any suggestions? I'm running IE 5, and have Javascripting enabled ... but it just shows up as a white box with a little red cross. I'll go and post a query in trouble tickets too, but did we have any alternatives locales? I can do MIRC, MSN and OPenRPG.

Andrew

[Kurotowa]

The chatroom is on IRC, that link just takes you to a javascript IRC program. Boot up Mirc, connect to irc.magicstar.net, and join #rpgnet.

[Geoff Hall]

a) Oops! Sorry, how could I forget Memory! (And I think it's a great estate to go with the rest. Revenge, Enmity, Passion. All things that can be links w/ memory, esp. the 1st 2!)

b) I walked him through logging on via mIRC, don't worry about him ;)

[andrew_kenrick]

Kurotowa & Geoff> cheers! I can now get onto the chatroom! Woo! Don't ask me how to get into any sort of side room though ...

I still won't be on til about 8 though, so I hope no one minds a late comer ...

I can hardly wait!

Andrew

[Geoff Hall]

If ppl move into a different room you'll have to find the name and then join it exactly the same way as you joined the rpg.net room, i.e. in the initial window (the one that logs you onto the server) type /join #roomname where roomname is the name of the relevant room, obviously ;)

[Geoff Hall]

Decided in chat:

Chancel:

Convenient Gates;
4 Banes;
Aggressive Warden w/ 9 RMP's for a Landlord;
Magical Inhabitants (+1) (Ghosts);
Normal Magic;
Alchemy;
High Summoning;
Thought Record Tech;
Ally Gate

Imperator:

Standard Harvest;
Cruel;
Principled;
Unskilled (Guns)

Session Timing:

Start 8-8:30pm GMT;
Finish ~ Midnight GMT

[Wolf]

Norm,

Are there any particular kinks/specifics you'd like me to work into Blade's background to fit inwith the familia? (though last night has answered most of my questions - we're a more coherent group then I at first thought :-D)

I was thinking that Baldes is very possibly only recently enobled - a few months perhaps...does that seem to work with what you've got in mind?

JB.

[Kurotowa]

While we're comparing notes, I'm also planning for a recent enNobling. A battle gone wrong, maybe?

[Geoff Hall]

A battle gone badly wrong. 2 (or more!) Powers lost. Perhaps a whole Estate erased. We must be doubley vigilant henceforth! The Excrucians will pay, oh yes, the star-eyed shall pay dearly!

[thenorm42]

Wolf > I think your character fits in quite well as the Familia's strong right arm. Theme-wise, Blades represent the means by which you lot enact your vengeance / enmity / dark passion / obsession (better watch out for that fanclub Andy!) etc. Not so sure about its relationship with memory - though, as the two most 'nice' powers in the Chancel, you'll probably get on with Kuro's character anyway. Or maybe not, perhaps you'll be rivals.

Does anyone want to do an actual description of the Chancel? My current vision of it (supplied mainly by Oddsod I think) is a gloomy Limbo / Stygia-from-Wraith kind of place, though with quite a lot of warm bodies too. I'm seeing Greco-Roman architecture primarily, but with a variety of other mausolea and tombs that WOULD be famous if you lot hadn't stolen them from history to make your chancel. Possibly the Black Taj Mahal could be a centrepiece, Egyptian canoptic jars get used for storing things, jade Mayan death-masks are fashionable accessories, etc. Kuro's Hall of Memory I see as being a little removed from the rest of the Chancel, possibly up on a mountainside.

It's your Chancel, though, feel free to argue and alter this as you please!

Haven't got a full vision of Balthial yet, other than he's fallen from his original role of the angel of contentment who helped people get over their obsessions etc. He does rather the reverse now, though some parts of him still retain some purity - Blades, in particular, is still a beautiful and elegant Estate for finding justice in the heart of enmity, obsession and revenge - hence it having an angelic Noble. If anyone wants to flesh out his history some more, feel free!

Incidentally, Kuro - I'd imagine your Estate as being 'purer' too. Possibly many of the past Nobles of your Estate were Angelic, as Balthial hung onto his purpose of bringing peace to people by recrafting their memories. Perhaps the switch to the Wild is relatively recent, occuring with you or your predecessor? I can see it tying in with the rise of the idea (in Prosaic Reality) that everyone's opinions and versions of events have validity - freedom of speech, etc. Just a suggestion, but it could create some interesting tension between you and your Imperator. Alternatively, maybe it's more likely to tie in with the idea that artistic or narrative truth can be more important than prosaic truth.

Norm

[andrew_kenrick]

I'm also thinking recent enoblement, but wasn't going for the battle angle. My enoblement was completely voluntary on the part of my predecessor.

And if no one beats me to it, I'll have a crack at a Chancel description.

Andrew

[Geoff Hall]

One thing I wish of the Chancel. All water courses shall be suspended aloft on giant, gothic-styled aqueducts so that I (who have been living here for millennia, more than enough time to affect changes even with my crappy Realm) don't have to cross running water within the Chancel. I was thinking very much a dark, gothic feel. Towns of the dead, black skies, full 'moon,' mist and fog, living souls pale and cowed, etc.

[thenorm42]

That'd be fine - aqueducts go in quite nicely with the Greco-Roman idea. And I'd imagine the Chancel ghosts might also have the odd problem crossing running water, lots of supernatural creatures do.

And it's quite a cool image, the high aqueducts overshadowing the main part of the Chancel like some kind of crazy spider...

Norm

[Geoff Hall]

That's just how I'd pictured it :)

[sprungmonkey]

I have yet to run a full-on table-top campaign. I have only run a Nobilis one shot thus far.

And, as Florin said, the most notable thing was that much of the game was occupied by the PCs figuring out what to do, then once a course of action is decided upon, blammo! On to the next thing.

[andrew_kenrick]

Here is my take on Locus Balthial, as I have been imagining it since last night. Lemme know what you think - it should be a group construction, after all.

The great spire of the Grand Sepulchre rises up like some fierce talon or fang, dominating the moonlit lands of Locus Balthial, its sides and slopes dotted with hundreds of mausoleums and temples. The lands surrounding the Sepulchre are composed of rolling countryside and bleak moors, sparsely populated by fortified farmsteads and scattered inns. The majority of the populace lives in and around the Sepulchre, in villages and hamlets dotting the winding roads that make their way gently up the sloping sides of the mound to the ebony domed temple of the Black Amarai – the shadowy counterpart to the Taj Mahal, stolen from Prosaic Earth to be used by Lord Balthial as his palace – that crowns the summit. It is here that the realm’s protector, Warden Thorn, presides, holding dominion over the surrounding lands. It is in the temple grounds and surrounding colonnaded buildings that Balthial’s Powers reside, each carving out a small dominion of their own atop the Sepulchre. Most fabulous of these is the Hall of Memories, for it is said that only in the Hall do the celestial glories of Balthial’s angelic past remain.

The realm itself is forever trapped in night-time, for it is said when Balthial turned aside from heaven, the celestial hosts withdrew the sun’s light from his lands. Instead light is provided by the ever full moon, or the countless crystal spheres that hang from posts along the streets and cast their alchemical illumination about them. No streams or rivers flow within Balthial’s domain, for Enmity’s Lord, Antipathy Jones, has long since overseen the construction of a spider’s web of viaducts to carry water down the side of the Sepulchre to the hamlets and into the farmland beyond.

Locus Balthial is sometimes called the Grey Necropolis, for it is a place akin to a cemetery or graveyard, haunted by vengeful spirits, mournful wraiths, embittered shades and the manifested memories of a countless forgotten crimes. The land is not merely the domain of the dead, although their numbers are great, but also of the living. In addition to the countless pilgrims who frequently pass along its ill-favoured streets to seek benediction for their sins from the Fallen Angel, the Chancel is inhabited by everyday folk who eke out a pitiful existence serving their Noble masters as warriors or footmen or in countless other duties for which spirits are unsuited, or making a living offering services to other travellers.

By far the greatest danger to the Chancel inhabitants comes not from the wandering spirits and shades, who are content to keep their misery to themselves, but from the Four Deaths – baneful spirits that stalk the land and its inhabitants, trying to over throw their most hated foes, the Sovereign Powers themselves.

[Kurotowa]

Since Memory does die of natural causes every couple hundred years, it doesn't have to have been a violent end. I'll think about it as a come up with the rest of the character. I rather think Memory was always of the Wild, it's too disordered for the needs of Justice and Respect that Heaven demands. As for the Hall of Memory.....


The Hall of Memory is true to its nature. In fact, all the Halls are, for Memory has many flavors

The first Hall is the outer face, the recollections shared with everyone. High on the hill it sits, a stately long building open to all comers. The open gallery runs down the center, where memories picked for their artistic merit or educational value sparkle and float above their thought globes, the fist sized amber spheres of crystal that the Chancel's artificers craft. Visitors are encouraged to sample the gallery's wonders, the better to apreciate the Domain. Surrounding the gallery are rooms. They are the Room of Rememberance, where your own memories are summoned forth that you might relive them, the Room of Contemplation, where memories are reflected upon and reshaped, and the Room of Forgetting, where those memories no longer desired are cast aside.

The second Hall is the inner face, the one shared only with the few. Its doors are not marked, but those turning the right corner in the gallery find themselves in the winding paths of the corridors of memory. They twist and turn into a maze of passageways and stairs, with many things to be found within them. There are dioramas forged from memories, where one may walk in places long gone, or join in the revels and tortures of scenes long past. There are cages where living memories snarl and bite the bars, hungering for hosts. There are display cases of the lesser mnemonics, items haunted by memories that refuse to leave. There are the dark places where memories that aren't lurk, shadows of the future and figments of the past that wasn't. Persons of note and stature are allowed within the second Hall, but never without a guide, usually a memory of the path they must walk. Those who ignore their guide can become lost in memory, and even if they find their way free again, rare is the one who is unchanged.

The final Hall is the private face, the one unshared with anyone. Only Memory and his Imperitor have set foot with it. Deep in the heart of the corridors (thought that is not the only entrance), protected by miracles of Privacy, Secrecy, and Concealment, the true Hall sits wrapped in upon itself. A long hallway, stretching as far as can be seen, broken only where it is crossed by other hallways. On both sides, simple wooden shelves. The shelves have small rounded depression on them, and sitting in each is a memory sphere. It glitter from within. There is a small label below each sphere, noting its nature. These are the horded treauses of Memory, each one holding a memory of such craft and artisty that it was worthy of being trapped in amber and preserved. These are the memories that were carefully kept, enlessly polished, and never forgotten. There are oft shared recollections of transcendent joy, and private terrors of absolute torment. There are encounters in the park with a long lost friend, and the last sunset over the spires of Atlantis. Not human memories alone, the birthing pain of Krakatoa is there, the travel log of a smell too. It is Memory's private collection, a tribute to his Domain. Sometimes, a sphere will be removed, to be shared with one deserving. Always it is returned.

[andrew_kenrick]

Very cool Kuro! I love the image of the Hall!

I think we each should take a turn in describing an aspect of the Chancel personal to us - Wolf might describe the great forges where the experimental blades are being created, or something similar.

I guess I should lead by example and write something here and now, but I'm cooking dinner so will do it later!

Andrew

[Geoff Hall]

Andrew, it sounds like your vision of the Chancel as a whole sits along extremely similar lines to mine. This is good!

Kuro. Wow, that's a great description. I love what you've done with the Hall :D Most excellent.

Andrew (again,) good idea. We should probably describe our own, personal domains within the Chancel. I'd take a shot at it right now but, quite frankly, I've been ill all day and don't really feel up to it X( I'll get something up in the next day or 2 though.

(Oh, and speaking of posting, can you kick your brother into some Blood on the Ash posting action?)

[Wolf]

Wow - the description of the Hall of Memory is absolutely stunning! That's it - Memory has my vote for coolest estate (oh...umm except blades of course...yeah mustn't forget my own estate ;-) )

The overall chancel description was also great - I've got a real image in my mind now.

Andrew - sounds like a plan, I too will try and get something done tonight...or perhaps tomorrow (the hour change is wrecking me). Yeah it's worth remembering that we will all have a corner of the chancel to call our own, and even with low realm we can all do creation etc by spedning RMP's so we can shape our havens as we see fit...given enough time ;-)

JB.

[Kurotowa]

EDIT: stupid double post.

[Kurotowa]

Glad everyone liked it. The chancel description inspired me and wouldn't let go. :)

One thing we have to work out a bit more is what form the magic/alchemy/summoning of our Chancel takes, how it fits into the day to day life there, and what tricks it gives us to use in the outside world. Note to self, read that section again later.

Also, are newly enNobled people always from the chancel or not? I can't recall.

[Geoff Hall]

Nope, newly enNobled folk don't have to be from the Chancel. They certainly can be but it isn't necessary. (I play the relatively newly enNobled Power of Shadow in our PBeM and wasn't from the Chancel, nor (I believe) was the even more newly enNobled Power of Murder and Manslaughter although given that he was an Anchor who had performed the Redtooth Rite he possibly doesn't count.)

And yeah, I'll be re-reading the magic parts of Chancel Creation much more careful today. Something with more of an eye to mechanics and uses than coolness this time ;) . I know that Antipathy is going to be very old fashioned in that respect though. Jars and potions and old tomes lining his shelves, pentegrams for summoning etched upon his floor, talismans and runes of warding on the entrances to his abode. That kind of thing. He's been around for thousands of years, he's entitled to be a bit behind the times in his methodology if he wants ;) .

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

The House of Revenge

Towering pillars made of black marble set with starkly white Ionic capitals mark the boundaries of the courtyard leading up to the House of Revenge. Trees and bushes in various states of decay and agony have been twisted in hundreds of grotesque and disturbing shapes, never seeming to change whilst gazed upon. The long, curving walk up to the house is inlaid with hundreds, if not thousands, of blood-red stones that fit perfectly together at the corners, with not a single blade of grass or root dividing them.

It looms at the top of the hill, a gargoyle of a manor devoid of light save for the occasional guttering candle or torch. Past the huge ebony door lies a darkly baroque, high-vaulted entrance hall with dual staircases reaching up and around to either side of the hall as massive arms descending from the second floor. The floor underfoot is an inlaid parquet of black and white, a checkerboard pattern that disappears beneath myriad doors leading to other rooms and hallways. Dark-hued paintings hang on the walls, of scowling men and hawk-eyed women, of thunderstorms crowning a mountain or a madman's gleaming knife. Overhead, a single crystal chandelier adorned with a hundred candles casts a glittering, fractured light over the forboding hall below.

The second floor is the most well-lit of the two floors in the sombre house, though this does not appear to be intentional. Large, gaping holes were blasted in the roof at some point in the past and have never been repaired; burnt wood and ash litter the shredded carpet and pockmarked floors in the rooms which were destroyed. In the centre of the largest of these rooms, possibly once an orchestral hall, sits the burned-out remains of an American B-24, with several skeletons arrayed in a grotesque manner against the blackened fuselage. On this floor, the halls are filled with painting after painting, sculpture after sculpture, of acts of revenge. At the far end of one of the halls there are two ornately carved wooden doors which open into a grand library, whose shelves are filled with thousands upon thousands of books. The vast majority of these have a single name inscribed on the spine in golden letters, perhaps written by a single hand. The stories contained therein are brutally violent, with the occasional illustrations done in a dark and ominous tone, made all the more potent by the flickering light in the library, cast by embers that sit undying in iron lanterns.

A door twice as tall as a man and four abreast sits at the far end of the entrance hall and leads to a stone staircase going underground below the manor house. Long, twisting stairs lit only by torches kept in iron braziers lead down, down, until coming out at a dark passageway. The only hint of light in these gloomy passages is the next candle in a long progression of occasional flickering lights. From time to time, though, one of the candles flares brightly, illuminating the pale stone walls. Maddened handwriting, scrawled in ink, blood, hatred or desire covers the walls, the countless scripts leering palpably at unwary onlookers. In the deepest place of these catacombs, behind a door wrought from the blackest ebony and studded with dark ironwork, there is a room whose walls, ceiling, and floor are made entirely of jet-black stone. No light is reflected from these; indeed the only light at all is provided by a pair of burning white candles that sit in iron holders at the corners of a stately writing desk, itself made of mahogany or some similar wood. The chair accompanying the desk is high-backed, its carvings baroquely ornate. On the desk sits an inkwell, with a black raven's feather sitting silently in waiting for its next user, as well as a single book. Its intricately worked leather cover is inlaid with thin threads of gold and silver, studded with black onyx gems and with a single phrase written in the True Tongue in a glossy ink: "The Targets of Revenge." The pages within, made of a thick, sturdy paper, are blank.

[Kurotowa]

Nice. That is to say, nice in an abstract literary sense, not nice in any way that would imply that Memory would be visiting very often. ;)

Oh, and I had a thought about our agressive Landlord. Might Brutus of Caeser stabbing fame be a good fit? His actions fell under most of our estates, so he's someone Balthial could easily take a shine to. He has the skills for helping to rule a Chancel. And I can see him being difficult while not impossible to deal with.

[Geoff Hall]

I like it. I was, obliquely I must admit, mulling over a potential identity for our Warden and here you come out with Brutus, a perfect fit by all accounts :) . Nice call!

Oh and Oddsod, I liek what you've done with the place ;) . seriously though that's well written and evocative of just how f***ed up a place we live in. Nicely done.

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

Thanks. I don't expect a tremendous number of visitors anyway. ;)

I think Brutus would be a good fit, though he wasn't really motivated by enmity against Caesar, he wanted to save the Republican status quo. Cassius was too motivated by greed and the rest of them were mostly goobers. But would the hypothetical Brutus Landlord be a ghost? Unless someone yanked him out of the timestream and gave him one of the Gifts that negates aging, he'd be long since dead.

Edit: Although now that I think of it, Brutus could have been motivated by enmity for Caesar's attempt at destroying the Republican status quo. Never mind that, then.

[Geoff Hall]

Our esteemed Warden could well be a ghost. Just a damn powerful one with more Realm and RMP's than any of us!

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

Oh yeah: I like all of the descriptions I've read. :D

On the High Summoning bit:

I think we need to have a separate building on the Chancel grounds for High Summonings. Either that, or it's done in the Imperator's palace itself. Since we're messing around with tremendously powerful stuff from Cneph-knows-where, nobody really knows what's going to pop out, so we'd probably want to limit damage to the Chancel if whatever we pull up gets out of hand. Maybe some of us or the Imperator could have taken part of the Maginot Line (part of the line that otherwise would have blocked off the Belgian border) to use as a High Summoning complex. Heavily fortified bunkers seem like a fitting place to house the summoning site in this Chancel.

On the Ally Gateway:

It could be the literal Highway to Hell, if we want. Or not. It would probably be on the Chancel boundary line somewhere. How about this: it could be made of wood taken from the Wood of the Suicides, from the Fifth Circle of Dante's Inferno. That way, anybody passing through the gates is haunted by the sounds of the gate itself groaning, the barking of hungry dogs and the screaming of the pursued victim.

On the Convenient Gates:

I'm still hung up on the idea of there being a gate to the Chancel in every graveyard in the world from which we have taken a grave, tomb, stupa, or whatever else; the Power of Revenge would go to great lengths to pinch graves as a sort of monument to Revenge.

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

Dur. I just remembered that I have a Secondary Estate that went entirely unmentioned in that post. So here's the add-on. Be warned, controversial material will show up at the end. Do not read the final three paragraphs if you are not of a completely open mind.

The Garden of Dark Passions

Behind the shadowed manor of Revenge lies a twisted tangle of nightmarish plants, sprawling masonry and scrabbling things spawned from the most evil of thoughts. The eternal moonlight of Locus Balthial barely makes an impression on the blackness and the gloom that lies under the uppermost branches of twisted trees. It is very easy to become lost in the Garden if one is unaware; the paths move and shift about before one's very eyes, and the plants twist themselves into newly horrifying shapes.

Head-height thornbushes, composite things crafted from all manner of European brush and shrubbery, form the walls of the obscene hedge maze. The stone underfoot, despite a clinging sensation of disgust, is a pale and reflective white, the only thing in the Garden that bears light to any who walk in it. Many of the stones are engraved with Latin words, names or graffiti; the masons of Rome contributed to the garden. Trees spike up without rhyme or reason, leafless branches stabbing into the sunless sky as though trying to reach up and tear out the stars to plunge the Garden into perpetual blackness.

Scattered about the Garden, between the shifting thornbushes and the twisted mockeries of trees, lie the occasional treasures of Dark Passion. All too frequently, they are visible for a moment and then gone the next, though there are some few monuments that are more commonly seen than others. A palatial neo-colonial white marble fountain from Argentina perpetually spouts blood and black ichor, the runoff from decades of butchery and murder in South America. The noxious concoction constantly overflows the lip of the fountain, spilling onto the ground and watering the Garden with its hate. Statues occur within the Garden, mounted on pedestals crafted of pure spite or viciousness. The panic of Laocoön and his sons is but a flicker compared to the utter mind-numbing terror evinced on the cold marble depictions of frightened old people chased by village mobs, or starving children being kept from eating by a greedy, thoughtless man. The Garden's gazebo, perhaps its most morbidly intriguing feature or its evil centrepiece, is actually two parts of two buildings that have been melded into one.

On one side of the gazebo is a Rabbinic pulpit and a copy of the Torah bound with human skin. On the apse-like structure behind the pulpit, sections of the Torah in Biblical Hebrew perpetually play over the pink marble in crimson-red script, suggesting destruction and doom to any who do not heed the printed words precisely. Instead of a Rabbi, however, a monstrous thing grows behind the pulpit, made of thorns and exuding poison from every fetid inch of itself.

On the opposite side of the pulpit is a twisted, horrendous version of a mihrab, hewed from pink stone identical to that of its antagonist on the other side of the gazebo. Rolling script in classical Arabic scrolls across the stone in crimson calligraphy, calling for fiery death to non-believers and those who do not literally follow the words printed in the dark-hued writing. Set on a perch made from dark mahogany wood is a copy of the Qur'an with its cover made of human skin and behind the pulpit sits a twisted obscenity very much akin to the one at rest behind the Rabbinic pulpit.

The air itself seems to revolt when the sharp odors of the two creatures meet, roughly in the center of the gazebo. There are no seats nor prayer mats for worshippers, just the two creatures on their pulpits, perpetually glaring at one another through unseen eyes. The creatures never speak to outsiders, and rarely to each other. However, when they do speak it is with the roar of frenzied mobs; during these verbal wars the gazebo shakes to its foundation, threatening to topple and shatter against the Roman walkway. Utterly alien to Prosaic Earth, these things seem instead to be living embodiments of hatred, fear, anger and all the myriad thoughts that Humanity harbors towards itself.

[andrew_kenrick]

I like the idea of Brutus as our Warden - and definitely Brutus as a ghost, his hands running red with blood in a Macbeth style! I guess the power might have gone to his head, and he might style himself as an emperor, or maybe he has some sort of senate made of spirits ...

As for High Summonings - I like the idea of them being in the Palace on top of the hill. Or maybe beneath it? I guess the Sepulchre is criss crossed with tunnels and tombs.

Love the Ally Gate! That's a disturbing image.

And the Convenient Gates - definitely into graveyards across the world! I imagine it irks some of us to have to crawl out of sarcophagi and mausoleum whenever we want to take a stroll on Earth :D

And good work with the descriptions Oddsod - I can tell you that I'm not calling in on you any time soon ...

Andrew

[thenorm42]

Great work, all of you! I'm really enjoying reading all this. Brutus as a Landlord is a great idea (though having his hands running with blood might make you wonder what side he's on). The Garden of Dark Passions is a nasty place, especially the bit with the pulpits, but one I could well imagine Enmity and Obsession going to for a tea party. The Hall of Memory and the House of Revenge are awesome, too!

Now, who wants to define their home bit of the Chancel next? It'd be quite cool if High Summoning and anti-Abhorrent-Blade-forging were the specific responsibilities of two of you, I think (the latter would probably be good for Blades). Whether this means a conventional forge or more esoteric construction techniques (like sharpening the Blades with starlight refracted through a crystal lens, say), or both, is up to you. Obviously, if you want to have these areas separate to your homes, then that's cool too.

I'm also interested as to how urban and modern the Chancel is - obviously not that modern, being made up of sepulchres, but then it does have a good water supply and magical resources. In particular, what colour are those streetlight crystals? I'm envisaging either a strange grey light that illuminates things colourlessly (in the more magical parts of the Chancel), and proper, real sodium-orange streetlights in the more populated bits, for a more city-like appearance.

Norm

[Geoff Hall]

I'm getting my part written up as we speak, it's nearing 2k words now though :eek: ! As far as the whole thing goes I'm envisiging an almost rural nature for the most part, a shadowland doted with mausoleums and barrows with towns and villages centred around the largest of these and something coming close to a city around the Sepulchre and Black Amarai but without any modern trappings. Almost medieval level tech (more out of choice than anything though) with magic making up for the lack.

[Geoff Hall]

Oh, incidentally, I'll do the whole High Summoning thing if people are okay with that?

[Geoff Hall]

I have been here for a long, long time. Millennia have passed, civilisations risen and tumbled down into little more than dust and still I, and this place, have endured. It is my home, a place I have spent countless centuries shaping so that my time residing here might better match my soul and the essence of my Estate.

The endless spider webs of towering aqueducts that dominate the dark and starless expanse of the perpetually moonlit sky are my accomplishment. A passion of near two thousand years, the souls of many of the nameless workers still reside in the Chancel as its pallid, spirit host. The deeply baroque and gothic nature of the works came about as a natural extension of this place long before the prosaic Earth had found the phantom of that architectural style buried deep within the spirits of rock and stone. Immense pillars of dark-stained brass carved and banded with vast protective runes of hideous potency fashioned from black granite alchemically fused with star metal support the disconcertingly thin channels of black marble which transport the precious supplies of water around Locus Balthiel. Early 21st Century author H. P. Lovecraft found much of the inspiration for his famous writings from his one pilgrimage here and, as such, I am able to read his works and derive from them a certain self-motivated pleasure. In short his use of imagery and focus on the morbidly unmentionable things of the universe derived from this place amuses me.

Still those cyclopean edifices are but one of the projects I have undertaken in my years in the Chancel. My brother Memory could surely give a fuller account of them than I though, most have faded from my recollection over the span of years having been deemed too unimportant or unimaginative to be worth taking the time to file away for later admiration. Ah, but there are some that stand out! I shall endeavour to detail a number of these later in this text.

A certain type of person gravitates to Locus Balthiel even if they do not know why they come. Those bearing grudges and terrible obsessions, those in whose souls darkness has taken root and found fertile soil to nourish it’s seed. Brother Memory’s Hall may still retain some of Lord Balthiel’s old, Angelic past and the most recent incarnation of our intimately material Familia member, Blades, has shown that the nature of Heaven and the painful, mocking beauty therein still has a place somewhere in my Imperator’s great soul yet these aspects are most oft drowned by the darkness. So has it been for as long as my memory stretches back for Lord Balthiel had Fallen long before even my enNoblement and that great event occurred many lifetimes before the current faces of my Familia came into being.

Of course with the centre of the Chancel revolving around such a tangible symbol of this Locus’ disturbed and necromantic nature as the Black Amarai – The Dark Lord India raged when our Lord stole that cabalistic gem from him as I can assuredly attest – it should come as little surprise that such individuals eventually find their paths wending here. Ah but I digress, this was originally intended as an overview of the architectural nature of my works in this place, not a speculation as to the characters of those who make pilgrimage to my home. Still, with our esteemed Warden, placed here by the Lord Balthiel when it became markedly obvious as to my Familia’s consistent lack of ability in manipulating the stuff of the Realm, being one Brutus of Roman infamy such things do bear an accounting, albeit a brief one.

I have, in my years in this place, overseen and lead the construction and design of many buildings which have now stood since, seemingly, time immemorial. The mausoleums and barrows of the famous and infamous who have been inspired chiefly by my Estate have been built here for thousands of years. The landscape around the Sepulchre is dotted with my constructions, all deeply evocative of the bodies and souls trapped within (it is a far better tomb that can constrain the soul of the occupant as well as his corporeal remains and a far greater warning to those who would cross me as well.)

The domain of these vaults of the damned spreads across the blasted, moonlit moors out to the Chancel’s edge, however their presence grows thinner the further form the great Sepulchre one wanders. Towns of the living and the dead have formed around the greatest and many pilgrims come to pay their respects to the inhabitants of these vast graves. Of course these constructions must have a centre, a focus from which I can begin my work. This is why the historians of the prosaic find the resting places of the notorious so difficult to locate. In a practise initially begun by one of the faces of Revenge the prosaic graves of these individuals are taken themselves into Locus Balthiel where they form the heart of larger, more ornate and grandiose, edifices. In this way the spirit of their inhabitants is captured both literally and metaphorically in the necropolis that was are slowly constructing.

All of this is, however, of little import beside my greatest achievement. My abode within the Chancel is usually referred to as The Demesne of Enmity. I have constructed it and added to it over all my numberless centuries living here. When I first arrived it was little more than a grand mausoleum, a characterful enough place but hardly a worthy home for one of the Nobilis, even in that bygone era. Nonetheless that tomb forms the very heart of my residence and I still take it as my own, personal chambers.

The Demesne itself is a rambling, sprawling affair. The layout is designed to confuse and delude would be visitors for I enjoy my privacy and long ago discovered that such mortal concepts as distance held little meaning here. When one has enough time on ones hands at least; and I have nothing if not time. Why, each of my tombs to those of my Estate that I deem worthy takes me a hundred years or more to craft and I do not begin work on one before another has been finished. I am reserving the next such for Caitlin, my current Anchor, for she of all the people alive at this time is a worthy recipient of such an honour. I digress again, I apologise. I was discussing my residence in Locus Balthiel.

There are both more and less buildings than the eye will attest to in my corner of the Chancel. Each building has it’s own, unique character yet the overall effect would almost certainly be described as antiquated, gothic and disturbing. I have heard some of the pilgrims describe solid the glances they have caught of it as a ‘haunted manor house out of the unimaginable nightmares of ancient man.’ I rather like it myself, very human. Of course I did give Mr. Lovecraft – did I mention that I am a great fan of his work? – a personal tour of my Demesne so the imagery used should probably not be all that surprising. My home gave him much of his inspiration for his interpretation of sleepy New England, or so I have been told.

Ah, but to the buildings I suppose? Each is a repository for Enmity in one form or another. Hatred and antipathy, animosity and bitterness, loathing, spite and rancour. All have their place here and there are places for all. In the buildings are books and artefacts, paintings and trains of thought. All things in which enmity has found a home and which have, over time, found their way here. I can find whichever building I wish with a thought but that is an ability saved only for myself, and Lord Balthiel I suppose, if he cared to try. Others must be shown by me, except for my Familia who can always step through the mire of confused distances and angles to cut through to my private chambers should the need arise.

In some of the rooms there are great stores of texts and treatise, in others a single object on a plinth or in a case. The most dangerous of these are chained to the bones of the Chancel, protected by powerful wards and guarded by specially trained ghosts, The Children of Malice, who will slay any who enter their domain unaccompanied by me without hesitation or thought. There are few such artefacts in truth and I have forgotten about most. I have been alive too long. One of these days I must get around to clearing out my outbuildings. One of these days...

Ahem. Once more I find my unnecessary verbosity is distracting me from my goals, even in written form. So to conclude this piece I shall endeavour to explain the central mausoleum, my private chambers, as best I can. Built in a style ancient before I was born it is forged of brass and obsidian cooled in blood shed in the name of my Estate and set in the hideous form of the skeleton of some unspeakable beast from outside of Creation. To even look upon the shape of the degenerate creature is to find ones eyes and mind sliding away. Having failed to grasp the true monstrosity of it most viewers will immediately erase the sight of it from their memories. Those ordinary mortals who do not... well, let us say that dementia animus would be a kind end compared to the suffering inflicted upon their souls. The only cure is a swift death or a visit to my brother Memory to erase the offending image from their consciousness. I admit that I normally simply deliver the swift death that they crave, it is far easier and I do not like to bother my brother in his Hall. The place is too bright and revealing for my eyes.

Walking inside the fanged maw of the distressingly carnal brute one comes to my true home. It is perhaps not what one would think from the outside. Originally the insides were bare and spartan, devoid of any personalisation, the rooms defined only by the stylised rotting skin crafted from sheets of brass. Upon those walls and the obsidian bones of the faux creature carvings and murals of scenes from places not meant to be depicted within the bounds of Creation were plainly visible. All in all it was perhaps not the best place for a new Power to be exploring.

Now, though, things are different. It is amazing how much clutter and junk one can acquire over the millennia. The essential structure is still there, the rooms defined by obsidian bone and brass skin, yet the character of the beast has been unalterable changed. The pictorial etchings remain yet some of their ethereal and otherworldly, soul-destroyingly bastardised nature is subdued and deflected. Paintings and tapestries line the corridor walls, scenes and images depicting wars, battles, riots and brawls, the results of blood-feuds and bitter enmity from all across the world and all across time. There are few actual rooms within the belly of the beast. Only three in fact. There is my personal audience chamber where I greet my Familia should they desire to speak with me, this is done out in elegant yet old style from the highest points of the Renaissance, designed to impose, impress and lend a classical tone to the proceedings. It also serves to throw off any preconceptions that those I am greeting may have. Suffice to say that the tormenting carvings are entirely covered in this room.

The second room is my sleeping chamber. There is little here apart from a large and ornate four-poster bed decked out in black velvet with purest white silk sheets. I rarely use this room however as I do not need sleep but for those rare occasions that I choose to rest my eyes I prefer to do so in sumptuous comfort.

Finally there is my study, the only place in the whole of my Demesne that I truly have an attachment to. Here the walls are lined with book shelves and those shelves are full to overflowing. On them reside all manner of jars containing a plethora of alchemical substances and experiments. By far dominating these, however, are the books. I have a vast collection of treatise from throughout Creation on the arts of alchemy and, especially, summoning, both the mundane and High varieties. On the floor is a permanent pentagram which I carved there millennia ago and consecrated with the blood of thirteen virgins mixed with quicksilver and purest salt. The lines are still as virulently powerful today as they were when I first cast it. I use this for summoning, but only of the mundane kind. High Summoning is only attempted in the specially designed bunker buried deep under the Black Amarai, I would never be so foolish as to practise such in my own rooms!

Throughout my private chambers there are wards and seals, powerful magicks of the protective kind which prevent my from being summoned by any save perhaps Lord Balthiel Himself whilst I am in my home. The door to my study is especially heavily warded and none apart from me may enter, nor even touch the door, without death coming upon them. I am sad to say that such an end did once befall one of my own Familia many centuries past. It is a mistake that I have taken great pains to ensure does not occur again! It was many years before the next Blades forgave me... More than this, though, there is one door that I keep guarded. Three of The Children of Malice stand guard upon it at all times and you must go through a carefully crafted maze at the rear of the mausoleum to even reach it. The door is warded even more heavily than that of my study and even I must perform a sequence of long and complex rituals before I can touch and open the portal. And portal it is, this door is one of only three in the whole Chancel that leads to the underground catacombs where the circles are drawn for I and my Familia to practise the ancient and terrifyingly dangerous arts of High Summoning. The other two doors are equally heavily warded and I am uncertain as to where they come out, I have never dared touch them for I do not know their rituals and ways...

[thenorm42]

Ooh, that's really awesome too Geoff. Have you considered taking 'Verbose' as a Virtue? :D Could come in handy if your character was ever tortured ... 'Yes, I'll tell you where I hid the Allia, but it'll take me forty-eight hours!'

Norm

[andrew_kenrick]

Early 21st Century author H. P. Lovecraft

<Cough> ... 20th Century <Cough>

I think the place is ever so slightly stuck in the past - technology certainly isn't common place, at first glance at least. It is only when one peers deeper into the Locus that they see that there is technology about, such as the odd car winding up to the top of the Sepulchre, or a flickering television screen spied through a part-shuttered window. Of course, with the existence of alchemy and magic, I imagine such devices have a weird, otherworldly feel to them.

I know for sure that I'm going to have a very modern appartment up on the Sepulchre, complete with net connection and plasma screened tv (which are, weirdly, never plugged in ... as though the power came from some other mysterious source) as I am a thoroughly modern man ... noble ... whatever.

Andrew

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by thenorm42
Ooh, that's really awesome too Geoff. Have you considered taking 'Verbose' as a Virtue? :D Could come in handy if your character was ever tortured ... 'Yes, I'll tell you where I hid the Allia, but it'll take me forty-eight hours!'

Norm

Heh. Now that you mention it... yes, yes I have ;)

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by andrew_kenrick
<Cough> ... 20th Century <Cough>

I think the place is ever so slightly stuck in the past - technology certainly isn't common place, at first glance at least. It is only when one peers deeper into the Locus that they see that there is technology about, such as the odd car winding up to the top of the Sepulchre, or a flickering television screen spied through a part-shuttered window. Of course, with the existence of alchemy and magic, I imagine such devices have a weird, otherworldly feel to them.

I know for sure that I'm going to have a very modern appartment up on the Sepulchre, complete with net connection and plasma screened tv (which are, weirdly, never plugged in ... as though the power came from some other mysterious source) as I am a thoroughly modern man ... noble ... whatever.

Andrew

See, bizarrely I was thinking 20th century when I wrote it... I have no clue how it came out as 21st *shrugs*

And yes, I see the place as a bit backwards, somewhat stuck in the past and lacking in modern tech although much of that out of choice. The Chancel can support it but for the most part the inhabitants are a) not really aware of it and b) can have it done via magic/alchemy instead.

[Kurotowa]

It does seem a strange mix. There are no factories to churn out cars and other modern toys, yet the alchemists and magic workers take their place. However, the sound of hammer on metal still rings night and da... well, rings constantly, as the Forges of Blades craft their works.

Gah, mustn't get distracted! Finish re-reading GWB, write about Bertram, fix anchors and bonds.

[Geoff Hall]

Go, go Kuro! (Don't worry, people keep distracting me by posting stuff quite unfairly too!)

[thenorm42]

At the moment I'm trying to think of a friendly familia for the Ally Gate that you've got. I'm imagining about three members - I know one will be the Noble of the Forge, to help out with your weapon experiments. I'd quite like another one to be the Noble of History or Knowledge, if Kuro doesn't mind - it'd be nice to have your rival close at hand (bit of a coincidence - I wonder if Antipathy Jones engineered it to further his Estate Geoff?). What sort of idea did you have for History Kuro? Anything specific?

As a lover of absolute truth, I'd imagine he'd associate more with practical, concrete Estate Nobles, even if his academic mindset makes it hard for him to get along with them well...

I'm not sure who the other Noble would be. I've had a rather sudden idea of what the Chancel would be like though - in fact, the Chancel and the Imperator would kind of be the same thing.

The Iron Monitor, a vast and ancient Aaron's Serpent nested deep below the earth. It has fed for so long on the molten rock and metal of the Earth's core that its entire body is now formed of these materials, and it has grown truly huge, even by the standards of Aaron's serpents. The main part of the chancel is suspended over the ever-flowing river of lava within the beast's stomach.

This dependence on lava and heat has made it impossible for it to ever return to the World Ash, and because of this, once every fifty years, a great tear of magma spills out of its eye and mixes with the metal of the core, causing tectonic upheaval and volcanic eruption in the world above. The Iron Monitor now spends its time asleep, dreaming of its lost home, though its Nobles can commune with its sleeping mind by taking a secret route through its red-hot bones and entering its cranium, where a blinding, searing light takes the place of a mortal brain.

Many other parts of the Iron Monitor's body have inhabitants, from the strange white Golems that protect its blood (a stream of super-hot plasma) from interlopers, to the weird Tapewyrms - themselves of draconic length and majesty - that parasitise its gut.

The Iron Monitor's nobles and Chancel-folk are all immune to the effects of the heat, and can craft amulets that pass this effect onto others when within the Chancel, allowing visitors to come. The city in the Monitor's belly is made up of hundreds of iron steps, gantries, walkways and platforms, with buildings standing upon them. In the centre of it is suspended the Great Forge, where a huge variety of metal artifacts are crafted by the Noble and his underlings.

The Ally Gate actually enters the Monitor in the creature's nasal cavity. However, those that enter without an 'Asbestos Amulet', (as the Noble of the Forge jokingly refers to the gold talismen, also known as Phoenix or Salamander amulets) are reduced to ash in moments. Even ghosts are blasted from the face of Creation by the awesome, miraculous heat.

This is the reason for the ancient gate's assocation with Suicide and Hell - until a Power blessed with Immortality tried the gate some three hundred years ago, the folk of your Chancel regarded it as one of the few ways that the ghosts could end their long eternity, and sometimes even now a weary ghost takes the Longest Step out of their undeath.

Only one of the Amulets is allowed to be kept in Locus Balthial - in the event of a direct attack, this can be used to summon help from the folk of Locus Monitor. Other amulets may be brought from Monitor when you make official visits to it.

I think I'll make the last Noble Volcanoes, actually. I know the whole under-earth chancel has been done by the example Aaron's Serpent in the book (the Gravelling Wyrm), but this is sufficiently different to be ok, I think.

Phew, I think that's enough ideas for now. Some questions :

Can anyone see any mechanical problems with having the Imperator and the Chancel as the same thing? I'm planning on the creature having Spirit 5 and the Chancel having Defender's Blessing 5, which should simulate its Auctoratitas nicely. I'd also rule that the city and the Monitor's other stomach contents (and possibly some of its other fluids, like its blood and tears) don't count as being part of it for the purposes of direct miracle immunity.

Is everyone ok with having Locus Balthial for a name for your Chancel, or do you want to come up with something else?

To what extent would you like me to let you in on your allies' stats? It might be tactically handy and make your plans run smoother, but it might also break the suspension of disbelief a bit. I'm leaning towards just giving you in-character hints as to their abilities.

Have I gone on long enough now? :D

Norm

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

Yikes. o.0 Sounds fine to me, though, including the mechanical whatnots of having the Chancel and the Imperator's body being the same thing.

I think Locus (Imperator Name) is fine, though we might want to clarify if it is spelled "Balthial" or "Balthiel".

I'm all in favor of being mostly ignorant, really. I don't really envision us making us a lot of trips to the Iron Monitor, mostly because of the instant-death problem. Are we going to make the official Ally Gate as cut from the Wood of the Suicides? That's the only question I have about it.

About the Normal Magic/Alchemy bits, I came up with a couple of thoughts earlier today; what do you think of these?

A type of Breakthrough-divining magic, using the blood of a creature from outside Creation, ritual salt and a bowl or other container of perfectly cut, clear diamond. I don't figure it would be a perfect trick, but it might be worth something.

Maybe some kind of trick that allows other ghostly inhabitants of the Chancel to interact with their environment as easily as living inhabitants do.

[Kurotowa]

Not a lot of specifics. He's very rigid, probably one of those tightassed Light types. Tries to impose a history that fits his agenda, then keep it as fixed as possible. An occational cooperation against the Excrucians, since it's sometimes hard to tell which of us the Flower Rite is really aimed at. But the usual mode is tense rivalry.

On Brutus, he might technically be a ghost, but remember that he gets RMP too. He's had a long time to do a Creation of Body, and whatever other buffing miracles he wants. In fact, he certainly has a citadel of his own which he governs the Chancel from, given he's got more Realm than any of us. Probably something palatial and Roman. Gee, I wonder if that means we have our own Coliseum? A place where Blades can be tested, and Revenge can be publicly taken.

[Geoff Hall]

Wow, I think our allies rock! (No pun intended...)

I like what you've come up with and think it's a great idea. I'm also happy with being mostly ignorant. Hell, unless any of the current Familia over there are Immortal/Eternal and have been around for some time I've probably barely even registered their names yet...

Incidentally I like the gate being cut from the Wood of Suicides. It's a very neat idea and fits well with our overall theme (I feel.)

And yeah, pinning down whether or not it BalthiEl or BalthiAl is kinda necessary ;)

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by Kurotowa
On Brutus, he might technically be a ghost, but remember that he gets RMP too. He's had a long time to do a Creation of Body, and whatever other buffing miracles he wants. In fact, he certainly has a citadel of his own which he governs the Chancel from, given he's got more Realm than any of us. Probably something palatial and Roman. Gee, I wonder if that means we have our own Coliseum? A place where Blades can be tested, and Revenge can be publicly taken.

I agree about Brutus having had plenty of chance to 'improve' himself greatly. Although I still quite like the idea of him being a ghostly ghost... As for his fortress, it's mentioned in Andrew's general Chancel description. He resides in the Black Amarai, the dark and shadowy counterpart to the Taj Mahal that our Lord and Imperator spirited away when he decided he wanted it.

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

I think it would be interesting if we give the place a more Greco-Roman flavor; Brutus would probably be interested in adding Roman trappings, since his biggest concern was the welfare of Rome itself. Maybe there's a Roman-style chariot arena where Nobles and others can race chariots or horses in grudge matches or something. I also think, though, that we need to add some sort of Hindu or otherwise Indian flavor; the Taj Mahal is a pretty big step to just sit out in the middle of the Chancel without any "supporting cast" buildings. I know the Power of Revenge would have taken some burial stupas from India after a stint there, but other than that....?

[Geoff Hall]

Well the stuff I've taken and built upon will be from all around the world but, equally, I'll have wanted to try and make things fit in with the feel of the Chancel. So, basically, the ratio of indian/hindu-style graves : others will be higher the closer to the Black Amarai you go. At least that's how I figure it.

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

Beh. That post didn't make any sense. Please excuse my sense of procrastination; it's trying to stall me studying for a midterm.

[thenorm42]

You're quite a nasty lot - maybe some of your human chancelfolk originated from India, and still practice things like thugee (essentially, strangling travellers and Taking Their Stuff as religious worship of Kali - though I don't know the full details) and suttee (the burning of wives when their husband dies)? That could tie in with the Indian theme.

And I do imagine your chancel as being fairly incoherent in architecture - it's part of the slightly surreal nastiness of the place. The Greco-Roman stuff is just what I imagine being dominant. Of course, if you prefer to have it all beautifully integrated, that's cool too! Though then, I think possibly we'd need to find some pictures of other Indian tombs for this central district.

Norm

[Wolf]

Just poping in to add a nightly 'WOW' ;-)

The Iron Monitor is very very cool.

I especially like the 'longest step' some ghosts eventually take to end their terms (reminds me a little of the forever door in Shadowsfall, if anyone's read that). Would the heat even kill an immortal power?

The door being framed with wood from the wood of suicides also seems cool to me - no doubt it was someones idea of a joke?

I'll be trying to post the description of blade's part of the chancel latter tonight.

Oooh and blades would certainly enjoy a colseum if we have one - her vs all comers (just to keep well exercised) :-D

JB.

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

Midterms over. Now I can think a bit more clearly.

Hrm. I poked around on Yahoo.com to look for Hindu burial sites, and the websites I found implied that the preferred method of treating the dead is cremation. If that's true, we might not want to put in Hindu graves, though I think funeral pyres that are eternally burning might be suitable. However, I think the Power of Dark Passion would have stolen one of the mass graves into which Hindus threw Muslim dead as a contribution to either the morbidity of the Chancel's atmosphere, or as an addition to the Garden.

About stupas: Stupas are a round-topped, circular type of burial mound. Apparently the Buddhists and the Jains built them to house the relics of holy people; maybe Memory could have taken one of these in order to honor the person whose bones were inside?

One other thing: if Brutus has to be a Noble in order to be the Landlord (and I think he does), what Power is he?

[Kurotowa]

He does not. The Imperitor can create a sub-Noble, gifted only with a Realm score but no estate.

[thenorm42]

>Would the heat even kill an immortal power?

Nope, it's not quite that hot! That's how they found out where the gate led ... the ghosts got a bit less keen on using it as a means of suicide once they found out how it destroyed them - for some reason, being blasted out of existence by intense heat was less appealing than just walking through a gate and vanishing forever.

I've now got a picture of the Black Amarai - well, a slightly photoshopped one of the Taj Mahal (a colour inversion and a little airbrushing) - that actually looks pretty cool. Just thrown it up onto some crappy free webspace : http://locus.freewebspace.com/photo.html .

Might possibly use a website to visually show off appropriate bits of the chancel. I've collected quite a few useful images already, but if anyone else has any good ones...

Norm

[thenorm42]

Btw Kuro - not wanting to be a spelling lawyer or anything, but you do know you spell it 'Imperator' not 'Imperitor', right?

Norm

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

*checks out the picture*

Very cool! If I find any good bits, I'll let you know.

[Kurotowa]

Originally posted by thenorm42
Btw Kuro - not wanting to be a spelling lawyer or anything, but you do know you spell it 'Imperator' not 'Imperitor', right?

Norm

:mad:

Me speell is goode so nt.

I'll try to keep that in mind. *sigh*

[Wolf]

[Ok - as promised the home of Blades. Appologies for any spelling mistakes etc - it's late but I wanted to get this posted, having enjoyed the other descriptions so much. Feedback, questions etcetera all gladly welcomed]

A little way from the metaphorical centre of the chancel can be found the Field of Honour. It is a barren and wild expanse of moor-land, criss-crossed by a spiders web of cobbled paths or paved walkways. In amongst these pathways are scattered hundreds of life sized statues; some positioned beside paths or at prominent intersections, others standing alone amongst the overgrown brambles and bracken.

The statues come from all eras of human history, and their arrangement seems to follow no rhyme or reason with regard to time– medieval knights stand shoulder to shoulder with Japanese samurai or Moorish warriors, Iriquoi braves pose opposite Italian renaissance artisans, Neolithic tribesmen crouch amongst roman legionaries. The material they are constructed from likewise varies from statue to statue – from rough stone, to pristine white marble, to polished obsidian to a hundred others.

One thing is constant between them however; every figure is carrying or using a naked blade of some description – and these are always actual weapons as opposed to carved representations, all blades eventually find their way home. This is where those who have served the estate of Blades are honoured; from peasants to kings, from warriors to craftsmen, from scholars to heroes to artists – despite what some believe there are many ways to worship the Blade. Each statue bears a small metal plinth - giving the name of the person depicted by the statue, the nature of their service, and the name of the blade in their hands.

It is said that if you lay your hands on one of the statues and concentrate deeply, the truly dedicated will see a glimpse of the life of the person and their service to Blades. It is whispered that if you spill your blood on one of the blades and whisper it’s name, a little of the wisdom of the statues subject enters you, honing and sharpening skills far beyond normal. The more drops spilt the more knowledge is gained…but for each drop the contact burns away a year of your life. Pilgrims still come to walk the unmarked paths, touch the heroes and, perhaps, make a blood offering as a mark of devotion. Less come then in times past, but still they come nonetheless.

On a bare hill overlooking the field is the residence of the current angel of Blades – Faith Deltarion. Though it’s sovereign is just recently changed, the house of Blades looks as it has for many, many years – a detailed recreation of a medium sized 16th century Japanese dwelling, such as might have been occupied by a village headman or influential samurai. In the main Faith is content to leave the dwelling as it is. She hasn’t had time to do much shaping, and besides, she rather likes the contrast to the gothic architecture making up the majority of chancel buildings – of course the real reason is that she loves all things samurai and has dreamed of living in a house like this.

The main living quarters consists of three low wooden buildings forming a u-shape around a formal garden, complete with traditional rock garden. Inside the furnishings are spartan and keeping with the period – tatami matting covering the floor, wood and paper panel dividing the rooms, scattered futons and cushions and the occasional bonsai tree or incense holder on a low table in the corner. In addition to the traditional furnishings however blades of every kind and description occupy almost every available space - mounted on the walls, standing in racks and lying on low benches.

Other then Blades herself the house is home to three servants – a gardener, a cook and a geisha. They are creations of the previous sovereign that Faith hasn’t the heart to dismiss – the gardener is inspired, the cook exceptional, and the geisha…well she’s a little unsure what she’s going to do with a trained geisha. Currently she seems happy enough keeping order in the spacious Dojo behind the house proper so that’s what Faith lets her do. As with the main house the Dojo is filled with a massive selection of different blades – including a selection of finely balanced wooden practice blades. At present it is simply used by Faith, but when needed it provides the perfect place to instruct the occasional gifted student that arrives on pilgrimage, to spar with friends and challengers, or to duel with worthy opponents or other challengers.

Beyond the house and Dojo there is another much larger hill. On the top of that is the Shrine of Blades - a hauntingly beautiful structure of domes, pillars, arches and towers, all of a pure white stone never seen in the mundane world. The stone glows with a light that seems to dance in the air and sing against the skin of those who observe it. Visitors are said to never be quite the same after having stood in such light, and this is likely true – for the stone is as close to that used in the brightest realm as any mortal is ever likely to see.

Inside the shrine are vast rooms floored with mosaics of staggering complexity and beauty, depicting aspects of the estate of Blades. Murals similarly adorn the walls and throughout it all the stone bathes the interior in pure light – reflecting in scintillating colours off the immaculately polished blades that are exhibited throughout.

However there is more to the shrine then static images and polished weapons – it is also the realm of the five masters. These are powerful spirits of the estate of blades, each said to posses the sum total of all humanities knowledge of the blade. They teach, demonstrate and educate tirelessly – or simply engage in seemingly eternal duels to celebrate the expression of blades in motion for all to see and delight in. During such duels they will seem to sustain appropriate wounds, in the rare instances an attack penetrates glittering defence, but they are spirit stuff and can never really take lasting harm from such – swiftly recovering to no matter how grievous the injury.

All are free to wander the corridors and echoing rooms of the shrine – except for the inner sanctum at the very core of the shrine. The inner sanctum is barred to all except the Power of Blades (and those she may designate) and should any try to penetrate it they will likely be swiftly destroyed by the masters long before they came into contact with the powerful magics and wards set to guard.

Such measures are necessary because in the catacombs that extend deep beneath the sanctum are stored the most perfect, beautiful, and deadly blades ever forged – blades of angels and devils, mortals and gods, lovingly cherished and cared for by their Sovereign. Blades that help define the very essence of the estate. Blades that must never, never be let fall into the wrong hands.

Such protection is doubly necessary as deep in the catacombs that there is a heavily protected tunnel that leads to the chambers where the eldritch high-summoning circles are inscribed. It is here that the sovereign of Blades is often required to bring her most deadly weapons, such as might be used if the unthinkable happens and a called monstrosity breaks its bonds.

[I'm happy to describe the forge - hopefully tomorrow - but if someone has a hankering then please feel free]

[Geoff Hall]

Okay, that picture of the 'Black Amarai' absolutely rocks! Very nice!

Jan, I love your residence. It's very you ^_^ . Good to know where one of the other doors leading to the high summoning area comes out!

Speaking of which I shall get a description of that area written up today (I hope, I should have enough time late this evening.)

[thenorm42]

>Me speell is goode so nt. I'll try to keep that in mind. *sigh*

Sorry Kuro - didn't mean to give offence. And it's the only spelling mistake I can think of you making - just that it's a rather major one in Nobilis ... Btw, are you feeling better now after you were poorly last week?

Nice home, Wolf! I like the blood-pact thing. Wonder what happens if a character with Eternal uses it? They don't have years of life to shave off... :D (imagines someone acquiring Aspect 9 at swordplay that way, hehehhh). I'd assume you want a few more Oriental tombs to go near your dojo and the 'terracotta army' of Blades?

Glad you like the pic of the Black Amarai! I'll probably re-rig the page to be a proper webpage and put all the images on there - though I'll only link to the ones you're meant to see...

Norm

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by thenorm42
Wonder what happens if a character with Eternal uses it? They don't have years of life to shave off... :D (imagines someone acquiring Aspect 9 at swordplay that way, hehehhh).

Interesting point... ~plots to become the greatest swordsman who ever lived!~

[thenorm42]

Heheh, actually I'd imagine you probably wouldn't be able to get beyond Aspect 2 with it, since it's mostly humans you're getting the knowledge off. Sort of like having a 'polished' imperator quality for swords...

I'm not sure if it works on Nobles, though - these statues are very much Blades', and probably wouldn't accept someone with a different Estate. :D

Norm

[Geoff Hall]

Curses ;)

[andrew_kenrick]

Or, perhaps the blades take something for everything they give? Not sure what, perhaps experiences, memories or something similaR? Or maybe they slowly turn users into statues?

That'd put me off using the blades ...

Andrew

[Kurotowa]

Originally posted by thenorm42
>Me speell is goode so nt. I'll try to keep that in mind. *sigh*

Sorry Kuro - didn't mean to give offence. And it's the only spelling mistake I can think of you making - just that it's a rather major one in Nobilis ... Btw, are you feeling better now after you were poorly last week?

Nah, is no offence. Glad to catch the mistake, just sighing over how much trouble I still have with spelling. And thanks for asking, I'm not feeling ill anymore, but still in the post-flu no endurance pit. So looking up.

And hopefully I'll have more character stuff soon. As a Power of the Wild, I should probably work Summoning in too.

[Wolf]

Thanks for the kind words.

And yes I was careful to qualify most things with 'it is said' - which of course means the actual efects are up to the HG (especially trying to sneak around by being immortal - Geoff) and we all know that means. Put it this way - I wouldn't go bleeding on the blades if I were you ;-)

So looking forward to this - any more ideas about how were going to run the game on sunday? (it'll be on the irc channel again yes?)

JB.

[thenorm42]

I think Sunday's session will primarily be a getting-together of all the information we have from this thread - making sure we've all got everything we need to play sorted out. If there's time, it might be nice if we could role-play out the first Harvest (if anyone wants to think of how the harvest actually works, I'd be happy to hear it! - if not, then I'll work something out), possibly with a little interference from the Banes.

Really, I think the last thing we need to decide as a group is : what's Balthiel-al like? What sort of personality does he have? How corrupted is he by his time in Hell (bear in mind the mix of Codes you've got here)? Is he one of the Ten Fallen Angels that Heaven allows up the Ash, or is he a more illicit visitor? Is he still welcome in Hell? How DO you spell his name (I've seen both versions on the Internet...)?

Now we've got all the characters more or less in place, I just need to come up with an actual plot... Most of the ideas I've got currently would be a bit mean to spring on you in the first few sessions!

Norm

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

I was thinking it would be spelled Balthiel, since the -el suffix signifies God's handiwork. I don't think he'd be welcome on the Ash, considering how unpleasant some of his Powers are, but I figure he'd still be welcome in Hell. Enmity, Dark Passion and Obsession are probably three very common things down there. That's all I have for that, though.

On the Harvest:

I was thinking that each of us could have our own variation on performing the Harvest, since there's nothing in the Great White Book that I can find about having only one style of Harvesting. For my character's part, I was seeing him as carrying iron manacles and chains, in addition to either a scythe, or a riding crop and ghostly sword, to allow him to make a Harvest. He subdues the target spirit or being by force, chains it and leads it back to wherever it needs to be taken.

[andrew_kenrick]

practice things like thugee (essentially, strangling travellers and Taking Their Stuff as religious worship of Kali - though I don't know the full details) and suttee (the burning of wives when their husband dies)? That could tie in with the Indian theme.

If no one minds (and I'm fairly sure Wolf and Geoff wont), I'd like to avoid any contact with thugees and Kali, by virtue of our last Nobilis (PBEM) game, in which the Imperator was Kali and one of the Nobles (Murder, naturally) had a thuggee cult as his followers (and a mystery cult I think). As we're still playing that game, it could cause some confusion at times ... :confused:

Andrew

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by andrew_kenrick
If no one minds (and I'm fairly sure Wolf and Geoff wont), I'd like to avoid any contact with thugees and Kali, by virtue of our last Nobilis (PBEM) game, in which the Imperator was Kali and one of the Nobles (Murder, naturally) had a thuggee cult as his followers (and a mystery cult I think). As we're still playing that game, it could cause some confusion at times ... :confused:

Andrew

I had been thinking the same thing actually. Kali bad. Thugee bad. Killing Murder good. No, wait, other game, other game!

[Geoff Hall]

Deep within the bowels of the hill atop which sits the node of our Chancel, the Black Amarai with its Warden, the treacherous Roman Brutus, is a sprawling complex of catacombs. Situated here, deep inside the earth and rock at the heart of the Chancel, lie the Circles of High Summoning. Ancient even before the acquisition of the Black Amarai, memories from forgotten antiquity even when Slinks with Malice was called as the Power of Enmity these Circles remain unblemished by time and untouched by the changes wrought in the land about them.

To those unfamiliar with them the catacombs are a confusing mass of primitive tunnels hewn into the very bedrock of the stuff of the Chancel. Prehistoric stone carvings line the walls and depict scenes of primitive horrors, ancient blood sacrifices and rituals, the translated descriptions of which could kill a mortal where they stand if they were spoken out loud. It is a place of dark and brooding, ancient, uncaring evil and malice.

Yet, eventually, all paths will lead you to the central chamber of this antediluvian nightmare. A huge dome hacked and shaped from the core of the hillside, this room pulses with the barely contained energy of the Circles of High Summoning. Three interlocking circles gouged from the rock floor and filled with a mixture of salt, iron and blood drawn from the still warm corpse of an Aaron’s Serpent and surrounded by eldritch and mighty runes of binding and protection dominate the room.

Within these are four other circles, three for the summoners, warded and shielded with some of the most powerful magics ever imbued, those performing the rituals should not leave their protection. The fourth circle is the central and most important circle, surrounded by ancient runes of binding carved into the rock in the True Tongue and consecrated with the intermingled blood of Angel and Excrucian it is to this space that the creatures from outside of Creation are summoned in all their terrible splendour.

Leading to this room are, despite the seemingly countless twists, turns and intersections, only three separate routes. Each enters the chamber through a doorway placed so as to not break any of the circles and leads back to another doorway somewhere within the underground complex. Of these three doors one takes you to the private abode of the Power of Enmity, another takes you to the catacombs which delve beneath the residence of Blades and the third leads to the Hall of Memory although only that Power knows precisely where within the Hall. The entrance used most often by the Powers not of those Estates (Revenge and Dark Passion and Obsession) is that under the home of Blades.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Kuro, hope you don't mind my locating the final of the 3 doors n your Hall. If you do we'll shove it somewhere else (maybe within the basements of the Black Amarai?) Also, I'm in the process of doing a picture of the Circles but I've not finished it yet so you guys will have to wait ;)

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

Also very cool.

I think the weekly-meeting online medium is one of the best for playing Nobilis; I doubt I could get half this much material out of the local gamers, not to mention it would be of rather low quality. Plus, the online setting allows for long, flowery or lurid descriptions that can be made without worrying about forgetting a word or detail. That and you don't get funny looks when launching into a 3-paragraph discussion about how the mirror shards catch the sunlight. :D

Erg. I'm trying to write a description for some of the ghosts' homes, but I can't get up suitable inspiration.

[Geoff Hall]

Originally posted by Oddsod Blok'ed
Erg. I'm trying to write a description for some of the ghosts' homes, but I can't get up suitable inspiration.

You've got a solid couple of days, don't push it. Something will come for you if you let it and if that hasn't happened by Sunday then don't swaet it, we can probably live without those descriptions for a few sessions without too much problem!

Edit: Ooh, next post will be my devil post!

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

I think this might work, now.

Somewhere on the Chancel grounds, at the tip of one of the shadows cast by the black-spired Amarai, sits a twisted, menacing thicket. Marked by the passage of time and uncounted multitudes of boots, a stone pathway made of white marble leads through the tangle of brush, always seeming to disappear around the next thorn tree. While walking this path, a visitor or traveller will notice the angry trees and brush, leafless limbs gesturing with unvoiced wrath and hatred.

Behind a group of three blasted and burned pine trees, themselves linked by an intricate network of evil vines, a dark thing protrudes over the surrounding plants. Rounding the next bend to look at it, it becomes apparent that this thing is some sort of grave or monument. Its smooth, roughly circular dome is marked heavily by inscriptions and scribblings in archaic and modern Greek, promising bloody vengeance on unnamed enemies. Numerous twisted poppets hang by the entranceway into the circular building, invoking protection or aid from unnamed gods and goddesses. The entranceway itself is framed in the blackest of marbles, with the door made from aromatic cedar wood.

The door is never open for casual viewing; when the occupants wish to travel in and out of the building, they simply walk through the door, passing out through the other side. At least two ghosts live here, frequently remarked upon by those determined enough to see what lives in the evil thicket. The older of the two wears hoplite armour and never speaks, instead bearing his sword with a gravity born of millenia of undeath, and eyes that seem to have every year since his birth etched into them. Those eyes reflect a terrible, undying rage barely held in check by whatever means the ghost possesses. His face and exposed skin is covered by numerous twisting scars, many of them jagged and ugly, hints of some ancient, savage battle.

The younger of the two ghosts is the more vocal of the two, but even then she speaks infrequently and in modern Greek. She dresses in paramilitary fatigues, typically carrying some sort of blade or blunt weapon. Her skin is similarly marked by scars and lines, almost eerily so if she is ever seen at the same time as the hoplite. Her name is never given, nor does she or the hoplite move beyond the borders of the thicket.

On nights when the wind blows, an ominous whistling sound rises from the tholos, and nameless beings from deep within the ancient tomb rise up. They cast themselves to the gales, spreading ethereal wings or riding the unseen breeze with unseen means. When the moon and stars shine just right on the tholos, its dull exterior becomes matte black, indistinguishable from the distant void of Outer Space. When it occurs, red-figure images appear on the exterior of the tholos, showing a man at the head of an army of Greeks marching against an opposing army, possibly from Persia or Turkey. This never lasts longer than a few moments, and when it fades it shows the apparent leader of the army being cut down in his valiant last stand by several enemy soldiers. When the flickering starlight fades, the red-figure images disappear, and the tholos returns to its nonreflective grey state, and the brush in the thicket begins to move. Those who have seen this phenomenon have later sworn that it took them longer to reach the boundaries of the thicket than it did to enter it.

[andrew_kenrick]

Perhaps the least conspicuous of all the Noble's homes, Obsession makes a modest (by Noble standards at least) two storey dwelling on the edge of the temple grounds his residence. From the outside the dwelling appears as a colonial residence, fitting into the theme of the Locus with a colonaded porch. The only sign that it is the home of Obsessions comes to the wary observer - the lintels over the doors and windows, along with the edges of all the steps leading into the house, are all etched with hundreds of tiny warding sigils designed to keep the unwelcome out - a relic from the previous Lady Obsession's end days.

Inside the contrast is stark - the entire place opens out into several spacious rooms, the clutter and trappings of most of the other Nobles abandoned in favour of a more minimalist approach. Polished wooden floors, tall, white walls and lots of glass style the occupier as a modern man. The only real decoration are a smattering of paintings - a selection by Van Gogh, Picasso and their contemporaries, all of their own little obsessions - and the odd objet d'art liberally (but tastefully) scattered about.

In fact, the appartment could have been plucked from any 21st century bachelor pad, right down to the leather sofas and plasma television, were it not for the lengths to which the minimalism has been taken in places - only four of the rooms have any furnishings (the lounge, the kitchen, the bedroom and the bathroom), the others are completely empty. Obsessively so.

The other oddity is one swiftly adopted by Antimony after he came to realise quite why his predecessor needed so many wards - the security systems are rather formidable. Beyond the conventional locks and bars and reinforced doors and windows and burglar alarms, Obsession has been teaching himself magic and most of the entrances (and walls) are now warded (doubly so, for most of his predecessor's wards remain active). Antimony has twice had to stop himself refreshing the wards. Such activity would be ... obsessional.

The final quirk that marks the appartment out as odd is Antimony's 'cat' - actually a creature from beyond Creation beloved of his predecessor that has behaves - if not looks - like a feline. It has taken to curling up on Obession's lap when he watches the rather random selection of television programs available in the Chancel - mostly nostalgia from his youth, thanks to Memory.

___________________________________________________

Ok, that's the last of the personal bits of the Chancel polished off! I still owe an actual Noble description, but I'm sure you can see that it is Obsession's current obsession to not get obsessed with anything, especially being a noble. As you can see, he's not been entirely successful.

[andrew_kenrick]

Very cool Odd - I assume you're a big fan/student of antiquity? What with the hoplites, the tholos and the red figure vase paintings? Its always good to have a fellow antiquarian in the group.

Andrew

[Wolf]

Odd,

I definately agree with you about how well the combination of online message board and 'live' meeting seems to be working out.

Hopefully the boards will not only keep us entertained between live sessions (I've really enjoyed getting in from work to find yet more posts ;-)) but could also form a useful additional play mechanism - we can use them to handle background (obviously) but also possible secondary events that aren't covered in the live sessions, descriptions of the personal projects each of the nobles is getting up to in their free time etc etc.

What do people think?

JB.

[Geoff Hall]

Personally I think it's a good idea. We'll all have our own goals and plans and we probably wont be able to get everything done in the sessions, especially not if Norm is all inconsiderate and throws plot at us ;)

Besides, it'll feel kinda good to have an ongoing thread on Open!

Edit: It occurs to me, I've managed to hit my 666th post here at rpg.net on halloween and it wasn't even remotely intentional. Spooky! :D

[thenorm42]

Heheh, the more of your own plot you can make, the better! I've statted up the Iron Monitor and the Noble of Forges (who's a bit like Brian Blessed, and has the three first-generation Cyclopes - Brontes, Steropes, and Arges - as assistants, teachers and Anchors). He's called Hephaestus, but he's not THE Hephaestus ; that was the first Noble of the Forge, and the name's just been passed down as a sort of title.

He's got a big hammer and a high aspect too, and the handicap Blatant.

Not sure about the Noble of History - I've still not really had any concrete ideas on him yet, other than that he's big on objective truth and doesn't always get on with his Familia. Ideas will come soon ... well, he's not needed just yet.

The Noble of Volcanoes is, despite his Estate, a Subtle individual. He's a Noble of the Wild too. He's a lover of Chaos theory - his major way of working is using divinations to determine the very, very subtle changes needed to cause the effect he wants, then using his Sovereign's Gift to make them occur. This can produce very potent results, but generally takes a lot longer than just spraying people with lava. Don't have him statted up yet, but getting there.

Norm

[Wolf]

Ahhhhh. As promised a description of the forge - at least the part of it Blades is responsible for. I have left the actual binding of emotions as Blades is mostly concerned with the initial physical construction (and eventual use if we ever get this to work). So people should feel free to post additions about what exactly pouring hate or vengence into a blade might look like as I didn't want to spoil peoples fun;-). I figure the pure harvested emotions are pretty dangerous to handle - so all kinds of safety precautions (lead lined and warded jars etc).

It's a little long - it kinda grew on me. I hope people enjoy it.

====

If I look back I can see the arresting image of the Black Amarai silhouetted against the moonlit sky, rising above the sea of smaller tombs and dwellings that cluster around it like young things around their mother.

I’ve been walking for fifteen minutes, or perhaps twenty, it’s hard to be sure since I stopped wearing a watch. Its like foreign food I guess, best not to enquire to closely. I mean the little brass thing that scurries around inside is cute…but, let’s be fair, anything with that many legs is only a step or two from a spider and I can do without it strapped to my wrist.

Ahead of me the patch winds up to the gap between the hills at the end of this little valley – between which a stone arch has been set. As I get closer I can read the inscription set into the archway, the fact that it’s in a language I didn’t used to be able to speak doesn’t bother me as much as it used to.

“The iron ore thinks itself senselessly tortured in the furnace.
The tempered steel blade looks back and knows better.”

I remember the day those words were set into the archway. I mean I should, I was the one that picked that particular phrase. The problem is the archway has been here since before I was born. The I that is Blades remembers because I was there, but it is something that the Me that is Faith never did. The memory doesn’t even feel foreign, I mean yes it was a whole different person, but I remember it as ‘what I saw when I used to be so and so’. To be honest I don’t find these other memories strange….and that’s the weirdest part of all.

I make my way under the arch, hitching my dress up slightly to avoid dragging it in the mud as I go. The archway is at the bottom of a depression so I can’t really see anything until I’ve climbed to the top and am able to look over.

Now that I have I can see it all spread out before me like a scene drawn by some fantasy artists. The Thousand Forges. The single greatest collection of blade-smiths ever gathered. The rise I’ve climbed is the lip of a vast shallow crater – the floor of which is alight with flickering flames from the forges. Forges of every shape and size, forges of every type and method, forge upon forge upon forge, covering the ground like a blanket until all merge together into a single crimson glow lighting up the night sky above the crater. Anvils and hammers ring in a cacophony of industry and toil. Clouds oif steam and smoke roll across the crater like a mimicry of clouds. Silver blades twinkle like stars in the darkness as they catch the light around them. It is beautiful – a grand and terrible endeavour but the scene sings in my soul and fires my blood in ways I cannot describe. Truly glorious.

I make my way down to walk among the craftsmen. All know who I am by now (the wings of course make me easy to pick out) and many are cowed by my presence. I move among them with words of encouragement and reassurance – enough to inspire but never enough to frighten or distract, finding the balance comes so easily to me now. I can read their emotions like an open book and it is simplicity to murmur exactly what each person most wants to hear. This to is new to me, who used to become tongue tied in front of any kind of group, but as with everything else I am quickly becoming used to it.

The crafters and smiths who have built the forges of this place are many and varied. Many are mortals who felt compelled to undertake a journey to come to this place at this time. Others are the spirits of ancient masters who toil still in the service of creation. Still others have come to us from times past or times to come – walking secret ways to lend their skill to our great construction.

It is like the statues in the garden of blades – the fields of honour. Forges and workshops are arranged across the crater floor in no discernible order or arrangement. Here may stand a traditional medieval forge, such as was used to fashion the weapons of the knights of the realm. Next to it is a compact forge of the style favoured during the renaissance for individual weapon-smiths, suited to the forging of single blades for duellist’s rather then an army. Next to that may be a Japanese sword-smith with a many-folded katana blade being worked back and forth in his hands. Still another uses sorcerous techniques and bound fire elementals in order to provide sufficient heat to mould exotic foreign metals. Here are weapons forged of simple iron, here beautiful Damascus steel, here a silvery essence that seems to flow within the blade, here finely polished glass, here a dark black metal that acts to bind the lightning that plays up and down it, here a modern carbon-steel composite, here a sharpened bone from some long extinct animal, here a serrated blade whose teeth are edged with diamonds.

Some nights I might work for a while at a forge – teaching or learning or just glorying in the joy of a newly birthed blade. But tonight I don’t have the time. Very occasionally I will pick up a blade to heft it in my hands, feel its weight and see if it comes alive to me. Twice I nod in approval at the creator of such a fine weapon. Once I shatter a blade across my knee so that I can show the smith how uneven heating has created a defect that runs the entire way up the blade.

On and on and on, each different from the last, and all working with a feverish intensity. Why so many? Because we loose so many. Of the thousands of blades that are forged here each day only the most perfect examples of their craft are chosen for our great work - perhaps a hundred on a good day. Blades that are not quite perfect (but even our cast-off’s are likely better then any seen on earth) but still perfectly serviceable will be given to the militia. Others may be used as practice weapons or perhaps even melted down for materials or carefully dissected to uncover the flaw in their forging. The hundred or so blades that might make it through the initial screening are then subjected to a gruelling series of tests. Dashed against rocks, seared by lightning storms, used to hew wood as axes, smashed repeatedly into shields, twisted or compressed in vices, doused in the blood of holy or unholy creatures…for if they cannot stand up to such testing they will not be strong enough to survive the imbuing process.

Perhaps a handful of the original blades emerge from the testing – with such attrition you can see why we must maintain such a prolific production. These paragons of the art are then taken reverently down to the bottom of a deep, deep pit in the centre of the crater. It is in this pit that the next stage of our endeavour takes place. It is there that we will attempt to imbue the blades with the essence of the raw emotions harvested by my brothers. In their pure forms these are more dangerous and caustic then any material the weapons have yet been exposed to – that is why all attempts are performed in the pit, where damage can hopefully be contained. The details of the imbuing are mostly unknown to me. Once the selected blades pass into the pit they move beyond my area of responsibility and ken. So far no blade has survived the full imbuing process – though a few have been successfully attuned to one particular emotion. From each failure we try to learn what amongst our myriad construction techniques might yield the most suitable blade for our goal, every failure bringing us closer to success.

I heft another blade in my hands – this one of a flexible metal I am unfamiliar with. Will this be the formula that finally takes our proffered harvest? I hand it back to its maker and make my way out of the crater once more. Around me sparks and smoke whirl on the air in a continual dance. Off to my left a single bolt of lightning arcs down from the night sky – called by a sorcerer to energise the blade he has just completed. On my right a burly smith uses his still glowing blade to cleave through a solid block of stone.

They are creating wonders in the shape of blades, heart-stopping, beautiful, pure expressions of the crafters will…and yet still our goal eludes us. We must continue. We must find the elusive method that will allow us to finally produce a weapon that will hold. It is for the very defence of creation that we undertake this.

I wend my way slowly back towards the Black Amarai, towards my new home. Behind me I can hear the chorus of creation and it fills my heart with joy.

===

I guess that just leaves me with a proper character post to do - hopefully I'll have Faith all worked out tomorrow.

JB.

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

I'm more of an eclecticist; I know a little about a lot of things, but I'm partial to mythology. I also watch quite a few movies. Since I'm watching Ghostbusters and it's Halloween, here's something that occurred to me.

Haunted Hotel

Among the myriad lower-slung tombs and graves in Locus Balthiel from across time and space, one building seems unusual in its lack of ornamentation or elaborate landscaping. It is old by the standards of modern America, but by the standards of Creation it is newborn. The corners of the boxy building are set with slowly corroding copper cylinders that run from the ground floor up to the ornate brass and stone carvings at the corners of the roof. The windows set in the dark grey granite walls are lined with green-colored Art Deco elaborations, mostly copper sheets riveted to the stonework or rolled up in tubes. From the ground, there is little visible at the roof of the building except for two small stone obelisks and several 1920s-style gargoyles, primarily faces carved from stone and set into the corners of the building.

The lobby is a sumptuous display of Roaring Twenties luxury; thick red carpeting covers the parquet hardwood floor, itself varnished and polished to near a mirror sheen. Doors carved from dark-colored woods and set with small brass numbers lead off to rooms, while much more discreet doors painted a shade of cream to match the wallpaper lead to the kitchens or the garage. Around the lobby at carefully measured intervals, small wooden tables hold porcelain vases in which are held small bundles of yellow flowers. Above these hang mirrors, made of highly polished metal set in bright brass frames. Sweeping staircases lead up to the second floor, while gates of wrought iron denote the presence of elevators. Brass fixtures set with glass light bulbs and the occasional gaslight, augmented with brass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, provide just enough light to give the lobby a luxurious air. From somewhere in the lobby, an unseen pianist and orchestra plays soothing music.

After leaving the lobby, however, one is never sure just where one will end up. The floors of the hotel change from one day to the next, or indeed one moment to the next, so that a person might step from the Art Deco lobby onto a floor resembling a 1980s Socialist apartment from Eastern Europe. The next day, however, he or she will leave the lobby and enter a sweeping, high-ceilinged floor of a building that seems to have been copied or taken from ancient Rome. The laws of space seem far more flexible here, as some of the floors are from buildings whose height far exceeds the limited open air in the building.

One of the more commonly seen floors, however, appears to have been stolen from late 1700s France. Entering this floor is always akin to stepping in from a hot summer day in the garden; a warm breeze blows in over one's shoulder, carrying with it the scent of countless roses and other unseen flowers. A long, sprawling hallway greets the eye, marked off into panels with gilded lines of wood. Numerous chairs and couches rest here and their, their floral print fabric and gilded woodwork suggesting that they are more for ornamentation than any practical use. Crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, hung with hundreds of white wax candles whose light refracts and colours the countless faces of the crystal. Tables and writing desks sit here or there, many of them holding some number of books. Many of these, in turn, have single names written on their paper or leather spines in gold ink, written with a spidery hand. There are almost no pieces of furniture or decoration around the painted panels in the walls, however, as these are left without possible distractions. In these panels, though, are colourful and vivid depictions of acts of horrid violence. Gentlemen in sharply trimmed suits shoot each other in the face from point-blank range with large-calibre pistols, while in another scene men and women stab their own children in fits of jealous rage. As one gazes upon the pictures, the citizens of the floor slowly materialize, many of them with horrendous gaping wounds. Here a man calmly walks down the hall, boot heels tapping against the polished hardwood floor, though half of his skull has been blown away. There a finely dressed woman quietly plays a spectral harp to produce ethereal, haunting notes. Long and bloody gashes are present on either side of her stomach, her breasts and the base of her neck.

This, then, seems to be the secret of the Hotel; depictions of acts of violence, rage, anger and thwarted passion adorn each of the floors, regardless of its origin. Once these are seen and grasped for what they truly are, myriad ghostly beings appear as if from thin air, many of them bearing still-bloody wounds or the bloated appearance of corpses. On the Roman floor, for instance, an unbelievably vast mosaic covers the entire expanse underfoot, showing the murder of scruffy-seeming people by a wrathful legion. When one looks at this picture, the marching of booted feet resounds in the hallway as legionnaires, their faces twisted with incredible hate, troop down the middle of the open expanse, driving a mob of screaming Gauls before them, killing them at will until the lines of soldiers and mob of people disappear through the walls. Then the hall is returned to relative quiet.

[Quendalon]

Originally posted by Wolf
Ahhhhh. As promised a description of the forge - at least the part of it Blades is responsible for.

(snip really cool sequence in the Thousand Forges) Sweet. This is the sort of thing that makes me want to play Nobilis. But only with the sort of players that would actually put this kind of work into creating their characters and environs...

- Eric

[thenorm42]

Roight - just been trawling through this thread, trying to collate all the cool stuff we've got.

Things I'd like to know more about (if you've already posted them and I've just missed them in this trawl, please point me in the right direction!) :

Andy K - what's your Bonds / Anchors situation?

Kuro - I can't seem to find your character write-up, which is a bit foolish of me. What's your Bonds / Anchors / History situation?

Oddsod - Heinrich is fully in place. Gold star! :D

Wolf - can't find a character write-up for you either - how's it currently standing? Got some stats and Durant, but need to know about Bonds / Anchors / more about your History?

Geoff - Antipathy is also good to go. Gold star for you too! :)


A few questions:

Chancel's looking pretty good - what sort of scale do you imagine this place being on? I'm imagining a mountain with the mausoleum-city in its shadow, and surrounded by some villages and farmland (for the living Chancelfolk's needs). About five miles radius? It fades away into grey mist beyond that - if you step into the mist, you appear on the directly opposite edge of the Chancel (the map 'wraps around'). Mortals who try this sometimes come out as frozen or dessicated corpses, and sometimes even don't come out at all.

Anyone got any further thoughts on our esteemed Imperator? Where does he live - within the Black Amarai, with Brutus as his right hand man?

Don't worry too much about getting this stuff sorted out - we've got enough to start a little bit of play with tomorrow night.

Edit - oh yeah - none of you have put your MP pool totals on your characters. Can you stick 'em on?

Norm

[Kurotowa]

Not to worry. You can't find it because I haven't finished it. :P It's my usually writer's block on character personal specifics, I hope to get past it soon. But the base stats are Aspect 1, Domain 4, Realm 2, Spirit 1, Gift: Durant. I'll try and have more for tomorrow.

BTW, after closer reading, I think the creation of canaries has to be a Greater Preservation miracle.

[Wolf]

Just a quick note to say Faith is pretty much worked out character wise - I'll get her write up onto the boards tomorrow (just finalising the odd limit and smoothing out bonds).

Five miles for the chancel seems good - from memory (still in the process of re-reading GWB...wonderful excuse to re-read it ;-) ) chancels are supposed to be a somewhat limited area anyway (and 2-5 miles sounds familiar).

JB.

[Geoff Hall]

Right, the Chancel size seems all right to me although I wouldn't really want it much smaller than that.

As for my miracle point pools... well it depends on whether my Manifestation is worth 1 or 2 points. I would assume 1 which, combined with my 1 from my Hated limit would give the following:

Aspect 0 (5)
Domain 4 (7)
Realm 1 (5)
Spirit 2 (5)

Assuming I remember it correctly anyway...

[thenorm42]

Ah, good - I just want to get as much of the information together as possible...

So, 8pm til 12pm tomorrow night in the chatroom? OK for everyone?

Norm

[Kurotowa]

I thought it was supposed to be 8:30? I can do either, but that's what my note says.

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

That time frame sounds fine to me. And 5 miles or so sounds fine; the Black Amarai is at the peak of the mountain, the Powers' homes are fairly close to it and the mauseolea-town is in its shadow. At least that's what I think of it. My MP pool looks like this, by the way, counting in the MPs for the Hand of Breeze Limit:

AMPs: 5
DMPs: 6
RMPs: 6
SMPs: 6

[Kurotowa]

This talk of MP's reminds me, does anyone know what SMP can actually be used for? I can't think of any Spirit miracles you actively perform that could be boosted, and my re-read of the GWB didn't turn anything up. Can you use it to boost your aut.... the anti-miracle shield I can't remember how to spell? Pump up your effective Spirit levels when doing Rites? Or are they only good for Last Trumping into the other types of MP?

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

You can use SMPs in substitute for Aspect or Domain points when using a miracle through an Anchor, but that's the only one I can find. Hrm.

Edit: And it's "Auctoritas." :D

[thenorm42]

>Edit: And it's "Auctoritas."

Agh, you're right ... I've been randomly putting extra syllables in there for ages... Oh well, it's kind of a hard one to spell anyway. :D

Dunno about the Black Amarai being at the mountain's peak (it looks kind of strange perched up there...) - I'd envisaged it being at the centre of the town. In fact, I'd imagined the Hall of Memory to be the one half-way up the mountain, a little away from the dark city. But whichever one people prefer is fine!

My current version of how the Harvest will go - well, actually, it's more of a Hunt. The reason people (and ghosts) come to your Chancel is in order to gather the energy of the darker Estates and turn them against the objects of their Revenge / Enmity / Dark Passion / Obsession / Memory / Blades (a few rare ghosts are aspiring swordmasters, who wish to gain awesome knowledge of swordcraft before they fade away). Then, on All Saint's Day (1st November), those that have finally gathered enough can unleash them in a miraculous-level spell. It takes a long time (decades, at least) for an individual to gather enough power to unleash in a potent spell or miracle, so most of the inhabitants who can do this are Wraiths. Successful casting of such a miracle invariably destroys the Wraith (or human, though the last time a mere human managed to escape the Hunt was two centuries ago).

On Nov 1st, the Great Hunt begins - these inhabitants desperately flee through the countryside, trying to complete the incantation that will let them use their power. The Powers must catch them and drain the concentrated energies from them (for conversion into Dynasty Points - which, as concentrations of your Estates, may be ideal for binding into Anti-Abhorrent-Weapon Blades). The more canny of the Wraiths will have been preparing for this for a very long time, and may have boltholes or cunning tricks that give them a chance to escape from the Powers. Your Powers might also regard this as a matter of protecting their Estates - by casting their spell, the Wraiths destroy the memories / enmity / dark passion etc residing within them.

So you'll be Wraith-hunting ... the more you capture, the more Dynasty Points you'll get. Two will be the 'average' - there'll be an opportunity to get at least one more, and one less!

Norm

[thenorm42]

Incidentally, 8.30 pm is fine with me too. I'll probably be in there from 8pm onward though.

Norm

[Kurotowa]

That's a very cool hunt and all, but I see somne problems with it. A Harvest is something you're supposed to be able to do any time the Noble has free time, and this is a once a year deal. Plus the hunt would scare people off, and that might be a bit much.

He's an alternate idea. With have Thought-Record tech, with the crystal globes. What if infusing out Imperator with a Thought Record intensely tied to one of our estates helped feed him? The stronger the estate's presence in the person, the more it power it gives, but each person can only contribute once. This setup would have us all encouraging our estates to grow in people, to make a better harvest. The Chancel Folk would be the best source, a good reason for us to protect them, but we could also draw on outsiders if need be. And it's something we could all work on, year round.

[thenorm42]

Um, I got the impression that Harvests were rather irregular things? (They must be - they only happen once per story...). It could be that your Powers continuously siphon off energy from the Chancelfolk all year round in addition to the Hunt, using your method! So you can go on a 'Memory Hunt' anytime.

Usually, whatever brought the Chancelfolk to the Chancel is extreme enough that they're not going to be scared off by something minor like being hunted down by demi-gods - the pilgrims are a pretty obsessional lot (obsessional, vengeful, filled with enmity, dark passion, or too many memories ... though some just really really want fencing lessons). :D The fact that you're effectively protecting them from destruction by going after them also helps a great deal.

I'd really like the Hunt to go ahead, though, it'd give me something to throw at you tonight where you can see a bit of the Chancel and get a feel for it. I'd like actually acquiring the DPs to be tied to an actual event too, at least on this occasion.

Norm

[Wolf]

The hunt is a very interesting idea - and it doesn't have to be the only way we harvest, just a particularly special one? Does draining the energy from the wraiths/whoever also kill them? Or do they just have to start again from scratch (so we can harvest them again)?

And the reason I'm posting is to get the details of Blades up (just) before we play. Hope people like her.

As usual it started short and just got longer and longer ;-)

==

Faith Deltarion ~ Viscount of Blades

Attributes

Aspect 4
Domain 2
Realm 1
Spirit 1

MP's (AMP = 5, DMP = 5, RMP = 5, SMP = 5)

Gifts

Durant

Virtues

Hopeful
Oath-bound (Once given her word is her bond. She'll still lie happily, but will never make an actual false promise)

Limits

None

Restrictions

Respectful
(Of skilled warriors or anyone with the courage to challenge her - she will not refuse a challenge to personal combat, and will avoid killing a worthy opponent if she can)

Revelatory Trait
(Spirits of her estate always recognise Faith, her angelic aspect - large white wings - will be visible in the reflection of a blade, even when Faith is guised or otherwise disguised with miracles. Mirrors don't count - but the shards of a broken one would, as would any other potential edged weapon. Wooden blades - such as practice swords - have no reflection, but their spirits recognise Faith nonetheless)

Inability to use guns
(Imperator Limit)

Wound Levels

2 Deadly
3 Serious
3 Surface

Bonds

4 Sanctity of the Estate of Blades
4 Her Imperator
4 Her Familia Caelestis
3 Welfare of older sister, Sarah
2 Welfare of (rest of) mortal family
2 Personal prowess with blades
1 Usefulness of her anchor Buck O'Conner (she could care less about his welfare, so long as he remains useful to Blades)

Affiliation

Code of Heaven

Design

Faith's design is the white flower of Achillea intertwined with the yellow bloom of Wood Sorrel - War but also Joy. Around the bottom of the entwined blooms is a wound ring of White Lilac (the flower of youthful innocence) as recognition of her recent commencement. As befits a follower of the Code of Angels there is no background, the flowers form the complete design.

[Only Achillea and Wood Sorrel are part of the actual design for game purposes - the lilac is simply an affectation]

History

“When I was growing up ‘tomboy’ was one of the things people said when they were being polite. Some of what they said when they were being nasty I’m not going to repeat, and most people didn’t either after I broke that girls nose. Hey she asked for it, it’s not like I’m a violent person, it’s not like I didn’t give her a chance to take it back. If you talked to a psych – and my dad took me to more then one – they’d say I was ‘seeking attention’, or ‘over compensating’. They’d say it was natural I’d try and emulate my brother (James isn’t one to turn the other cheek either) because we’d grown up on a succession of army bases and garrison towns. My Dad’s in the military you see – U.S Army General. Mom died back when I was little so we kinda had to follow him around on his postings. They’d even say it was the lack of a female role model in my life (Dad never re-married, said he’d loved as much as he was able, and we all left it at that).”

”Well all’a that is just bull, plain and simple. If growing up without a mother on bases where everyone knew how to use a gun was so damn traumatising, how did Sarah wind up turnign out OK hmmm? Sarah’s my big sister by the way, three years older then me and then James is two years older then her. She was sweet, well spoken, polite when she had to be, worried constantly about what to wear, you know – girlie.”

“Me? I just didn’t see the fun in all that you know? Sure I’d make the effort to dress up if we were going out somewhere, but there was no way on this earth I was gonna spend hours on deciding ‘this dress or that dress’, ‘do these shoes go with this’ etc etc ad infinitum. Sarah did that well enough for both of us. No I just enjoyed running, climbing…you know - outdoor stuff. It wasn’t because I idolised my brother – believe it or not its me and Sarah who are the close ones – or was somehow corrupted by spending time with real army people. I just liked the feeling of satisfaction when you achieve something yourself, just you, your skill, your body versus whatever. It helped that I grew up around a whole series of uncles and honorary godfathers who encouraged my behaviour. But I did it because I wanted to. I’d have done it if everyone around me was telling me not to – but I was a lot happier that people weren’t like that. Sure if I’d been in some typical little suburban life perhaps peer pressure and disapproval might have eventually browbeaten me into sticking to ‘womanly’ arts – but I would have been a very unhappy child.”

“Instead you could find me up and down the training courses when the guys weren’t on ‘em, or doing circuits around the camp with the other troopers. Hey some of the drill-sergeants incorporated me into the routines ‘anyone that gets in after Faith is doing it again – c’mon, you wanna be beaten by a girl ‘. I knew they were just using it to spur on the runners – didn’t rankle me none. You spend time with army people you develop a hide to the general level of banter and name calling. Didn’t mean I was going to take any crap from damn civvies who actually meant to be nasty though.”

“To be honest I’m not quite sure where I would have ended up. I was starting to develop a rep with schools and what have you, and looking back I guess I was probably doing a little more then ‘acting out’. I certainly didn’t want to join the army. I knew a lot of women on the bases, and don’t get me wrong they were good people and I’m proud to know them. It was just I didn’t like the idea. I liked the idea of serving my country, you can’t have a Dad like mine and not get that he isn’t just saying these things because he’s a recruiter, he believes it and is willing to put his life on the line. But basically I didn’t get off on the whole ‘gun’ thing – James was a real gun-nut but it just, you-know, never seemed attractive to me. And the modern army is mostly about guns, or technology like tanks or planes or missiles. Unless of course I wanted to join up as support or admin or whatever and...I don’t think anyone could see me doing a desk job.”

“What I wanted to be was a samurai. Or a knight. Or pretty much anything that involved using a sword. One of my Dad’s friends showed me his sword collection, oh must have been back when I was ten or so. He’d collected some from wars he’d fought in personally, others he’s collected because he decided he just liked swords. I loved them. I couldn’t get enough of how beautiful they were, how something could be both deadly and elegant at the same time. He let me hold a katana and take a few practice swings, showed me how to hold it properly so I could feel the aliveness of the blade. Boy was I ever hooked. Turns out there was a guy teaching kendo as a hobby on the base – I signed up that afternoon. After that whenever we set up at a new base I’d try to find somewhere to practice. Kendo, fencing, whatever. If I couldn’t find anywhere I’d read books and practice by myself. I’d sign up to other martial-arts as well once I realised that they were pretty much the physical competition I’d been looking for, but swords were my love. I watched pretty much every film about sword-fighting ever made, read all the books, and practised, practised and practised some-more”

“When I was sixteen something bad happened to Sarah. She was studying at university to become a graphics designer – she’s a great artist, really special – but then half way through her first year she had to come home. She was real upset and Dad and James looked after her as best they could, hell we all did. She cried an awful lot and wouldn’t go out hardly at all. But there was this unspoken rule that ‘no one tell Faith’. God it made me angry sometimes, how they’d all just clam up as soon as I walked into the room, Sarah with tears all down her face and the boys either looking helpless or angry...”

“Of course I found out eventually. Sarah had been raped, except no one seemed to be calling it that. Seemed she’d gone to a party, had what she thought was a sensible amount to drink, and then it was the next day and she knew. People seemed to be laying the blame firmly at Sarah’s door – but they didn’t know her. My sister never, ever drinks to excess. There is no way she'd have got like that on her own, no way. They didn’t see her that year at home, how close it came to breaking her. There was no question of her going back – not when she wouldn’t know who was secretly laughing at her, pointing…She managed to get her life together enough to make it to a different place and start afresh. But she’s scared now. Closed. It changed her.”

“Usually I’m a happy person. ‘Pollyanne’ was not an unusual nickname for me. And mostly I didn’t mind – I mean you gotta laugh or cry yeah? But that year was pretty black for me. I learned what hate was that year – hate for this person that had hurt my sister, hurt her so badly she might never be the funny and carefree person she used to be ever again. I had a lot of rage to channel that year. I think I wound up being 1st or 2nd in a whole bunch of state martial arts tourneys, my teachers saying I’d never been more dedicated.”

“But life goes on, y’know? You find your way to go on and you deal. Eventually Sarah found her way, and if she didn’t laugh as much as she used to at least she no longer broke down crying. The rest of us made our way on as well. Sarah’s just graduated with honours, James is doing his first tour of duty (he signed up as soon as he was able – even though dad made him finish college first), and Dad...is still Dad.”

“And me? What happened to the girl who wanted to be something there just isn’t any call for this day and age? Well it turns out that someone answered my prayers, because this big fracking angel guy turned up in my dreams and told me to go to a certain place at a certain time. Told me every night for a month straight. I knew, somehow, that this was something I just had to do. So despite misgivings the certain night found me in a graveyard at the appointed time – a graveyard for chrisakes. At night. Alone. But then some people arrived, people that I’d never seen before, and they told me things and showed me things and nothing was ever going to be the same any more.”

“There’s magic and beauty and wonder in this world. There’s also Hell and evil, but there’s a heaven as well, and as long as there’s a heaven I think there is hope for this world yet. And I belong, truly belong, belong to something so beautiful…”

“But the rest you know, dear diary, the rest you know”

Description

Faith has a face that could be described as pretty. Her features are well proportioned and her cheekbones lend her face a suggestion of strength, while clear blue eyes sparkle with delight. Her hair is somewhat below shoulder length, and of a darkish blond colour that has sometimes unkindly been called 'muddy'. She usually wears her hair bound up in a plait or piled on top of her head and secured with clasps or pins...or more recently with two ornate daggers.

She is enough over average height to be called tall, but not overly so. Her frame is well toned and lithe - a legacy of a childhood mostly spent competing with boys at athletics and, latter, martial-arts.

Of course none of this is what will initially strike an observer of Faith's natural state. That honour is now firmly held by her manifestation of her Imperator's soul-shard - a pair of beautiful, feathered, wings of purest white. Among other things this means Faith now favours dresses which leave her back bare, her previous wardrobe of t-shirts now being completely impractical. When guised the place they should be are marked by tattoos on her shoulder-blades, and she tends to stick to keeping her back bare - having to shred clothes when dropping a guise being so unseemly.

Anchors

About a week after her commencement, once she’d found her feet again after the revelations and changes of the last seven days, the concept of anchors was explained to her. Her first choice was obvious – and Enmity and Revenge were only to happy to help her find her way. It took a little over six hours to find that her sisters violator was one Buck O’Conner, a football-scholar who’d scraped his way through college. The only reason that he’s still alive is that Faith sees his anchoring as so much worse then killing him. Currently she has him travelling the globe looking for craftsmen and sword-scholars that might be able to help in the great project. At least until she thinks of something better to do with him. Her second anchor could be more tricky. Faith doesn’t want to bond someone she cares about, and there’s no one else she really hates enough to do it to either. But she’s confident something will come along eventually, it usually does.

[Geoff Hall]

I like it Jan, very cool and very you. I can just see Enmity and Revenge getting their jollies by helping their new Angelic Sister out in an act of vengence and hatred.

[thenorm42]

Well, the first session went fairly well! HG-ing is quite hard, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon enough ...

The Hunt was called off, after some of the Powers got a bit worried they'd be acting against their Estate by participating. We went for a more straightforward let-the-Chancelfolk-petition-the-Powers-for-aid approach instead.

We've now met Brutus and two of the Banes (a rather talkative Cerberus and a walking X-ray with a knife stuck in the back of his head, who needs a name), had a touching moment between a Antimon and a member of his fanclub (after stopping a crowd of fans who wanted to extract some of his blood), started a fight between a ghost and a mortal (who can't actually touch each other...), and helped a woman preserve the memory of her dead husband.

The pictures were probably a bit intrusive - I'll try to use them a little less next time. I'll also be more descriptive ...

Incidentally, here're the pictures I used :

http://locus.freewebspace.com/images/cerberus.jpg - Cerberus - only his middle head can talk, the other two just bark along in time.
http://locus.freewebspace.com/images/nobles_crypt.jpg - the centre of the Black Amarai, where the remains of the previous Nobles of the Chancel are stored.
http://locus.freewebspace.com/images/grave.jpg - the woman who wanted her husband's memory preserved.
http://locus.freewebspace.com/images/neck0005c.jpg - X-ray.
http://locus.freewebspace.com/images/indian_memorial.jpg - the memorial, in front of which X-ray tried to incite Obession's fanclub to violence against him.

Obviously, they're not exact representations - more like guidelines ...

Norm

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

So do we post on this thread about things our characters would look into doing in the downtime between sessions?

[thenorm42]

Yep! Anything related to the campaign at all, really - extra bits of history, what their current goals are, OOC discussions of how the campaign's going, ideas for more 'character-led' sessions, HG advice for me, anything.

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

I still want to start that Society for the Noble Dead for ghosts, wraiths, wights, Risen-type creatures, vampires, skeletons, shades, and whatever other manner of living dead have been made into Nobles.

I can imagine the Power of Music as a skeleton, for instance.

[thenorm42]

Ooh, that'd be cool! A 'Dead Powers' Society' would be a great way of having some other Nobles over to the Chancel. Might be difficult playing a lot of NPCs on my own at once, though.

And I suppose a skeletal Power of Music would always have a xylophone handy ... :D Do you imagine him as a generic Power of Music, or the Power of a particular kind of music? Both turn up in the GWB - music is one of the example Estates for explaining Domain miracles, but we also meet the Powers of Punk, Alternative Music, Pop, and get to see the Power of Song in an illustration.

:worries that he knows several people who'd be good candidates for the Power of Metal...

Norm

[Geoff Hall]

Personal goals? Antipathy wishes to discover as much information about the current Power of Expectations as he possibly can, especially Anchors and other humans said Power cares about. For research purposes. Honest.

[Wolf]

Personal goals?

Well Faith is still mostly finding her feet as a Power - practising her abilties, learning the highways and byways of the chancel, so on and so forth.

Other then overseeing the Forge, her immediate goals include learning as much as possible about her new Family, about our allies and other 'friendly' nobles, and about what other Powers she used to know in her previous incarnation (hopefully her house staff and the rest of her familia can fill her in).

Most importantly she's very interested in finding out just what the hell happened to the last Power of Blades - she has trouble with recent memories, and no one seems keen to tell her (just let me know when you've settled on something Norm and I can bring it up IC).

Oh and she's starting to wonder where she can find appropriate dueling partners ;-)

JB.

[thenorm42]

>>Most importantly she's very interested in finding out just what the hell happened to the last Power of Blades - she has trouble with recent memories, and no one seems keen to tell her (just let me know when you've settled on something Norm and I can bring it up IC).

I'll have to work on it! What sort of thing did you have in mind? A battle with the Excrucians? Or perhaps some form of assassination (worries about what sort of assassination it'd take to kill a high-Aspect Durant Power...)? Maybe a vicious Excrucian poison?

>>Oh and she's starting to wonder where she can find appropriate dueling partners ;-)

Well, funnily enough I've got an Aspect 4 Noble of the Forge all statted up. :D He'd probably come round to look at your Forge, but stay for the duelling. So long as you didn't do anything mean like using Divinations to beat him, you'd probably be pretty evenly matched.

Geoff > I'll have to think about the Power of Expectations, too. I'd imagine a Noble of the Light? Did you have any further ideas on what he'd be like?

Norm

[Wolf]

Originally posted by thenorm42
>>I'll have to work on it! What sort of thing did you have in mind? A battle with the Excrucians? Or perhaps some form of assassination (worries about what sort of assassination it'd take to kill a high-Aspect Durant Power...)? Maybe a vicious Excrucian poison?


I'm perfectly happy whatever nasty justification you come up with (and your right - it would have to be something pretty nasty to waste a high aspect durant, and I think we can assume that the previous Blades was similar) - whatever amuses you the most, I'm happy to be as surprised as Faith ;-)

Incidentally I _might_ be back in time for sundays game, but don't wait for me in case I'm not. Hopefully I'd be able to drop in if/when I got here?

JB.

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

For some reason I see a skeletal Power as being the Power of Woodwind Music, or something like that. Maybe the ghost of Ludwig von Beethoven is the Power of Classical Music, and Mozart is the Power of Opera. And Lemmy Kilmister is the Power of Rock. That is all.

In terms of current goals, Revenge mostly wants to get down descriptions or accounts of lost battles with Excrucians that Memory does not know about yet. That way he (Revenge) can write in the Vengeance Book (the "Targets of Revenge" one in the catacombs) about scores that have not been settled.

Plus he wants to know who or what killed the previous Power of Revenge, so that if the killing was unjust he can move to take revenge for it. The same mostly goes for the Power of Dark Passion; if the killing was unjust, he's going to stir up hatred and resentment towards the killer.

I think an interesting plot thread would be the search for and rescue of an Estate that was nearly destroyed by the Excrucians; maybe the Power of Lake Monsters (Loch Ness).

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

Author's Note: The views set down in this story are not those of the author himself. There is also a racist term used; mature minds only.

An Excerpt from Revenge's Library

I stand in the shadows, watching him as he walks down the moonlit street. He is swathed in dark clothes, clearly thinking that this will make him less prominent. Perhaps to beasts' eyes, he would seem less obtrusive, or even less of a threat. In the thousands of books in Revenge's Library, however, there are many tales of delicious atrocities committed by humans against one another, when one of those humans was dressed in a manner similar to this. But this is irrelevant. The thick rubber soles of his boots make a sound against the concrete. Thud. Thud.

I see the house to which he is going. It is a bland house with two floors, rectangular windows and a white stucco exterior. The stucco is causing the house to rot, however. I see, from inside the wall, the wooden beams falling to pieces, fragments worn away by gathered moisture and the constant presence of insects, chewing at the supports. Then I step through the other side of the wall to see a sight that nearly makes my head hurt from its banality. I, who once walked in the halls of power, opposing the birth of a mighty empire that would one day end in cataclysm, am reduced to the pitiful scrapings of suburban America. Though I must admit, I chose to walk this path tonight. Revenge called to me, and its aims are murky.

I walk through the largest room of the downstairs. There is no fire in the fireplace on this warm June evening, though the ironwork about the fireplace attracts my attention. Likely crafted by some modern machine, its darkness might be painted on. With a tremendous deal of effort, I scrape away a flake of black paint with the nail on the tip of my index finger. I brush it away, letting it sit on the expanse of bland, cream-colored carpet. I stare at it, the tiny chip of cheap coloring lying on the empty carpet. I look back at the iron fireplace fixture. It is red-orange where the chip sat.

It is tiresome to ponder their tired, sticky fumblings in the back rooms of the house. My concern, Revenge's concern, is by what means I might obtain proof to give to his wife, and what this proof might be. I pass by the room that is supposed to be the study, and I am forced to suppress a snort of disdain. It is pathetic, this modern view of studys being small rooms, used primarily for watching vapid beasts on one of the television sets. But no matter. I pass through the half-open bedroom door; clothing is cast about carelessly, in the practice I now recognize as utterly ridiculous. Revenge speaks to me, showing me what object might be most useful in furthering the cause of the Estate. It is not without tremendous effort that I grasp and hold the thing, the cheap pieces of plastic and metal wherein is held some sort of human beauty powder. I have never understood that concept, though I believe it may be related to Humanity's inherent grasping of the grotesquerie they live that they must make up their faces to be something that they are not.

I cannot pass through the walls whilst carrying this odd conglomeration of plastic and powder. This presents a problem, though my Estate, knowing my purpose, sees fit to grant me the strength I need to open the door. It fills me with rage, that once I opened the doors to power and greeted archbishops and kings, and now I cannot make any motion more than a child might. No matter. I leave the sounds of their purple, short-lived lust behind me, and the door is wafted closed by the passage of a chill evening breeze.

Once, the streets of München were as vital to me as the very air I breathed. My boots clicked on the paving stones, and I would hear the rattle of the carriages, and the harsh discourses of the politicians or the lawyers. The lighting was made by candles or fire, where there was any at all, and it was dim and random, far more suitable to the harsh, shifting nature of royal and imperial politics. All of the character of streets and roads is gone, to judge by the appearances of this America. In place of the paving stones, their surfaces planed by the passages of countless boots and shoes, there is this concrete. How the Roman artisans would weep to know what ends their material is put! I pause outside the man's house, and I look out at the intersection of the roads. The sky is just as I remember it, cold and unforgiving, but lit by the blazes of distant stars. But the street lacks character; it is dead, a freshly rotting corpse. There are no suitable buildings to catch the dim moonlight and reflect their forbidding façades on the street. I am filled with rage at the loss of what was once valued; the lessons of centuries have been discarded in favor of the new, the cheaply made, the plastic and the fake.

I walk through the house of the wife; it is much akin to the house of the husband's cheaply-bought whore. I see the same patterns, the same false iron, the same boring works cast by the hands of machines, instead of the proper hands who bore the knowledge down through the ranks of centuries. I pause when I pass a door, and feel the sharper, though less insistent, tug of Dark Passion. This, I realize, must be the room of their son.

Dark Passion had whispered to me earlier, that their child was far from where he himself was said to be. He claimed to be at the church a short distance away, the Church of Our Lady, singing the hymns set down in ancient times before they, I, or even Germany and Europe, had yet been fully revealed to human eyes. The son is practicing, yes, though his practice is performed with air-borne paint, gasoline and glass. It might be, perhaps, one of the marvels of humanity that they are ever using new and more creative ways of killing one another. Before I watched the husband go to the house of his tawdry mistress, I watched the son burn the house of another's mistress. I heard him, as well as his friends, shout the slogans passed down by the servants of Hate and Malice. "Get outta town, niggers! Or we'll burn yer skins 'til they're black as yer souls!" he screamed, standing under a shattered streetlight, his head shorn. I stood on the opposite side of the street, drinking in the sight and revelling in the more primal passions unleashed in the display; the purer, darker creations of the mind are difficult to locate in this plastic, pretending America. I see the flashing red and blue lights, the appearance of the law enforcers. It is, perhaps, a long-held regard for the keepers of legal tradition that I do not kill them. Perhaps it was Revenge whispering in my ear that I should let them live until Revenge's purpose had been fulfilled as well. But I digress.

It is with malicious glee that I place the plastic thing on the husband's chair. His wife, believing him to be attending their child's evening practice with the Churchly choir, works quietly at a computer, creating some new work of literature or intellectualism. This, I must admit, I did not expect. Far too often in these new, stimulation-obsessed times, the woman of the household is absorbed in some false drama on the television, a mockery of the grand stage plays of centuries past, even from before my time. I look over her shoulder, careful to hide my leering visage from her sight. "The Fate of the Lustful Liars: To The Eighth Circle or the Second?" I recognize the subject immediately; in my living days, I was taught the lessons of Dante in the churches of München. It is no matter. With a gleeful cast to my being that I was certain must have transcended my invisibility, I whispered into the woman's ear, as a serpent whispers to his unwary prey or the first fly descends upon the corpse to lay its putrid eggs. "Your husband," I said. "To what circle will he descend? Will he be merely buffeted by eternal storms, or made to lie next to the whore of Potiphar's house, his bloated body wracked with fever and swollen by the foulness of dropsy?" When she stood up and whirled about to see whom was addressing her, I was not to be seen. But the husband's chair, sitting opposite hers, bore the telltale thing, the plastic container of falsity. As she began to cry, I paused for a moment to muse. Had the minions of Hell, in their childish obsession with corruption, been the creators of this powder, this practice which spanned millenia and caused so much darkness and suffering amongst humans? I do not know. Yet for once, perhaps for the first time in a century, I applaud them for their ingenuity.

She tore her hair, screaming in anguish; I reveled in her blind rage and despair. I cast the tip of my finger, the finger with which I had scratched the paint from the whore's false ironwork, along her cheek. She turns and looks to the cabinet, the cabinet wherein her faithful husband keeps a pistol. I whisper again into her tortured ear, "You know, perhaps he plans to dispose of you in your sleep, that he might ever lie in -her- bed." For that single word, I summoned up the loathsomeness that dwells in the hearts of evil men, whose own actions I encouraged over the span of years. I brought to the fore the connivances of countless people who in the past sought to murder their spouses or their lovers, thus to claim false rewards or sympathy. Yet I did not implant this hatred or this greed in the woman's soul; I kept it bubbling at the forefront of my being, letting it seep into my voice to distort it with the haggard, hoary voice so commonly associated with the Dead. In the woman's heart of hearts, the place where she kept the darkest secrets of her being, I felt my Estate scream with joy. A seed of Revenge was planted.

I follow her as she walks down the street, I taste the bitterness and hate in her soul, and Revenge drinks deeply. I can almost feel it grow fat next to my own soul, a hearty meal for one of the more well-fed of intangible things. She still does not see me, as I walk without leaving a shadow, or casting a hint of my existence in the flickering streetlight. I realize, however, that she does not know to which house her husband goes. With an easy hand, I gently guide her eyes to the house of iniquity, the den where mortal sins are practiced. One must be careful with the eyes of beasts; I have found too frequently that in being hasty to reveal all of the knowledge to them, they might very well become blind, incapable of proper Revenge. I have also discovered that it suits Revenge's purpose to let the beasts or the other pilgrims of vengeance slowly grasp what it is they are to do. She follows my guiding finger perfectly; the door, which I left ever so ajar, admits a slim shaft of light from within, falling on the grey porch-stone and dissipating into the night's shadows.

Her intrusion to the house is quiet; the very spirits of the night might have learned a lesson from that stealthy beast as she stalked the front of the house, seeking an entrance. I whisper quietly to the door and its hinges and with but a tiny amount of persuasion, they swing open in abject silence. The quiet in the house is near to deafening, save for the cheap sounds of carnality emanating from one of the rooms on the ground floor. I watch her grip the husband's pistol; though my enNobling cost me my knowledge of their use, I yet recognize them. An automatic, large in bore and well-maintained; I reach out my hand to the spirits residing in the gun, making them aware of my presence. I see the husband and his mistress, caught in the throes of their ill-mannered behavior. I see the wife, crying in anger as she points the gun first at her husband. Then I grasp the answer to my own question: clearly the woman intends for the husband to go to the Eighth Circle, instead of the Second. I concur, though I make no move to interfere. The gun thunders, and the husband falls, his body torn and bloody. The mistress screams and the gun thunders again, and she falls. It is then that I notice the flashing red and blue lights outside the house.

I stand in the shadows, though they are difficult to find with the presence of so many bestial police and medical personnel and their well-lit vehicles. As I watch the woman being put into the police car next to her son, Revenge draws my attention away from the screaming combat about to ensue, and directs me towards the husband. He watches as the body of his mistress is wheeled away, zippered in its black bag en route to the doctors of death, the dissectors and the anatomists. Dark Passion whispers to me that he will not allow his life to be destroyed so easily; a stronger will, perhaps, than I expected. Then Revenge shouts at me, a veritable thunderclap in my soul. The ghost of the woman being borne away to the coroner has settled upon this man, the man who deserted his vows to his wife, as the cause of her death. I smile, and I walk to follow the medical vehicle. The song of Revenge calls to me, echoing from the departing ambulance and its morbid cargo. I lift up my head and close my eyes to hear its sweet song, and I muse to myself, "The Eighth Circle will await him."

[thenorm42]

Ooh, that's an awesome piece of background Oddsod! Very cool indeed!

[Wolf]

Mmmm it seems I have time for one last post before I go away. Here's a little piece of background for Faith, from what would have been from _before_ last weeks session. As always comment etc etc gratefully received. Hope to be back on time for sunday - if not then have a great game ;-)

====


Dear Diary,

So obviously I can't sleep.

I'm sitting here in an exquisite silk kimono, writing on the steps of my new home - a traditional 16th century Japanese dwelling, complete with swords and blades of every description adorning the walls.

A staff of three people, who might be more properly called retainers, are sleeping a few rooms away. But they will awaken with what would be the dawn, so that when I wake up I will have freshly laid out clothes and properly served tea. I have yet to work out if they're more upset that I'm a woman, or that I'm a yellow haired foreign devil - but their politeness and devotion doesn't let either show anyway.

The house itself is set on the crest of a hill, in a land of eternal night. It is surrounded by tombs and mausoleums taken from every age of the world - among whose grim walls both the living and risen dead of the chancel walk.

The kimono I'm wearing is beautifully embroidered with an artistic representation of the flowers that make up my personal heraldic design. In addition it has been expertly modified to add a v-shaped opening down the back so that my damn wings can fit through.

And yet none of these things are the reason I can't sleep.

I'm meeting my family tomorrow.

It's not the first time I've met them. I met them all when I was first chosen and brought to this place, but back then I was still a mortal and the memory is hazy and fractured. I've also seen most of them individually during the last two weeks (or is it three? my early days here are a blur of sensation and change). They have been teaching me the many, many things I must know to survive in this new world I find myself in, and teaching me well.

But tomorrow I will not be taught.

Tomorrow I am joining them in as the Power of Blades, representing my estate in whatever ritual is being performed. It's the first time I will be standing with them as a full member of our Familia Caelestis, the first time I will assume the mantle of my predecessor in truth, rather then just in name.

That's why I can't sleep. Around and around and around my thoughts go, like a gaggle of cats chasing their own tails. Not even my new powers of insight or intellect can rescue me from my minds frantic pacing. What if I make a mistake? What if I say the wrong thing, or offend someone? What if I do something that shows everyone I really am just a little girl who's in so far out of her depth she can't even see the shore from where she is? What if....

The Russians call the time around midnight the 'hour of the wolf' -the moment that dawn seems as if it will never come, and every fear and doubt you've ever had gathers around you like hungry wolves.

A dark, lonely time - and in this place there is no dawn to chase away the shadows. Every hour here is the wolf's hour.

At least it is if you let it be so.

Emily Dickenson said "Hope is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all"

I'm meeting my family tomorrow.

I hope I can prove myself worthy of them.

I hope.

It's graduation day. Let’s see what it brings.

[Eclipse of the Dark Sun]

Definitely very good. It'd be interesting if table-top games came across half as well as your prose did.

Currently, I'm waiting on an ordered copy of Nobilis, so I'm reading this thread to get a better feel for the game. Most enlightening, thanks. :)

[Oddsod Blok'ed]

Originally posted by Eclipse of the Dark Sun
Currently, I'm waiting on an ordered copy of Nobilis, so I'm reading this thread to get a better feel for the game. Most enlightening, thanks. :)

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask them. Someone will probably now the answer. :)

[andrew_kenrick]

Ok, here is a rewrite of Antimony, now called Areth to save confusion with Antipathy ... I'm away for the weekend, but will post background and anchors (all 6 of them) when I return.


Areth Hart
Domina of Obsession

ATTRIBUTE LEVEL
Aspect 0: Of mortal Form
Domain 1: Baron
Realm 0: Citizen
Spirit 5: Inferno

Gifts and Virtues:
Devoted Populace
Durant
Glorious
Immutable

Limits and Restrictions:
Cigarette Bond
Doomed
The Darkest Ring (Focus, 6 points invested: Domain 1 and Devoted Populace)

Wound Levels:
1 Deadly
1 Serious
2 Surface

Bonds
STRENGTH SUBJECT
6 Not getting obsessed with Obsession
4 Getting out of being a Noble
2 The sanctity of his Estate
2 His Familia
2 The Darkest Ring
2 His ‘cat,’ Jezzabel
1 His apartment
1 The well-being of his Anchors – this is only a general concern, as he is not overly fussed about any one of them … yet

Virtue:
Passionate – when Areth commits to a course of action or a cause, he does not do so lightly and throws his entire existence behind it. If he truly believes, there is no force in Creation that can turn Areth aside.

Affiliation
Hell

Design
The Flower of Obsession is a closed bud of alternating yellow and purple petals atop a snaking stem, at the base of which grow three sharp-looking leaves. The Design is often framed by a poison green circle, lightly spattered with translucent darkness.

[Geoff Hall]

Just a quick one to say very nice Jan and Oddsod and I'll look forward to seeing the meatier, less crunchy bits of Areth soon Andrew.

Also, are we still on for tomorrow? I assume so but seem to recall Norm not being sure last week due to Andrew and Wolf not being able to make it...

[thenorm42]

Oh, yep. We're still on for tomorrow. I just need to figure out exactly what we're doing - it's on my 'to do' list today!

Norm

[Geoff Hall]

Excellent :D

[thenorm42]

Right - well, I've now got Balthiel fully statted out, with a nice bit of back-story. I'll probably be introducing him in the session tomorrow, and then I'll post the full low-down on him for everyone to look at and modify. That ok?

Now just need to figure out *what* we're doing tomorrow ... :D

[thenorm42]

Right, I'm in the RPGnet and Nobilis rooms at the moment, if anyone wants to join me?

Norm

[thenorm42]

Kuro reckoned it'd probably be better if you all knew what your characters know about Balthiel before you meet him, rather than later. So, here's what I've got on him so far:

Balthiel, the Fallen Angel of Blades, Revenge, Enmity, Obsession and Memory

"After all these millenia, I still haven't any freedom, any choice. Others may make foolish talk of free will and 'Spiritus Dei', but I remember every single thing, and I know not one fragment could ever have been any different."

"Furmiel - I'm still sorry it had to happen this way."

Stats

Aspect : 7 Imperial 9 AMPs
Domain : 0 Pawn 5 DMPs
Realm : 7 Imperial 10 RMPs
Spirit : 5 Inferno 5 SMPs

Imperator Properties

Cruel
Principled
Untalented : Guns
Harvest

Virtues

Eidetic Memory (cannot forget, ever)

Gifts and foci

The Blade Furmiel (contains 3 levels of Aspect and 3 AMPs)
The Steel Halo (contains 1 level of Spirit, 2 levels of Realm, Glorious and 6 RMPs)
Imagewalker - Balthiel can enter any picture and move around in it, and teleport to any similar painting with an expenditure of miracle points - the more similar the images, the fewer MPs it costs
Immortal (lesser - can sustain injury or be knocked out, but cannot actually be killed, except by exceptional circumstances)

Wound levels

3 Deadly Wounds, 3 Serious Wounds, 4 Surface Wounds

Code

Code of the Fallen Angels

Appearance

Balthiel's time in Hell has horribly distorted him. His once perfectly-proportioned frame has been stretched out, and his wings are now covered with wonderfully symmetrical areas of rot and corruption. Where once he radiated glory and light, now the Steel Halo protruding from his temples crackles with a sickly grey lightning that leeches the colour from his surroundings. By his side is the weird Blade Furmiel, made of a conglomeration of icily blue crystal and reflective silver shards, and held together by Balthiel's iron will.

Despite all this, he is still a being of purest delight to gaze upon.

History

Balthiel was once the Angel of Contentment and Forgiveness. He resisted the call of Lucifer and the other Fallen, and fought against his falling brethren with great sadness, for not even he could truly forgive or forget their betrayal of the Bright Realm. Despite his best efforts (and his engineering of the pact that allows ten of the Fallen to roam the Ash), he still cannot fully forgive them, even after he joined them.

His own fall only began during the greater Fall, after the force of Angels he fought alongside was nearly defeated, and was only saved by the actions of Furmiel, the Angel of Intervention, Guardians, and the Eleventh Hour. Balthiel, unable to stop himself, gradually fell in love with the mighty warrior. At first, he only tried to emulate his hero's strength of arms, which made him a far more potent warrior himself. Eventually, however, this was not enough, and he begged Furmiel to return his love. Furmiel, though, was one of those charged with the defence of the Bright Realm, and could not deviate from that purpose for an instant.

Driven mad by jealousy of Heaven itself, and unable to find contentment without Furmiel, Balthiel took his blade and attacked Furmiel from behind, as he stood watch at the Eastern Gate of Heaven. His whole attention and being focused on the approaches to Heaven, Furmiel could not defend himself, and was run through by Balthiel. The angel appeared to die, but in fact his spirit entered Balthiel's sword, from where it can commune with him. The sword has been repaired many times by Balthiel's powers, and gone through a variety of forms, but Furmiel's essence abides. It's not certain what would happen if Heaven found out that part of Furmiel still existed within the blade - the Angels would probably want to reclaim it as quickly as possible.

Fleeing the wrath of the other Angels in an epic pursuit along the Ash, Balthiel eventually sought sanctuary in Hell. There, he attempted to truly understand suffering, in an effort to master his own pain. He contained much of his glory and power in a crown of metal and arcing lightning, and grafted it to his temples. Still he could not forget, nor stop himself asking why he had thrown himself into this agony. As he ran over his perfect memories, in ever increasing detail, Balthiel's belief in free will began to erode. It is in this period that he lost touch with his previous Estates - they were taken over by other Angels. He acquired several new ones, but his lack of belief in his own free will utterly cripples his control over them. This is believed to be why he has tended to employ Wild-oriented individuals to watch over the Estate of Memory - he hopes that they will be able to find a way to change or erase his memories and free him from the dreadful sense of predestination that they bring to him.

The Valde Bellum came as a source of mild relief to Balthiel - here at last was a worthy foe, who would either serve for him to take his frustations out on, or would finally negate his pain for good. Travelling up the Ash under the aegis of the same pact that he had helped create so long ago, he came to Earth, where many of his Estates were strong, and so he Enchancelled and began to research into the Excrucians. In an inverted copy of the Black Amarai that sits atop the original (though it is usually hidden within dark, red clouds), he swims through the beautifully painted ceilings, still desperately trying to forget.


What do you all think? Obviously, any of it can be changed. I've tried to explain your varying codes and work in all your Estates.

Incidentally, I don't imagine your characters actually do know that the spirit in his blade is an Angel. And Blades can't divine it, 'cos it's an Imperator effectively, and not part of her estate...

Norm

Norm

[andrew_kenrick]

Ooh, very nice. I'm not looking forward to meeting him though ... alone. :eek:

Oh, and (unless it proves to be too confusing), I'm thinking of changing my name for a third and final time from Areth (doesn't sound right) to Jacob Hart. Any problems?

And a nice fat description of me and 6 anchors is coming shortly (today, tomorrow, some time soon ...).

Andrew

[Wolf]

Mmmm. Thanks for the kind words on previous offerings everyone :)

Here's another diary entry from Faith (this time from very soon after this weeks session ) that I wrote to reflect on the 'big meeting'. I hope people find it enjoyable.

===

Dear Diary,

Well how typical is this.

I wanted to write down my thoughts while I could still see them freshly in my mind. But now I’m ready I can’t even begin to put them down on paper.

I met the Angel Balthiel today, actually met him, in the flesh…I think. Before my commencement I saw him in dreams as he summoned me to him …but that isn’t the same as truly seeing him.

He was…He made me feel…It was like…

You see?

Whenever I think back I just have this tumble of words and emotions. He was heart rendingly beautiful – even the patterns of corruption that now stain him this couldn’t hide it. He was so beautiful, so…so right, that it hurt to look at him. Awesome, terrifying, holy…and the sense of a spirit so immense, so real, that every sensation I’ve ever experienced felt grey and dull in comparison. I could feel his essence buried deep down in the heart of me, could feel it singing as it resonated with him…aching to be one with him again. For one dizzying moment I felt this urge to throw myself into him and be complete again…

I couldn’t speak, couldn’t do anything. I just stood there dumbfounded - swamped by his mere presence. He spoke to the others, about the petitioners they had seen and the decisions they made I think…my thoughts didn’t seem to be coherent. I couldn’t grasp anything, my mind just flipped over and over. I don’t know what I would have done if he’d spoken to me directly. He didn’t seem to notice me this time, for which I am so very grateful, I guess I’m still to ‘new’ for him to register me.

I can only hope that in time, as my melding and control becomes deeper, I will be able to face him with the same calm as my brothers. Were they affected as I was? Are they simply strong enough to bear it?

The thought that I will meet with him again, probably many times, fills me with a deep dread. But yet the thought that I will meet with him again, even if only for a few moments, fills my heart with joy and longing. These two contradictions war within me – the longing to stand in the presence of such an incomparable being, the fear that if I may loose myself…

I hope that my Familia can guide me in this.

I hope that with time this will become easier.

I hope I will see him again soon…my bright lord…my hearts song…

[Geoff Hall]

Very cool again Jan. I shall look forward to regular versions of this ;)

And Andrew, chop chop, I want to see how you've managed 6 distinct and varied Anchors!

[thenorm42]

Yep, Faith makes a great chronicler for our campaign! I'm looking forward to reading all about Jacob Hart (and his sextuple of Anchors) too.

Glad you all liked Balthiel, too!

[andrew_kenrick]

Well, just to prove that it can be done, and to keep you all quiet, here are my SIX anchors. I actually could have done with 7, but you can't have everything.

The Sage – obsessed collector of everything from coins to books to swords, all of which he has crammed into his maze like house-come-shop. Jacob has corrupted his obsession with all things obscure so that he will go to extreme lengths to further his collection – currently no more extreme than burglary, but it can only be a matter of time before he hurts someone. Jacob met the Sage when searching for a book on Noble society and was treated with disdain and arrogance. Jacob returned the favour by corrupting his obsession and Anchoring him.

Dan Anderson – high flying football star and subject of a thousand and one gossip columns. A nation is enthralled, but where once they admired him for his sporting talents and pin-up image, now they clamour after every scrap of malicious gossip and untrue rumour like wolves after the kill. Jacob once met Dan at a PR gig and immediately took a great dislike to him. He has yet to find a real use for Dan, but delights in waking him up in the middle of the night or coercing him into compromising positions for the entertainment of the media.

Elissa Von Baum – model turned actress at the peak of her career. No real talent to speak of, but a wealth of other assets. Stalking her is practically a pastime, and a photo of her either with a new beau, or with very little on frequently appears in the press somewhere each week. Current gossip places her and fellow anchor Dan as an item and the paparazzi are bursting blood vessels trying to get a snap of them together. Jacob despises shallow people – perhaps because he recognises that he used to be shallow himself – and none epitomise this than the arch-celebrity, Elissa. To his credit, Jacob did have dinner with her just to make sure she was unbearable. He lasted until the starter was delivered before Anchoring her.

Snake Winters – a bounty hunter/PI with a very romanticised notion of his vocation. Snake stalks the earth, hunting down the scum one by one, all the while delivering a monologue of his actions out loud. Snake considers himself both judge and jury, and is wanted in at least 9 countries worldwide for executing criminals. His true objective is to hunt down and slay the man responsible for murdering his wife, the elusive criminal mastermind the White Fox. Jacob inherited Snake from his predecessor, and suspects that White Fox was actually her in disguise.

Eric Jones – crazed stalker of assorted celebrities. Eric’s dank flat is a shrine to a plethora of celebrities, every wall and surface covered with photos cut from magazines and newspapers. He has begun to replace these pictures with those taken by himself whilst hidden in bushes outside houses. Pride of place amongst his collection is his picture of Jacob Hart, who has begun to dominate his obsessions. It was whilst taking this that Jacob happened upon him hiding by the roadside as he visited Earth. Jacob Anchored him then and there, mainly to keep an eye on him. Being Anchored has not helped his frail sanity at all, and his obsession with the Domina grows and grows.

Edward Mannham – cult leader of the Sword’s of God. The Sword’s of God are a collection of oddballs with no real direction in life, forged into fanatical followers by Edward for his own cynical ends. Edward began as a cult leader to get rich, but swiftly became addicted to the power he gained. The cult has taken a rather more radical turn since Jacob Anchored its leader – Jacob was disgusted at Edward’s misuse of the obsession of his followers – for Edward now believes the spiel he was giving his followers. He has restyled himself as the Sword of God (believing Jacob to be the voice of God) and is busying himself with spreading the word and acquiring a large army.

[Wolf]

Wooo!

Nice set of anchors there :)

Can't wait to see the rest of this eminently messed up noble (not that I'm impatient or anything ;) )

Norm - any plans for next week?

In particular are you planning on continuing immediately after where we left off, or are you thinking of moving time on a little (in which case do you want details on the kind of things we'll be up to in our free time?).

I'm perfectly happy either way - I'll be putting some thought into Faith's immediate plans anyway.

JB.