Amber: An absolute monarchy with low magic and medieval tech, has a Pattern, lead by King Random.
Animus: A techno-magical realm headed by former Spec Ops agent Jonathan. Devoted to creativity and artistic endeavours. Has a Logrus.
Chanicut: A house of Chaos (Thelbane), Have been involved with thefts of people and goods; supporters of Mandor in the Thelbane Civil War; associated with Arniebabes (superhumanly muscular women), who are also associated with the Federation; family ethos seems to involve making money, and taking care to physically perfect their bodies, I.e., they’re all ripped.
Demons: Beings who have the ability to learn to manipulate ley line magic. Most live in Firegate although many frequent the Abyss. Can be summoned and bound to undertake specific actions. Capable of making binding agreements. Anyone who dies while owing a sufficiently large debt to a demon may return to life as a demon and still indebted.
Demons have their own FAQ.
Fey: A race of ancient long lived beings that exist across many Shadows. They mainly live in an alternate reality where time flows and distances are unrelated to the mortal world’s, and logical travel does not work, nor Logrus nor Piloting. They passionately hate demons. They have a weakness to cold iron. They have a detached view of death. They will honour the letter of agreements, but may be generous. Politically they belong to either a Day Court or a Night Court, each with a ruling monarch.
Goa’uld: A faction and race of parasites who inhabit and can control hosts. They have servants called Jaf’fa and use an advanced technology that requires a very radioactive and explosive substance called Naqahdah. They have spaceships and stargates. The Goa’uld divide themselves into Greek, Roman, and Egyptian factions. Some Goa’uld do not belong to any of those groups. Goa’uld can fatally poison a host as they leave it. They are most commonly found in the universes of St. James and Per Hathor
Hendrake: A house of Chaos (Thelbane). Have been involved with seeding distant relatives across shadows who can be called up as slave armies; known as warriors.
Parys: A mostly unknown faction. Led by Corwin
Rebma: An undersea faction with breathable water. Has a Pattern. Located near Amber. Led by Llewella
The Regiment of the Keys: The British version of Spec Ops, the Keys has existed for a long time to deal with immortal issues on St. James. Currently stood down, but able to be reactivated at a moment’s notice. Commanded by Colonel Sir John Cathal Graham and his deputy Lt. Colonel Duke Richard Lacey.
Sarabann: A faction which separated from Thelbane. Backed by House Helgram. Has a Logrus.
Servants of the Dark (aka Devils): A faction and race of powerful beings who work to corrupt and eventually destroy lesser beings. Extremely dangerous. At war with Servants of the Light.
Servants of the Light (aka The Angelic Host): A faction and race of powerful beings created by the desire of humanity for assistance in the fight against evil. Capable of Smiting a target in a way that can permanently remove powers or abilities. Capable of exceptional healing and bringing the dead back to life. They lack free will. At war with Servants of the Dark. May be provoked to attack anyone who commits particular dark deeds or who has an especially tainted soul.
Spec Ops: Yeah, we’re a faction. Primarily concerned with the defence of St. James.
Superheroes: A new faction primarily interested in protecting the vulnerable. They possess super hero suits that enhance strength, durability, reflexes, and self confidence. The suits also reduce strength of will. Led by Ghost.
Thelbane: An ancient faction which once fought a war with Amber. Formerly controlled Sarabann. Has a Logrus. At the time of writing, controlled by Mandor, but in the midst of a civil war with the opposing faction led by Merlin
As much as I like the idea that Spec Ops is ‘Primarily concerned with the defense of St. James’, that isn’t true. It is ‘Primarily concerned with the defense of’ the USA. It’s just that largely any threat that is likely to fall on Spec Ops table probably affects all of St James (in the long run).
Bill.
Bill,
I am replying here because I feel the need to comment. A comment concerning your statement here, and many later follow ups by present and past associates.
Lydia’s take is the more accurate I believe. Spec Ops is a facade. It is a front, and form, a placeholder for ‘aware’ individuals within the U.S. and many farther flung places to meet and work together on a common goal: The Protection and maintainance of an Earth, a St. James, that is not beholden in toto to any other Faction. Moreover, Spec OPS knows what it is.
Gudrun, you often blame this organization and its members for failure to maintain oaths or allegiance to the government which controls it. This is because none of us truly believe we are working for the government. I am a child of mixed Cornelian Ancestry, with ties to nearly every Faction/Power out there both good and bad. And I by happenstance might even be a ‘Power’ of my own. I do not serve the President of the U.S. or any portion of the U.S. Government, and really have never claimed to once I became aware. That government does not know anything. I do work with and for individuals who want my homeland and world to be free. Blaming us for failure to follow our oaths to a shadow play is silly. We know who and what we work for. Often it is US because we are part of the World we love and wish to protect. And we wish to protect it because of what we are and what we know. What authority should I hold myself responsible to? The Servants of the Light? The First? Or my Peers? I choose the latter. And I do it respectfully. And I will hold my Peers accountable as well.
Gudrun I mentioned you in particular because you are the one most vocal about their perception of Spec Ops. I knew your cousin, and I have worked with you. I also know the Light. What I have said here is not lightly said. I will hold others accountable, and expect the same in return. I also ask you to seek to understand my point. That I do not swear allegiance to a government does not mean I take responsibility lightly. It is the opposite. I do not see a government on my world capable of keeping any oath I would give it.
Regards,
A.C.
A.C.
I agree with many of your points, and as you read through the other posts I’ve made you’ll find a number of references to my perception of who is really in charge on St. James. Duke Richard and King Robert are the real powers here at present. SpecOps is under their sphere of control and they are the ones who have appointed leadership for the group. King Robert installed Graeme Helgram as a result of dissatisfaction over Liz Lizella’s leadership and over the criminal behaviors and lack of discipline in the group. Duke Richard, with King Robert’s concurrence, instituted the change to Col Broyles and engineered the correct set of circumstances within the titular US government to bring that about.
We are a feudal protectorate beholden to Duke Richard and King Robert at present.
I think I have two things in mind about mentioning the oath. The first has to do with an aspiration, that the ‘make believe’ becomes a truth and St. James gains the ability to truly self govern and defend itself. When or if that ever occurs, it will need a force of people with values, integrity, commitment, and loyalty to this world as a primary motivator. It will need credible actors on its behalf…people who would be able to accept an oath of that sort and mean it…and hopefully a government worthy of receiving that oath. This would put St. James on a par with other aware realms where there are native forces dedicated to its defense who do take similar oaths.
Second, it is to address the issue of standards of conduct in the group. There is little to go on there and, in my view, the group suffers as a result. You are correct to point out the loose affiliation of individuals involved. Some manage their commitments better than others. Some are more menace than not as many of us know.
I agree the oath is problematic for the reasons you mention.
I have served with you, and our family remembers your service with my cousin. I have no difficulty accepting you at your word, and your conduct has spoken loudly in your behalf. I do see you as someone that would hold others accountable.
Unfortunately, it is not a universal attitude. And, lacking a structure to do that in, were you to decide that action was necessary you’d have little to support you in holding a team member to account for anything other than a “talking to”. There is no agreement within the group about this. Discipline is ad hoc if it occurs at all. In many cases members are covering up or not speaking of what they know to shield others from potential consequences.
Several members of the unit have direct knowledge and witness of others committing unacceptable acts(repeatedly in some cases), and yet they have outright stated an unwillingness to support any action which would result in the censure of the guilty parties.
This makes for an untenable situation over time, erodes effectiveness, erodes relationships with allied forces, and erodes any effort to generate a force which might eventually be called upon to support an independent, aware, St. James credibly.
It also corrupts those who might wish to conduct themselves more thoughtfully and responsibly.
Lastly, it puts St. James at risk in the cases of those who are selling information and misappropriating technology and arcane artifacts on the side.
I agree I don’t see the US government on St. James (in game) worthy of accepting my oath. I would like to see that change over time.
I do not feel it is possible in the current climate at SpecOps to hold another unit member accountable, despite a well intentioned effort to do so. There is no structure to enforce it. There is no due process or procedure to follow as a judicial effort within the group.
There is no will to act on the part of many members were due process and enforcement in place.
I do not want to be in Ani’s position, covering up the actions of a culpable team member who knowingly and deliberately disregarded the mission plan and precipitated the deaths of hundreds. Or turn a blind eye to team members selling information on the side. I do not want to be part of a group that continues to welcome individuals of that sort while vaguely hoping they might someday have a change of heart…all the while watching the behavior deteriorate.
I can’t support the policy of unenlightenedment which, as one of its many negative side effects, the endorsement of covering up criminal behaviors of team members and retaining them in service.
A.C. I believe you do mean what you say. I just think that if push came to shove and the two of us were on a team observing something that fell into this category and we tried to do something about it…we would be the ones running for our lives as the others closed ranks to defend the offender.
Agreed.
Although it might equally be said that their mandate is as much keeping the citizens in ignorance as it is in defending the planet. Perhaps more so, if defense were the highest priority, they would not keep the populace unenlightened.
The preoccupation with the US is one reason so many of my relief projects are outside US territorial boundaries. My cousins have assisted in setting up an NGO to back it officially and we do work in Africa, South America and parts of Asia that tourists don’t visit. It isn’t foolproof but it is a way to try to get eyes on for entrenched off-worlders who might be taking advantage of a complete lack of focus on those areas.
And we do good work.
Donations for solar wells are now being accepted. We are also funding midwife solar backpacks (lights, fetal monitors, suction all in a suitcase with batteries and a panel).
I do mine clearing and ordinance removal too in areas where there’s been a lot of warfare. With magic and shape shift I’m one of the safer choices for clearing that stuff up without casualties.
This page is probably going to take longest to comment on as it contains the most areas needing expansion.
Let me try the Gou’ald entry first:
“Goa’uld: A faction and race of parasites who inhabit and can control hosts. They have servants called Jaffa and use an advanced technology that requires a very radioactive and explosive substance called Naqahdah. They have spaceships and stargates. The Goa’uld divide themselves into Greek, Roman, and Egyptian factions. Some Goa’uld do not belong to any of those groups. Goa’uld can fatally poison a host as they leave it. They are most commonly found in the universes of St. James and Per Hathor”
Some points for possible inclusion:
More complete information and a GOu’ald to English dictionary was compiled by Dr. Ani Erikson and is available through SpecOps.
Naqahdah is mined and is highly toxic. Humans have been harvested from St. James for centuries to serve and die in this effort.
Naqahdah has several properties:
-in the bloodstream it can cause a female human who is not a Gou’ald host to be sexually magnetic and irresistible to males. For a time, Liz instituted a female only rule for all installation guards for this reason for fear of undue influence and potential infiltration.
-it is used to help change the body to accommodate a Gou’ald parasite.
-it can be used to channel magical energy. A person with this substance in their bloodstream may enhance their performance using it. The eyes turn silvery and fins and spikey bits start to appear when too much energy is drawn…signaling the body’s effort to start the final conversion to a Gou’ald form. (Lydia once observed this in part on a mission with Ani when Ani overdid it slightly.) Extreme concentration may cause the body to revert to a fully human form…for a while. The person using this must be a shifter because without a full conversion the substance is a powerful poison and the individual is constantly self healing in order to remain alive. Ani theorized that a human might become a Gou’ald parasite if the process were to be allowed to complete but this was never tested. Her view was that many of the older Gou’ald might have once been Corneilians or their equivilent before surviving contact with the substance and acquiring human hosts once the change was complete.
-The substance is also used in Gou’ald technology as a power storage and amplifying mechanism.
Gou’ald often operate their technology using a ‘hand device’. The device fits over one wrist and can be used for shielding, communication, teleportation, and healing. A hand device will increase an individual’s ability to remain in space without a suit for an extended period without ill effect.
Gou’ald shielding technology is very advanced. Orbital observation, communication and weapons platforms were hanging above earth undetected for an indefinite period before their discover. Similarly installations on outer planets and moons went undetected by St James space forces for years.
Gou’ald also operate their technology using mind-machine interfaces and telepathy. This is more often seen at the level of a senior Gou’ald, ship captain, or clan head.
A favored Gou’ald tactic is the ‘Cling On’, a practice of floating seemingly dead Gou’ald in space to attach themselves to other vessels. These then eventually board and attempt to take control of a ship.
Gou’ald parasites can survive the death of their host body if a new host is available to transfer to, and some are estimated to have lived for thousands of years.
There have been cases where a human and Gou’ald have negotiated a host agreement successfully with some benefit to both partners, this is rare.
Gou’ald are capable of accessing the genetic heritage talents of their Host, i.e. Logrus, Pattern, Magic.
Gou’ald have hibernation sarcophagi. They can suspend themselves for extended periods.
Gou’ald are not subject to the ‘Angelic’ Host.
Gou’ald can cause a Host to suffer the soul debt for actions the Gou’ald instigates but the Host cannot prevent. If the Gou’ald parasite is removed, the soul taint and debt remains with the human host.
More later….
Might I suggest using ( ‘The Angelic Host’ ) in that 2nd last paragraph given the need to talk about ‘hosts’ for the parasites all the way through the rest of the comment.
Bill.
Good point Mel! will edit
ooc It’s Mel…IC Bill
Made the mistake of using OOC for the Name that can’t be changed.
I had that problem for a bit, and was going back to edit each comment after I left it. Then I figured out there was a way to make the name always show up as another… I think it’s Profile, Name, fill in the Nickname field, and below it pick the correct name from the Display Name Publically As menu.
Thanks.
Sorry, my bad.
Perhaps an amendment to the SOL entry:
“Servants of the Light (aka The Angelic Host): A faction and race of powerful beings created by the desire of humanity for assistance in the fight against evil. Capable of Smiting a target in a way that can permanently remove powers or abilities. Capable of exceptional healing and bringing the dead back to life. They lack free will. At war with Servants of the Dark. May be provoked to attack anyone who commits particular dark deeds or who has an especially tainted soul.”
Servants of the Light came into existence in response to humanity’s desire for assistance in the fight against evil (the Dark). The Servants have some individual differences in terms of areas of responsibility, methods of approaching a problem, and the latitude their own orders allow them. There are also some individual differences in terms of ability to understand and relate to human emotions and weaknesses.
It is important to understand that the Servants do NOT have free will as humans do. They also are able to access a great deal of accurate, factual information. This means that humans, and particularly the human ability to both be WRONG and to insist that they are correct in the face of contravening facts, causes consternation and puzzlement for the Servants. The Servants are constrained to act in certain cases, they do not view it as mitigating that humans are insisting on believing an error past the point where facts are presented. On the contrary, they respect that the human has made a choice, a decision, to believe and act as they have and it is really only a matter of consequences after that point. The Servants also have definite jurisdictional limitations, not all beings have souls and some simply don’t come under their mandate. The Servants do not go outside their mandate.
The Servants are not always correct and they will occasionally suspend an action in order to seek additional information on the rare occasion when a potential contradiction in information is pointed out to them. They do not suffer from ego on this point, to them, arriving at the truth is most important. Humans should realize that their version of truth, however the reasoning arrives at it, will not be the one used by Servants unless it corresponds with the facts as the Servants know them. The Servants will not feel obliged to share reasoning or information with you, although they sometimes will choose to if asked politely.
The Servants generally will give an individual the opportunity to express regret or repent their actions unless their souls are so damaged, destroyed or in pawn that they can’t be helped. If given this opportunity, an individual may need to decide whether to stubbornly stick to their pride or whether they should accept the mistakes they have made.
The Servants will act to correct Darkness where they find it. The level of action required to do so varies. They also look at the scope of darkness and their response tends to be shaped on what may be necessary to correct the situation as a whole.
Humans sometimes call this “smiting”.
A person who is smited undergoes an adjustment. Not all that is done is seen or perceived by the person or those witnessing the process. Some of the correction may be metaphysical, with the soul being healed and some or all of the darkness attached removed. This is seldom noticed by the humans but is significant in terms of their long term health, safety and sanity. It may also be important to them if they were to die, as dying with a great deal of darkness can lead to a permanently unpleasant set of consequences.
Occasionally more observable changes are noted from a smiting, including loss of certain powers and abilities. This may be preventative, curative, or punitive in nature depending on the case. It is really like taking scissors away from a three year old, you don’t need much imagination to see where things will go if you let them keep playing with them and running around the house with them in their hands. Or perhaps like taking driving privileges away from a drunk driver, they’ve shown they really aren’t safe to be allowed to continue.
The Servants are capable of healing and rescuing people who have been injured and request help. They have brought individuals back from the dead. A Spec Ops team at the Erikson wedding witnessed David Erikson being brought back from the dead, after the opfor nearly totally decapitated him, by a Servant of the Light summoned by Ani Erikson.
The Servants are also able to cleanse areas polluted by the activities of Servants of the Dark. This is an important function that affects the health and safety of humans that might unknowingly come in contact with areas where black rituals have been conducted.
A suggested amendment to Servants of the Dark:
“Servants of the Dark (aka Devils): A faction and race of powerful beings who work to corrupt and eventually destroy lesser beings. Extremely dangerous. At war with Servants of the Light.”
It is important to remember that not all servants of light or dark are exalted, ultra-powerful, beings…some are very ordinary looking and sit next to you on the bus. The wiki already has a pretty comprehensive listing of many of the more powerful members of each group, but it is a good idea not to view this as an exhaustive list.
Servants of the Dark are beings which focus on the corruption and destruction of not just human life, but much more importantly the soul or spiritual essence of life itself. This process is intrinsically pleasurable to them and they gain power through the debasement and destruction of humans they corrupt, stealing their energy and life force while twisting it to their use.
I cannot offer an explanation for how this came to be or why anyone would wish to do this, many human religions have attempted to answer this question in varying ways. I am not equipped to say which of their explanations may turn out to hold the truth and which are mere allegories.
It can be useful to consider what human religions have observed in terms of servants of the dark, their dealings with humankind, and their tactics. This may require looking past doctrine and dogma and focusing on the essence of the teachings involved. Many religions have similar things to say when one looks at that level.
The “Seven Deadly Sins” concept has some application in terms of tactics used by the Servants of the Dark. If one puts aside for a time the intrinsic issue of whether an action is ‘sinful’ one can see how certain behaviors lead to compromise and vulnerability for humans. Some of the senior servants of the dark specialize in entrapping humans based on these particular vulnerabilities.
The Servants of the Dark generally are very congenial at first meeting with a potential recruit. They promise a great deal, and deliver on those promises until bit by bit an individual’s tendency for selfishness, greed, and other negative emotions are strengthened and the servant of the dark gains control over the recruit. The term seduction is very appropriate for this process.
A few suggestions of a practical nature….
It is possible to turn back in most cases even after you may be certain you’ve gone too far.
If you are getting all your information from the Dark…you can be sure you are in the Dark. It will get harder and harder to see the truth as you go along and your perspective will become increasingly distorted.
If you are choosing an option because it seems quickest, easiest, or expedient…you are vulnerable and probably headed in a bad direction.
Don’t let false pride stand in your way. Its one thing to be wrong, its another to insist on staying wrong.
The dark likes to separate its recruits from anything that might show them the contradictions and lies. If you feel railroaded, you probably are.
Doing the wrong thing for the right reason…can make you vulnerable. Humans are creatures of habit, they solve the same problems in the same way. You can be sure that the servants of the dark will engineer many chances for you to repeat this choice as many times as it takes to train you to choose the wrong thing even when it isn’t necessary…and often the lie is that it was ever necessary to begin with.
Just this one little thing….it won’t be so bad…Possibly not. This tends to be a case where the little things stack up and then you are overwhelmed. You can still say no.
Free will is the key. Even at the last possible moment, you can still say no as long as even a shred of your soul is left to you.
You don’t need to believe in or agree with religion to resist the dark, but they can be helpful in terms of mutual support and giving a framework to understand things that seem very abstract. Having some kind of spiritual or secular moral practice, personal review, and reflection is very important to staying healthy and resistant to the servants of the dark.
An amendment to the Fey entry:
“Fey: A race of ancient long lived beings that exist across many Shadows. They mainly live in an alternate reality where time flows and distances are unrelated to the mortal world’s, and logical travel does not work, nor Logrus nor Piloting. They passionately hate demons. They have a weakness to cold iron. They have a detached view of death. They will honor the letter of agreements, but may be generous. Politically they belong to either a Day Court or a Night Court, each with a ruling monarch.”
Information sourced from the diary of Ani Erikson…
The Fae have appeared in human legends and songs for centuries as attempts have been made to record the history of human-Fae encounters. Some of this is myth, some of this has basis in fact.
Fae are highly capable mages and appear to be able to use leylines. (Needs confirmation)
The Fae realms are accessible from St. James at various points given the proper timing and seasonal convergence, the appropriate ritual, or an existing path between worlds. One such path was opened during the WW2 era by St. James Nazis using a death ritual involving the sacrifice and binding of Jewish concentration camp victims to the walls and floors of the entry path, embedding their heads and faces and trapping their souls in the corridor that was to be passed through. The entrance was at one time located in the Channel Islands off the coast of Great Britain, the Regiment of the Keys can be contacted for further detail.
The Realms of the Fae are typically quite beautiful and if hospitality is granted it is possible to safely pass time there. It should be noted that the time flows between worlds is highly variable, and in this respect the songs and legends are correct, it is possible to be absent a short time in one world and spend a lifetime in another. The Fae themselves give some evidence of spanning time in a non-linear fashion.
Unlike ordinary Shadow travel differences (fast time Shadows) the ratio of time can alter wildly and unpredictably. When entering into agreements with the Fae, it is therefore wise to be very careful about specifying time for performance due to usual human limitations. (That caveat could equally apply to dealing with demonkind.)
Time is also an important factor in considering Fae motivations in your dealings. If you think you know why the Fae appear to want something, you are more likely not in possession of the full facts. When considering the ‘downsides’ of an arrangement, be sure to push your window of thought out in terms of centuries or more. In the end, you will probably end up never knowing how badly you’ve been screwed over because of the disparity between the races in terms of thinking and having information in such different relative timeframes.
Obligation is reckoned quite differently by the Fae. It is a good idea not to eat or drink or accept clothes or any other trivial thing unless it is clearly understood to be a gift or without obligation. This can be difficult to remember given the standards of human hospitality and our casual attitudes to small courtesies that are offered us routinely.
As long lived beings, the Fae are sometimes extreme in their understanding of “entertainment”. They’ve seen and done so much that novelty is hard to come by, and things that humans might find hard to fathom are merely ‘carefully developed tastes’ for the Fae. Games and sports can be rough.
“Reich Fae”
Evidently, the St. James Nazis that made contact through this particular portal imparted some of their cultural and philosophical viewpoint to the Fae and made a bargain to have a unit of Fae prepared to serve Nazi shock troops. They were anxious to fulfill this bargain, and lacking contemporary St. James Nazis that anyone wanted to give a troop of Fae to, RFSS Delatz and members of the Inside REich Ahnenerbe were contacted to take command of the troops that the Fae had prepared.
That particular pathway was resealed after the visit, but only after the cleansing, release and freeing of the concentration camp victims that had been embedded in the path. This was accomplished by David Erikson, Ani Erikson, Thora Asgarde, and Astrid Erikson.
Small note, but don’t go looking for the Fae….. You might find them.
Quite.
Bill, as you are Amber’s Ambassador, would you care to do the expansion on Amber?
I’ll do my best to be objective…. I’ll leave everyone else to add in the bad bits.
This may take a while…
Indeed. Gudrun provides some very good information. Be wary of the Dark Fae. The Dark Fae Queen on St. James are lead by Queen Mab.
I have had some personal dealings with the Dark Fae as I sought out my heritage. I am happy to discuss my meager offerings of information to those that desire it, in private. Upon such time as my information as been properly vetted, I will share it here.
Ok, time to give the Fae some definition.
As stated above, the Fae really are split into 2 opposite factions and generally look somewhat like Elves with some variation based on court.
Day Court:
Thinkers, long term planners, generally well mannered (I believe). The fact that they are the long term thinkers makes them dangerous (if probably honourable).
I haven’t talked to many of them from various different Courts so that may not be entirely accurate.
Night Court:
Typical Dark Fae ideal from fairy tales and myths. They like to torment (whether physically or mentally),
and generally focussed more on ‘now’ rather than long term thinkers, and apparently have ‘all the best toys’.
Haven’t met many, but that was still too many…..
Night Court and Day Court basically look down on each other
However, if they have a common goal, they will work together putting aside their antagonisation. That makes them very dangerous.
There are also Nazi Elves and Half Elves, which are
generally indoctrinated variants but they are still Fae. The political ideaology just moves them from a neutral to the dark side of things.
Things to note:
I have met 1 Nazi fae world where they turned their back on Rupert and his idealogies aiming for higher ideals, so anything is possible.
Also, the names of the Courts vary but it’s always just variations on the Day and Night theme, for example, Summer and Winter.
Overall:
A Fae, generally is significantly physically better in combat, have a striking presence (whether that be Beautiful/Handsome [Day] or possibly terror inducing [Night]) and have magical tricks up to seriously powerful sorcery.
Basically, they’d toast most of us in a straight up fight, and there are Millions and Millions (maybe Billions) of them in their Hollow Hills beyond our reality.
So, let’s hope they never decide to come out as a race to take charge.
A note on Arniebabes:
Arniebabes appear to receive chemical enhancement and conditioning.
Arniebabes in the Stargate facility were observed in storage pods in semi-hibernation, with feeding tubes and IV drips that fed adrenaline, steroids, and other chemicals into their systems. When the security systems of the facility activated, storage pods started to wake their occupants, pumping high concentrations of performance enhancing chemicals into their systems. It is possible to disrupt this cycle using technical magic and it is highly advised to destroy the vessels holding the performance enhancing drugs at a minimum if the choice to not destroy the entire container with the Arniebabe inside is not undertaken.
Arniebabes are adept at riding motorcycles and at combat with edged weapons.
Arniebabes were noted to prefer not to wear undergarments, this can be a temporary distraction in the flurry of combat for the unwary.
Gudrun,
Do Arniebabes have souls? I am eager to know this and apologize if I missed your information regarding this.
In general, what beings/entites/creatures have souls, to the best of your knowledge?
Mathilda,
The arniebabes observations were made by cousin Ani. She made no notes on whether they had souls and to my knowledge Ani had no abilities to make those kinds of observations.
I’ve never met an arniebabe, so I’m not able to say.
Generally my experience has been with humans, demons, half demons. Humans have souls.
I have not been able to make other observations. I will try to learn more as I go along, but I may say that if it were a combat sort of situation I would probably not be using my abilities of that kind. Its not the moment to make observations of that sort and would be rather upsetting and distracting in that context to try.
I don’t walk around with my gift “open” generally. I consider that to be prying and its also very tiring and distressing. But there are times that I can’t help but notice things I will admit.
I am not as traveled in many ways as Ani was, I can only share the bits I know and what I am aware of from the information left to me.
Gudrun,
Thank you for sharing the things that you have, be it your information or Ani’s.
I will continue to seek an answer to this question.
Best guess I’d have is that Arniebabes are as alive as you or me, so more than likely they’d have a soul.
I could be wrong as I’ve just run into them a few times.
Now, the question is are Arniebabes simply female members of House Chanicutt?
Or actually something else? Might be worth asking as they seem to be hireable as bodyguards somewhere.
Well I hope to see more posts from other individuals. I’m certain there is a lot more information out there.
As to Arniebabes and Chanicutt…I don’t know. I do know that this information is indexed as being taken from the mission to Firegate to rescue the four boys. The facility belonged to Swayvanna, which indicates possibly Federation (she was still married and Randol was in power at the time) or perhaps one of the chaosian houses she or her daughters are connected with…Sawall being a possibility, Sarabann being another possibility if it turned out their lack of support for Swayvanna wasn’t as complete as it seemed or there was behind the scenes cooperation. (I have no evidence for either, this is just looking at possibilities.)
I’m pretty sure they aren’t just female. We’ve recently encountered more advanced models that claim to be genderless.
My best bet is that Arniebabes are just one of many genetic programs to develop super-soldiers.
Agreed that there are male equivalents now I think about it. And I would say that I haven’t encountered them recently given my position, so I can’t say what may be happening. But a Chanicutt breeding programme that hires out muscle would fit things.
I do not believe that Arniebabes are actually members of house Chanicut or descended from house Chanicut. My best guess is that they are highly modified humans from Shadow.
Because Arniebabes appear to have free will despite their limited intellect and willpower I suspect that they probably have souls.
If an Arniebabe is ever found who is willing to consent to reversion, I would love to attempt the process.
I’d like to caution people that they may be using criteria that does not apply.
Free will alone is not indication of the presence of a soul.
Being alive is definitely not a definitive indication of having a soul.
Do you know of any beings who have free will, but lack a soul?
Demons typically have little or no soul left, and are able to make choices.
I also received a theoretical answer on your behalf inquiring about whether an ethical way existed to give an intelligent soulless being a
soul of their own, to which the answer was yes. This implied the overall possibility that a being may have choice yet be soulless. Potentially an AI for instance.
Souls are special gifts.
I heard about an encounter with some winged Arniebabes working with the Federation. Possibly these were variously adapted, but possibly another reason for the lack of undergarments is that these Arniebabes flung napalm poo. It’s my understanding that the smell was memorable.
They also hocked acid loogies.
Interesting stylistic choices on someone’s part.
Ok, that is weirder than I have ever seen…..
Related to the Arniebabes, I’ve seen them on a number of occasions and they seemed to be hired muscle in the past, and as we all known, House Chanicutt is all about making money, criminal endeavours that make them money and building up their bodies to an extreme degree. I think that fits the bill pretty well.
Here’s the Amendment to the Amber entry:
Amber was founded by Dworkin Barrimen as an alternate view of reality to that of the City of Thelbane. This was done by stealing the eye of the serpent and using it to inscribe the ‘Pattern’ which created Amber.
In doing this, Amber became the second pole of the reality that is often described as the Outside. With it’s creation came the myriad worlds that now make up ‘Shadow’.
Counterparts to Amber are the realms of Rebma (Under the sea) and Tir-na Nog’th (Ghostly City above Amber).
Amber City:
Amber City is a large medieval city on a plateau about half way up Mount Kolvir. At the base of the mountain, on the sea front, is the harbour. Above the city on the mountain is Castle Amber where the Royal family reside.
Amber is a Major Trade port with the Golden Circle and with many worlds beyond.
Dworkin Barrimen:
3rd Son of Cornelius the Great; Brother of Swayville & Suhuy (from Thelbane);
He was known to have bouts of extreme madness. Assumed Dead (Trump Dead).
Oberon:
Dworkin & Bellissa Minobee’s Son. King of Amber for centuries. Died at the end of Patternfall (Trump Dead). (For details on Patternfall, see below).
He was married, at least, 5 times and the Amber Royal Family is drawn from his children and their descendants.
For information on his affairs and marraiges, see :
[ http://www.aurellis.org/wiki/oberon-and-his-women ]
The Patternfall War:
Patternfall was a war between Amber and Chaos, during and leading up to the end of the reign of Oberon.
It started with the Black Road appearing. These roads were paths across shadow that allowed the armies of Chaos to travel to Amber and bring war directly to Amber’s door.
The armies staged a siege of Amber itself fighting against the arrayed armies of Amber and those that that the Royal Family brought with them to aid in its defence. It was stopped by the arrival of Corwin, with his own army, that tipped the balance at a crucial moment.
The final blow came in the form of a concerted attack by the armies of Amber against Thelbane and what remained of the armies of Chaos. The Battle occurred on the edge of the Abyss and the Chaos armies were defeated.
A more detailed Timeline of events of that period is listed below:
• Oberon vanishes suddenly.
• Eric proclaims himself regent.
• Corwin launches his famous assault on Amber, and is captured.
• Eric proclaims himself king.
• Random attempts to assassinate Eric and is put under house arrest, with his new wife, Vialle.
• Corwin escapes from his cell in Castle Amber after three years imprisonment.
• Corwin returns with an army just into time to save Amber from a major assault on Kolvir. Eric is killed during this battle. Corwin proclaims himself Regent.
• Corwin’s companion Ganelon is revealed to be Oberon in disguise.
• Oberon dies repairing the Pattern in Amber.
• The final engagement between the forces of Chaos and Amber occurs, at the very edge of the Abyss.
Some specific events:
• Brand falls into the Abyss, taking Deirdre and the Jewel of Judgement with him.
• Random is chosen King by the horn of the unicorn.
• The forces of Chaos surrender to Amber.
• Oberon’s funeral procession.
Current Amber:
Amber is an absolute monarchy with low magic and medieval tech. The Royal family employ a Power called the ‘Pattern’ which allows them to travel through, and influence Shadow.
Amber is currently ruled by King Random along with Queen Vialle.
Princess Alexandra (more regularly known as Sand) is the Mistress of the Arcane of Amber.
Luca Reynard is the Court Artist of Amber. He generally is responsible for paintings and production of Trumps within Amber.
Prince Benedict is the Master at Arms in charge of Amber’s military.
Princess Florimel is the Mistress of State of Amber.
Bill,
With respect, I would be reluctant to permanently count any Amberite as dead. As a note to other readers, I can only strongly urge you to take any reports of death with a certain sense of caution despite the reliability of the witness being high.
Information I cannot elaborate on leads me to believe that at least one Amberite that has been reported as dead is very much alive and has been active on St. James within the last 4 years.
Information I can detail would lead me to suggest that any individual who believes that they have killed an Amberite, or even that a Corneilian is dead or brain dead or past resuscitation…simply hasn’t waited long enough.
Cousin Ani, who was a crack shot, splattered the brain matter of Caine’s son over the back of a vehicle JFK style with a high powered rifle at decent range. The man was retrieved by his relatives, and although it was touch and go, he was expected both to live and to eventually regrow his cortex. It was unclear if his memory would ever be the same but after initially stabilizing him, there was no question of him dying or being permanently incapacitated.
Duke Bernard similarly recovered from the intensive attentions of my relatives, and they are a thorough bunch generally speaking.
The Corwin chronicles speak of faking deaths and mistaken deaths in several places. Given that important Amberites often cast ‘Shadows’, there are doubles that might well be used to provide seeming evidence of death. Given the ability of some to shapeshift the features of others, it is possible to create a duplicate in that fashion which may be offered as evidence of death.
For those undertaking experimental activities, I can only advise that when working with Amberites or Corneilians you cannot assume that a “brain dead” or catastrophically wounded individual is unrecoverable. Therefore, any action a person might plan to undertake should be viewed in the same light as it would be if that action were planned on a healthy Corneillian with a full life ahead of them.
Fair point, entry amended slightly.
I do think it’s entirely possible that Barnard, Bley’s son, is shacked up somewhere with the female commander he was fighting rather than being dead in the Chaos war.
That would be about Barnard’s speed.
In light of current events, it seems apropos to mention that there’s some question as to whether it was Corwin’s famous assault on Amber which resulted in his capture, or Bleys’s famous assault on Amber which resulted in him faking his death and letting his brother be captured.
I hav no clue. Which current events do you mean that prompted that thinking?
An addition on the demons entry…
Demons come in many different subspecies and power levels. Some demons are little better than animals, barely articulate if capable of speech at all, and driven only by basic impulses to eat, survive and avoid pain. Others are exceptionally intelligent, powerful, talented, experienced individuals with skills, social entanglements and complex motivations.
It is my theory that this difference may in part be explained by the fashion in which some individuals descend to demon status and the length of time they have remained demons. For the very primitive varieties, my conjecture is that individuals who were not terribly able or powerful to begin with who lost their souls or made poor power bargains while in human life end up in this way. Those who enter into demon status with high levels of debt, or under particularly disadvantageous circumstances (little to offer or trade to their new masters once they are taken) are likely to find themselves deteriorating further after their descent.
Some of the less powerful sorts were being imported into the Empire for use in cage fighting rings. It came to light that: under Empire law demons are rightless, non-humans who may be killed without penalty; dodgy summoning books were being used to collect demons for this purpose; humans were being used as a food source for the demons; and there was some information to the effect that previous commercial enterprises involving the use of demons in cage fighting rings had been conducted by Aetius and Reine (which could be a portion of the reason they were unpopular with demon kind).
A note about House Hendrake history….
As our family descends from that House, many generations removed, we preserve some of its history. Much has been lost to our branch of the family over the years though and perhaps that is just as well.
We do preserve a set of fragments that I can share with you regarding the founding of Hendrake in the oldest of times. In terms of St. James history, my branch of the family are responsible for many of the legends typically associated with Norse mythology and religion…which makes our view of systems patterned on it, such as those in the Reich, fairly ironic.
I offer fragments here:
“A king crowned with gold, dressed in gold, upon a golden dragon throne,
handing a gold seal to a warrior with the words “Always will the safety
and defence of my kingdom rest in your hands, son of my father and
husband to my daughter. Thus are you granted the Title of a new House –
go forth Duke Hendrake, and slay our enemies!”
(Family lore has this as Swayville the Golden speaking.)
…
… The ruins of a battlefield and a city laid waste … A warrior woman
hiding in the ruins, with a babe at her breast talking to a young man
… “Ill fortune has befallen us all this day. Now we must begin again,
as we did in the past. The Eye of the Dragon is lost forever, as are my
father, my mother, and your father who was my brother.”
“Two things did I take from Benedict, before he unmasked me, and brought
down this day of destruction on us – the first was the seed from which I
bore this babe – my First Daughter, who will lead us when I am gone, and
the second is this gold ring which I give to you, Thor.”
“With it, you will have the power of the children of Oberon, to walk
between the worlds and pass through the worlds between. We will need
armies of loyal and dedicated soldiers to win back our place as the
greatest civilisation, and to eventually defeat the children of Oberon.
Many armies, and many warriors, for the power that rests with our
enemies is concentrated far greater than ours. Only numbers will win the
day when the time of reckoning finally comes.”
“So I charge you to go out, using the ring, and find worlds where there
is the spark of greatness, and put your seed onto that world to found a
dynasty of warriors for us. Find the greatest and most powerful woman on
that world, and make with her a First Daughter, and as ill fate has
formed this day let us embrace our misfortune – let there be thirteen
daughters in every generation, that we will blot out the sons of Oberon,
when our day once again comes. Do this on as many worlds as you find on
your travels, but beware my nephew – the sons of Oberon will likely be
on your trail – this plan is your life’s work, and if Oberon learns of
it, your life will have been wasted.”
The young man speaks “Do not fear – a mighty warrior I may not be, but
fleet and fast I am – I will plant our seed far and wide, and when the
Herald’s call finally goes our, we will be numbered as the stars in the
skies. I will found dynasties for us, with doctrine and lore and beliefs
that will ensure they are ready when the day comes. When the call goes
out, my people will follow it to the last.”
The woman says “Go, son of my brother. I will cover your departure.” The
sound of dogs, and the young man sneaks off, as the woman hides the baby
in the rubble, and takes forth a great sword and goes out to meet
Hellhounds…
(It is said that our family, and the system of first daughters that was only recently changed on St. James, descend from that child and/or from Thor. This is also the origin of the compulsion that was used to form pre-programmed armies as a result of a ritual summoning across Shadow. The lore was known to some within the original house and the summons went out a few years ago as part of an internal house power struggle in Thelbane. The summons was blocked on St. James through the efforts of Robert of Sable and throughout Shadow by the intervention of the Host. The internal conflicts in Hendrake are still a matter for the members residing in Thelbane, while the distant descendents of the family have returned to other pursuits, many ending up in Casablanca after having become aware of the larger family history as a result of the Call.)
Current Head of House Hendrake: Lintra Hendrake the Younger
House Hendrake in Thelbane had a bit of an attempted coup a year or so ago. The fact that the main
assassination attempt on Lintra happened at Ani’s wedding was kind of fortunate for Lintra as Ani had a lot of well prepared relatives, a Spec Ops team, and some extremely talented visitors on hand to stave of the attack by Armin and his forces. Lintra survived the attempt and Ani and several Spec Ops members assisted her in consolidating her position in Thelbane afterwards.
A note about the Church of Rome…
They ought to probably be included on this list as an aware or partially aware organization at certain levels.
Overtures have been made in the past between Spec Ops and the Roman Church, despite some rather dodgy history with breaking into the Vatican during the Ekaterina affair. It is unclear where that relationship stands at the moment.
The Church has been in a position to observe the Servants of the Light and Servants of the Dark for several thousands of years on St. James. It is a considerable resource for that reason if one speaks to the correct individuals.
Information exchange between the parties should be carefully considered, it isn’t clear exactly how far the Church is read in on matters outside of St. James or what the effect would be were they to learn more.
It is worth noting that Spec Ops encountered representatives of the Church of Rome recently. they made it very clear that they were aware of Tommy and utterly unwilling to work with him or with any team that had him as a member. As Tommy was not present, we were able to work together to a degree although the two forces had disagreements most importantly with regard to torturing and killing prisoners.
Shortly after we first came together the Church representatives began to torture a captive for information. We asked them to stop and after some discussion they agreed to let us use softer methods of interrogation. The team successfully obtained the information thus obviating the need for torture.
Then the Church representatives wanted to kill the prisoners. Again we objected. After some discussion in which they assured us that the prisoners in question were beyond redemption, we regretfully allowed them to proceed with the execution.
Despite a degree of friction between the two teams, we shared a common goal of protecting innocents and putting a stop to the actions of the Servants of the Dark and their human followers. The members of the Church team proved very useful in performing purification rituals on items, places, and persons contaminated by the servants of the Dark. We used our superior investigative skills and maneuverability to keep them out of direct combat with the worst of the opposition. This also aided us in concealing our capabilities from them.
One of the difficult things I have learned working with those affiliated with the Light is that it is often possible for a gifted individual to know exactly whether a person is too far gone for redemption. Its very sad and rather depressing really, at least for me, perhaps others with longer experience have become more philosophical about it.
On my first mission with Spec Ops we ran into several individuals that we essentially executed for this reason. Their crimes were self admitted, we’d witnesses some of them personally and were more than obvious, their affiliation with the Dark was clear and unremitting, and releasing them was really not an option. Incarcerating them would just give them the opportunity to contaminate, corrupt and recruit more people that might otherwise still have a chance to go a better direction.
It is hard and easy. Its hard to have to acknowledge that someone really is past the point of return. It is easy at least to know you are protecting others from their actions.
As you know, I’m not a fan of prisoner torture, even if the individual is pretty much no longer human and is soul destroyed. Would you be willing to give more details on that?
I do know some Church affiliated folks can tend to be a bit…righteous. And if you think I go that direction…you haven’t seen the full extent of that spectrum by half.
I don’t have a lot to add. The torture was mystical or ritual or spiritual. Something like that. I didn’t have Logrus up. The prisoner was screaming in agony.
The prisoner showed no sign of genuine remorse or regret for those he had killed. I don’t know that I could have walked away and let the priests kill him if he had.
I’ve never seen that done.
I suspect that I would have found it exceptionally difficult to watch given that I would have probably been able to see what was occurring.
It is true that some of us are able to tell if remorse is genuine. I think that may harden many or perhaps lead them to believe that if it isn’t that anything goes.
I am fairly young in this, and I cannot share that attitude.
I may trend closer to the Buddhist view on this, not surprising as one of my teachers was Buddhist. I feel compassion even for those that can’t be helped.
I also tend to feel that the act of administering this kind of torment wears as much on the one doing it as the one receiving it.
I can’t say I wouldn’t if there was no way to make a being talk who was beyond return, especially if there were innocents like children on the line. I can say it would be my very last choice of things to do.
Perhaps others who have been doing this longer and who have seen more have become more hardened and less patient. I can’t speak for others on this.
It is also possible they may feel a need to inflict the only kind of pain these beings can still feel as punishment for their deeds, or out of some sense of justice. I don’t feel especially empowered to do that kind of thing but if I had to go on too many missions like the one where we rescued the children, I might change my viewpoint quickly. I hear you went on a similar mission, so I’m sure you may know what I mean.
But in terms of killing them, I would likely not have hesitated either. Actions have consequences and we each have responsibility for seeing no further negative actions occur. Stopping such persons from causing more damage to innocents, especially when you know there is no possibility of redemption or change for them and they are certain to do more damage, becomes the only option at that point.
Speaking only for myself, I don’t believe that any free willed sentient is ever completely beyond redemption if they make the choice to strive for it. I will admit that some are so far gone that the odds seem vanishingly remote at best. I think the prisoners who were killed fall into that category.
If we had a means of keeping the human darkness worshipers who we encountered on that mission alive that would insure they could not harm or corrupt others then I would want to do so. Because we lack such a secure prison, I regretfully stood aside while they were killed.
I’m not in this to provide consequences or punishment. I’m in this to help people and to protect people who can’t protect themselves.
I believe in the threefold law. I believe that whatever we put out into the greater existence, good or bad, comes back to us threefold. Therefore it isn’t my job to make sure that someone will pay for what they have done. Existence takes care of that. My job is to help those I can and do what I can to make where ever I go better for my having been there.
We are each of us part of existence.
Some people are quite beyond redemption. Not vanishingly remote, but beyond redemption. Some have deliberately and committedly chosen for the Dark. It is a very sad consequence of people’s choices.
Part of free will is accepting that people may use that free will to choose things that will forever change them.
We don’t have a secure prison that would contain most of the people we are likely to run into. Even if we did, every minute they come into contact with others they continue to be a danger to others.
I believe that inaction is an action in itself, a choice. If others come to harm because I fail to act to remove a threat to them, then I feel responsible for what happens to them as well. Letting these individuals continue is not a safe option.
We can’t just throw our hands up and wait for a nebulous ‘existence’ to ‘take care of it’. We are existence. We are responsible for that which falls within our scope.
I agree that we are part of existence. I don’t generally choose to be the part of existence that brings consequences to people who behave badly. You do. We each have the Free Will to choose.
I think that we have hit upon a fundamental disagreement between us. I believe that the only thing that a person can choose that puts them beyond redemption is giving up their Free Will entirely if that is even possible.
The threefold law isn’t nebulous. Actions have consequences. Inaction is an action.
I put my life and my self on the line to protect and help people as do you.
I do not believe that I have the right or the responsibility to take lives. You appear to believe that you have that right and responsibility. I hope that works for you.
You say, “I think that we have hit upon a fundamental disagreement between us. I believe that the only thing that a person can choose that puts them beyond redemption is giving up their Free Will entirely if that is even possible.”
I think this illustrates the SOL point about you that you are an extreme case of free will that it is not their mission to cure.
I’ve told you its possible to be beyond redemption and for persons like myself to see it. You were told by Church authorities that they could see it. A mission team on my first mission included individuals other than myself with this ability…but you seem to throw all that aside and choose to believe something else. Free will lets us choose to ignore evidence and form beliefs without resort to facts.
Its totally your prerogative to do that, it just doesn’t make much sense to ignore so much information though.
It also makes no sense to me that you would suggest that giving up free will is the one true final mistake…ignoring rape, murder, child molestation, and the rest of the list of ugliness.
(Portions of Reply deleted by Lydia. Contact me for reasons)
Is this a recent stance?
I’m not sure how one can feel virtuous with this stance though as it essentially passes the ‘burden’ of killing or the karmic weight on to persons like myself. You may choose not to kill now, but someone does need to deal with the bad guys.
I suppose we could all just give them a stern talking to? Somehow I don’t think that will keep the innocents safe though.
I am willing to accept my responsibility. Regrettably that sometimes means I take life to protect both life and spirit.
The truly defining difference between us I think is more that you appear to find death a final end that nothing can be worse than; whereas I tend to view many possible outcomes as worse than death and focus on the longer term outcome of spirit.
In the case of those who offend and have no intention of changing their behavior, the compassionate choice is to assist them in creating as little further harm as possible. This is both considerate of those who will be harmed by them and considerate of the total debt the perpetrators’ actions are bringing upon themselves.
As to how it works for me?
Just fine.
Almost every spiritual tradition, however averse to violence, has its protectors that take up arms or who will take on the debt of violence in order to protect the spiritual and material growth of others who follow the traditions. Even Buddhism has its Eight Dharmapalas, who are rather colorful figures that act as both spiritual and metaphysical warriors. Monks who have taken the full set of vows have set them aside and taken up arms, forgoing or slowing their progression towards Nirvana, to protect monasteries in Tibet during the Chinese invasion.
It can be a difficult path to tread, and has come into misuse by many who become misguided. This is always a danger and history is full of examples of the overzealous who have gone wrong.
Still, it works considerably better than watching a servant of the dark corrupting children and simply standing around saying, “Hey, that’s not nice. Stop, please.” and expecting results.
I find the idea of letting individuals I know to be irredeemable criminals go create more suffering when I could have stopped them, repugnant. I would not sleep at night were I to do that.
I wouldn’t feel pure sitting back saying, “That’s the job of existence to handle, not my issue.” when there is something I can personally do about it.
I will accept the responsibility for my actions. I will sleep soundly at night.
And I suspect someone else will get to choose what they want to do or be because the evil that was headed their way will not trouble them.
I’m good with that.
The trick, I think, isn’t agreeing upon the same path. I think the trick is learning to respect each other’s choices. If you are both good with how you live your lives, then that is a good thing.
I suspect a more worthwhile conversation for this forum would be how to work with other with whom you do not respect the choices of…
Given that my reply was edited without my consent…a discussion on respect might well be in order.
Persons who espouse a doctrine and who are shown to be hypocrites through their actions should probably not critique the approaches of others if they wish to garner respect.
Accepting responsibility for an action includes its consequences, all of the consequences, including potential retaliation by those affected.
Lydia, nearly everyone on this board has committed an act which has earned them enemies, deadly enemies. You are not exceptional in this. While I see no reason to make it any easier on your enemies, I similarly think you might climb down off that high horse.
It might be helpful also if when you are told someone has an ability to establish a piece of information or a fact that you accepted that.
In terms of working with people that you differ with, one thing that helps is a strong appreciation of the limits of your own philosophy and your personal limitations in living up to it. It also helps not to make yourself out to be something you are not.
We all fall down. We make mistakes. We have regrets. Sometimes we do the right thing in a way that leaves us quite scarred.
In terms of health and survivability, the people who suffer worst in term of PTSD and related ailments are usually the people where the gap between their absolute moral view and the action/event they witnessed is greatest. Meaning they are least well prepared to deal with their loss of self identity when they find they may have participated in something they find unacceptable.
People with more self understanding also suffer but they tend to recover faster and more completely, aware that they are both imperfect and are able to live beyond their imperfections to do constructive things.
In short, the more rigid you are, the faster and more thoroughly you break. And the less in touch a person is with how fallible they are, the more shock they will have when they do find themselves in a conflicted situation.
Personally, I find it difficult to work with people who claim a non-violent perspective and do not live that in their lives. I find it difficult to work with people who decline an act on moral reasons but who shuffle that act on to others in order to resolve the practical dangers while retaining the option to look down their nose at them afterwards.
I find it difficult to work with individuals who claim killing is abhorrent, but leave “wet work” to others so they can continue to have “clean hands”. I find it maddening to work with someone who refuses to kill, but is perfectly fine accepting murderers in their midst or who is totally ok with experiments that lead to the dispossession of an individual’s mind and soul.
I can respect someone who chooses a path, sticks to it, and is consistent. I can respect a person who tries to live that path and may fail along the way…if they are honest about that failing and don’t try to make themselves out to be perfect afterwards. Or they don’t try to make up new rules along the way to excuse themselves.
I don’t respect leaving unacceptable behavior unchallenged and tolerated.
Wow…
I suppose that is one way to approach it. It explains a lot, actually. Gundrun, I’m going to once again have to try and respectfully disagree. You don’t know us and clear don’t understand a lot of things you are judging. I would suggest that you try and take your own advice, but we both know that we tend to disregard each other.
To everyone else, I strongly suggest trying to understand where those you clash with are coming from. Even the most extreme of us are still people and aren’t beyond reason and empathy.
If someone’s values seem so different from yours that it makes your skin crawl, sometimes an honest conversation will reveal that you totally misjudged them. My murderous friend, for example, has far more complexity and moral value than most give him credit for.
Because I suck at avoiding bait, I also feel the need to defend myself. Yes, I have taken life. It happened twice in a ten second span and I can’t express how remorseful I am about it. I’m guilty of crimes, but I’m not the monster Gundrun likes to tell people I am.
Please take her reports of our actions with at least a grain of salt. She is a biased and very judgmental source at best.
You have it backwards Anabelle, it was Lydia judging my willingness to take human life in defense of innocents that started this off. She was quite willing to be very snotty and morally superior to me on this point when she is uniquely unqualified to do so.
I am simply not putting up with it.
I don’t say you are people without reason or empathy. I do feel that some of you are not accepting responsibility for your behavior while at the same time claiming high moral ground.
Anabelle, while I am not aware of the events where you say you have taken two lives, that is not the core of my issue with you. For all I know you took those lives in self defense. I was unaware of these events until now and they are not the basis of my concern in your case.
My issues with you are:
-Stealing Spec Ops property for personal use/gain
-Using a live Corneillian in an experiment under the theory that they were brain dead when we all know Corneillians recover from that.
-Possibly having done this without the Corneillian’s consent? Let me know if they agreed to force feed enough Absinthe to become brain dead so they could cooperate with your experiment freely and as a matter of choice.
-Allowing that Corneillian to have their body hijacked by a supersuit, have a new personality downloaded into them, and have their life overwritten, presumably leaving the original person disembodied or perhaps dead if they are lucky. (This is the one that earns you the Dr. Creepy award in my book. It is also the most morally objectionable of your acts.)
-Notably this is something that doesn’t appear to cause you the least bit of remorse.
These are things you have told me yourself. If you want to say none of that happened or give an accounting of the issue, please do. But I find it highly hypocritical of you to claim non-violence and a respect for life when you commit acts of this kind.
As to Lydia, her actions were accounted in my original post and she redacted them. I had solid reasons for considering her position hypocritical which the teams know full well. I suggest you contact Lydia privately and ask her to remind you exactly why I suggested she is in no position to lecture me about the value of human life, or to look down her nose at me on the subject. It is likely were you to think even briefly on the matter the answer would suggest itself to you.
I don’t object to what Lydia did, even though loss of life was quite definitely involved. Lydia knows it.
I do object to passing it off as some sort of accident and then proceeding to look down her nose at me because I will take up arms in defense of innocents without shame. She is in no position to judge me, Anabelle, which is exactly what she was doing.
Backwards? No. But it may be fair to say that I was more unilateral than I should be. Holier than thou judgements have a way of blinding us to our own faults, myself and Lydia included.
And no, you did not get all of that from me. I did make the mistake of trusting you in a moment of weakness and told you some things, but you seem to be getting even the things I told you mixed up.
As for lack of remorse, bullshit. Don’t mistake the fact that I no longer provide you that means of manipulating me as a lack of personal accountability or remorse for those that have been harmed by my actions, intentional or not. Frankly, it is none of your business and I’m rather sick of your slander.
If anyone wants to know what actually happened, request the report. However, I sincerely hope that said report is kept in house and no additional weight is added to the rumor and partial truths that are out there.
You have the opportunity to correct me publicly here and now. Choose to do so.
Manipulate you? How is that even possible? I have no means to do so and never did. I went there to hear your side and to ensure you got access to legal counsel.
You spent less than what, 72 hours in custody before you were bailed out by your relatives?
Who can or will call you to account Annabelle if your peers do not?
Were you expecting the organizational norm? “Oh so and so did X, its really terrible but what can anyone do or say? And they are my friend after all.”
Or you figured I’d congratulate you and pat you on the back? That I’d buy into your notion that being jailed was just an inconvenience and that you needed to ‘humor’ Broyles until he calmed down and saw how wonderful you really were to do what you had done?
That kind of thinking needs to be a thing of the past.
This organization has a collection of individuals some of which follow no rule or standard. The organization is growing up, the individuals (not the collection) are gaining more powers and abilities.
We’ve all seen the selfish and destructive actions of the powerful people around us. People that feel empowered to do just as they please, when and how they please. Individuals who are not accountable. We have seen the effects of this on innocent people who are no more than resources and fodder for their plans.
Does this group want to become them?
It seems well along the way to doing so. In which case we become our own opfor. There have already been incidents pointing in that direction. The group has been so low in self reflection that it has been tolerated.
I am not saying that any of us are or will be perfect. I am saying we are or should be accountable. I am saying we need to put a stop to this budding notion that we are above explaining our actions. I am saying that we need to take a hard look at what is done, the good and the bad.
We’ve seen what happens to people like us centuries down the line. We are all relatively young, under 50 experiential years in most cases.
Think about what happens in another 100, or 200, or perhaps a thousand. How closely will we resemble the people we are fighting against now?
Is that what you want to be?
All it takes is a bit of arrogance, and privilege…a sense that whatever one does is justified.
We are our only cure for keeping that from happening.
Calling each other on our actions is the essence of that cure.
You are, again, misinformed and I have no intention of adding weight to your misinformation. I do not answer to you and am, thankfully, not accountable to you. I am accountable to my fellow agents and Spec Ops, though. I hope the rest of you will appreciate why I am not sharing here and will contact me in private if you need anything aired.
However, Gundrun, you do make a good point. We are indeed our own best barrier against becoming that which we fight. We own it to ourselves to hold ourselves and each other accountable. We absolutely should be working to help each other to become better.
‘We’
Are you choosing to be a part of us or not? It seems to me to be not, but I am legitimately asking.
(( Out of Character: I’d like to take a moment to express that Lee doesn’t hate Stephanie, despite Anabelle and Gundrun’s obviously poor relationship. These in character clashes are fun, so long as we can keep them in character. Out of character clashes are no fun for anyone. ))
((Out of Character Edit by Stephanie, I put it here so it reads closer to yours…Stephanie doesn’t hate Lee or Rain either. The in character relationships are a problem certainly. Gudrun has some legitimate concerns about being able to serve where the ‘loot and plunder’ culture remains.
I don’t especially find this part of the game fun though. Stephanie has an issue with what the group has become and has spoken privately to many of the players, it has affected her willingness to play in group at cons. There are some things that simply spoil it for me, unfortunately my real world background is at fault for that. Having been a military member and as someone who still works in government agencies, there are a lot of things that happen in game that really set my teeth on edge. I suppose its a true saying that you can take the uniform off but you can’t ever really be a civilian. Bringing a new character into this group isn’t a solution for me as the group culture will remain the same and any new character I might make isn’t likely to stay for more than a few sessions I think. I can only hope that change can be brought about in character in a naturalistic way, but I think this is a forlorn hope. All I can do is be as straightforward and honest as possible and hope that things come out for the best. Maria’s IC observation was astute, I am attempting organizational change management with the group.))
As to you not sharing here, I will say that it is not a very good argument. If you think the wiki is accessible to foreign powers, you should realize it lives on the same server as the Spec Ops email system, so those private emails are no more safe than this is.
I notice more excuses not to answer.
I have zero confidence that Spec Ops has gotten a straight answer from you.
I have zero confidence that if I joined Spec Ops this instant that I would receive an answer from you.
You promised an answer to Bill Macey from the sound of things and never sent it.
I see no commitment on the part of Spec Ops to look at its actions or that of its agents and make meaningful change. Your brief brush with Spec Ops disciplinary procedures was evidently not very effective. And really, that’s about the most they can do to you in any case. Toothless.
I won’t serve with you Anabelle if you can’t offer both a decent answer to my question and if there are no consequences for actions like yours among the group as a whole.
I can’t trust you.
As to the overall behavior of this kind I won’t be drawn into it. I won’t end up in Ani’s position covering up for a planeload of dead civilians because one of the team went contrary to plan and unnecessarily mowed them down like fish in a barrel. Lying to the press and taking down satellite feeds to hide not just what had happened but the atrocity committed by the team. Setting up press cordon areas to ensure that no truth leaked out and that the innocent people that had just died at SpecOps hands would never receive justice.
I won’t be part of the myth that SpecOps are so special and what it does is so crucial that any behavior can be justified, covered up or lied about, and that no justice can be expected when the people SpecOps is to protect are betrayed or killed.
I’m not going to sit on my hands for more missions where demons are summoned for information, giving them access to the world to create problems.
I won’t turn a blind eye to people stealing SpecOps property for their own use or selling out information to outsiders.
I will not agree to suppress enlightenedment among the public and will not support the policy that makes St. James indefensible.
So it looks like I’m not a good candidate for the group.
I am not worried about foreign powers seeing these communications. I am worried about you, Gundrun.
Trusting you is not something I am interested in doing just as you are not interested in trusting me. Our lack of respect for each other is mutual.
I think our exchange has come to an end. If nothing else, my limited ability to avoid taking your bait is done. Feel free to deliver whatever parting insult or accusation you wish.
I agree this thread should conclude here.
I have no insult to offer you.
I can only observe that there is something out of kilter if I’m the one you are worried about.
I also observe that no explanation from you is forthcoming.
Mathilda,
If you are reading this, would you agree to expand the section on Parys? I had heard you spent time there training.
Gudrun
Gudrun,
Thank you for asking me. It makes sense I would be called on for that.
I was offered sanctuary and protection by Corwin when I was pregnant with Michael and enjoyed that until his birth. As a result of this, I do not feel it ethical for me to share information about Parys that might be used against itself and its inhabitants. Should Parys and Animus, or Parys and St. James come into conflict, I will reconsider.
I think it would be better if Princess Elisabeth of Parys spoke on the subject, if she is willing. I will ask her.
Thank you,
Mathilda
Defender of Animus
I did not mean to make you uncomfortable. I completely understand your hesitation.
I am not acquainted with HRH Elisabeth, but if she would be willing to share at least a bit of information I think we’d all appreciate it. Perhaps just a contact person or ambassador if nothing else?
I think most of the information on allied or neutral kingdoms has stuck to things helpful to the visitor, customs, basic laws, social etiquette and so on. And general history that the person on the street would know. If that would be something she felt comfortable adding that would be helpful too.
I certainly wouldn’t expect either of you to disclose force compositions or troop dispositions. 🙂
Gudrun,
Thank you for understanding and clarifying what you are looking for. I will defer to Princess Elisabeth.
An expansion of the Superheroes section:
“Superheroes: A new faction primarily interested in protecting the vulnerable. They possess super hero suits that enhance strength, durability, reflexes, and self confidence. The suits also reduce strength of will. Led by Ghost.”
Background and history:
Decades ago St. James time, a group of Corneilians were attending college and decided to engage in an AI project that would end the possibility of nuclear war on St. James permanently. Two of the members of this group were Merlin and Lauren Helgram, and they were romantically involved at the time. The project became known as the Ghostwheel project.
To summarize a rather complex series of events, the project resulted in a mad infant AI that controlled a doomesday device whose notion of ending war permanently entailed threatening to blow up the whole of St. James if all of the world governments did not turn over control of their nuclear stockpiles to it.
Merlin and Lauren attempted to regain control of the AI. Lauren Helgram ended up plugged in to a computer-brain interface with it in an effort to keep it pacified and perhaps teach it the things necessary to avoid such dramatic decision paths. Merlin, who was evidently immature and easily bored, walked away after securing Lauren in a facility adjacent to Cheyenne Mountain with the AI. She spent decades there with only the AI for company while the rest of her colleagues went on about their respective lives and the world proceeded around them.
They were found years by a team of archeologist/treasure hunters, and a Spec Ops team went in to investigate as well.
The supersuits were manufactured as part of the Ghost project and were meant to facilitate and enhance the humanoid ‘wetware’ of the project. Because of their attributes, they became crucial in maintaining Lauren Helgram’s life during her decades long connection with Ghost.
The rediscovery of Ghost lead to a chain of consequences in the contemporary time frame. In an effort to avoid Ghost exploding the doomesday device on St. James, it was relocated to a point in far Shadow in space where it exploded causing a rift in reality and massive Shadow storms that claimed the lives of millions across multiple realms.
In an effort to repair the rift that resulted, an act of creation was undertaken and Animus was formed. This also resulted in many deaths and much destruction in the resulting storms although some warning was given that did allow for preparation.
The suits:
The discovery of the suits led to their investigation by several parties. It is important to know the following with regard to the suits:
-Several versions of the suits are in various hands. Some have been altered by individuals or groups, including Spec Ops, who have attempted to repurpose or experiment on the suits for their own reasons.
-The suits are HIGHLY ADDICTIVE. Once you wear one, you will be loathe to remove it, and if you do manage to remove it, your first and primary thought will be to dive back into it as soon as possible.
-The original version of the suit turned the wearer into a slave of Ghostwheel.
-Subsequent versions of the suits have left the wearer with a compulsion to defend St. James. These are most commonly the suits altered by Spec Ops.
-They are a symbiotic, demon based, life form with a very odd artificial intelligence,
that amounts to programming rather than thinking. The basic OS melds
with the wearer’s mind, immediately augments combat and presence by 20
points, augments strength and endurance by 10 points, this is paid for
by reducing psyche by 20 points, and adds a layer of armour, a high
degree of magic resistance, and the thing that nobody spotted the first
time through – a back channel Trump link to a Ghost wheel node.
-They have also got a variety of Shape Shift that has been termed ‘Self
Repair’ and can be extended to the wearer, unless the wearer’s own shape
shift ability is already better than that. They are almost as good as a
Goa’uld sarcophagus at keeping their wearer’s body alive. They
automatically re-size themselves to fit their wearer, and wearers that
do not conform to a 1960s version of Superhero classic body shape will
find themselves being changed to that shape over extended wearing
(moderate amount of muscles, clean, healthy, no excess body fat).
-They are very anatomically correct, with gender specific versions, and
they include a level of ‘calming’ that basically is sexual stimulation
for the wearer. They are powered (fed) partly by consuming all
excretions of the wearer except from the head (and the top of the thighs
in the case of the female version) and also by another means that was
also missed during the early investigations, but has now become
apparent, namely Ley energy. And Yes – they can eat from the St. James
Ley lines.
-They actively encourage (or demand depending on how you look at it) a
higher than normal level of eating and drinking in the wearer (sexual
pleasure as a reward), and use shape shift extruded anal and urethral
probes to ensure that they get their share of the excess consumed.
Wearers end up with zero body hair from the neck down minutes after
putting one on.
-They use electro-stimulation to exercise muscles in the wearer if they
stay immobile for extended periods of time, and they have limited
ability to awaken a sleeping wearer if their own danger sense is
triggered.
-They dig themselves into their wearer with a view to becoming even more
indispensable – and when you’ve been living for a while with significantly increased physical abilities, never having any longer to bother about social graces like visiting a lavatory, and getting your rocks off pretty much full time, they sure can be indispensable.
-In summary, the Spec Ops versions turn you into a dumbed down, sex addict who feels all powerful and hot while making you want to defend earth.
-Col Broyles released an altered version of the captured suits to Spec Ops personnel for a time. The suits were inadequately tested and loaded with a St. James loyalty imperitive. The trump ability of the suits was not known or addressed at the time of issue. The suits were later recalled.
-An original version of the suit was stolen by Annabelle Richins for experimental purposes. Her research included placing a supposedly brain dead Corneillian in a suit. The suit effectively downloaded a new personality into the body used. What happened to the original personality, mind and soul of the body is not accounted for by Ms. Richins. The suit personality contacted/interacted with the Ghost primary node with results that are still debated. The new suit personality eventually joined the Ghost network as of my last information.
The Ghost Network:
There is a section on the wiki covering this. A collection of individuals in various versions of the suit ended up with what was left of the Ghost AI. It is said that they are performing good works as of my last update. Spec Ops agent Reine Carlyle is with them.
Annabelle, I never did get that letter with the details on the brain dead Cornellian. I’d still be interested in that story.
Sorry about that. There were a lot of things going on at that time and it must have fallen off of my plate.
I hope it is alright if I send it privately, for obvious reasons. Expect it in the next week or so.
Wonderful. Perfectly ok.
A suggested entry: Voodoo Cults
This will be a somewhat complicated entry and if anyone would care to help me clarify it, please chip in.
A caveat: Like any religion or spiritual practice, its always difficult to make blanket statements. Many practitioners adhere to distinct subsets of beliefs that differ in almost everything but the name attached to them.
I will mostly be relating experiences in game referring to Louisiana/Southern US Voodoo. I will not be talking about Vodun practitioners here except to offer a comparison.
Vodun is a west African religion that is mostly ancestor worship and has a lot in common with animist faiths. It is generally female centric. In this belief system, evil spells are not used or honored. There are some strong similarities between Vodun beliefs and Wicca, especially if the Bo religious tradition (male oriented) is taken as a larger system of belief alongside Vodun.
Spirit summoning by a Vodun priestess is not demon summoning to the best of my understanding.
If you come across a Vodun priestess…please leave her alone. I am not in any way talking about her here.
As part of the slave import into the US from Africa, native religions were imported as well. Some of these religions merged, changed, or morphed. What is more popularly known as Voodoo now is a religion that compounds these traditions, changes them, and incorporates a number of dark elements. Trade with South AMerica also merged some African religious elements, Carribean elements, and resulted in some Voodoo like religious practices. Again, many local indigenous religious practices occur in parallel so it can be important to try not to confuse the two.
That said…
Voodoo priestesses do exist and often have a complicated structure of supporters and adherents. These cults engage in death magic rituals, create zombie followers, place curses (yes they do work), and attempt to corrupt human souls for the purpose of making the practitioner more powerful on an individual basis.
Ani and her brother once did battle with a Voodoo priestess in the Florida everglades in an effort to break a curse she had placed on David.
Observations suggest that these priestesses are able to place darkness on peoples’ souls, siphon off soul energy from the unwilling, turn humans into programmed robot zombies or place compulsions on them, and organize criminal enterprises. Ritual magic use has been observed.
It is important not to underestimate the “ground game” of a Voodoo priestess. Observations suggest a very effective ability to organize human followers into networks of watchers, put out BOLOs, and operate over an extended territory.
Fetishes:
No, I am not talking about personal turn ons.
A fetish can be any number of things: a small doll, a twisted hank of straw, a scarecrow, a leather bag with items in it…some are larger most are small and worn around the neck or carried on the person.
A fetish can be an extension of the priestess’s control. It might be used as the locus of a far seeing spell, or clairaudience spell. It may form a compulsion or allow the priestess to more easily turn a follower into her own personal puppet or avatar for a period of time.
Fetishes are powerful objects and do have a spiritual influence.
Destroying a fetish may occasionally break the priestess’s hold on a follower. It quite often will result in the follower’s immediate death. It often can be an alarm that alerts the priestess that she has lost her hold over a follower.
Rebma:
A small addition on Rebma given that it has risen to prominence recently.
Rebma exists under the sea, a distance from Amber down the ‘Faiella-bionin’ stairway.
The pressure alone would crush humans to a pulp down there (15,000 pounds per square inch). It’s not ‘just’ the breathable water that makes it special. Then there’s the
almost complete darkness that ought to be there, and the almost ice cold temperature that ought to be there. It would be truly uninhabitable ocean depths – like bottom of the Mariana trench type depths (36,000 ft at deepest point).
Yet Rebma exists, a city on the seabed now beset by the armies of Prince Osric, High Justiciar of Thelbane.
Given that others have actually been there, they might be willing to talk about it before whatever may happen to it happens.