Moe Lane's Blog, page 824
December 3, 2020
In Nomine Revisited: Matthew, Angel of Entertainment.
I wrote this decades ago, at this point.
Matthew-Google-DocsDownload
Matthew
Mercurian Master of Finances
Angel of Entertainment
Corporeal Forces: 4 Strength: 6 Agility: 10
Ethereal Forces: 6 Intelligence: 12 Precision: 12
Celestial Forces: 6 Will: 12 Perception: 12
Word-Forces: 16
Vessel: middle-aged man/3, Charisma +1
Skills: Artistry (Cinema/3, Game Design/3, Writing/3), Computer Operation/1, Detect Lies/6, Dodge/3, Emote/6, Fighting/3, Knowledge (Law/2, Entertainment Industry/6), Languages (French/1, Hindustani/1, Japanese/1), Musical Instrument (guitar/1, harp/1, piano/1), Ranged Weapon/1 (pistol), Savoir-Faire/6, Singing/3, Tactics/1
Songs: Harmony (Ethereal/1), Healing (All/2), Light (Corporeal/1, Celestial/2), Motion (Celestial/6), Retribution (All/3), Shields (All/6), Tongues (Corporeal/3, Ethereal/3)
Role: “M. R. Billings” (mover and shaker/6, Status 6)
Attunements: Mercurian of Trade, Seraphim of Trade, Malakite of Trade, Divine Contract, Head of a PIN, Master of Finances, Angel of Entertainment
Angel of Entertainment: Matthew always knows whether a work of commercial entertainment has the potential of being a surefire hit. He can also tell whether any particular form of entertainment is being directly supported by Hell by making a Perception roll. Both of these abilities can be given out as Servitor Attunements.
Matthew also automatically succeeds at any resonance roll (CD of 6) involving a particular human’s tastes in entertainment.
Rites (also available to others):
Watch a well made, entertaining film/TV showLoan someone a well-written bookPut on some kind of performance for five or more people and get an unforced emotional response out of them (+2 Essence)
In one sense, having your own personal Triad assigned to you is a compliment: it shows that Dominic, Archangel of Judgement, considers it very important that you not Fall. That’s the rationalization, at least. Matthew recognizes that he’s on a knife-edge, but what can he do? He was the Angel of Entertainment a century before anyone ever even heard of Nybbas, Demon Prince of the Media, and he’s not about to give up the Word just because it’s no longer safe to hold. Trade’s people aren’t quitters.
Besides, the work he does is starkly necessary. This is the modern era: wars (and the War) are fought in a thousand different types of arenas these days, and Matthew knows how important his particular one is. Someone has to make sure that humanity gets forms of entertainment that won’t corrupt them, or insult their collective intelligence, and it seems that Matthew is that ‘someone’. So, it’s a good thing that he works for Marc: he’s at least got the cash to do the job right.
These days, Matthew’s influence is very wide, if not all that deep. The angel has a stake in every worthwhile record label, movie studio, software company, traditional and/or digital publisher, and roleplaying game company out there. If it exists and consistently avoids producing crap, his mini-organization is involved somehow. Most of the time, said involvement is limited to watching for Media involvement, but Matthew keeps a very firm finger on the pulse of the various entertainment industries.
Another, lesser task is trying to reclaim those cast aside by Nybbas’ relentless empire. Matthew has been responsible for drying out more than one has-been actor or musician, and fixing them up to the point where they can at least pay their bills. It’s the good and decent thing to do – besides, having once-famous people quietly telling horror stories about the evils of Hollywood can do wonders on the local level of society.
One thing that Matthew does not do is set himself up as a rival to the Media. He can’t. He’d like to, but he can’t. This is a bitter pill to swallow, but the Mercurian consoles himself with the fact that he’s not actually being forced back. While Nybbas may be expanding faster than Matthew could ever hope to match, the angel is involved in his own empire building, and it’s a blessed sight better defended than its malignant Infernal mirror image.
This is one place where Heaven’s ability to work together is paying dividends: the rest of the Host knows full well that defending their beachhead in Nybbas’ domain is vitally important, so they all pitch in, when needed – even the ones that normally don’t care much for Trade. The aforementioned Triad is there almost as much to ensure that Matthew keeps getting the backup that he needs as it is to keep an eye on him. Dominic remains paranoid, of course, but that’s par for the course.
The ironic bit is that Nybbas has no real plans to crush this interloper. It’s largely because of his relative inexperience (the Prince is very young for his position), but Nybbas also apparently thinks of Matthew as more of an independent subcontractor than as an active danger. Market share is market share: the stuff that the Angel of Entertainment puts out may be goody-goody, boring, and outdated drivel, but there are people who like it. If Nybbas were to destroy Matthew, then those people might… start making their own entertainment instead. The very idea makes the Prince of the Media’s flesh crawl.
In order to prevent that obscenity, Nybbas might have to get involved in producing more quality material himself. He could do it (or so he tells himself), but why work when you can get someone to do it for you? As long as Matthew doesn’t get ideas above his station, the Prince of the Media is willing to let Heaven have their foothold. Hell, it’s even serving his Word.
This may be a drastic miscalculation (the Prince has never quite gotten his head around how angels will instinctively work together in ways that no demons could hope to emulate), but then Nybbas is very young. If there’s ever a confrontation, it could very well be … interesting.
This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games. In Nomine is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy .
The TALES FROM THE FERMI RESOLUTION Backerkit store will be open soon.
Cash from the Kickstarter got sent today, so I have Backerkit reviewing everything and soon we’ll be doing a smoke test to make sure that everything’s working right. Then people can lock in their orders. The collection is still in first edits, mind you – but that will change soon.
In other news, did not get to the second pass-through on REVISIONARY, and am waiting on edits for the RPG worldbook (the last bit of business from the first Kickstarter); those two projects will be resolved soon, though. Just in time for Christmas! Although I think the RPG worldbook needs more work. I’ll decide when I see the final result.
In the Mail: my @HPLHS’s Eldritch Elf gift!
It’s the Starry Wisdom Church, courtesy of The Mad Artist’s Studio. And the HPL Historical Society‘s Eldritch Elf Christmas gift exchange program. I like to do it every year. This is a good get for me, too.
Now, to find somewhere to hang it…
Tweet of the Day, It’s Over. Damn Them, But It’s Over edition.
They won. We fought them, and they won. They finally get to kill the movie theaters.
So…
— Kris Tapley (@kristapley) December 3, 2020
Warner Bros. will release its entire 2021 film slate on HBO Max concurrent with domestic theatrical runs for one month, similar to the Wonder Woman plan. Matrix, Space Jam, Dune, In the Heights, Suicide Squad, Godzilla, Conjuring, every-fucking-thing. From your couch. pic.twitter.com/hNOQNvC8pX
Fine. I guess I have to go get HBO F*cking Max now.
December 2, 2020
Movie of the Week: Shazam!
I’ve been watching clips from Shazam! instead of pretty much anything else tonight, so we might as well use this, hey? I’m still trying to figure out how DC managed to make it. I mean, it’s cheerful. Oh, well, gift horses and mouths.
The LUPIN ‘I Find This Aesthetic Confusing’ Netflix trailer.
Is this… dubbed? Or is LUPIN just really out of sync? I dunno about the latter: I expect Netflix to have better sound production values. It’s probably dubbed. But why didn’t they just go with subtitles?
Moe Lane
PS: Yeah, I was kind of hoping for a Lupin the 3rd, too. Ah, to be twenty-three again… no, wait, that would be a mistake. Never mind.
Roland the Headless Lomar Cultist [The Fall of Delta Green]
Roland the Headless Lomar Cultist
[The Fall of Delta Green]
Roland-the-Headless-Lomar-Cultist-Google-DocsDownload
Roland was from OlathoëIn the land of the Arctic StarHe never found his home againThough he traveled farThe deal was made in InnsmouthOn a cold and squamous daySo he set out for BiafraTo make his bloody playThrough ’66 and 7He ruled the Congo cultsWith knife upraised to slaughterHe got results.Those days and nights he chantedTo gods and Great Old OnesHe sacrificed the livingTo bring back midnight suns.Roland the Lomar CultistRoland the Lomar CultistNow, cultists had spent eonsTo end old Ahtu’s rest;But of all the ageless wizardsRoland was the best.But the [redacted] decidedThey wanted Roland dead,So a deniable wet works teamBlew off Roland’s head.Roland the Headless Lomar CultistIA! IA! IA! This has happened oft beforeLomar’s bravest sonDeath will die for Roland til he evens up the scoreYou could soon see his headless bodyStalking through the nightWith his shadow cast by Roland’s Midnight Sun:With his shadow cast by Roland’s Midnight Sun.Roland searched the continentFor the team who’d done him inHe found them in MombassaIn a bar room drinkin’ gin.Roland raised his withered armsHe couldn’t say a wordBut he blew away their bodiesFrom there to Johanasburg.Roland the Headless Lomar CultistRoland the Headless Lomar CultistRoland the Headless Lomar CultistTalkin about the manRoland the Headless Lomar CultistThe eternal Lomar CultistStill stalking in the nightNow it’s three weeks laterBut he can’t give up the fightIn Libreville, in WindhoekIn Kinshasa and Cape TownNazi Galt Thinks it’s saltThat Roland has becomeAnd wants him.
Roland the Headless Lomar Cultist
Abilities: Athletics 12, Firearms 12, Health 20, Unarmed Fighting 12
Hit Threshold: 4
Alertness Modifier: 0
Stealth Modifier: +2
Attack: fist (d-1), .30 cal BAR (d+1,L1)
Armor: Resilient (bullets) [L-3]
Stability Loss: +1
Headless Thompson Gunner: Roland recovers 3 Health for every enemy he kills. Though headless, he suffers no penalty to his attacks. Roland never runs out of ammo.
Investigation
Forensics
You see these bullets? Looks like they got fired into something – but it wasn’t anything hard, because they’re not deformed enough for that. No traces of blood or organic matter on them, either. And usually bullets don’t all show up in one spot on the floor, like they were collected and dumped there.
HUMINT
There was a guy; he was right in the middle of the Biafra shitshow. ‘Rolling Low,’ they called him – but they didn’t want to call him anything, because then he’d notice. Supposed to be this hardcore sorcerer, even though he was some kind of European or whatever. He had the same kind of tattoo you mentioned. But word is, the CIA took him out. Hell, they blew off his head.
Military Science
These aren’t just any .30 rounds; they come from one particular East Coast manufacturer. The kind of company that doesn’t ask too many questions, you hear me? There’s some mercenary groups in the Biafra mess who use the rounds; they must get a discount or something, because they don’t use anything else if they can help it.
The That Which Is Not Dead Can Eternal Lie GRIZZLY 2: REVENGE trailer.
You can’t help but wonder whether Charlie Sheen, George Clooney, and/or Laura Dern* wake up from a nightmare where they somehow found GRIZZLY II: REVENGE and decided to finish it. No, they’re reassure themselves. That’s just crazy talk. The Thing We Don’t Talk About is never going to see the light of day.
…Heeeeeeeeere’s Grizzly!
Also: I love how it’s not THE Revenge. Just ‘Revenge.’ Although I suppose that it makes more sense, because this rampaging grizzly bear is a different rampaging grizzly bear than the grizzly bear which presumably rampaged through the previous film. Which I understand ends with the heroine shooting the grizzly bear with a bazooka, so at least it has that going for it in terms of cinematic merit.
Moe Lane
*John Rhys-Davies doesn’t give a damn, I’m betting.
First pass-through on REVISIONARY Chapbook done.
Second one to be done tomorrow. Then I can start prepping REVISIONARY (Cthulhu Mythos horror-style fiction, 4 stories, 4 illustrations, 32K words) for Kindle Unlimited. Got the artwork, got the text, just need to assemble the book itself and I can do that this weekend. Should be able to have it ready, well in time for Christmas. Huzzah!
…Then I can work on everything else. Huzzah?
Moe Lane
PS: Well, at least I actually am working on things and getting them out. So we’ll still authorize the use of a ‘Huzzah.’
