Demon The Fallen

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Stephen White (order #2497740) 6
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Designers: Andrew Bates, Ken Cliffe, Michael Lee,
Rich Thomas, Steve Wieck Demon: The Fallen is a game. Like board a
game, you play it around a table with friends. The
Authors: William Brmkman,David Carroll, SteveKenson,
difference here is that there is no board, and there
Michael Lee, Joshua Mosquiera-Asheim, Patrick O'W,
may not even be any pieces. It's still a game, though.
Lucien Soulban, Greg Stolze and Adam Tinworth. World
of Darkness created by Mark ReinaHagen
It is not real life. Monsters are the products of our
imaginations-they are not real. You are not a
Storyteller game system designedby Mark Rein. Hagen demon. It's that simple. If you can't distinguish
Developer: Michael Lee reality from fantasy, put this book down and walk
Editor: Carl Bowen away. For everyone else, have fun.
Art Director: Pauline Benney
Layout and Typesetting: Pauline Benney
Interior Art: Jason Alexander, Tom Baxa, Leanne
Buckley, Maria Cabardo, Marko Djurdjevic, Steve
1 Ellis, Mark Jackson, Matt Millberger, Ken Myer Jr, RK

Post, Jeff Rebner.
Front Cover: Pauline Benney
Back Cover: Pauline Benney
Playtesters: Andrew Bates, Carl Bowen, John Cham-
bers, Micah Chandler, Lisa Charlton, Carrie Easley,
Susan Gillotti, Janet Lee, Jim McCann, Matt
McFarland, Paul Marshall, Scott Mizis, Sue Mizis,
Ripper Moore and Fred Yelk

PROLOGUE: STAGEFRIGHT 1
INTRODUCTION 10
CHAPTER ONE:INTHEBEGINNIN 16
CHAPTER Two:BETTERT 40
CHAPTER THREE:APOCALY 58
CHAPTER FOUR:LEGIONSOFT 78
CHAPTER FIVE:HOUSES 94
CHAPTER SIX:FEETOFCLAY 118
CHAPTER SEVEN:EYESOF FIRE 166
CHAPTER EIGHT:RULES 216
CHAPTER NINE:SYSTEMS 228
CHAPTER TEN:STORYTELLING 264
HAPTER ELEVEN:ANTAGON1STs 282

Isaid tomy soul, bestill, andlet tkedarknesscomeugonyou.
Which is the darkness of God.
-T. S. Eliot, East Coker
t History, as the saying goes, is written by the victors.

Whether an uprising is seen as a glorious rebellion or a
treacherous insurrection depends entirely on who held
the upper hand at the end, with the losers consigned to
and your friends can assume the roles of monstrous
demons and tell stories about your characters’ hopes,
fears, triumphs and failures.
In a storytelling game, players create characters
posterity as traitors, tyrants or worse. Their story is using the rules in this book, then take those characters
largely forgotten. through dramas and adventures called (appropriately
We are told that demons are the incarnations of enough) stories. Stories are told through a combina-
evil, spirits who exist to seduce the innocent and lure tion of the wishes of the players and the directives of
the virtuous to destruction. They are driven by a the Storyteller.
relentless hate of all things holy, consumed by a ma- In many ways,storytellingresembles games like Hoev to
levolent hatred of light and life. They are the purveyors Host a M U T Mystery.
-~ Each player takes the role of a
of lies and misdirection, clouding the minds of mortals character -in this case, a fallen angel in possession of a
with promises of power and glory. At least, that’s what mortal body -and engages in a form of improvisational
the good book says. That’s why they were hurled into theater by sayingwhat the demon would say and describing
the darkness of the Pit, bound in chains of fire until the what the demon would do. Most of this process is freeform
end of days. Only God knows what would happen if -players canhave their characterssayor do whatever they
these evil spirits were ever freed. like, as long as the dialogue or actions are consistent with a
character’s personality and abilities. The success of certain
Now mankind is a b u t to hear the other side of the story.
actions, however, is best determined through the use ofdice
STORUTELLIIPG and the rules presented in this book.
The book you hold is the core rulebook for Whenever rules and story conflict, story wins. Use the
Demon: The Fallen, a storytelling game from White rules only as much -or preferably as little -as you need
Wolf Publishing. With the rules in this book, you to tell thrilling tales of terror, action and triumph.

DEMON:
THEFALLEN
ARD STORVTELLER~
PLXER~ Andrew (describing Yziriel’s action): I pull out
Demon is best played with a group, or troupe, of two to my identification and show it to her.
six participants. Most of these people are players. They Carl (speaking as John): “We need to ask you
create demon characters-imaginaryprotagonists similar some questions about a n attempted escape that oc-
to ones found innovels, cinema and comics. In eachtroupe, curred last Thursday.”
however, one person must take the role of the Storyteller. Lisa (speaking as Andrea): “I’ll also need to
The Storyteller does not create one primary character for interview the child and ascertain her physical condi-
herself. Rather, she acts as a combination of director, tion and state of mind.”
moderator, narrator and referee. By creating plots and Mike (playing the demon’s reaction): She takes
conflicts from her imagination, the Storyteller invents the Harold’s identification and looks it over carefully, then
drama through which the players direct their characters. smiles coldly. “You’revery well informed, considering that
The Storyteller also takes the roles of supporting cast - the escape happened in the dead of night and the child got
both allies with whom the characters interact and antago- no further than the perimeter fence. None of my people
nists against whom the charactersstruggle.The Storyteller have spoken to the press or anyone else. So where did you
invents the salient details of the story’ssetting -the bars, get this information?“(Then,he makes a dice roll on behalf
nightclubs,businesses and other institutions the characters of the players and describes the demon’saction.) The three
’ frequent. The players decide how their characters react to of you feel the force of her stare slide across your skin like a
the situations in the game, but it is the Storyteller who caress,placing your minds at ease. A mere mortal would be
decides (with the help of the rules) whether the characters falling all over himself to tell her what she wants to know,
actually succeed in their endeavors and, if so, how well. but your demonicnature is proof againsther charms. When
Ultimately, the Storyteller is the final authority on the she realizes that her power is having no effect, her lip pulls
events that take place in the game. back in a snarl, revealing rows of shark-like teeth.
Example: Andrew, Lisa, CarlandMikehavegatheredto Andrew (describingHarold’s action):I am going
play Demon. Andrew, Lisa and Carl are players. Andrew to invoke Yziriel’s apocalyptic form (Harold suddenly
playsyziriel, aDevil(acmmanding,charismaticdemon) who transforms into a towering, radiant angel, bathing the
resides in the body of Harold Lewis, state attorney. Lisa plays lobby in intense, fiery light) and speak to the guards with
the Voice of Heaven (one of his supernatural powers).
Juriel, a Fiend (a demon who can spin ilusions and influence
time) who possesses the body of Andrea Winn, a college “She is a monster who peys on the innocent. Seize her!”
student. Carl plays Hazaroth, a Scourge (a demon who can What happens next is decided by the actions of the
command the wind and animate unliving objects) who resdes
players and the decisions of the Storyteller.As you can see,
I
eachplayer isthearbiterofhisorherowncharacter’sactions
in the body of John Walker, a private investigator. Mike is the
StoryteUer.The story he’s enuisionedpitsthe characters against
and words. Ultimately, though, it is Mike, the Storyteller,
who determines the demon’s response to the Characters’
a monstrous demon who is usinga schoolfor troubled youth as
words and actions. It is Mike, speaking as the demon,who
a breedinggroundfmfuture demonichosts. After gainingentry roleplays its reaction. And it is Mike who determines
into the school, the characters are confronted by the demon,
1 residing in the body of the school’s director.
whether the characters’ actions, if any, succeed or fail.
Mike (describing the scene): The security guard WHATISTHIS
PLACE?
unlocks the glass double doors and ushers you into the The world of Demon: The Fallen is not our own,
deserted, marble-floored lobby. The guard locks the door though it is close enough for fearsome discomfort. Rather,
behind you, then leads you to the foyer opposite the the world inhabited by demons is like ours, but seen
building’s elevators. As you reach the foyer, one set of through a glass darkly. Evil is palpable and ubiquitous in
elevator doors slides open and a tall, statuesque woman in this world. The end is upon us, and the whole planet
a dark business suit steps out to meet you. Her pale skin teeters on a razor’sedge of tension. It is a world of darkness.
glows with health beneath the foyer’s subdued lighting,
Superficially, the World of Darkness is like the “real”
and her movements are fluid and precise. She studies the world we all inhabit. The same bands are popular, violence
three of you coolly with eyes the color of a stormysea. Such plagues the inner city, graft and corruption infest govern-
is the power of her gaze that you are only dimly aware of
ments, and society looks to cities for its culture. The World
the four guards stepping off the elevator behind her.
of Darkness has a Statue of Liberty, it has an Eiffel Tower,
Mike (again,now speaking as the monster):“The and it has a McDonalds on everycorner. More present there
guard at the front gate said you were with the State than in our world, though, is an undercurrent of horror. Our
Attorney’soffice,here onofficial business.Noonephoned world’s ills are all the more pronounced in the World of
me that you were coming. Can I see some identification?” Darkness. Its fears are more real. Its governments are m e
The players must now decide what their charac- degenerate. Its ecosystem dies a bit more each day. And
ters will do. there, demons walk the earth.
Andrew (speaking as Harold): “Of course.” Welcome to the Wo
12

# INTRODUCTION
I
GOTHIC-PURH
‘(Gothic-Punk”is perhaps the best way to describe the
physical nature of the World of Darkness. The environ-
ment is a clashing mixture of styles and influences. The
tension caused by the juxtaposition of ethnicities, social
classes and subcultures makes the world a vibrant, albeit
dangerous, place. All these aspects are ones familiar to
normal people of the world. They’ve dealt with them all
their lives. It’s the existence of monsters and their part in
the condition of things that is unknown -until now.
“Gothic” describes the ambiance of the World of
Darkness. Buttressed buildings loom overhead, bedecked
with columns and leering gargoyles. Residents are dwarfed
by the sheer scale of architecture, lost amid spires that seem terms has evolved over the course of these momentous
to grope toward an uncaring Heaven in an effort to escape events and are presented here for your reference:
the physical world. Organized religion is a haven for zealots Abyss, the: The prison fashioned by the Creator to
and hucksters, preying on the fears of the populace to fill contain the fallen. See Pit.
their pockets or spread their own brand of condemnation. Age of Wrath: Term describing the thousand-year
Cults flourish in the underground, promising power and war between Heaven and the fallen. See Fall.
redemption. The institutions that control society are even Annunaki The proper name for the rebel angels of
more staid and conservative than they are in our world. the earth. See Malefactor.
Many in power prefer the evilsof the world theyknow to the apocalyptic form: The physical reflection of a
chaos engendered by change. It is a divisive world of have demon’s Celestial nature. See visage.
and have-not, rich and poor, excess and squalor. Asharu: The proper name for the rebel angels of
“Punk” is the lifestyle that many denizens of the the wind. See Scourge.
World of Darkness adopt. In order to give their lives Celestials: A common name for both angels and
meaning, they rebel, dashing themselves against the demons, referring to their divine origins as servants of
crags of power. Gangs prowl the streets, and organized the Creator. See Elohim.
crime breeds in the underworld, all in reaction to the Cryptic: A faction of demons devoted to unearth-
pointlessness of living “by the book.” Music is louder, ing the truth behind Lucifer’s disappearance and
faster, more violent, or it’s hypnotically monotonous unanswered questions pertaining to the Fall.
and supported by masses who find salvation in its escape. Defiler: A common name for the rebel angels of
Speech is coarser, fashion is bolder, art is more shocking, the sea. See Lammasu.
and technology brings it all to everyone at the click of a demon: A n epithet describing a fallen angel who
button. The world is more corrupt, its people are spiritu- has become lost to madness and hate; a twisted, ma-
ally bankrupt and escapism often replaces hope. levolent spirit. Also used as a common name to describe
Gothic-Punk is a mood and setting conveyed during the fallen as a whole.
the course of the game. The greatest share of creating this Devil: A common name for the rebel angels of the
ambiance falls upon the Storyteller, but players should dawn. See Namaru.
consider their characters’ stake in it as well. The ambiance Devourer:A common name for the rebel angels of
is also a matter of taste. Some troupes prefer more Gothic the wild. See Rabisu.
than Punk,whereasothersmay want equal amountsofboth Earthbound, the: The collective name for a group of
elements (or little of either). In the end, it’s your game, and demons who were summoned from the Abyss in ancient
you’refree to make of it what you will. Simply bear in mind times and found a way to anchor themselves in the physical
that experiencing the world is a shared endeavor, and
universe. They now seek to enslave or destroy the fallen.
everything the players and Storyteller do helps make that
world more believable. Actions, settings, characters and Elohim, the: Proper name for the divine servants of
descriptions all convey the Gothic-Punk aesthetic. the Creator, commonly referred to as angels.
Fall, the: The awakening of humanity’s awareness
by Lucifer and a third of the Elohim, leading to the
Though long absent from the Earth, demons have thousand-year Age of Wrath.
a rich culture and history going back to the first mo- fallen, the: A common name for the angels who
ments of Creation and culminating in the end of a rebelled against Heaven.
thousand years of war against the armies of Heaven. A Faustian: A faction of demons devoted to enslav-
long list of common and proper names and descriptive ing humankind and using it as a weapon against Heaven.
13

Fiend: A common name for the rebel angels of the Chapter Three: Apocalypse Now describes how
heavens. See Neberu. Hell made demons out of the imprisoned angels, their
Halaku: The proper name for the rebel angels of eventual escape, and how demons perceive the modem
the dead. See Slayer. World of Darkness.
House: A hierarchical organization of angels de- Chapter Four: Legions of the Damned provides a
voted to aspecific function in the creation and oversight detailed overview of the demonic condition, describ-
of the cosmos. ing what sorts of mortals they can possess and why they
Lammasu: The proper name for the rebel angels of need human faith.
the sea. See Defiler. Chapter Five: Houses of Darkness describes the
lore: The basis for the powers of the Celestials; seven infernal Houses that demons belong to and the
essentially the collected commands for manipulating five philosophical factions that divide them.
the fabric of reality. Chapter S i x : Feet of Clay details how to create a
Luciferan: A faction of demons devoted to locat- Demon character.
ing Lucifer and resuming the war against Heaven. Chapter Seven: Eyes of Fire covers the wide range
1
Malefactor: A common name for the rebel angels of demonic powers, their apocalyptic forms and rules
of the earth. See Annunaki. for their use.
Namaru: The proper name for the rebel angels of Chapter Eight: Rules provides the basic means of
the dawn. See Devil. resolving characters’ various actions.
Neberu: The proper name for the rebel angels of Chapter Nine: Systems describes a plethora of
the heavens. See Fiends. ways to simulate everything from driving cars to per-
Pit, the: A n epithet used to describe the Abyss. forming exorcisms.
See Abyss. Chapter Ten: Storytelling tells Storytellers how to
Rabisu: The proper name for the rebel angels of the build entertaining storiesin which to involve the characters.
wild. See Devourer. Chapter Eleven: Antagonists provides profiles
Ravener: A faction of demons devoted to the and rules for a variety of monstrous demons, demon-
destruction of the universe. hunters and Earthbound servants that Storytellers can
pit against the characters.
Reconciler: A faction of demons devoted to the
restoration of Earth to the paradise it was before the
t
Age of Wrath.
Scourge: A common name for the rebel angels of Most Demon games take place around a tabletop,
the winds. See Asharu. and the players describe what their characters say and do.
Sebettu: Literally, “the seven,”the collective name Games can also be conducted through live-action play,
for the rebel Houses of the fallen. however. This exciting form of gaming bears similarities
Slayer: A common name for the rebel angels of the to improvisational theater, in that players actually dress
dead. See Halaku. as their characters and act out their characters’ scenes as
thrall: A mortal bound to a demon through a pact though they were actors in a play. Therefore, rather than
of faith. saying, “My character walks over to the table and picks
visage: The proper name for a demon’s apocalyptic up the ancient document,”you, the player, actually get
or revelatory form. up, walk over to a properly decorated table and pick up
the “ancient document.” (That document is probably a
t
prop created by the Storyteller-for example, apiece of
Thisbook is divided intoseveralchapters,each of which parchment that’s been scorched around the edges and
is designed to explore and explain a specificarea of the game. “aged,”with a coating of flour “dust.”)
Remember, though, that the most important “chapter” in a A Storyteller still guides the action and directs the
stoqxellinggame is your imagination.Never let anything in plot. He describes special features of the setting and
thisbook be a substitute for your own creativity. oversees challenges the characters undergo, and he
Chapter One: In the Beginning describes the origins may interrupt the action at any time.
of the angels and the creationof the universefrom their own Live-action roleplaying does not typically use dice.
perspective, culminating in the birth of humanity and the Alternative systems, such as those presented in White
reasons behind Lucifer’s rebellion against his Creator. Wolfs Mind’s Eye Theatre line of products, take the
Chapter Two: Better to Rule in Hell provides an place of dice when determining the results of chal-
overview of the rebel angels’ thousand-year war against lenges. Most situations are resolved simply through
Heaven and the circumstances leading to Lucifer’sdefeat. acting and the Storyteller’s decisions.
14

1 INTRODUCTION
1
~AFEGUARDS
Some rules are necessary to ensure that live-action
SOURCE
MATERIAL I
play is safe and enjoyable for all participants and

onlookers. Unlike any other rules in this book, these
rules must be followed.
No Touching: Period. All combat and physical
Art, literature and pop culture are rife with depic-
tions of Hell and its denizens, covering a broad spectrum
from the corny to the terrifying. Portraying the fallen as
tormented, monstrous yet ultimately heroic souls is no
easy task, but there are a number of inspirational sources
t
interaction must be handled through dice or other
that provide different perspectives on demonic nature.
abstract systems. Players must never strike, grapple or
otherwise touch anyone during the game. It is the Recommended books include:
Storyteller’s responsibility to call a time-out if one or Paradise Lost, by John Milton. Seventeenth-cen-
more players grow overly rambunctious. tury poetry isn’t most people’s idea of light reading, but
No Weapons: Props such as hats, period dress this classic is a must for its evocative, even sympathetic
and canes are great in a live-action game. Weapons are portrayal of Luciferand his war against Heaven. Though
not. No knives, no swords and nothing that even his motives are more driven by jealousy than love for
remotely resembles a firearm. Don’t even bring fake mankind, his defiant struggle against the Almighty is
swords, squirt guns or foam-rubber weapons. If your
character must carry a “weapon,” take an index card
and write “gun” or “sword” or whatever on it. During
combat challenges, present the card to the Storyteller,
who adjudicates its use in play.
Play in a Designated Area: Live-action is meant
to be played in the home or other predetermined spot.
no less heroic because of it.
The Screwtape Letters, by C. S. Lewis. Presented as
a collection of letters written by one demon to another,
the book is an insightful commentary on temptation
and faith in the divine.
InGod WeTrust: ButWhichOne!, byJudithHayes.
Hayes, a prominent atheist, makes the case that if there
1
Don’t involve onlookers in the game, and make sure is a God, He’s not one worthy of our worship. For
everyone in the area, or anyone passing through the players who want more depth to their characters’ oppo-
area, understands exactly what you’re doing. A game sition to God, this book is a good start. It’s humorous
can look disturbing, even frightening, to people who and thought-provoking, but not for the easily offended.
aren’t aware of what’s going on. Don’t try to shock or Legion,by WilliamPeter Blatty. Blatty’sfollow-upto
intimidate passersby. Such behavior is not only imma- The Exorcist is a great novel with a fascinating theory on
ture, it could lead to well-deserved prosecution. the nature of evil, free will and the identity of Lucifer.
Know When to Stop: If the Storyteller calls for Music ofRaqors, by Cameron Rogers. More warring
a time-out or other break in the action, stop immedi- angels forming the back story to a n urban fantasy. Of
ately. The Storyteller remains the final arbiter of all particular interest is the depiction of artifacts from
events in the game. Likewise, when the game session before Lucifer’s rebellion.
ends, put away your costume and call it a night. Needful Things, by Stephen King. King’s story is a
It’s Only a Game: Live-action is for having perfect example of a Malefactor at work in a small town.
fun. If a rival wins, if a character dies, if a plan goes To Reign in Hell,by Steven Brust. Hard to find these
awry, it’s not the end of the world. Sometimes, days, but an excellent and darkly humorous story of
players like to get together outside the game and talk Lucifer’s rebellion.
about it -say, a troupe that forms a novice Demon
group gathers to decide who or what they need to American Gods, by Neil Gaiman. An evocative
protect or pursue most -and there’s nothing wrong (and at times horrifying) tale of gods and their symbi-
with that. But telephoning your in-game ally at four otic relationship with mankind. An excellent story
in the morning to ask her to join you on a personal about at the power of human belief.
mission is taking things too far. Remember, everyone’s Movie and TV sources include:
doing this to have fun! The Devil’s Advocate. A1 Pacino’s Lucifer is a perfect
The Bottom Line: Live-action can be one of the example of a Devil lost in his own Torment. His “look
richest and most satisfying storytelling experiences, if but don’t touch” monologue near the end is a classic.
handled maturely and responsibly. We’re not kidding Angel Heart. A creepy, atmospheric tale of dark
about that “maturely and responsibly,” folks. In live- desires and subtle corruption. Watch for Robert De
action, you make the game, so it is imperative that you Niro’s subtle, chilling performance as Louis Cypher.
treat yourself and others with utmost care, dignity and American Gothic. This mid-90s TV show is a great
respect. This game is emphatically not about “real” model for how a demon in human form could infiltrate
enslavement or combat, nor does it entail erotic or deeply into a community, maintain thralls and get
not a demon -you just away with murder. Additionally, Selena Coombs could
well be a low-powered Defiler trying to reform her ways.
15

Into our first world, shall we follow
The deception of the thrush? Into our first world.
There they were, dignified, invisible,
Mowing without pressure, over the dead leaves,
In the autumn heat, through the wihant air.. .
-T. S. Eliot, Burnt Norton
The Reverend MatthewWallace sat at his desk, frown- “I could call Zola now,” he said. “She’d see I was at
ing, rubbing his eyes, trying to concentrate. It was late - the office from the caller ID. Tell her I’m working late
I
nearly midnight -and he was still at the studiocatchingup -that’s just the truth. Be true when I’m saying it. Then
on network paperwork. The document in front of him was sneak out. Maybe surprise Gina with.. .” He shook his
lengthy and dry and not particularly good news. It was a head. He didn’t call his wife.
demographicstudy of the ratings for his show,The Hour of In the next two paragraphs, he actually found an
Jesus’ Power. They were holding steadyfor the third year in idea for a fundraiser that he thought might be useful.
a row, but the network had some concerns.They wanted a That kept his attention for two more pages, then he was
wider audience. They wanted him to broaden his appeal. thinking about calling his wife again.
They had suggestionsfor pitching himself to a more popu- “I could call her, then call Gina. Or call Gina first,
lous, more suburban, more upscale audience. make sure she’s there. Give her a chance to get ready for
“Why don’t they just tell me to get more whites to me.” He was tired, but he felt a little internal movement
tune in, and be done with it?”he growled. in that thought. But no. He shouldn’t. It was wrong. He
He wasn’t really thinking about the document. He looked at the picture of Zola on his desk and let the
was looking at it and considering it, but it didn’t have his guilty feelings wash over him.
full attention. His mind kept wandering back to Gina. “Hell with it.”
“I shouldn’t,’’ Wallace muttered to himself. He He put the report away, stood and strode purposefully
turned a page and started reading about his dwindling out of his office. He was going to go home, get back to his
appeal among black professionals. He made it about wife and children. He was going to go where he belonged.
halfway down before his mind crept back to Gina. He told himself he was too old to be catting around

.
1 ONE
CHAPTER
anyway. Old and tired. He’d break it off withGina. Maybe The reverend frowned. “YOUknow I have.”
this Saturday, when Zola took the kids to see Gramma. “Even though the answer has always been ‘no’before?”
He was planning to see Gina Saturday in any event. “That was the past. You’re here now, aren’t you?”
Maybe it was time to finally end it. Maybe. The figure before him laughed.. .and then changed.
Feeling a small sense of virtue, he locked the door Where once there stood a handsome black man,
behind him and turned toward the parking lot, turning the glory of fire was now revealed. Puddled water
up his collar at the misty rain. He barely had time to recoiled, boiling off into steam. The empty parking lot
register that there was a second vehicle there, parked was suddenly ablaze with celestial light, and Matthew
next to his BMW.. . a familiar car, a Lexus.. . fell to his knees, hands clasped, eyes wide.
Noah’s car. “My Lord and my God!”he cried. “My Lord and God!”
The last time Matthew had seen his oldest son “MATTHEW,”saidthe apparition that had once been
Noah, they hadn’t really talked. They’d yelled. his child, “BENOT AFRAID.”
He’d condemnedhis son’s recently declared atheism. ‘(Whatdo you ask of me?”
Noah had called his father a con man, selling “WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE?’
salvation like snake oil.
Matthew thundered back that Noah had never rejected
the roof overhis head, the food inhis mouth, the money in the
bank and the education Matthew had never gotten.
That’s when Noah told him about the full scholar-
ship to BGSU’s grad program. He’d said he didn’t need
Matthew any longer, that he could finally break his
“Anything! Anything, my Lord! I’m your servant.
Yours to command!”
“ALLI ASK IS YOUR LOYALTY,MATTHEW.
YOUR TRUST AND YOUR PLEDGE.”
ALLI ASK IS
“I’m yours! You know I am, I’ve always been! T h y

will be done, Lord! Thy will be done!”
1
“SHALLI SET MY SEAL UPON YOUR BROW, TO MARK YOU
father’s golden manacles.
AS MY OWN FOREVER?”
Matthew called him a spoiled little ingrate and
Eyes closed in bliss, Matthew leaned forward ex-
threatened to disown him.
pectantly, presenting his forehead.
Noah called his bluff.
Behind his eyelids, he could see the light of the
That had been two years ago, and they hadn’t miracle fade to black, and when he opened them again,
spoken since. the scene was lit once again by the orange of halogen
1
streetlights and the blue of moonlight on mist.
Before him stood his son again, shaking his
head disdainfully.
A figure formed from the darkness. Tall, handsome,
wearing a camel-haircoat and fine leather boots. No hat “Fool,” Noah said.
sat on his close-cropped hair, but a white cashmere scarf Matthew was suddenly aware of the cold dampness
made a striking contrast against chocolate skin. He was seeping in through the knees of his suit, and fear gave
ashade lighter than Matthew, perhaps, and a few shades way to anger.
darker than Zola. ‘(What’sthe meaning of this?”he demanded, lurch-
Matthew licked lips that suddenly felt dry. ing to his feet.
“Son?”he croaked. He swallowed and said it again, .
“Oh Matthew.. you’re one in a million. Not many
louder, stronger. ‘Son!” people are willing to just up and give away the store to God
Noah said nothing. -or someone claiming to be Him.”There was a mocking
“Oh Noah ... Noah, I’m...’’ He opened his arms. edge to Noah’s voice, but his face betrayed little emotion.
“I’ve missed you, son. You don’t know how much I’ve Matthew frowned. “What did I see?”
Noah’s dark eyes narrowed. “What did you think
The figure was silent and immobile. The hairs rose you saw?”
on the back of Matthew’s neck. “I saw the glory of God Almighty.”
“Son.. . Noah.. .” He faltered. “I know I said some At that, Noah’s eyes fell, but after a moment he
terrible things. And I’m sorry. I’m not so proud I can’t shook his head and gave a rueful chuckle. “NOMat-
say I was wrong. Not a day’s gone by that I haven’t thew, you didn’t see the glory of God Almighty. What
thought about what’s happened between us. Not one you saw was the hole God’s glory left when He yanked
day. Please.. . please tell me you’ve come back.” it out. That was... the shadow of a fragment of the
“Have you truly prayed for your son’s return?”The Maker’s grandeur. That was its ashes.”
e was coldly neutral, like “Noah.. .”Matthew began, but his mind still reeled,
unable to believe what he’d seen.
19

The figure before him leaned in and asked, “What “NOW,if we could.. .”
did you think I was?” Suddenly the reverend raised his hands to the
1 “I thought I saw an angel of the Lord.”
Noah gave his father a cruel smirk. “Guessagain.” He
leaden sky. “OhLord Jesus, hear my plea! Save me from
this fiend! Spare your servant from this figure from the
turned to the buildingbefore them and read from the sign pit!” His voice rang from the concrete walls of the
by the door. “Celestine Productions Incorporated, home surrounding buildings.
OfReverendMatthewWallace and the Hour ofJesus’Power.” ‘Stop that!” Noah said.
He shook his head. “I see you gave Christ second billing.” “Please sweet Lord, save your fearful servant! You
“What’s going on?” Matthew demanded. are my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want!”
“Let’sgo inside and talk about it.” Noah reached for “I’m warning you!” Noah‘s face twisted with ha-
the heavy doors with both hands - then hissed. tred.. . and a touch of fear, too.
Matthew’s eyes widened as white smoke poured “Please sweet Jesus, in your name I pray.. .”
from betweenNoah‘s fingers. Noah snatched his hands Before Matthew could say more, Noah was in his
back, and his lip curled as he looked down at them. face, white teeth inches from his nose. “DOyou pray to
The reverendfelt faint as he watched the blistersspring Jesus when you go fuck the choir leader? Did you pray to
I up, thecurlsofblackenedflesh,theblood.. .Noahkneltand

pressed both hands into an oily puddle. When he pulled
them out, flecks of blood and charred skin stained his palms.
Him to get her in bed? Did you get down on your knees
and pray, ‘Oh Lord, please don’t let my wife find out’?’’
Matthew faltered. He tried to start again. “YOUare
“Very interesting,” he said, looking back at the my shield and my portion.. .”
studio door with wary respect. “I suppose we’ll have to “What’s she got anyway, Reverend? She suck your
discuss this elsewhere.” dick when your wife says no?Do you pray for forgiveness
“What are you?” every time you sneak off to screw her, or do you save it
“My my, someone’s not very quick on the uptake.” all up for one big confession each month?”
The Noah that Matthew knew hadn’t been in the habit “You shut your God-damned mouth!”
of making tsk sounds with his tongue and rolling his eyes The figure before him relaxed, straightened its coat,
in mock exasperation. This new Noah apparently was, dusted off hands that were suddenly smooth and un-
and Matthew didn’t like it. burned. “So much for exorcism,” Noah said.
“Let’s see.. .” Noah counted off on bloodied fingers. Matthew’s gaze fell to the pavement. “Get away
1
“Gloriousapparition with wings of fire. Not an angel of the from me,” he said. “Leave me alone.” But he wasn’t
.
Lord. Tries to seduce mortals into pledges of fealty.. and is demanding anymore. He was pleading.
harmed by holy ground. What do you suppose that leaves?’ “Is that what you really want?” Noah‘s voice was
A man of lesser faith would have been skeptical, but unexpectedly gentle. “If you want me to go, I will. You’ll
Matthew, for all his faults, was a man of true belief. never see my face again.” When Matthew didn’t answer
1 ‘(Getbehind me, Satan,” he whispered.

Noah snorted. “Wouldn’t it be simpler if you just
at first, Noah drew something from his pocket and held
it out. “I guess I should be giving this back, then.”
turned around?” Matthew hesitated, but when he recognized the
Matthew lunged forward, seizedNoah‘s lapels in his object, he reached out instinctively.
hands and wrenched him up until Noah stood on tiptoe. I t was a Bible - a brown, leather bound Good
“Whathave you done with my son?”he roared. News Bible with gilt edges. He recognized it. He’d given
The figure -the demon?- said nothing, just gave it toNoah after the boy’s First Communion. Opening it,
a narrow-eyed half smile. he read, Go with God always. I love you son.
Had Matthew been a genuinely violent man, he “Why are you doing this?’ Matthew whispered.
would have punched that grinning face, gouged those “Because I thought you could help me,” the other
narrowed eyes and flung what was left to the pavement. replied, then turned to walk away.
Had the face before him belonged to anyone but his own “Wait!” Matthew said.
child,he would have pressed it againstthe building’sdoors, Noah turned.
hoping to bum it with holy pain. But Matthew was a man “Will you come with me?” Matthew asked.
of words and gestures, so he just stood there, clutching
Noah‘s coat and feeling more and more foolish. ADE~LWITMTMEDEVIL
“There seems to be some misunderstanding,” the Two doors down from the church stood Rollins
face before him said softly. “This jacket is for my Productions. Sonny Rollins was a parishioner at
personal use only. I’ll thank you to release it.” Matthew’s church, and he had it as his primary produc-
Matthew narrowed his eyes and pushed the figure away. tion client. He’d given Matthew a key years ago.
20

1 CH~ P T E KONE
I
Sonny’s office was small and cluttered (and it it. I claimed this body for my own, and he was driven
reeked of cigarettes), but there were two comfortable out, left to the fate that awaits all mankind. I know his
desk chairs and a coffee maker. memories and his skills, but that Noah you knew -the
“Remarkable,”the minister’s guest said. essential, animating spark - is gone for good.”
“What’s remarkable?” Matthew asked. ‘(You’relying!”
“Your TV station is holy ground.” Gaviel sighed. “What would I possibly gain by lying
“It’s a church first and foremost.” about this?”
The other let out a snort. “Ohyeah. That’s why it’s “You’re afraid I’ll exorcise you.’’
buried in the middle of acres of commercial and indus- “I think we’ve already established that your faith
trial zoned real estate, miles away from where any isn’t quite up to that task,” the demon replied.
residents might realistically congregate.” “I may be weak, but I’m a minister of the Lord.”
Matthew shook his head. “The church is not a “With a degree from a seminary one step up from an
building, it is a condition. ‘Wherever two or three are ad in Rolling Stone.”
gathered in My name-”’ “I have a doctorate in theology!”
“Or,for that matter, watching the TV at home. Funny
how the word ‘congregation’has now stretched to include
people who are alone and just praying at the same time.”
‘(Whyhaveyoucome here?”Matthewasked. “Wait,
I’ll start with a simpler question: If you’re not my son,
who are you?”
The other regarded him silently - a stone-faced
“You have an honorary doctorate from a college that is,
like your alma mater, targeting the same market as truck-
driving schools. A doctorate you received, I might add, the
same year you donated $25,000 to that college’sscholarship
fund.”Gavielshookhishead.“Youcan’tevenreadthe Bible!”
“I read the Bible every day!”
“You read a translationof the Bible every day, but do
1
glance like a poker player examining a hand of cards. you know any Latin besides ‘quid pro quo’?Any Greek?
Matthew only returned the stare until his guest seemed Any Hebrew at all!” Gaviel was clearly enjoying the
to reach a conclusion. “YOU can call me Gaviel, when other man’s discomfort.
we’re alone. ‘Noah‘ will do when we’re around others. “Faith is more important. Faith is more important
Less confusing that way.” than degrees, than learning, than accomplishments.”
“Gaviel.” “On that, we agree. That’s why I’ve come to you.”
“Don’t use it lightly.” Something in Gaviel’s eyes He leaned in. “You do realize that I could have marked
told Matthew that he wasn’t joking. your soul, out there in the rain? I could have made you
Matthew clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, my creature -my slave, bound to my will and living or
but his voice -always his best tool -remained calm dying at my whim. But I didn’t. I let you keep your soul,
and controlled as he said, “And you are a demon.” and I even suffered you to lay violent hands upon me, to
“That’s fair to say.” insult me and spurn me and call on God’s wrath.”
“You are in possession of my son’s body.” “You want something. Something from me.”
Gaviel nodded. “I’m afraid so.” “Is God’s forgiveness truly infinite?”
“You must realize I won’t rest until you leave it.” The question caught the reverend off guard. “Well
Gaviel looked down and he seemed, for a moment, yes. Of course.”
genuinely sad. “Matthew, I didn’t kill your son, and I didn’t “Encompassingall sins, no matter how grievous?”
force him out of his body. I want you to believe that.” “If the repentance is genuine.”
“I’msure you do, but you’llforgiveme if I’m suspicious.” “What about a fallen angel, Reverend?Could God
“Noah Wallace is no more, Matthew. I’m truly forgive even such a one as that? One who willfully
sorry, but that is the entire truth.” transgressed His direct commands?One who set out to
“You say that, but I see his body before me and hear deliberately soil all of God’s creation, one who set
his voice.” Matthew’s words were reasonable, but the himself up for the worship of humanity?”
situation was straining even his ability to speak calmly. At this Matthew frowned. “I don’t know. Could
“The body remains. The memories remain. But the such a being truly repent?”
soul of your son is gone. He was struck by a car five days Gaviel paused and smiled once more. “That’s the
ago as he crossed the street near the university. There question, isn’t it?”
was some brain damage.” “That’s what you want?A return to God?”
“I don’t believe you! This is some trick. It has to be.” “If it’s possible. You believe the intercession of one
“A police report was filed. Look it up for yourself. man saved the human race. I believe the intercession of
is mind was damaged, his soul weakened, and I sensed a man can save my race as well. Will you help me?”

Matthew narrowed his eyes. “I’d try. If I thought “I chose you because you’re arrogant. You’ve got the
you were sincere.” pride of idealism. You think that anything you do is
Gavielspreadhishands.“I’vealreadyshownyousubstan- right because you do it. You have the faith that moves
tial mercy and forbearance. What other proofs can I offer?” mountains, and that’s the faith I need. The faith that
Matthew leaned forward and his eyes burned. “Re- thinks, ‘Maybe I can redeem a fallen angel.”’ Gaviel sat
lease my son.” back and considered.
“Matthew,I give you my word that I’m not holdinghim.” “Pastor, there are two possibilities here. Either I’m
“What good is the word of a self-confessedrebel and holding your son’s soul captive or I’m not, agreed?If I’m
blasphemer ?” holding his soul - and I’m not, but I seem unable to
persuade you of that - it’s in your best interest to at
“As good as the advice of an arrogant, self-righteous
least keep me close so you can find some way to liberate
adulterer. I mean, really: Did you think you were such a
him. Now, please, as a favor, just consider the possibility
saint that you were worthy of an angelic visitation?You’re
a televangelist, a word synonymous with ‘fraud’and ‘hypo- that I’m telling you the truth. Just maybe Matthew
crite’ among America’s literate classes. I’ll grant that you really is gone and I’ve told you the truth about my
never stolefrom the collectionplate, but only because your repentance. Is there any way you can turn me aside and
self-definedfiscal guidelinesare so loose that buying your- claim to be a man of God?”
self cars and jewelry is actually Demitted. Honestly, in the Matthew sighed hard.
‘sleazyminister’trifecta, you’vedone just about everything “I still think you’re trying to trick me,” he said, “But
but tattoo ‘love’and ‘hate’on your fingers!” you’reright. I’mcaught. I can’t afford to just cast you out.”
“If I’m so low, what does that make you? If I’m so “I appreciate that.” Gaviel sat back in his chair and
weak in faith, what are you who comes asking for help?” seemed to relax. “SO.What should we do?”
Gaviel shrugged. “Another point for you, Rever- “I suppose we could take a page from the Catholics,
end. Do you want to sit here and trade quips all night, if you want to confess your sins.”
or do you want to know, specifically,why I chose you?” “And if, in the process, I reveal some weakness you
“I’m sure you’ll tell me regardless.’’ can exploit.. .?”
22

1 CHAPTER ONE
I
Matthew spread his hands. “Youdon’ttrust me, and going to hurt God, it just hurts you and corrodes the world
I don’t trust you. But if we’re going to do this, we have
to pretend for a while.”
“I see.”
around you. It’s like spitting at the sky. The sky isn’t
bothered, and there’s a good chance you’ll hit your own
face in the bargain.”
3
Reflexively, Matthew said what he said to every (‘In one breath you condemn blasphemy, when 8
guilty conscience that came for his advice. “Why don’t thirty seconds ago you were claiming you created the
we start at the very beginning?” universe. If you’re trying to corrupt my soul, you might
Gaviel smiled. “Very well.” want to be more coherent.”
“In the beginning.. .” “Thanks for the tip, chief.” The demon took a deep
breath. “Look, I’ll call God ‘He’ if that helps you. Just,
please - let’s get back on track.”
“I’m not the one going on tangents about God’s
Noah paused, seeing Matthew’sfrown. “What’sthe weight problem.”
matter?Not a fan of the classics?”
“You’re going to tell me you were present at the 1
birth of the cosmos?”
‘Where did you think demons came from?We were
there at the very start, because we were the very start.”
“I’m sorry?”
‘(Inthe beginning, there were two infinities -the
infinite absence that was the Void, and the infinite
existence of the Almighty. Each was contained within
the other, but they were eternally separate. To define
and illuminate the border between them, the Maker
1
f
“We were God’s first creations, so that we might go
formed the Angels of the Dawn. I was one of them.
on and build the universe.”
“Our purpose and mission was to carry the will of the
Matthew snorted. “You really don’t think much of
Maker all along the perimeter of Creation, framing the
me, do you? You really think you can get away with
perfect balance between Is and Is Not. Because, you see, the
claiming to be the Maker of All?”
Lord - the Infinite of Infinities - was all things. That
“Let’sset aside that first question for now, shall we? which was not God was absolutely nothing. So some form
And, while I’m tempted to point out how quick you of mediation was needed to create a buffer layer: the cosmos.
were to accept me as your - what was the phrase?- We were needed to separate the divine primal from all the
‘Lord and God,’ I’m going to do you the favor of things it could be into the particular things that it was. Our
addressing your question seriously. But you have to function, broadly, was to filter His will into discrete forms.
promise to follow along and keep an open mind.”
“God’s will was the first act -remembered in some
“I’ll try,” Matthew said, glaring.
z
sources as ‘fiatlux’ and regarded in others as the Big Bang.
“Here’s the thing: Everything we touch touches us “On that first day of infinite potential, we rode out
in return, right?Contact means interaction -or con- in our multitudes. The Throne of Moonlight, the Crim-
tamination, if you prefer. How does a perfect being son Dominion, the Seven Radiant Cherubim.. . Under
change?If it changes, it ceases to be perfect. Unless it them, lesser creatures like the Archangel Viridian, the
was already imperfect, and it changes into aperfect form Power of Reflection... even my humble self. O n that
by expelling its imperfections.” He raised an eyebrow. first day, literally everything was possible. And our job
“Not a very flattering theory, is it? The universe as a was to winnow that possibility, spinning it into threads
hairball from the throat of the Almighty.” and weaving the best of all possible worlds.
“You seem intent on belittling God before me,” “We of the House of the Dawn weren’t the only ones,
Matthew observed. of course. The first, the most important, the closest to the
“Matthew, please believe me when I say God could Most High.. . and, for that very reason, those with the least
not possibly give a shit what I think of Her.” direct influence over the world of gross matter. Remember
“‘Her’?God’s a woman, now?” what I said about contamination?We were just the first of
“Sure. She used to be a real looker, too, but over the several barriers between the divine and the material. His
past quarter million years She’s gained a lot of weight.” pure will came tous,where itwas.. .confined, evendistorted
Matthew snorted. “Even your blasphemy is getting perhaps, into the SraWment of His will. The Houses beneath
weaker and weaker.” us were those charged with the actualfulfillmentof His will.
“It’s blasphemy to say God’s a woman with a fat ass, “The second legion was the House of the Firma-
but saying She’s a man with a snowy beard and sandals is ment - angels of wind and movement. Initially, their
reverent?Look, God isGod-almighty, infinite, immor- duty was to animate the elements of the universe.
tal and incomprehensible. God doesn’t need your “You possess a body of many parts - your heart,
everence. Saying mean things about the Almighty isn’t your lungs, your brain- but each separately is dead and
23

worthless. It is only when they are united that their true of Past and Future, and was honored at the courts of the
qualities emerge. The Second House governed that Manifold Cherubim. The Angels Temporal were a worthy
principle. By them, the whole can become greater than and noble House, ruling from glass castleson the moon and
the sum of its parts. moving with grandeur the spheres of the stars. In the war,
“The most crucial task of the House of the Firma- they sufferedgreatly, for Earth was not their natural home,
ment was to convey the breath of life from the Maker to and it took all their forethought and foresight simply to
the Made. Every tree, every blade of grass, every ant and survive.. . but in the first days, they were magnificent.
cormorant and elephant was personally given life by the “Their equals in beauty were the Angels of the
breath of an Angel of the Firmament. They were not Deep. Paradoxical, lyrical, liquid and free, their charge
only the givers of life, but its protectors as well. was to govern the eternally changing, and the changing
“The bond between a Guardian and the creatures to eternal. The sea was a fit home for them, the Powers of
whom it gave breath is strong and profound -the bond the Tides and the Cycle Virtues. As humankind devel-
between a mother and child is no different. Angels of the oped, the Oceanites were the patrons of art and beauty,
Second House could sense any peril to their charges, and of mutability and resonant pattern.
fly instantly from the ends of Creation to defend them. I “TheAngels of the Deep are best representedthrough
t
I
worked closely with many of them during the early
days.. .the Power of Unbound Increase, the Dominion of
the Azure Dome -even the Seraph of the Unreachable
Limit. In many ways, they were the kindest, the most
selflessamong us. Even the mightiest of them wasknown,
the ocean, which is always there but never the same. The
physical stuff of the water was created by the Fundamen-
tals,but animated and governedby the Oceanites because
of its excellent ability to hold and transmit patterns.
They are of the pattern, not the matter, just as my words
not for personal glory, but for the glory their reflection are not my mouth or the air they pass through or your ear
gave others. They themselves were unseen as the wind, when you hear it. The Oceanites were like ripples in
but we knew when they were present. We felt their water - in constant movement, they had no single
embrace in all directions, the quickening of the impulse location. They were in the water and of the water, but not
to expand and improve. Their greatness was that they the water. All those sorts of transitions were governed by
made everything around them greater. the Angels of the Deep. They became guardiansof beauty
“The Third House was the house of the Fundament- and culture -because a sculpture or a song or a story is
the House of Matter, the tangible-of things you can feel an attempt to transmit a pattern of experience through
with your body and not just deduce with the mind. where some other medium and into another soul.
1 the first Houses dealt with the ephemeral, it was the

artisans of the Third House who slowed energy into
matter, cooled magma into stone and gave life its form. All
that you feel and touch is their work. Where we Dawngivers
flew on shafts of light and the Guardians breathed within
the world unseen, the Fundamentalswalked the earth and
“The next House created contained nature’soverseers
-the Angels of the Wild, who governed the instincts and
interactions of the natural world. You see how the duties of
the Houses continue to be refined?First there was pure will.
Then there was separation, individuality. Next, stability.
After that, order for change. Mutability within stability
burrowed within it. The Golden Dominion, the Power of came next, and finally, larger and more gradual patterns of
the Shifting Sands, the Seraph of the Mountain Peaks - change-the migrationsof elk, the growthcycles of insects,
in every case, their glory was in their tasks,not themselves. the population balance between predator and prey.
“To human eyes, the Angels of the Perceptible “While the House of the Wild was concerned with
might seem the most successful. After all, they worked minutiae in many ways, I should comment that its
the most accessible and observable aspects of the world domain was a very complicated one. By the time some-
- that which can be touched, held, measured and thing that could be called an ecological system arose -
examined. I had little contact with the House of Earth, not just individual prototype creatures, but populations
personally, though I was badly injured by one of their of them interacting with flora and other fauna and
number in the War.. . but I’m getting ahead of myself. climactic changes - the level of sophistication in the
“The FourthHousewas the Houseof Spheres,the Fates universe was very high. Understand that, as complex as
who set the cosmiclights in their coursesand, in the process, the ecosystem you know now may be, the inter-faceted
gave all Creation an underpinning of Time. Of all the interactions of Paradise were far more complicated. But,
Houses,perhaps only they and the Fifthcould competewith once again, I’m getting ahead of myself.
oursforsheerpersonalsplendor.I remembertheir pageantry, “The Angels of the Wild -from the Seraph of the
sweeping down from Heaven with a swirl of starry cloaks. Cycle down to the lowliest Angels of Renewal -were a
Once I danced with the Throne of the North Star herself, hardheaded, pragmatic lot. One must be, I suppose, to
and I flatter myself that there was favor in her dark eyes. I mind and organize every animal on Earth. Quite a balanc-
heard the songs of the Pleiades, made jests with the Virtues ing act, I’m sure. But I had few opportunities to interact
24

* ONE
CHAPTER
I
with them before the dark times. They were, you under- you as our surpassing effort, our love for you was already
stand, very close to the earth and far from the Maker, while as strong as that between a parent and a child. At the
the exact opposite was my case. Once we rebelled, they time, the consensus was that the Almighty didn’t want
were the most numerous (and in many cases, the fiercest) us to feel bad for not loving Him more than you.
of our warriors. Only the Fundamentals were equally Therefore, that first command was easy to the point of
comfortable with existence on the terrestrial plane. And being redundant. The second was far less simple.
none were more familiar with strife and conflict. “Despite our love, we were ordered to hide ourselves
“The last House created was the last one needed - from you. To never let ourselves be seen or heard or sensed
the House of the Second World. Led by the Silent by you in any way. No contact. No messages. No voices or
Seraph, their numbers were always uncertain and their gesturesor even hints. Humanity, surrounded on all sides by
ways often unseen. The Virtue of Shadows, the Throne loving protectors of infinite power, was to think itself alone.
of Repose.. . a somber lot, solemn and wise during the “DOyou see it? Do you get the joke?You, for whom
war. I had no dealings with them before the Fall, as I was the cosmos was made, you whom multitudes of angels
a creature of beginnings and they were the Angels of longed to serve -you were to think yourselves isolated
Death. But once we were rebelling, all cast together in an uncaring and mechanical universe.”
against the loyal hosts.. . they always seemed sad. Re- As his guest paused, Matthew leaned in. “You mean
gretting lost chances to fulfill their true purpose. Always there are angels all around us right now?”he asked.
too much to do and never the right thing.. . His guest leaned back and sighed. “No, Matthew.
“Those, then, were the seven Houses of the Host. They’re all gone.”
Together, we formed the cosmos and kept it stable. And “Gone?”
together, we contributed to the final and ultimate element
“Or hidden beyond my knowing. But my guess is
of reality. Commanded by the Maker, we infused reality that they are just.. . gone.”
with some of His divine essence, contained in creatures
They were both silent for a time. Then Matthew
who would grow, in time, to rule the universe in His stead.
said, “If you don’t mind, I’m going to make some coffee.
“Understandthat whenone sayshumankind was ‘made Do you want some ?”
in God’s image’it’s nothing so literal as ‘two legs, one nose,
seven thoracic vertebrae.’ Your shape is not in the image of
God, your soul is. You cany within you a small reservoir of
the essence of existence that God used to create the entire While Matthew busied himself with coffee, Noah
cosmos. Powerful though we Elohim are, we are barren of went to the bathroom. When they had resumed their
that true Making fire. You are His true children, and your seats, Matthew frowned and asked a question.
holy nature courses through your blood, flickers in your “What was Paradise like?”
emotions and sings through your inventive thoughts.
Noah folded his hands and frowned.
“We of Dawn House transported His spark, the Fun-
“You’renot very well equipped to understand it,” he
damentals built a housing for it, and the Guardians wove
said at last. “I don’t say that to be insulting. The world was
the pieces into activity. From the Oceanites came your
fundamentally different back then. It was.. . more com-
sacred information, within and without- the capacityfor
plex. Richer. It had layers that are simply absent, now.”
thought and expression, and your ability to pass on traits to
your children. From the Fates you had a conception of “Layers?”
time, the persistence for memory and the potential to plan “Yes.. . consider this coffee we’re drinking. It’s only
and anticipate. The Angels of the Wild gave you instincts coffee, right? It’s not anything else?”
and sensations to ground you within the physical world. “I guess not.”
The final touch was given by the Reapers: mankind’s “In the uncorrupted world, this coffee could also
physical renewal, your ability to change and grow -and, exist simultaneously as a song or an aesthetic idea or
if need be, to recover from injury. even a sentient and helpful creature. Different things
“Humankind was our highest, finest and ultimate on different layers, all equally real, all similar, but each
creation. We crafted you with the best of our knowledge discrete -even while they were simultaneously expe-
and the finest gifts of our spirit. The Maker Himself rienced.” Seeing Matthew’s expression, he continued.
admired you, but we were given two final commandsbefore “I’ll give you a more relevant example. The first
the Guardians were permitted to give you the breath of life. people: Were they Adam and Eve, a woman and a man,
“First, He commanded that we love you, and that or were they the evolved descendents of apes?”
our love for you equal our love for the Maker Himself. “They were a woman and a man, as the Bible says.”
“Many questioned this command-not to resist it, “Correct. But they were also a multitude of ape
ut simply wondering why it was needed. Having made descendents. The universe was made in seven days, on
25

one level, but that same span of time was billions of “Hell is the corrosion of love, Reverend. No fire and
years on another level. brimstone,no pitchforksand snakes. After a hundred years,
1 “Or consider the Angels of the Firmament. On some

levels of reality they were conveying the life-giving
anyone could get used to mere sensation. But utter numb-
ness -that’s a torment that never gets any older. After the
first ten minutes, you think you’ve been there ten thousand
breath of the Maker on a purely scientific level - they
were, literally were, the process by which solar energy years. You’re there, alone and isolated, with nothing for
striking simple carbon molecules agitated them into company but the knowledge that you are literally God-
forms of ever increasing complexity, until they became forsaken.You sit there in His hate and feel everythingin you
organic molecules, then primitive single-celledanimals, turn to hate as well, and there is no respite. There’sjust you
then nucleated cells and so on, up to and including dogs, and love getting more and more twisted and inverted.”
cats and humans. But at the same time they were crouching Noah‘s handsome face had become terribly still.
over the mouths of newly sculpted creatures of all types, “We talk about how we were exiled from reality.. . but
breathing into their mouths to animate them.” really it was more like we were excreted. Cast out,
“Are you talking about metaphor?” abandoned and despised.” His nostrils widened and his
eyes seemed to peer off into some grim distance. Then he
Gaviel chuckled. Wot yet, no. These contrary things
t really were simultaneously true in the young cosmos. It

makes no sense to you because you’re used to living in this,
the singular world. But once you accept the idea of the
multiple world, it clears up a lot of the problemsyou humans
raised his eyebrows, sat up straighter, and smiled back at
Matthew. “But we were discussingEden, not the Abyss.”
FORBIDDEN
FRUIT
have with faith, miracles, the Divine Architect-”
“If Paradise was so perfect, why did mankind rebel?
For that matter, why did you?”
“I don’t have any problems with my faith.”
“Becausehumanity was blind, Reverend. The Bible
“None? Well, you should. Can an omnipotent would prefer to call them innocent,but the fact was that
being create a boulder so big he can’t lift it?”
they were kept ignorant of themselves and the world
Matthew dismissed the thought with an irritated around them. The Divine Plan included everything
wave of his hand. “Oh,here we go.. . Are you trying to they might possibly need ... except the capacity to
shake my faith again? Because it’s going to take a lot appreciate their good fortune.”
more than that tired old chestnut.” Matthew cocked his head. “Somehow I suspect
“I’mnot trying to attack anything, just demonstrate you’re being less than forthright with me.”
t
a point. If God can create the boulder so big He can’t lift Noah’s hand hit the coffee table by his chair sharply.
it, then His power isn’t infinite: It’s not sufficient to lift “If you want to accuse me of something,why don’t you just
the boulder. But if He can’tmake a boulder too big to lift, say it? Do you think I enjoy pouring out the story of my
than His power is still not infinite: It’s not sufficient to greatest tragedy to someone who thinks I kidnapped his
create the boulder. That’s the kind of problems you run son?You think I derive some jaded pleasure from talking
into in the singular world. But the multiple world about watching my friends die, watching the humanity I
resolves those paradoxes loved suffer, watching reality itself sicken and crumble?”
“Paradisewas layers of varied and interrelated realities Matthew met his gaze, and it was like steel hitting
-each revealing and relating to the others, showing them stone. “I find it hard to believe that men designed by God
from different perspectivesor providing new joys and expe- -or, as you insist,byangels-would have this fatalflaw.
riences. Or they were supposed to, anyhow.” He sighed. I don’t believe humankind was unhappy in Eden -
“You mean all those layers of reality still weren’t unless you and your ‘Elohim’made them unhappy.”
good enough ?” “You think Adam and Eve were happy?” Gaviel
Taradise was purer and richer and more fulfilling shrugged. “Maybeto the extent that a dog is happy when it
than this reality by an incalculable measure. Compared wags its tail or apig is happy when it rolls in mud. They could
to Paradise, this world is Hell. Although, to be fair, experiencephysicalpleasure,but -even less than a certain
compared to Hell, this world is Paradise.” stubborn minister I could mention- they possessed no real
“Hell has no layers?” comprehension.A beautiful sunsetmeant nothing to them,
Gaviel nodded. except that night would soon fall. Even the beauty of each
“Hell is very nearly nothing at all. It is a void marred other -and they were the apex of human beauty, Matthew
only by our awareness of it, and our ability to feel our -even that just didn’t register. The pleasure of a full belly
rejection by our Maker.” Unconsciously, Noah‘s hands andwarmfeet,those were the limitsoftheirunderstanding.”
rose to hug himself, as if suddenly chilled. The gesture “So they were innocent. Like children.”
was oddly touching, and Matthew wondered if it was %nocent like pigeons, more like. Innocent 1
staged for his benefit. that goes through your trash. Only these pigeons

ONE
CHAPTER
potentialto be poets, scholars,sculptors and musicians. We “You can’t think God would be so spiteful,” Mat-
tried to show them, tried to teach them, to the extent that thew said, then rolled his eyes. “Or maybe you can. I’m
we were able. But it wasn’t much. A Fundamental could
open the earth to them, revealing a seam of diamonds and
gold, but primal humanity just scratched their heads and
moved on. And you think we made them unhappy? A
not buying it.”
“Oh,and -thousands of years after the fact -you
have a better explanation?”
Matthew shrugged. “Perhaps His motivation was so
\
spirit on the wind -I knew him, his name would sound complicated only He could comprehend it. Perhaps
to your ears as ‘Raphael’- made an elaborate plan to play anyone who wanted to also understand it would have to
a song for them. He had to shuttle himself between become one with Him.”
hundreds of facets -the ‘realitylayers’I told you about - Gaviel shrugged. “Apotheosis?Annihilation?Like
in order to make his plans with angels of other houses. A the fates of dead souls, they both look alike to an
Cherubof the Spheres told him when his chosen audience outside observer.
was fated to walk through a certain windy valley. Angels ‘That was our dilemma,Reverend. We could see the
of the Fundament worked with him to crack the valley wonders of the world, in all their iterated splendor. We
walls, just so, that the wind might echo through them like
1
knew that humanity was the apex of that world - the
harp strings. Trees were moved into place, that the creak capstone, the crown jewel, the wonder of wonders. You
of their limbs might harmonize, while birds were enticed were truly the children of the Father, in a way that even
there to add the high notes, even as the valley’sstreambed we were not, destined in time to be as He was and make
was sculpted into the right shape to sound percussion from as He made. You were the sun around which the whole
the moving water.. . Raphael labored for ages to give your world spun. Yet you were flawed -flawed by design, it
forebears ten minutes of music, coaxed lovingly out of seemed, and destined to remain flawed forever.’’
entirely natural sounds. Do you know what happened?” Matthew sat still for a moment. He took a sip of
‘(What?” coffee to cover his confusion.
“Adam caught and ate one of the birds, while Eve “What was mankind’s flaw? I mean, we hadn’t
checked the trees to see if they had fruit. And that was sinned yet, had we?”
the entirety of their reaction.” “Sin was impossible to humanity at that time, in the
“Hmph. That’s quite a story. But if mankind was so same way you don’t impute moral weight to the actions
ignorant, why would he bother?” of a dragonfly or a koala bear. You were the most
“Isn’tthat obvious?Hedid it becausehe loved them. He advanced of animals, but you were still animals.
did it because he couldn’t show himself and play for them
directly. Remember, they were not to know that they were
protected. They were not to know that they were watched.
Theywere not to know that the blessingsthey received were
the gifts of thought and foresight, rather than.. . random
“It was clear to allof us in the Host that you weredestined
for greatness-that all the worldwasmadeforyou-and yet,
you were unable to graspyour potential. You could not realize
your true awareness, no matter how we tried to jar and
stimulate you.” His brow clouded as he said, “We tried and
1
,
events. We moved about them unseen, and they moved tried, and you just ddn’tget it. But because of our commands
about the world, comprehendingonly the thinnest fraction against interference,we couldn’t simply give it to you.
of what they saw. So no, they weren’t ‘unhappy.’ But we V h a t could be done?We watched you suffer in your
could see they were incomplete.” ignorance -for even in that primitive state, you could at
“Soyou took it upon yourselves to ‘complete’ us.” least understand the disappointment of your Maker as He
“Wouldn’t you? You loved your son - no matter daily waited for progress that never came. Every day, your
how angry he got with you, he never doubted your love suffering was reflected in us, growing keener and stronger
for him. What would you do if his mother had tried to until one day it finally came to a head.”
keep him out of school, saying, ‘Oh, he’s so happy as a
baby, why let him grow?”’
“That’s hardly the same thing.” “The real root of the rebellion was a scholarly angel
“It’s ewzctly the same thing! W h y didn’t the Benevo- we might call Ahrimal. A student of the spheres, he and
lent Creator allow them higher reason?We asked ourselves his House were much intrigued by the effect humanity
that same question, believe me. Some of the Seraphim had on the cosmos. Without humankind, Paradise was
even went so far as to ask Him. His reply was not particu- superficially perfect, but ultimately stagnant. Human-
larly helpful. ‘If you would know as I know, come unto Me ity added a factor of chaos and uncertainty to a world
and see as I see.’ A few bold angels even took Him up on that was otherwise as predictable as atomic decay. The
Fates watched this with keen interest, attempting to
comprehend the deeper, richerpatterns that humanity’s
free will wove into the universal tapestry.
27

“It was this Ahrimal- not, so great a light himself - “‘Iam shocked and amazed that the wise councilof the
who first perceived a knot of great destructiveness and Fates has ignored this matter. Our friend shows us that a
turmoil. It was still on the horizon of the unrealized future, time approacheswhen the voice ofbeauty will be silenced,
but each day made it stronger and darker. Unquestionably, and the joy of artifice perverted into the ugliness of deceit
humanity had some role to play in this looming tragedy. and falsehood. Is it an act of love to stand by while this
“Disturbed and afraid, Ahrimal told his masters what happens? We cannot pretend ignorance while this great
he had foreseen,but they told him to be calm and have no disaster rolls in from the horizon. We must act.’
fear. When he showedthem, they simplyrepliedthat it was “‘But what action should we take?’
an anomaly, a necessary potentialbad to offset the perfect “This was spoken by Usiel, Throne of the Sun-
actual good. Surely (they said) the Maker would never let
dered, a potent Angel of the Second World. Like many
His creation founder on such treacherous shoals. They
of his House, he was absent even when he was present.
forgot His warnings and went about their business.
A t the edges of his body, light was cut short, with an
“Ahrimal could not rest quite so easy. Dismissed by
edge keener than a razor, and where his shadow fell the
his own House, he called upon his friends and col-
World of Death became visible.
leagues. They arrived at his lunar sanctum with no idea
how grave his concerns were, but they soon suspected “‘Our orders are clear: Intercession is forbidden. The
from his worried visage. Retreating to an obscure cham- woman and the man are to make their own way.’He turned
ber, he told them of his vision and, moreover, showed to Ahrimal and addressedhim in particular. ‘Youmay thtnk
them the evidence of his foreseen doom. you have the farthest sight, and that is true for things of this
“‘My friends,’ he whispered. ‘What can we do?’ world, but your vision falters at the edge of my realm. It is
“The first to speak was Belial, Virtue of the Boundless there, I fear, that this coming trouble will end.’
Deeps. Radiant in his cloak of blue and aqua scales, his “‘Indeed?’
,voice had in it the thunder of a groaning glacier, married (‘Theresponse came not from Ahrimal, but from the
to the smooth sigh of a wave kissing the shore. Ofall our perfumed breath of Lailah the Defender, an Angel of the
number, none had so keen a taste for beauty, none took Firmament. That airy spirit took formless form for the
such joy in the art of the world.. .and, consequently,none debate, and through the lens of her being, each arch of the
sufferedso much from humanity’s loss. moon castle chamber seemed more noble, each line of its
28
Stephen White (order #2497740)

t 6
1 CHAPTER
OYE
I
walls more true. Even fair Belial’s beauty was magnified Elohim are truly free,truly fulfilledor truly able to discharge
when seen through Lailah’s eyes. In her attendance, the our duties of service and adoration. while humanity re-
danger of disagreement seemed to wane. ‘Perhaps the mains incomplete, the universe remains incomplete.
Second World is the key. In this best ordered world, “‘I am a maker of beauty and a giver of wonder, but
perhaps disaster is no peril at all? Perhaps the entry of all my creation is sterile as dust with no eye to behold it a
humans into your realm is their true destiny. Perhaps that or ear to give heed. Can it be our Master’s will that we
is the missing element -the stumbling block that keeps be thwarted in those very acts for which we were made?
them from reaching their true potential.’ Surely not, and to say so is to attribute cruelty unto Him
“‘You speak of that which you know not,’ replied whose kindness extends to the creation of us all, and of
Usiel. ‘Much as I should love to embrace mankind as this world of marvels we find about us on all sides.’
closely as you and yours do, I dare not risk it. Should we “‘We all long for the day when humanity finds its true
plunge mankind into death on the strength of a ‘perhaps’? potentia1,’saidUsiel, ‘But how can we hasten its coming?’
Perhaps the chance of death will spill out humanity’s “‘That is the question. That must be our mission.’
chances and leave them forever denied. Perhaps human “Ahrimal agreed, but Usiel argued emphatically that
1
mortality will shake both worlds or even split them apart!’ interfering with the progress of human evolution at one
“In this, Usiel proved as apt a prophet as Ahrimal, but point could have unforeseen repercussions along its
at the time heseemedonly frightened,not wise.We thought entire length, and in this, Ahrimal was reluctantly forced
no suffering could be keener than the thwarted love we felt. to agree. ‘But,’ the Fate hastened to add, ‘With human-
“We were wrong. kind, the stern boundaries of the future are already
“‘Lookingaround this world we have built and at the blurred and shifting. If we act as we are wont and give as
humanity we lovingly crafted, I see only two elements freely as we desire, who is to say that the ultimate effect
that mar this perfection,’said Belial. ‘One is the source of will not be good?Indeed, moved as we are by the highest
our longtime frustration: humanity’s failure to awaken motives, how can any ill result? Can evil spring from
their true potential. Although it lies within their reach, good? Can love beget wickedness? Surely not, else the
they fail to grasp it, day after day. This is a torment to each entire universe is absurd and pointless -and that is an
of us, from lowly angel to mighty seraph. Now, Ahrimal idea so blasphemous I hesitate to speak it.’
brings tidings of failure and horror for all the world. Can “‘Perhaps my role gives me more perspective,’ said
these two sorrows be unmarried?Or is it more likely that Usiel. ‘If mankind is destined to awaken, surely no action of
the forthcoming bane of the world is connected to the ours can hinder them -unless we interfere. We do not see
suffering and failure of Eve and Adam?’ asGod sees,and what looks to us like kindnessmay bear cruel
“‘Surelyyou cannot impute guilt in this matter to the fruit in the fullness of time. We cannot see everyside of this
man and the woman?’ Lailah‘s shock was a chill gust of Creation from within it, but He dwells without and naught
wind and a momentary dimming of the beauty she beheld. can hide from Him. Why, then, should we meddle?’
“‘Guilt?No,’replied Belial. ‘But in what other aspect “ItwasBelialwhoreplied.‘Youspeaktrulywhenyousay
of the cosmos do we see failure?The stars move as they that we cannot know the fullness of Creation from within.
should. The ocean tides are steady and smooth. Genera- But should that excuseus from fulfillingour first and greatest
tions of beasts and plants rise and are cut down. Only duty?Your House is one that reacts and responds to what is,
humanity is anything other than what it was meant to be.’ but other Houses are charged to create and expand this
‘“Indeed,’ said Ahrimal, ‘What else could so con- world. You argue that we should acceptthat future eventsare
found the universal plan? No bird nor beast no star in as willed by the Maker simply because they happen to what
the sky is important enough to bring desolation on the He has made. But by that reasoning,we ought never to have
whole of the world, Belial is right: Adam and Eve are, hung the constellationsor shaped the mountains or sculpted
though guiltless, somehow some part of the cause.’ the depths of the sea. We should instead have said ‘If the
“Usiel shrugged. ‘If the future peril is a consequence world is sterile,sterility must be itsdestiny,’and ‘If the world
of their present plight, what can we do?The command is dark, it must be meant for darkness.’ Ahrimal tells us of
against interference cannot be ignored.’ impendingdanger. How are we to know that action against
“‘The plight of humanity touches us all, to the extent it -action to help and protect mankind, action for which
that each of us bears great love for mankind,’replied Belial. every fiber within us cries -is not OUT destiny?Perhaps, as
‘Theirhelplessness becomes our helplessness. They are but you say, we will harm them by helping too soon. But is it not
a shadow of their ultimate potential while we are forbidden also possible that we will harm them by refusing to help? If
to serve them fully. They are diminished by ignorance, one is unknowable, then the other is surely equally so.’
unaware of their true power. We are bound, not by walls we “‘The love you demonstrate does you great credit,’
t see, but by the iron command of our Maker. Yet Lailah said to Belial. ‘But while Eve and Adam are the
Adam and Eve remain hobbled, none among the capstones of Creation, they are only one element thereof.
29

DEMON:
THEF.4LLEN
They do not exist independent of their world, nor is it roamed every corner of the starry vacuum in quest of
unmoved by them. If we push them to awaken and fail - her. Yet neither lowly angel nor mighty cherub have
even with the best intentions, even with the noblest goals found her. Usiel, have you searched your realm for her?’
- what will be the end of it? Grave Usiel suggests a rift ‘“She is not dead,’ was all Usiel could say.
between the World of Life and the Afterlife. What if other ‘“Not dead, and not alive, but simply gone, removed
facets of the cosmos are shaken?Our power is great, and by from our knowing.. . this is the fate allotted to those who
strivingagainstthe world we may injure the world. By trying would know the ultimate truth. It is not for me. I do not fear
to shape the souls of man, we might warp them instead.’ destruction for my sake, but I fear the loss of any in the Host
“‘And that being so, you would choose to do nothing? who might turn aside the age of wrath I have foreseen.No,
asked Belial. ‘Doyou think we -we ministers of Creation, seeingas God sees is no answer if doing so is such a great step
we who built it and who are charged with its defense -are out of the cosmos that no return is possible.’
soclumsy,soignorant,sofoohardyastoruinwhatwemade? “‘Then what are our choices?’ demanded Lailah.
“‘I say nothing but that our choice must be starkly ‘We can stay here, poised for action, but ignorant of
divided into action and inaction. Any decision, small or the right decision? Or we can pass beyond, learn the
large, could be the cause of the future we fear. By our truth, and be impotent?”’
1 own power, we do not know and never can. We are Gaviel paused in his recitation and looked at Mat-
indeed, to use your image, trapped on the water’s edge, thew. “DOyou know much about quantum physics?”
unable to walk or swim without peril. “What?”
“‘Butfor us, there is a third way. As we of the Firmament “Quantumphysics?Heisenberg’s uncertaintyprinciple?“
fly to the aid of any charge in danger,so may God lift us away Seeing the confusion in the reverend’s expression, he
from this hazardous shore. We cannot know, but we can shrugged. “Noah didn’t think you’d know anything about
trust in Him who does, the Unmoved Mover, the One
post-Newtonian mechanics - and, indeed, why should
Outside the World. If He tells me to reveal myself to our
you?- but if you did, I might be able to give you some of the
beloved charges, I will do so with infinite gladness in my
deeper nuances of Lailah’sdiscussion with Ahrimal.”
heart. But if He compels me to remain hidden, no force in
this world or the next could make me break faith.’ “Ah.Well,sorry ifyourdiscussionwastoo rarefied forthis
PO’, ign’nt,down home preach-man.” With each word, he
“‘How wise your counsel would be, if only we could
know His will!’ cried Ahrimal. ‘With the reassurance of broadened his pronunciation, until the last phrase was a
His word, I would wait until the stars dimmed. But we parcdy of every uneducated rural black from decadesof films.
“Don’t be that way, Matthew. You know there’s no
I have no word!’
“‘We have the opportunity to see as He sees,’ said
Usiel, but there was doubt in his voice.
one here but us niggers.” Gaviel’s words were calm, clear,
articulate. “Quantum mechanics is a field of scientific
study that examines subatomic particles and their behav-
‘“Formyself,’ said Belial, ‘I would take that chance -
but what of Haniel, what of Injios, what of the Dominion ior. One of the essential challenges of the discipline is
I of Summer Breezes and the Angel of the Unseen Light? that, in many incidences, knowing one fact about a
particle precludes knowing another. It may be possible to
They went, they saw and they are no more! Not one of
them, from lowly angel through mighty throne, has re- know an electron’s velocity, but the process of finding
turned to give word, give hope, give knowledge! Haniel that out changes the electron’s location. Or you may be
was your boon companion, Usiel. Where is she now? able to know where it is at one specific moment, but by
When you speakher name, no echo returns! When you ask learning that fact, you change its speed.”
her what she saw, get you any answer?’ “And that’s what Lailah and Ahrimal talked about
t
“‘Perhapsshe is forbidden to speak of what she saw,’ next? I’m sorry, but this whole scene rings false to me.”
Usiel said in response, but his words were muffled in “Ah. Once more you want to call me a liar without
sorrow, for his love for Haniel was great and all knew the actually having the testicular fortitude to speak the words.
pain her loss had placed upon his soul. W h y don’tyou call me a ‘God-damnedliar’while you’re at
“‘You know better than any her great loyalty,’ said it?Then at least part of your phrase would be true.’’
Ahrimal. His face was a mask of compassion, and his “You really mean to tell me that in the face of some
compassion was also a gust of stellar wind, and a bright world-shakingcatastrophe,you angels got together and had
shower of falling stars. ‘If forbidden to speak, she would achat?Thatyousataroundsomemoonpalaceandeloquently
speak not of her knowledge. But it is not only on the discussed the pros and cons of going to war with God?”
dark future fate that she is silenced. Her light is gone “We were creatures of order and hierarchy, not to
from the sky. Her song is silenced on the strands. I have mention dignity.How do you think we settled things?Mud
sought her in the passages of time, and she is not there. wrestling?Matthew, I’m giving you the version you can
Belial has looked for her in the depths, and Michael has understand, all right? Lailah and Ahrimal did not talk
30

_____
CHBPTER O N E
about physics, they continued their discussion through “They were wrong,” he said.
physics. On one level, they were discussingthe motives of The foursome looked at each other with shock
the Maker and His will in a sunny palace on the moon. On and amazement.
another level, they were waves and particles interacting on “Great Morningstar,” said Lailah, “Have you word
the barren crust of anairless, lifeless rock. A third level had for us? Word from the Most High?”
all the participantsasmusicalelements,improvisingagainst Lucifershook his head. “He is unmoved. Even the voice
one another to communicatepure emotion.” ofallangelsinchoircouldnotshake the LordAbovefromHis
“Different facets.” position. We can move planets in their spheres, turn moun-
“Yes. We are natural laws, Matthew. Or we were.” tains into canyons and oceans into sand.. . but we cannot
Gaviel sighed. “Those duties have been reassigned, it change one letter of what is writ on the Maker’s heart.”
seems, but we were once waves and quanta. We danced, “How can this be?”Aghast, Belial could only stare,
r
not on the head of a pin, but in the orbits of electrons.’’ his visage marred by sorrow and disbelief. “Is His heart
so cold toward us, his children?”
“We are no children of His, my friend, but only his
Anyway, Lailah and Ahrimal debated passionately servants. His true children are Eve and Adam, our helpless
about the possibility that knowing what to do and doing it masters, whose ignorancedefeats all our wisdom. Our duty
might be mutually exclusive, but they came to no conclu- is to them as to Him, and on their future -yea, even the
sion. Eventually, Belial gave voice to his impatience. future of fear and horror that noble Ahrimal has seen -
“We do not know -it may be that we cannot know His silence is deeper than the vacuum of space.”
- and it seems that we cannot even learn whether we “Then what are we to do?”asked Usiel.
can know or not. Does any among us wish to follow the “Wecan obey our orders,”said Lucifer. “We can love
path of Haniel and Injios?”Hearing great silence in reply, mankind to the fullest extent of our power. We can free .
he continued. “Having spurned the path of impotent them, give them their true selves- and in so doing, either
knowledge, we must now consider two other courses, as head off the horror ahead or arm humanity to endure it.!’
explained by gracious Lailah, whose wisdom is unsur- “But our orders!” said Lailah. “We were expressly
passed. Action and inaction are our choices, and I feel in commanded not to interfere. These words you speak are
my very core a loathing for inaction.” not from God, and I fear them.”
“Are your preferences, then, to serve as a guide in “By the same authority, we were ordered expressly to
this matter of universal import?” asked Usiel. “My love. Not to watch uncaring, not to oversee,but to h e them.
‘preference’is just as purely to let all remain as it is.” I see a clear and violent conflict between those two com-
“Leaving the woman and the man in sorrow and mands.Unable tobetrue toboth, I choose toobey the higher.”
ignorance?” asked Ahrimal. “Choose?” said Belial. “Then you do not know?”
“Better that than dead!” “I can see no farther than this one here,’’ Lucifer
The debate became increasingly fervent, until all said, gesturing to Ahrimal. “But like you, the taste of
tongues were stilled by a sudden arrival. He was unin- inaction is bitter on my tongue.”
vited, and unwelcome, and as he entered, the others ‘(Whatif the interference, our interference, is the
dropped to their knees in reverence and fear. very path we fear?”asked Usiel. “You cannot deny that
He came in splendor and power, garbed in all phases we are striking blindly in the darkness.”
of light. He was the highest agent of the highest House, ‘‘I deny nothing,” replied Lucifer, “And I am as aware
the Seraph of the Morning. He was Lucifer, and every as you that whichever way we turn could be the wrong
molecule in his presence hummed in time to his words.
t
path. If we go to the woman and man with our gifts, the
“Rise,” he said, “My fellow servants of The One.” Lord may well judge us harshly. We could be condemned
Trembling, the Elohim stood, prepared for the as oathbreakers, scorned for disobedience, cast out from
anger of their maker. But that was not Lucifer’s message. the light of His love.. . even destroyed entirely. But if we
Instead he turned to Ahrimal. stay silent, we may watch unmoving as the children we
“You have seen a coming darkness,” he said. The love lead the world we love into a pit of terror and malice.”
Fate nodded. “But there is no way to know!” cried Lailah.
“And you informed, those above you?” Again, Wone whatever. But I love Eve and Adam as I love the
Ahrimal could only nod. Lord. If He commanded my destruction, gladly I would go.
“What did they do!” It is a poor show if our love is limited by self-preservation.”
“They.. .they told me to have no fear. That nothing “I fear no risk to me,” said Belial, “My reservation is
needed to be done.” the risk to humankind - to their lives, their souls, to
Lucifer nodded. the very world!”

“The dangers of my path are very real and as great
as you fear. Yet answer me this: What crisis is better met
’ by weakness than strength, better understood by igno- Picture the scene. Twilight in Eden. The first
rance than knowledge? Yes, revealing ourselves to the woman and man walk upon a verdant carpet, caressed
mortals may ignite this holocaust. Yes, exalting them by the fragrance of a thousand blossoms. The sun hides
may be the act that unhinges Creation. But if awakened its face in a cloudy blush, shedding ribbons of glory in
humanity is the source of this crisis, might not awak- crimson, vermilion and regal purple.. .but all its display
ened humanity be the cure for it as well? Or would YOU cannot hide its eclipse, and gradually it sinks. The
have them face the coming catastrophe as they are now shadows grow long until all is encompassed. The green
-blind, irrational, little better than cunning apes? of the leaves turns black and then, as eyes adjust to
“That is the worst consequence of action: That starlight, everything is etched with silver.
humanity faces the terror with its full powers awakened. Your ancestors stride through it unseeing, unfeel-
Let us weigh it in the balance against the worst we could ing and uncertain. They are each a monument to
imagine if we do nothing. In that case, humanity faces beauty, but neither can see it in the other, neither can
its gravest threat with no defenses at all. They enter the comprehend. They sniff and stumble and find a fruiting
madness unwarned, unaware, unable to even compre- vine, the sprouting top of a vegetable. They pull their
hend the fires that engulf them.” supper from the soil and as they do, a voice - a mild
Lucifer bowed his head, and it seemed for a moment voice, afraid but thick with longing -speaks to them.
as if all light, everywhere in the cosmos, dimmed in “Eve,” it says. “Adam. I have done this for you.”
reply. “If this choice is wrong, on my head be it.” Turning, amazed, they see a figure before them, garbed in
Eyes bright with passion, Belial stepped forward to gray, austere and holy. Twilight is fitting for this appari-
stand beside him. (‘I’mfor you!” he cried. “Let us follow tion, for she is Madisel, Archangel of the Unseen Past,
our hearts, do this deed and dare to love fully! Even ifwe one from the Final House. Of all the soul takers, she was
fail, we can do no less and be worthy of our names.” the highest who chose Lucifer’s path, and it was agreed
Usiel shook his head. “No,”he replied. “Forgive my that she -representing the lowest angels -should be
impudence, Morningstar, but I revere your master more the first to show her face. We wished, you see, to reveal
than you. I will not trust the wisdom of the Lord’s ourselves slowly, to let them grow accustomed to us.
creatures above the wisdom of His word. The Most High In mute silence they stare at her pale skin, dark eyes,
bid me hide, and hidden I shall remain.” ashen wings. ((This,”she says, gesturing at their supper.
I ‘‘I too will not rebel,” said Lailah. “The All-Maker

would not condemn His creation to destruction. You
say that without truth, humanity has no protection. To
“This died for you. This plant has died to renew your life,
and it is through me that this is done. Take it with my
blessing.. . because I love you.”
say such is to show contempt for their Father above. You Frowning,stillpuzzled, they eat, and as they do,a second
can trust in your power, in your love and in your wisdom. figure appears. Where Madisel was frail as steam, this one
I I will trust in the Lord.” seems strongas a storm-vibrant,vital and solid as a mighty
Ofthose who debated, it was Ahrimal, the least, who oak.The humansstare in awe at the glory of his goldenmane,
spokelast. “I know not what I saw, only that it was horrible. the strengthvisible in each strainingmuscle, the life coursing
I know not how it will come about, only that humanity is through his keen eyes and great feathers. His great h e
involved. I cannot decide upon my duty, because any way twitches,each nerve and sinew aching to proclaim.At last his
I turn I must betray one order or the other. But I have faith voice comes forth in a magnificent rush.
in Adam and Eve. I have faith in the universe we have “I.. .I am Grifiel,” the figuresays,“PrincipalityofThose
made. And I have faith that a perfected humanity is far Who Hunt By Day. Many times have those in my domain
more likely to see a way to avoid this catastrophe. I stand lookedonyouwithgreedyeyes,butthey knew your fleshwas
with the Morningstar. I say we act.” not for them. They struck down grazing things and swim-
Thus were the seeds of contention sown. The ming things and running things, but you were spared their
Elohim flew in two directions, each calling others to claws. My word turned them aside, because I love you.”
declare the schism. Usiel and Lailah withdrew to the Dazzled by these two visitors,the woman and the man
highest spheres of Heaven, to distance themselves from were stunned yet again by a figure that rose from a nearby
Lucifer and his rash act. The Morningstar and his stream. All the dappled glory of moonlight on water shone
followers plunged toward Earth, intent on making good from her hair and eyes, and as she stepped toward them,
on their bold decision before any could prevent them. trembling with awe and passion. The sound of trickling
Though none knew it, the first steps to the Age of water from her hair and dark wings made a delicate music
Wrath had been taken. But before that hell began, there -but not more delicate than the music ofher voice. “I
were still some joys and wonders left to we who fell. Senivel,” she said. “I speak for the House of the Dee
32

n CHAPTER
ONE
I
I am the Power of the Slender Streams. Each time you bent her words both humans and angels were calmed, sensing
to drink, we kissed you unaware, because we love you.” the safety that flowed from her like sweet breath. “Unseen
In a shower of starlight, the next messenger came. and unknown, I and mine have guarded you,” she said.
He spread his wings of night above them and his voice “From fall and hurt and bitter mischance, we have each
was the grinding of the planets as they moved in their time turned you aside. Know now that you walk always in
orbits. “I am Gaar-Asok, the Pole Star’s Virtue. I speak our embrace, for we love you.”
for the House of Fate, and I offer you our blessings of the With the holy pair calmed by the appearance of their
future and the past, for we love you.” protector, the time had come for the greatest ofour number.
A rumble coursed through the earth, and it opened at In a blaze to rival the dawn, Lucifer descended. His glory,
their feet, like a blooming flower unveiling golden pollen. unbound, flung them to their knees. All the light of the
At the center of the earth-blossom towered a figure of cosmos seemed focused through him, and all its majesty
shining splendor. The gold and silver feathers of its wings poured forth in liquid waves unto his beloved humanity.
clicked and chimed as it bowed low before humankind. “I Alone of all the Elohim, he showed no trepida-
am Toguiel,the Ruby Dominion, and I bring you the gifts of tion. There was n o pause of dread, no quiver of awe as
1
the House of Matter.” A gesture, and veins of diamond and the Morningstar spoke.
jade rose up around them, a garden of gems on golden stalks. “I am Lucifer, Seraph of the First House, Prince of All
“I andmineofferthisgiftasthesmallestsignofourgreatlove. Angels and Voice of God the Most High,” he proclaimed.
We pray that they please you. We beg you to accept them.” “But I come before you not to speak for God, but to speak as
1
Shocked and amazed, the mortals cowered, but the a humble supplicant. We angels you see before you -they
revelations were not yet finished. The sweet breeze of the and multitudes more from each of the seven Houses -have
garden grew stronger, thickening into solid movement, come at last to declare our love. Angels have watched you
into a form that cast glory around it, redoubling the beauty since the beginning. Angels numerous as the stars above
of all those present. Like warmth, like comfort, like peace have cherished your everymove and gesture.”Like them, he
was the voice of Nazriel, Throne of Unbounded Benevo- knelt, and as he did, so did the others. His burning wings
lence, the highest emissary of the Second House who encircled the woman and the man and, with a gentle stroke,
joined in Lucifer’scrusade. She identified herself, and with bid them stand before the reverent spirits.
33

“We come now, not as officers of the cosmos and orders of God. But we meant no harm. It’s a thin excuse,
agentsof its Maker, but as individuals.We come ofour own and it really absolves us of nothing ... but I maintain,
1 will to offer you a final gift -the greatest gift we can give,
the only fit gift for our overwhelming love. You may take
even now, even after my torment and the horrors of the
war and the atrocities that were to follow, that even as
it and become like us, and like God, and be fully aware of we transgressed, our motives were pure.”
the vistas of creation. Or you may refuse it, and remain as “If disobeying God isn’t evil, what is?”
you are, and never more be troubled by our sight. We will Gaviel steepled his fingers. “That’s the question,
never abandon you -our adoration precludes it -but if isn’t it?Is deciding to harm another evil?By that token,
you do not wish to receive our gift, speak now, and we shall the soldiers who killed Nazis to liberate the concentra-
hide again, protecting and loving you only from afar.” tion camps were as evil as the butchers they slew. Or is it
The woman and man turned to one another and Kant’s categorical imperative -that when we decide to
spoke in hushed tones. use others as a means instead of cherishing each indi-
“What beings are these ?” asked the man. “They come vidual as a separate, precious end - that is when we
garbed in glory but abase themselves before us. They say become evil?But in this age of mass votes and mass media,
they are of God, but that their actions are their own. How how can each individual be seen, let alone cherished?’
He shook his head. “Evil, I think, begins when you
1 can these both be so?What can we say to their offer?’

‘(They love us,” said the woman, “so they must
mean us well. If the gifts they have given so far -safety
deceive yourself so that you may harm others.”
“How can you deceive yourself?”
“I would think an adulterer would understand,”
and water and food - have been good, how much
better must their ultimate gift be!” Gaviel said with a cold smile. “You tell yourself you’re
not going to do it, even as you pave the way. You tell
“You are right,” said the man. “We should accept
yourself you’ll only see her to the door, but it would be
what they offer, whatever it is. Having seen their rude not to step inside if she asks. You tell yourself it’s
splendor, I want to continue to see them, and if they just this one time, that it was a momentary lapse, that
were to leave us forever, my heart would break.” it’ll never happen again.. . but it does.”
Turning to Lucifer, they made their choice. With They were quiet again, before Matthew said “And
solemn joy, Lucifer opened their eyes. that’s what you gave them in the garden?That was your
C R I MOF~QA~SIOR gift of good intentions and pure love?’
Gaviel sighed. “Our gift to you was consciousness.
Gaviel paused in his recitation and looked down at We led you to think in a new way - to compare and
t his own folded hands.

“The Fall,” Matthew said.
“Was it!” Gaviel replied quietly.
describe and understand things abstractly. Metaphor
and simile. That was our gift.”
“What?You’re telling me that the Fall came down
“Didhumanity have any idea what it was getting into?” to.. . to grade school grammar elements?That’s insane!”
“No more than we did.” (‘Isit?What separateshumans from animals, if not that
“I suppose it’s a paradox,” Matthew said, unthink- very ability?It’s not language -whales have language. It’s
ingly sipping his drink. ‘(Youcan’t understand what it not social action -even lowly ants can act in concert. It’s
means to know good and evil unless you know good and not accumulated wisdom and ‘culture’-elephants teach
evil. Like you angels, humanity had to decide blind.’’ their childrenthings that go beyondmereinstinct. Bonobos
Gaviel shook his head. “We didn’t give them knowl- and otters use tools. What can humans do that animals
edge of evil and good. At that point, there stillwas no evil.” can’t?What elements are unique to humanity?”
“How can you say that? You knowingly rebelled “Laughter.”
against God your master. If that’s not evil, what is?” “Indeed -and laughter is a function of conscious-
“We knowingly rebelled, but with the best of inten- ness. Why do we laugh? Because we perceive an
tions. Please acknowledge that, Matthew. We meant incongruity, or a false congruity. The duchess with the
no harm. We only wanted to help.” duck on her head is funny because it’s a composition of
“‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions,”’ dignity and the absurd. A pun amuses because two
Matthew quoted, with a slight tilt of his head. words sound similar but mean different things. None of
“That may be one of the most insightful comments this is possible without consciousness.”
in human history,’’Gaviel replied. “We truly had no ill “Good and evil, then, come from this consciousness?”
in mind. We sought only to avoid or alleviate the “Certainly. A biting dog is a bad dog, not an evil one.
disaster we foresaw. And yes, we were foolish. We were To be evil, you have to be aware of a better choice and
blind and ignorant and na‘ive and arrogant -so sure of ignore it. And deliberately turning away from a tangibly
our own power, our own judgment, that we scorned the better outcome is only something that a person motivated

1 CHAPTER
OW
I
by the intangible would do.” Gaviel leaned in, intent. the wild taught them kindness for the dog and the horse,
“Crimesof conscience are crimesof consciousness.Our gift who showed their loyalty in return. Not to be outdone, the
to you was the ability to look at things outside individual Fates gave them writing, that they might capture the past
instances, and see them instead as one example of a group. and leave its descriptions to the future.
You could categorize. Instead of thinking about one par- It was one night that lasted a thousand years, in
ticular sheep or herd of sheep, you could think of sheep as which the two became four, became many, became a
a category - and then grazing things as a category, and nation of artists and philosophers and builders of won-
then all animals as a category. Or -if you want to see it ders. With our aid, true humanity had slipped its bonds
from a more sinister side -instead of seeingoneparticular and worked its full strength upon the world. It was a time
black shopkeeper with good manners and a wholesome like no other -mankind, perfected, in a perfect world.
family life, a skinhead can see him as a member of a But however great the night of rejoicing, the day of
‘mongrel race’ deserving of torture and death.” reckoning was still to come. We made our marvels under
“But that’s a false category -you can’t stack it up cover of darkness, but the sun -the harsh light of God’s
against that platonic form business with the sheep.” pitiless eye -could not be delayed in its course.
1
“Can’t I? Without metaphors and abstraction, can When the sun came up on the new works of Man,
one lie?” it rose with a vanguard of angels. First among them was
Matthew opened his mouth and then shut it, frown- Michael -formerly the Cherub of the Unerring Beam.
ing. “You can lie.. . but not very well.” Now, as he flared above Paradise, he announced himself
Gaviel tilted his head and raised aneyebrow.“Please, with a new title.
explain. This interests me.” “I am Michael, Seraph of the Flaming Sword and
“Well, if I.. . I don’t have metaphors, I can make a Voice of God. I have come to bear tidings from the Maker
statement that I know isn’t true. ‘The sky is green,’ or.. .” of All, tidings of His anger and dread retribution.”
“‘There aren’t any troops massed over the hill.”’ The humans, awestruck, fell to their knees, but no
‘Sure. But I can’t elaborate on it or.. .or treat it like it’s rebel Elohim knelt. Instead, we arrayed ourselves above
real. If I lie about hidden troops and I’m conscious, I can our mortal students, gripping tools that might serve as
think of reasons that the lie would be true, right?Because weapons. We faced the Holy Host unbowed.
I can make parallels between what is and what isn’t.’’ “Youhave sinned against your Master,”saidMichael,
“Falsehood becomes a metaphor for the truth,” “and His wrath is great. But greater still is His boundless
mercy. Obey His final command, turn aside from this
1
Gaviel said, eyes gleaming darkly.
“SOconsciousness makes lies possible. But also selfishness, and you may yet stay His punishing hand.”
imagination, because I can think of what isn’t and Lucifer met Michael, and when their eyes locked,
pretend to interact with it as if it did exist.” light itself struggled between its two masters. “What is
“Your mental landscape can be something other this final command?” the Morningstar asked.
than a map of what you see. Voila! Creativity - Michael’s response was a sneer. “TOyou, rebel, and
something that, like elaborate lies, animals just can’t allyour ilk it is simple: Return to the highest of Heaven’s (‘
grasp.” Gaviel gave Matthew a paternal smile and said, spheres, where the punishing angels may strip you
“Your son really underestimated your intelligence.” sinners down into nothing, unshaping your forms, si-
At the mention of Noah, Matthew’s expres- lencing your names and sending you to the black
sion darkened. annihilation that is your due.”
“Did I say something wrong?”his guest inquired. Turning to the human host below, he said, “Forsake
“Just continue your story.” the tainted gifts of these rebels, turn aside from your ill-
gotten knowledge, and you may yet return to the good
H
graces of your Maker. Your sinful works will be cleansed
from the world, and your minds will be freed from their
Fine. Havingfinally awakened,Adam andEve wasted perverse acuity. All will be as it was before - indeed,
no time in exploring the vast new possibilities open to you shall not even know that anything changed.”
them. Clothing was the least of their inventions. Lucifer Lucifer made bold to laugh aloud at his onetime
himself explained the nature offire and its taming to them, servant, the cherub who had usurped his position. “What
whileNazrie1andher spiritsof the air unfolded before them a kind offer you make! We are to meekly return, heads
the full glory of language, making words into music. The bowed,and as areward for our submission.. .we cease to be?
Fundamentalsunlocked the secretsof the lever, the pulley Tell me, is there any worse punishment we could possibly
and the wheel for their use, while from the ocean spirits merit if we refuse this command as well? For given the
came the physical arts of sculpture and pigment. Those of option of oblivion, I am sore pressed to think of one.”
35

DEMON:
THEF ~ L L E ~ I
I
“Are you so sunk in rebellion?Sodrunk on self-will, “SOangels who.. . who were defeated.. . they didn’t
so debased by disobedience, that strife against God is die? They just ceased to be, like a switched-off light?”
t not punishment greater than destruction?”
“We are not the ones making threats. We are not
“Eventually yes. We can only be or not be, and only
here. We cannot go on to whatever fate God has in store
the ones fulminating about destruction. We are not the for mortal souls.”
ones demanding that others meekly line up and be “Then why didn’t Michael and the others just
destroyed for the crime of protecting their loved ones.” destroy the demons they captured? I mean, that was
“It sickens me to think I was once your servant,” God’s decree, right?”
Michael said. “You heap abuse and blasphemy on top of “Aquick, painless destructionwas the punishment for
your arrogant disobedience. Your ruin will serve as an those who surrendered Heaven was preparing something
ample warning to the others of your odious host.” s p e d for we who continued to resist. Besides, it was not we
Fallen alone who were captured. Loyalists came into our
power as well. Initially, neither side really wanted to take
Gaviel paused once more in his tale, frowning. responsibilityfor the annthilation of their fellow Elohim.”
“I remember that first battle in so many different Again, another little head shake. “We were so timid. We
ways,” he said. “Not all of them are.. . congruent with hadn’t been shown the other way. But we learned. We
the human scale. Or even with the human experience.” learned to relish what once made us tremble with fear.”
“Was there an actual flaming sword?” BLOW
TMEPIRST
“Ohyes, and drawing it forth Michael pressed the first On one level, the rebel Madisel flung her scythe
attack. But the broad wings of Lucifer were swift, and each of through the air, giving the unarmed Lucifer a weapon.
Michael’s mightyblows was stymiedby the speed of Heaven’s Its power was nothing near that of Michael’s burning
onetime seneschal. At the same time, in another way, they brand- the scythe of a lowly angel of the lowest House?
discussed the terms and parameters of the combat.” It existed in two worlds, three at most, while Michael’s
“Discussed terms ?” weapon was a sword and a song and a carbonizing
“Beings so nearly limitlessfelt the need, at that time, to catalytic reaction. It was real on a thousand levels, a tool
restrain the full extent of their might. Otherwise,the clash of and a guiding principle and a fundamental element of
two mighty Angels of Light could have scouredhumankiid mathematics - not just a simple weapon.
off the face of the earth. But more than that.. . the idea of But Michael was new to his power, and while he was
t
unlimited war was alien to us. Consider the way we calmly now the greatest of Elohim, the Morningstar was still, as
discussed the prospectofdefyingthe Most High,” Gavielsaid, ever, the first of us. Where Michael blundered with too
and Matthew frowned at his expression. It was almost... much strength, Lucifer glided away with subtlety. The
b wistll? It was the face of someone remembering youthful weapon of Madiselwould have crumpled had it even passed
idealism. Someone who wishes he was still that naive. through the hot wind of the flaming sword’spassage, but it
The reverend suspecteda trick, but he held his tongue. gave the rebelreach and threat and the power to harm. ..and
“We were passionate in our discussion, of course but. .. in the end, that was enough. Or perhaps, that and Michael’s
it was a bloodlesspassion. We were square pegs in our square knowledge that he was striking Lzuifu - striking one to
holes, creatures constructed to live in stiff hierarchy,beings whom he once offered obedience unlimited, striking one
of power and creation -but at the same time, beings of who was second only to God in authority. Remember that
order and obedience. When led by the foremost of our we were creatures of habit and caste, and it is not only in
number, we could stumble into freedom - but like the finite beings that old habits die hard.
humans we brought alongwith us on our crusade,we did not The victory was Lucifer’s. Not that Michael was
understand the full meaning of what we chose. harmed in any fashion: We had not yet devolved to the
“Thus,the first battles of the war were very.. .structured. level of actually hurting each other. No, it simply be-
Verystaticandsterileandachinglyprecise.Bothsideshadthe came clear that Lucifer could, ifhe chose, harm Michael
same tactical assumptions,the same strategicgoals.. . we all before Michael harmed him. Once that was clear, both
played by the same rules, at first. The vanquished honorably warriors graciously and honorably withdrew. Once each
surrenderedtheir power and were imprisoned,untilsuch time knew the outcome, what point would there be in
as their allies might stage a proper rescue.” actually forcing it into reality?
“I thought the punishment of rebels was to be death.” A great cheer rose from the rebel host, and it was
“Oh, not death, Matthew. The mysteries of death echoed from humanity.
are reserved for humanity alone. Our fate was nonexist- “There is your answer,” Lucifer said. “Our defiance
ence. You, of all people, should understand that there’s is unbroken. If you would destroy us, know that you risk
a profound difference between the two.” your own destruction.”
36

1 CIIAPTER
ONE
I
“Youdo not speak for them,”Michael said-defeated, not also honor more He who made them?Thesethings we
but still determined. “Let all who would obey come forth!” make are magnificent, and I want them. But more than
Understand that fully a third of the Heavenly Host
had fallen by Lucifer’s side. We numbered thirty mil-
that, I want virtue. I will obey, Michael. I will follow God.”
I could condemnhim for his cowardice, but in the same
1
lion, three hundred thousand and thirty. And of our breath, I could admire his courage, for at that moment,
number, only two- Amiel and Ank-Rhuhi- failed in humankind had no way to know which of the two contend-
their courage and returned for punishment. ing Hosts was the greater. Heedless of consequence, he
“Sobe it,”saidMichael. “We have the answer of the blindly trusted himself to one who claimed to speak for God.
lesser rebels. Now we turn to the greater.” ABEL
Adam and Eve stepped forth, and stood raised up, Gaviel paused and his mouth quirked up. “Much
and looked out over the great nation they and their like someone else I know.”
children had made. “Lucifer has taught us, and Belial “Yeah,I get it,” Matthew replied. “What happened
has helped us, and Senivel has built beside us. They
to him? Did anyone go with him?”
have given us many good things, and they are known to
us. You are a stranger to us, Michael Sword-Bearer,and “He was joined by his children and tribe, who
you offer us nothing but ignorance and loss and isola- numbered one quarter of humankind’s number.”
tion. We will stand by our friends.” “Did God.. .restore them?”
At that moment, I was arrayed in the third rank of the “Sure. Or, more specifically, His agents within the
rebels of the First House. I could see Lucifer, and I saw the Holy Host did. But their ignorance couldn’t last long, once
single shining tear that fell at their words. I knew then that the war really got started. Consciousnessis contagious,and
their words -their loyalty to him- was a greater triumph once the two human tribes joined the fighting, the loyalists
than his victory over Michael that day. had to get smart fast. Those who couldn’t make the
Not all of humanity chose as Adam Allfather and cognitive jump back to abstract thought were simply too
Allmother Eve, of course. One of their sons stepped forth easy to trick, too easy to predict. They were prey. Though
and spoke. “I honor those who have made me, but must I at first, humanity wasn’t even fighting in the war.”
37

RETRIF~UTION
DIVII~I~ you Lammasu, the Defilers, and condemn you to watch as
the truth you sought to glorify is tarnished and concealed.”
1 As the loyalist humans departed, Michael and his
legions stood watch over them - needlessly, I might
add. They had made their choice and the idea of forcing
The moans of the Defilers made mournful compli-
ment with the weeping of the Slayers and the howls of
someone to do something against their will.. . no angel the wild, but all was merely counterpoint to the main
had yet had that thought. melody of Michael’s damning words.
But as Michael watched them go, he once again “Rebels of the Fates! You have taught mankind to
addressed the Unholy Host. look to the future: Now know that they will ignore the
past, yea, and the present too. You sought to show them
“Obdurate in heresy and insurgency, know that you
how much they can accomplish. Instead, they will see
are condemned by your own mouths and punished by
how much they leave undone. I name you Neberu, the
your own hands. Each of you shall know your own
Fiends, and at your feet lay this crime: that you have
keenest torment, mighty thrones and lowly angels alike.
robbed humanity of contentment, giving in its place
From the highest House to the lowest, you shall have
endless vistas of longing, envy and greed.
bitter gall to teach you regret.
“Rebels of the Fundament! You sought to give man
t
“Rebels of the Second World! Your punishment is a
dominion over matter. Know that your ambition is
new responsibility, for now your realm shall grow un-
forever spoiled. Man’s knowledge and skill are fated to
checked.I name you Halaku, the Slayers,and your toil shall
increase, but his reach will ever exceed his grasp.
never cease. Your fate is to weep in exhaustion, for the
Continually seeking more power over the material
coming war will reap a harvest of needlessdeath. Fieldsshall
world, his blind fumbling shall unleash greater devasta-
burn before the harvest, and animals die before they bear
tion than unchecked nature ever could. I name you
their young. But worst of all is your newest duty -reaping
Annunaki, the Malefactors, and the tools you give to
those you love.” Michael’s lip twisted. “Knowthis. By your
man are doomed to turn in his hands and harm him.
uprising, you have opened your kingdom to mankind.”
“Rebels of the Firmament! I name you Asharu, the
The wailingof the Halaku rose like a flock of shrieking
Scourges, and share with you this curse: All men are fated
crows, but Michael’s voice could not be drowned out.
to die. All, without exception. Even those who escape
“Rebelsof Wild House! You have abused your power malice and malady and mischance shall come to the
for your own ends, instead of trusting nature’s course. As Slayers in the end. Humanity is now gripped by age, and as
punishment, your onetime servants shall multiply un- they growso shallthey decay,becoming infirmof mind and
checked, overrunning your control and outstripping your frail ofbody,until even the strongestgrows weak, and even
authority. I name you Rabisu, the Devourers, and you the wisest grows feeble. You can continue to guard if you
shall live to see the teeth of servant beasts stripping the wish - indeed, I’m sure you shall -but do so knowing
flesh from human bones. By your uprising, you have cost that all your efforts are ultimately futile.”
mankind their place as first among nature’s creatures. Finally, God’s new voice on Earth turned to the
Henceforth, beasts shall see them merely as beasts like final House, the greatest, the House of the Dawn. Each
themselves, to feed upon or flee.” of us stood, arrayed in ranks, immobile, braced for any
A t these words, mighty Grifiel and his followers shock, any punishment.. . except the one that came.
bellowed in rage, and he would have sprung heedless to “Rebels of the Dawn,” he said, and paused. “I name
the attack had not several potent Fundamentals held you Namaru, the Devils.”
him in check.
Then he and his host departed.
“Monster!” he roared. “How can you punish man-
kind for the misdeeds of angels?” POR3AKER
“They, like you, made their choice. They, like you, “Wait wait wait,” Matthew objected. “That was all
suffer for it. They, like you, will see the loss and suffering your punishment? He called you a name?”
of what they love best.” “NO,no.. . to hear his punishment, you have to
Eyes bright with malice, Michael continued listen to what he didn’t say.”
his condemnation. “What he didn’t. ..?He didn’t say anything!”
“Rebels of the deeps! You have sought to stretch “Exactly. Our punishment was that we were
humanity’smind, so that it might encompassa multitude of not punished.”
possibilities. Know that you have worked better than you “You’ll excuse me if I’m not impressed.”
knew, for their knowledge shall grow beyond even your “Look, we could have bravely withstood any curse,
imagination.It will grow until their inner worlds eclipsethe any punishment, any abuse. What we weren’t ready for
outer, until each is an island within his own thought. It will was beingignored. You see?Our punishment was that w
grow until the leaf of truth is lost in the forest of lies. I name were beneath His notice. We did not even merit a curs
38

a CH4PTER O C E
I
to call our own.” Gaviel shifted in his seat, suddenly outside, though it had the same wings and the same
restless. “But the final curse was yet to come.” flawlessface. But where Gaviel outside had seemed serene
TME
WRATMOFGOD and pure, this creature’s face was wracked by torment,
twisted with rage, shadowed by shame and sorrow.
After Michael’s departure, the defiant ones -
angels and men alike -wondered what would happen “WE WERE MADE TO CREATE, TO IMPROVE, T O EXPAND
YOUR WORLD! WEWERE CREATURES OF PURITY, TRUTH AND
next. We did not have long to wait.
LOVE! WHENWE LEARNED TO HATE, MAN TAUGHT us!
The Fates -or Fiends -foresaw the movement of
Michael and his Choir to a position around the loyalist
WHENWE LEARNED TO KILL, MAN TAUGHT us! WHENWE
LEARNED LIES AND CRUELTY AND DESTRUCTION, WE ONLY
humans, and Scourge and Devil scouts confirmed that
IMPROVED ON YOUR INNOVATIONS!
it was a defensive stance. Initially we thought this an
error, for we had no intention of attacking any human. “THE WAR WAS, AT FIRST, AN ANGELWAR-FOUGHT WITH
SWORDS OF COURTFSY AND ARROWS OF HONOR. BUT ONE REBEL
But it wasn’t to defend rhem against us.
MAN SAW HOW HIS BROTHER’S TRIBE HAD THE LOVE OF GOD,
They were there to shield them from a crumblingworld. WHILE HE AND HISWERE BOUND OUTSIDEIN DARKNESS. AND THIS
For the next stroke was not a raid of angels, not a OUTCAST COVETED GOD’S LOVE AND GOD’S MERCY. SoWHEN HE
proclamation, not achallenge. What came next was the
{
SAW HIS BROTHER GIVING SACRIFICE, HE DECIDED TO Do SO AS
rage of God Himself. WELL. A N D HE TOLD HIMSELF HE ACTED FROM REVERENCE. A N D
God made seven ranks of Elohim to safely filter His HE TOLD HIMSELF HE LOVED HIS BROTHER. AND HE TOLD HIMSELF
Divinity, that it might not overwhelm a fragile cosmos. THAT WHAT HE WAS DOING WAS G W D AND RIGHT, AND THAT IF
Now.. . the infinite touched the finite. I could say God GODDEMANDEDWHATHE LOVEDBEST, THAN HE HADNO CHOICE
struck the world, smote the sun, blasted the starry vault.. . BUT TO ACT ON GOD’S CRUEL REQUEST.
but in truth, it was not such an effort as that. The merest “BUTTHAT MAN -THAT FIRST MURDERER, FIRST LIAR,
caress from God’s omnipotent hand was sufficient to rend FIRST DECEIVER -HATED HIS BROTHER AS MUCH AS HE LOVED
the spheres asunder,casting the planet’sperfect orbits into HIM, AND HE HATEDGOD AS MUCH AS HE LOVED HIM, AND HE
ellipses instead of circles. The friction of Endless on Finite TOOKJOYIN MAKINGHISOWN CRUELTYINTOGOD’S CRUELTY.
was enough to throw chaos into the ordered gears of WASTHEFALL,MORTAL.THATWASTHEFIRS
“THAT
nature, enough to put wobble into the orbits of electrons, AND NO ANGEL DID IT,NOR ANY DEMON. WEDIDNOT KILL OUR
enough to twist aside the world’s axis,enoughto fold facets KIN. WEDIDNOT PAINTGODWITH OUR OWNBASEDESIRES. WE
in, one upon the other. Entropy entered the world with DID NOT TAKE LIES AND TRY TO MAKE THEM TRUTH.”
God’s punishing touch- a wound not instantly fatal, but
one from which the universe still slowly bleeds.
I look at the world now and see a bruised, battered
husk that once was Paradise. Humans live out the curses
placed on their protectors, while reality itself slowly
Matthew cowered before the figure’s awful majesty, eyes
screwed shut in terror, tears squeezed from their comers.
((Jesus,”he whimpered. “Oh Jesus, oh Lord, Lord
God, oh Jesus, please, please, please.. .”
1
,
Gradually, he calmed. Slowly, he became aware

grinds down to Oblivion.
The war was yet to be fought, but we should have
that the light before him had dimmed, that the thunder-
ing voice was silent. Fighting to rein in his sobs, to
(
8
known then that we were doomed.

regain control, to regain his composure,trembling.. .he
THE
PIREOP
MEAVER opened his eyes.
‘(Soyou want to blame God for everything that’s Once again, the figure before him was that of his son.
wrong with the world?” Noah‘s eyes looked down at the floor. Noah‘s shoulders
Gaviel seemed drained. His reply was leaden. “You’ll slumped. Noah‘s features, etched with misery and regret.
just say we forced His hand.” “I’m sorry, Matthew,” he said.
“I’msorry,but it’s just a little much to think that an all- The pastor gulped air. For a few moments, he tried
powerful, all-loving God would wreck His own creation.” to speak but couldn’t. He tried to drink coffee, but his
“If not Him, then who?“ hands shook so hard that the cooling mug knocked
Matthew said nothing, but he raised one eyebrow. against his lips and teeth.
Gaviel shook his head. “Us?You think we did it?An “I ... I know ... what you want from us,” he whis-
hour ago, you wouldn’t believe we created the universe, but pered at last.
now you’re ready to credit us with the power to wreck it?” Gaviel said nothing.
“Isn’t it always easier to corrupt than to create?” “The.. . the divine spark. God’s will inside us. That’s
“No IT ISN’T!” it, isn’t it?The one thing we have and you don’t.’’
Suddenly, the form in his office was no longer that of Gaviel nodded, then spoke, quietly, in Noah‘s voice.
is son. Nor was it the glorious apparition he’d seen ‘(Youhave faith.”
39

When Sin claps His broad wings over the battle
And sails rejoicing in the flood of Death;
When souls are torn to everlasting fire,
And fiends of Hell rejoice upon the slain,
0 who can stand? 0 who hath caused this?
-William Blake, Enoch: The First City of Angels
THE
FIRSTD A ~
T o see the First Days was to catch a glimpse of
I The memories I can trust are those from when Heaven. Even now, broken and forsaken as these Last
I first became aware of Creation. T h e sun and moon Days are, you can still see its glory. In the hidden places
already existed, so did the seasons and the winds of the Earth echoes remain. Mountains rose into the
that bring them. Mighty mountains rose high above sky so high they touched the very stars. Rivers ran clear
the lands, and vast, wooded plains stretched to the blue, rushing with power and purpose. Where they
sea, waves rising and falling, the endless ebb and were not covered by forests, the lands rolled with hills,
flow giving shape to the land. This was the glory of adorned with flowers of every hue imaginable. This is
the First Lands. Although I understood the many the Eden that humans forget. They remember a pasto-
facets these existed on -atomic, potential -I saw ral image, but the land was wild in those days, raw with
them for what they were. T h e rise and fall of the sun untamed potential. While beautiful and breathtaking,
set in motion the cycle for the wild things, giving it was savage and unforgiving.
warmth and bounty in the summer, cold and harsh- Mighty beasts walked the land as well while Cre-
ness in the winter. ation was young and still learning its limitations. Many
While Fifth House swayed the seas and the Third forms came and vanished forever, not because Cre-
House crafted mountains, we ruled. The First Lands ation was imperfect, but because of its unbridled
and its wild animals was our domain, and this encom- potential. Through the Sixth House, a natural order
passed all the works yours and the other Houses created. was established. The hunters slew the old and weak,

1 CHAPTERT\+o
I
allowing the herds to grow strong. Together with the glimmers of twilight. I searched with the eyes of my flocks,
Seventh House, we worked at achieving balance -an sending them as high as I dared, but still I saw nothing.
infinite and thankless task. “Are you sure?” I said. “I can see nothing,” He
This is the paradise I remember, and while I ran with looked at me, and I saw the storm in his eyes. Uncer-
the hunters I saw His face, our Father, in all His glory. tainty and doubt rolled like clouds, and in them glimpses
Eve
ADAMAIYD of what was to come.
It is by the shores of a lake that I first became The Great Debate was the first harbinger of the
aware of them, Adam and Eve, the Allfather and storm. Ahrimal summoned us to the halls of the moon
Allmother. They were unlike any of the other beasts and spoke of the terrible portents he had witnessed.
in the garden, for they stood at once as individual and Many called for action, and this is what Lucifer gave us.
as manifestations of the infinite. I spied on them from TMEEIYDLESS
IPIGMT
afar, fascinated by their form and shape. To look at T h e following night, Lucifer and those who
them was to look at potential given form. Unlike the chose his path descended to Eden. W e watched from
animals I governed, the Allfather and Allmother had afar as Lucifer opened humanity’s eyes, and there I
the potential for awareness. They could gaze at the saw jealousy for the first time. Eve took Lucifer’s
stars and moon and see that they were separate and offering, but Adam was wary, hesitant. He saw his
distinct. What’s more, they conversed. They didn’t place supplanted by the Lightbringer, but Eve reached
exist in silence, but expressed their thoughts in words, out to her partner and together they accepted the
even if imperfect and base. bounty of our sacrifice.
I followed them for a while, enraptured. Eve, Adam and Eve became many reflections that night,
delicate in her movements, walked and touched all and soon their race spread across Eden. It was as if by
she saw. Adam was strong and full of purpose, his opening their eyes, Adam and Eve splintered into a
form lithe and uniquely proportioned. They were multitude of potential -each with a different path to
creatures of wonder, innocent of the world we’d follow. During this endless night, we walked hand-in-
made and the great gifts we’d given them. All they hand with the race of Adam and Eve. Magnificent
knew was the Creator Himself. He came to them cities rose from the gloom, and the race of Adam and
every night, and they worshipped Him. It was as if Eve stood on the threshold of perfection.
this was their sole purpose. Yet instead of reassuring For the only time we can remember, we loved and
them, of showing them why they were unique, He were loved in return. But this was not meant to last.
accepted their worship i n silence.
Why deny them the glory that was theirs, true TME
D~wm
OFJUDGMERT
inheritors of Eden? So I heard the others start to Dawn broke the following morning, but the fiery
whisper. Adam and Eve lived in ignorance,oblivious to wrath of Michael supplanted the sun. The chieftain of
their nascent potential. Why would He craft such Heaven’s forces had come to pass judgment on his
beings only to shackle them? Their pain became our wayward brethren.
pain, for we loved them as much as we loved Him. Michael ordered us to return to Heaven so that we
Many of my House felt that Adam and Eve should not might face judgment, but Lucifer defied him. The
be placed outside the order of things- that in doing so, Lightbringer rose to meet Michael high above Eden,
Creation’sbalance was upset. Still, our mandate was to and there the two locked in battle. Lucifer’s boldness
protect and shelter them, so this is what we did. caught Michael unaware, and while evenly matched, it
Eventually their awareness made them realize that was clear that Heaven’s chieftain could not cause his
they were alone - two surrounded by a multitude of former lord harm. In a flash, the battle ended, and
multitudes. What we thought was marvelous and ma- Lucifer stood victorious. Many urged the Morningstar
jestic they saw as unknowable and threatening. What to lead the charge to Heaven itself, but he refused.
they feared most was being alone, and what pained us “In Heaven,” the Lightbringer said, “He, and the
was that we could not tell them that every moment the Host are all powerful. But here, in the lands we helped
Host surrounded them. Every morning they would ask shape and that are manifestation of our will, we hold
God to stay, but He left them alone each time and we the advantage.
were forbidden from reaching out to them. “We defied Heaven out of love for Adam and Eve,
and for them we’ll make our stand here and now.”
What happened next was the beginning of our
“A storm comes,” Ahrimal said to me. I had come torment, the end of the First Days and the dawning of
upon him as the sun set over Eden, staring up at the first the Age of Wrath.
43

In the Age of Wrath, it was our turn to craft our
own paradise. Never before, had the lands seen such
marvels, such decadence and tyranny as in those days.
As Michael and his Host retreated, a number of our
legion and a fourth of Adam and Eve’s race followed the
loyalists. The first battle ended in our favor, but none
of us knew at what price. Did Lucifer?Had he betrayed
us all only to avoid judgment in Heaven? Many of us
grew heady, thinking that victory was ours.
JUDGMERT
As the first day waned, many sensed otherwise. Our
scouts that followed the loyalists reported that Heaven’s
Host was preparing its defenses, but many of our legion
saw this as further proof that victory was ours. How
wrong we were.
It started with a breeze, picking up strength and
power until its howl was deafening. In its path it picked
up sand and rock, pelting the land and stripping flesh
from bone in mere seconds. High above, dark clouds -
darker than possible and bristling with lighting -
swirled and encompassed the horizon in shadow such
that even the land seemed to strain under its weight.
From the gathering clouds, His baleful eye mani-
fested, the infinite forced into the finite by the force of
His anger. Whatever balance existed before was torn
asunder, and H e let His wrath be known. He who had
been our Father, was now our foe. God’s wrath was
boundless. Nothing we’d created went untouched.
When the clouds dispersed, the First Lands were no
more. Nothing was left of Eden, except the ruins of its
gates, their location known only to a few of us. In the
distance, barren, desolate deserts, swallowed once lush
fields in sand. High above, the mountains broke open,
filling the world with dark poisonous clouds, erupting
from time to time with a cacophony of fire and molten
rock. The seas, once calm, roared and hammered the
land - their depths alien even to those rebels of the
Fifth House. The earth itself opened, swallowing vast
plains and leaving jagged claws of stone reaching up
f
from the ground. Terrible storms of bitter driving rain
and howling wind wracked the lands.
Denied Heaven, this was our world now.
TMEIPIYD ORDER
When the winds died down, Lucifer led us into our
T
broken world. If any of our number doubted our rebel-
lion, seeing Creation in ruins steeled our determination
for the long battle ahead. Our host was battered, the
taste of victory replaced by numbness and despair. As
we stepped into the light of the second morning, we
realized that this home was also our prison.
44

~ . l
_l
.- __
.
1 CHAPTERTao
Yet still we had our duty to mankind, and we led “And to you, my brother,” Lucifer answered, “goes
them from the caves into the light of day. Their long, command of a fifth of our numbers, the most strong.
hollow faces spoke volumes of the devastation they You shall be our vanguard.”
now witnessed. They seemed mere reflections of Adam “This is not all,” Abaddon continued. “The hu-
and Eve’s glory. mans blinded us. It is the Allfather and Allmother who
CFUMSOR
TME LEGIOR deceived us, Lucifer. It is because of them that this war
Yet it was Lucifer who saw potential, not ruin, in has come, and now our duty to fight it is on behalf of
the desolate landscape. beings who know nothing.
“DOnot despair,” the Lightbringer cried. “This is “I too see potential before us in the landscape and
only the beginning. We know His anger, but He does these mortals. But they are to be tools, not relics to
shelter. We defied Him for them, and in turn they will
not know our resolve. We have faced His wrath and
rebuild paradise for us.”
survived. Do not see the scarred lands before you and
lose hope. Gone are many wonders, many of our works. “We will teach them our secrets: how to hunt these
What exists now is only a pale reflection, but we will lands, how to master them. In turn, they will serve us in
craft new marvels. W e will teach our charges, the sons
and daughters of Adam and Eve, how to unlock their
true potential - and this accomplishment shall be
ours, not His. This will be our grand achievement.
Once we crafted Creation for Him, now we will shape
the land according to OUT wishes.
love and deed. We paid the ultimate sacrifice for them,
so they are forever in our debt. They are instruments in
our crusade against Heaven.”
And so the Ebon Legion gathered. To its rank
came many from the Sixth House, each eager to
prove Heaven wrong. T h e lords of the air, the
1
“The lands may be broken, forsaken, but not to us. Scourges, followed as well. Of the other Houses, an
We created them out of nothing - imagine what we equal number joined.
can do now! W e will defy Him and the Host. W e will LEGION
TMEIRON
fight for Adam and Eve and protect them and nurture When the assembled host heard Abaddon’s grim
them. We have forsaken Him, but our love belongs to words, Dagon, the giant of stone and iron, crossed his
Adam and Eve. Always remember.” arms and spoke with a voice like an avalanche. “I hear
Many agreed. We gathered about Lucifer, heralds Abaddon, and I will not gainsay his outrage,” the
to his vision. In time, we would be called the Crimson giant said. “But for my part, I say that humanity
Legion in mortal tongue. We believed in Lucifer and deserves our devotion, not scorn. How can we blame
his cause. We saw in the ruins about us achance to right them for the choices we made in our hearts? If we see
the Creator’s wrongs, to teach Adam and Eve and to them as nothing more than tools, we dishonor our
usher in a new paradise. We would grow to be the own sacrifices.”
largest legion in those early days, Lucifer our leader, Dagon turned to Lucifer, and his hand burned with
mentor and general. The ranks of the Crimson Legion the heat of the earth as he raised it in salute to the
were filled by Devils of the First House and Malefactors Morningstar. “Let those who would honor the
of the Third House. A small number of Defilers joined, Lightbringer and remember their divine duty stand at
as did fallen of the other Houses. my side! We will be the wall that Heaven’s thunder-
Chief among our numbers was Belial, first of bolts cannot pierce!”
Lucifer’s lieutenants. Thus it was that Dagon became the third of Lucifer’s
great lieutenants, surrounded by the greater part of the
TMEEBONLEGION Malefactors and many of our stalwart Devourers. De-
t
Yet, not all were in perfect accord. Abaddon
spite the horrors that came later, the legion never once
stepped forth, his countenance fierce - the very
faltered in its duty, nor did its numbers dishonor them-
essence of the Devourers.
selveswith atrocities against mortal or angel. The Ebon
“I have seen enough. His punishment is beyond Legion scorned them, but could never equal their feats
what it should have been. I swear that until the end of of arms on the battlefield.
days I shall marshal my brothers against Him and the
Host. I forsake peace, I refuse love. I know only hate, LEGIOW
TME~ILVER
and we shall draw our strength from this fire. My Legion Then Lucifer called wise Asmodeus of the Fourth
will face the Host at every turn, many of our numbers House, navigator of the stars.
might cease to be, yet we will never give quarter. Here “To you, a fifth of our numbers goes as well. Where
this battle starts. None can say where it will end, but our the Ebon Legion marches to battle, you and your legion
hearts are set.” will unlock the mysteries and potential of the mortals
45

and these lands. His secrets are yours to uncover. You EDICTS
AND INTERC~SSIONS
will reveal His lies and show the Host the error of their Standing before his legions, Lucifer addressed us.
1 ways. Wherever it is forbidden to tread, you shall walk.
Whatever is prohibited to utter, you will speak. What-
“Brothers and sisters, lament not for what we have
lost. Rather, look at what we have gained. Soon we will
ever is taboo, you will revel in. There are no boundaries depart this plain, leave its ashes and desolation and
you will not cross in your search for the truth.” make our kingdoms from the ruins of Paradise. Each of
“This I shall do,” echoed Asmodeus. “I see before me you will preside over a host of our mortal charges.
unlimited potential - not just potential prescribed Protect and nurture them, for we sacrificed Heaven for
according to His plan, but raw unimaginable potential. their sake. Now we are truly fallen.
We will strive to find that which was before Him as He “Take pride in your new name. It takes courage
was before us. We will find the darkness that birthed the and compassion to defy Heaven, while blind obedi-
light of God for only out of darkness can light shine!” ence requires nothing but fear. W e have faced our
“As to our charges, the blessed and cursed race of fears and mastered them - now we are the masters
Adam and Eve, we will be teachers. Their forms hide of our destiny.
potential that we will nurture and unlock. They will “Take your flocks to the corners of the Earth and
1 speak with the Celestial tongue and make a Heaven of

this earth. Their seed we will nourish until it blooms and
shakes the very foundation of Heaven with its towers
raise great cities where none stood before. Take whom
you will of the mortals who stand among us. The first
two, however -blessed Adam and Eve -are not to be
and achievements. We will not rest until this is so.” taken. They have chosen to follow their own path, and
Under Asmodeus’s banner, the bulk of the Fiends we will respect their wishes.
gathered, as did many of the Defilers, eager to share
existence with the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. TMESECOND
DEB~YTE
Shortly after the rebellion, a second debate was
LEGIOIY
TMEALABASTER had as to what to do with those mortals who had chosen
Yet, not all the Houses had cast their lots. The quiet to follow Michael. The Ebon Legion argued that any
ones, the Slayers, chose instead to walk their own path. mortals under the Host’s banner were lost. Many of the
Lucifer saw them and said, ‘(You may walk your Slayers and those of the Iron Legion, suggested other-
own path so long as you heed the call to battle. For now, wise, however. The legions should work to convert
Azrael, once-blessed Angel of the Shadow, take the those mortals and show them the true wonders they
b Unaligned and make your own fortress. We will call for were entitled to as the children of Adam and Eve.
you in time. For now, your task is to renew the race of Once more it was Lucifer who settled the impasse.
Adam and Eve. Gone is their immortality. Like the clay “They have cast their lot with Him,” Lucifer pro-
they were sculpted from, to earth they will return.” claimed. “They cast aside our gifts, our love. They have
Azrael heard this and answered thus: chosen to turn a blind eye to our sacrifice, and yet, look
“Brother Lucifer, light-bearer and dread general. at them. They are pitiful, ignorant of the battle that
We stand in the shadows and await that day. W e will wages around them o n their behalf.
hide where the Host refuses to look. We will gather “For this reason we will not abandon them, nor
strength and stand ready for the call. For now we leave.” shall we openly come to them. Instead, we will plant
With this, the pilgrim of shadows departed, taking the seeds and hope they will take fruits and lead them
with him a large portion of the fallen of the Seventh to cast off their shackles. It is a choice they must make
House and the other undecided. on their own. If they choose us, we will come as saviors.
And so the legions came to be. Afterward, the This is my decree.”
Morningstar declared that the old hierarchies would be
swept aside in favor of new ranks and titles. The fallen
were assigned authority based not on arbitrary judg-
ments, but in accordance with their talents and The legions scattered far and wide, herding the
strengths. Further, the system of ranks was fluid. A sons and daughters of Adam and Eve to places both
rebel who distinguished herself could receive promo- majestic and foreboding, where we would build our
tion to higher authority, a concept that awed and manses, our fortresses, our cathedrals. In the early days
amazed us all. Lucifer declared himself prince among of the rebellion, we only manifested from time to time
the fallen, and his five lieutenants were called dukes. to our flocks, teaching them and guiding. Even though
Beneath them were the legion’s lieutenants, called we had rebelled, many of our legion found it difficult to
barons, and then the overlords, lords and the fell openly appear before mortals. The Creator’s prohibi-
knights, the champions of the legions’ companies. tion was so ingrained, that only the strongest willed
46

among us dared to stand before the race of Adam and from mountain plains, vast deserts and jungle valleys.
Eve in all our true glory. Only Lucifer himself knows how many of these bas-
We were worshipped during those days, and we tions were made, many hidden from mortal and fallen
drew our power from the faith offered to us by mankind. eyes by the cunning arts of the Malefactors. Some
We led our flocks on long pilgrimages that were both were small communities, with a small flock and a
voyages of discovery and conquest. It was a time of single guardian; others were opulent courts rivaling
experimentation as we learned the limits of our power. the mightiest empires that would ever cover the land.
We hewed cities into mountainsides and built monu- Yet, however mighty these cities were, the city-manse
ments to ourselves of Genhinnom - the Black Cathedral of Lucifer
~A,WIOR,SAIYD CKI-MEDRALS GEF4HIiYIYOM himself - rose above all others.
This was a time when the foundations of our future

metropolis were built. Our war with Heaven was in its Nestled into the Valley of Tears, the cathedral-
infancy, both camps regrouping from the initial on- city of the Fallen Prince was a testament to both our
slaught. Across the land, the legions built fortressesand defiance and hubris. Although it would not reach its
mighty cathedrals. In time, these bastions would grow apex until the Time of Atrocities, the Black Cathe-
to become fortress-cities, immense and sublime in their dral was a marvel to behold even in its infancy. Built
glory. Among their number was DtidSEl, the desolate on the site where Lucifer was moved to tears by
desert home of the Ebon Legion; TabS’et’ watchtower mankind’s courage, Genhinnom was to be the model
of the Silver Legion; and KSsdeja, the underground for all other cities.
fortress of the Alabaster Legion. These were not the I see echoes of Genhinnom in this City of Angels.
only bastions of the fallen, but they are the only few I I have seen the Black Cathedral in aspects of all the
remember. In those days, I roamed the lands as a cities I’ve visited. Even my host’s recollection of the
messenger and scout of the Iron Legion. jails and cells of Argentina hint at that solemn city -
I recall gazing from the mountain peaks and to its fire-lit corners and basements where we would
seeing countless citadels tower above the land, rising forge artifacts of legend in later times.
47

What I remember of Genhinnom is nothing more Shamayim, city of reverence, was the solemn pro-
than a vague impression. Today, cities are disparate tectorate of Gabriel -archangel of mercy, revelation
entities, hegemonies created out of the confluence of and death. Second to Michael, Gabriel was also one of
geography and economics. But Genhinnom was differ- the few emissaries between our legions and the Host.
ent. It was whole -at once a city and a cathedral, for Many whispered that Lucifer and Gabriel met regularly
that’s the only way to describe the city in human and that the Second Archangel chose to remain on
tongue. It is said that Genhinnom existed before our Earth and bow to Michael so that he could protect his
Fall -that it was built during the First Night to house mortal changes and try to convince Lucifer to relent.
Adam and Eve and then taken by Lucifer as his own. To The stronghold of Machonon and its fiery parapets
see Genhinnom, one would understand the possibility was the home of Michael, Archangel of Heaven and
of this myth. It was a symbol of perfection, an earthly Lord of the Host. An army of fiery angels circled above
manifestation of the Morningstar. the city at all hours of the day and night, beacons of
Approaching Genhinnom, one would only see the divine wrath that ensured the city could never be taken
walls and the spires reaching up from the ground and unawares. Of all the High Cities, Machonon never fell.
touching the clouds, clawing at Heaven and making
t
The city of memory, Zebul, existed for one reason
the sky weep with rain. To us, it existed in layers, each alone - to catalogue and record the rebellion so that
more perfect that the rest, nine in total. The two lowest our legions would not escape their sins. Surrounded by
of these existed in shadow, where one would find the mist, the prison city of Zebul archived all our deeds. Its
path to the forges of the Iron Legion. The mortal flocks spies and agents - angels of the Second, Fourth and
of Genhinnom existed in the third to sixth layers, Seventh Houses -are said to each have a great ledger
building monuments to us and great citadels to house upon which all our transgressions were writ. If those
their own numbers. The seventh and eighth layers ledgers still exist, they are perhaps the only complete
belonged to us. Here we made our homes; some modest, record of the Age of Wrath.
others ostentatious. The Palace of Shadows dominated
T h e final city, Araboth, was a monument to
the last circle, the citadel and fortress of the Morningstar.
solitude and lament. Presided over by Caiel, angel of
Beyond the Black Cathedral, the outskirts were solitudes and tears, it is said his only task was to weep
dotted with mortal encampments and villages where for Creation, to lament the fall of Adam and Eve and
the lowest among our numbers would minister to the to remember our broken glory. The gates of Araboth
pilgrims and faithful who would come to pay homage to were never barred or closed. Instead, they were left
t
us. The paths these pilgrims took soon became the Four
open to welcome any of our legions who wished to
Roads that snaked their way to every settlement, cathe-
renounce the rebellion and accept God’s judgment.
dral and bastion of the fallen.
Abaddon razed that city seven times during the Age
TME CITI~S
HIGM of Wrath, but it was rebuilt each time exactly as it
Genhinnom and the three citadels were not the was before. I t is known that less than a hundred of
only cities upon the land. Far away, the Heavenly Host our number crossed its threshold in one thousand
was busy building its own palaces - in truth nothing years of war. Their fate is unknown, and their names
more than prisons. The scouts of the Silver Legion are never spoken.
reported that a part of the Host, like us, had decided to
remain behind to protect their mortal charges. But TME~ILENT
WAR
unlike us, who pushed our flocks to greater and greater Although the early days of the rebellion were spent
heights, the loyal mortals seemed to exist in prison- building and entrenching ourselves, the war didn’t
states, each a microcosm of Eden whereby the mortals stop. Far from mortal eyes, our legions fought the Host.
existed as Adam and Eve did -ignorant and shackled The battles of the Silent War, as this period was known,
to the Creator’s will. were skirmishes and battles of wits and will. We didn’t
From afar we spied five of the High Cities: Sagun, assemble on battlefields and charge at each other.
Shamayim, Machonon, Zebul and Araboth. Instead, we gathered in the secret corners of the Earth;
Sagun, also known as the Third City, was a border our battlefields the various facets of Creation. The
city, located a few leagues past the Barrier Plains and higher in station the combatants were, the more ab-
the Mountains of Sorrow -those desolate ash wastes stracted the battles became. While lords and fell knights
ringed by fiery volcanoes that marked the limits of our fought with words and songs, dukes and archdukes
territories. Simple in construction, Sagun was little battled with the ephemeral.
more than a labyrinth of stone, built to confound Challenges would only be issued when one of our
invaders and inhabitants alike. It was ruled by Anahel, legion crossed paths with an angel of the Host while
an angel of the Fourth House. exploring the world or tending to its flocks. Thes
48

n Tn o
CHAPTER
I
engagements were nothing more than choreographed immortality was stripped away with a single word, and
dances and debates, Creation fighting itself the only they were forced to labor in the fields for their suste-
way it knew how - by creating and changing. In a nance. When the time came to scatter the legions
pantomime, we fallen would try to out-create angels with their mortal flocks, Adam and Eve came to me
and vice-versa resulting in spectacles that held mortal and begged to take their leave.
flocks in awe. Many human myths that endure today “Adam spoke first, saying, ‘You have shown us
are dim echoes of those ancient battles. much. W e have been cast from Eden and consigned to
These clashes could be felt across the land, but only dust, but we have become masters of ourselves in turn.
as the roar of thunder or the heaving of the earth. They God called us sinners when we disobeyed Him. We now
would take form as storms, as the coming and going of see the world as it truly is -vast, barren and desolate
the seasons and the rising and fall of the sun. W e would -but here we will make our own mark.’
strive to unlock the mysteries of Creation for our flocks, “Eve spoke next. ‘You have taught us much. We
while the Host did its best to obfuscate truths and bury took your fruit and our eyes were opened to the true
them with superstition and doubt. In this way, Cre- scope of Creation- enough so that we understand our
ation re-created itself endless times, but what the Host status as exiles. To follow you further would be folly.
did not foresee was the impact the collective belief of You have opened our eyes, and for this we are grateful,
the mortals had on this cycle. With every mystery the but with open eyes it is we who must make our own
Host placed before them, the greater the mortals’ path. If we are to inherit this earth, it shall be due in part
appetite for truth grew. to our toil, our sacrifice and our faith.’
The Silent War raged for hundreds of mortal years “With this, Adam Allfather and Allmother Eve
while our flocks grew and prospered. We built huge left my company and ventured far into the wastes to
cities and battled the Host across Creation using only seek their owndestiny. In time, they will either learn to
words, concepts and potential as our weapons, but this master Creation or toil until God redeems them.”
courtly warfare was not fated to last.
THEBLOOD
OF EDER
With that, our audience with Lucifer was at an end.
But instead of settling the matter, Ahrimal was that
Again it was Ahrimal who sensed the change. He much more determined to uncover the fate of the first
came to me in the darkest of nights and whispered to me. mortals.
“I sense another storm, Malakh.” I followed him “I sense something,” Ahrimal said while we trav-
this time as he traveled far and wide, visiting all the eled, “and at the core of mv worries are Adam and Eve.
citadels and cathedrals in search of answers. Finally, in They’ve a part to play, of this I am certain. Lucifer has
desperation he made the pilgrimage to Genhinnom commanded us to keep away from the first mortals, but
and the Palace of Shadows. I must know why.”
The great seer requested an audience with the And so we searched as the seasons passed from
Morningstar himself. The Dread Prince summoned summer into fall into winter into spring and back to
Ahrimal into his chamber and bid the prophet to speak. summer. When we encountered other fallen, we would
“ W h a t h a s become of A d a m and Eve?” make inquiries trying to discern where Adam and Eve
Ahrimal asked. had ventured. The answer was always the same, but we
No one, neither rebel nor angel had seen or heard refused to accept defeat.
from the first mortals for many an age. Having been cast After many years of searching, we finally found
from Eden, Adam and Eve faded from sight. Their their hiding place. They had settled far to the east,
descendants recalled them in only the most primal of upon a small hill dotted with orchards and sur-
myths. There is no mistaking the pain that Lucifer’s rounded by fields. Beneath the shade of cypress trees,
edict caused many of our number, for it was for Adam they built a dwelling to shelter them from wind and
and Eve that we had risked damnation. To be separated rain. W e spied them from afar. T h e years seemed to
from them seemed a hollow victory. hang heavy o n Adam. Long days of toil had left their
After a long silence, Lucifer told us this story. mark on his face, telling a story of pain, isolation and
perseverance, yet his eyes were full of pride at the
simple things h e and Eve had made. Eve the
“A fourth of the race of Adam and Eve returned Allmother, ever radiant, worked at her husband’s
to the Heavenly Host o n the morning of our judg- side, tending hearth and field with equal vigor. And
ment, but not the Allmother and Allfather. Their they were not alone.
49

TMETMIRD
MORTAL
Not far from the dwelling, bent over in toil, we first
saw him who would be called the Third Mortal -
Caine. His face was handsome, his skin darkened by the
baking sun and his limbs strong, but his visage was
troubled. A t his feet rested baskets overflowingwith all
the fruits of his labor, and at once we understood his
toil. His hands had tilled the soil in all directions,
bringing life to a barren landscape. With backbreaking
pain, he had cleared stones and weeds from fields and
planted seeds in their place. In the blossoms and fruits
they gave, both Ahrimal and myself saw echoes of
Eden, and we longed to tell the Third Mortal of the
wonders he had created. Yet a pall of sorrow hung over
the Third Mortal, so total, so forbidding, that neither
Ahrimal nor I dared to approach him.
A t that moment, from over a hill, we heard the
approach of a large flock of sheep. Not a wild herd, but
guided by the one who was called Abel. Upon a small
rise he stood, the brother of Caine, his skin fair, his
golden hair tossed by the wind. The Third Mortal
looked to him, and his sorrow deepened.
“He longs to show his brother his love, but this love
is not free. It is fettered by a dark passion,” Ahrimal said
as Caine walked to Abel. “He feels he must do some-
thing that he dreads.”
It was Abel who first spoke.
“Brother, you have called me down from the hills,
and here I am. What is it that bothers you?Was it what
the Creator said about your offering? Do not question
His love, brother. It begets nothing but woe. This is
what we have been taught. You know we will always
cherish your gifts, for you make the land green and
vibrant. Come my brother, let us return.”
But Caine said nothing for a while. In the fading
light of the afternoon, he stood, his slender but pow-
erful body rising over Abel, casting a long, deep
shadow. He placed a hand o n Abel’s shoulder, a
tender gesture between brothers if not for the dark-
ness swimming in his eyes.
“Brother,” the Third Mortal spoke, “God asked
for me to bring the best of my fields, that which brings
me joy and happiness. I misunderstood and brought
the seeds of the soil, its fruits and flowers. But this is
not what He wanted. It wasn’t worthy, because it
comes from the dust He exiled our Father and Mother
to. As you brought the firstlings of your flock, tender
and innocent, I brought nothing but dirt. I know now
what I must do. For you are the best of my fields, for
long I have been your keeper, and I will always be. You
will be my gift to Him, and I will earn His love with
your blood.”
What happened next unleashed a storm that still
rages to this day. Caine’s act repeated every night

between brothers, between lovers, between strangers TME~IEGEOF~AGUR
until the end of days. The day passed, and below us, in the valley of
Abel saw the darkness grow in the Third Mortal’s Sagun, the first true battle of our rebellion raged.
eyes. His flocked sensed his fear, and their cries drowned The Devils of the Ebon Legion directed ranks of
out Abel’s pleas as the Third Mortal lifted a stone and Devourers into battle, matching the angels that poured 3
brought it down on his brother’s head. Abel’s blood out from Sagun and to receive the first charge. High
flowed, covering the Third Mortal, and it did not stop above, Fiends soared upward to meet angels in clashes
until it became a stain that grew to encompass all of of thunder and fire. On the flanks, Scourges willed their
Creation. Exhausted, Caine collapsed upon his brother’s poison winds across the battlefront, obscuring the
broken form. legion’s movement and choking the life of loyalist
Ahrimal understood the significance of what he refugees streaming toward the city. In the rear, Male-
saw. I felt only betrayal. factors cracked the earth open and rained fire on Sagun
Blood was spilled in anger and hate. Not for the and its surroundings, thick sulphurous clouds billowing
from open fissures in the land. Defilers sang songs of
sake of the hunt nor for the need to survive. That
1
bloodlust, driving the legion into a frenzy and luring
night, as the clouds rolled in, a shroud of darkness fell
both mortals and angels to their doom. Finally, amidst
across the world that lingers to the present day. Even
the chaos, Slayers searched for the dead and dying,
God’s wrathful condemnation of our rebellion, His
either saving or condemning souls to shadow.
destruction of Eden, pales next to what Caine un-
leashed that afternoon. The sheer savagery of the assault stunned the Host.
Many of its highest generals, Michael, Gabriel, Uriel
and Raphael, were absent, sent by God to punish Caine
But the worst was yet to come. Ahrimal begged me for his sin. But this was not all. The death of Abel had
washed over the Host much like it had among the
to leave, and in horror I could not help but obey. The
fallen. Yet, where it seemed to have liberated us, it had
last 1saw of Caine, the First Murderer, he was standing
paralyzed the angels. They were unable to comprehend
in the field, covered in his brother’s blood, waiting for
the evil that had been unleashed before them. This
the Almighty to come and receive his offering.
proved to be their undoing.
It is said that Caine was exiled, cast from the light
As angels and archangels poured out of Sagun, they
and sentenced to exist in darkness, bound to repeat
hesitated before the ranks of the assembled legion.
his sin every night until the end of time. Far to the
East, in a blasted land called Nod, he is said to have
founded his own city, probably inspired by the great
cathedral-cities that dotted the land. He called this
city Enoch, but of his fate little else is known. I wonder
Unsure of what action to take, Jabniel, subordinate of
Anahel, stepped forward to address the Ebon ranks.
“You come before a protectorate of the Host. His
Will rules here. The devastation you bring will be
(
levied against you in turn. I stand ready to challenge
if he lingers upon the earth still, and what I will say if
any of your number in Anahel’s absence.”
our paths cross again.
Lirael, overlord of the fallen Sixth House, rose
D A R H R ~URLEASMED
S from our ranks to answer. He was bedecked in gore, his
When we returned to our lands, we could see plumes body that of fire and anger made manifest. Behind him
of smoke rising into the leaden sky. As we crossed jagged trailed a mighty axe. I remembered Lirael as the Angel
peaks of the Mountains of Sorrow we saw fires burning of Fury, he that drove the beasts into their killing
in every direction, converging on Sagun, border-city of frenzy. Lirael who was Jabniel’s superior before the Fall.
the Host. In the valley below, the bulk of the Ebon When he reached Jabniel, there was no discourse, no
Legion marched in serried ranks. In their wake, a trail of debate, he only raised his mighty axe and brought it
destruction stretched to the horizon, littered with the down on Sagun’s defender. As it cut through Jabniel’s
bodies of man and beast. Caine’s act had unleashed the presence, the axe biting into the angel and scraping the
potential of atrocity across Creation and ignited the ground, the sound it made hissed at Jabniel’s true name
storm Ahrimal had so feared. and in an instant he was no more. Jabniel became the
From our vantage, we watched as the Ebon Legion first true casualty that unleashed the Time of Atroci-
drew closer to Sagun. As they encountered mortals ties, his name no longer echoed by Creation.
loyal to Heaven, they bound them in chains and herded Jabniel’s passing unleashed a mighty frenzy among
them into huge slave caravans or slew them outright. I the legion, and they hurled themselves at the angels
saw mortals dashed upon rocks, tom limb-from-limb or of Sagun. By the fall of night, Sagun lay in ruins, its
cut down with blades of fire and light. The cries of the halls ransacked by the Ebon Legion and its riches
dying echoed across the land. taken as trophies. Of Sagun’s defenders, only a third

DEMON:
THEFALLEN
escaped the onslaught, fleeing across the Vale of to be called,” Abaddon continued. “Our love and
Reverence to the other High Cities. But to their sacrifice has been repaid with deception. Had we seen
’ dismay, the survivors found both Zebul and Machonon them with unfettered eyes, free from the chains of love,
under siege. They desperately bolstered the failing perhaps we would have seen the darkness as well as the
ranks there, but not before the Great Library of Zebul, light. W e were blinded, Lucifer, and you, second only
where the Book ofNumes was kept, was burnt to the to God, should have stopped us. Now we are cast to this
ground. Of its countless lexicons and tomes, such as barren earth, sentenced to exist in this half-state be-
the Secret Winds and the Book of A b d o n , only frag- cause of our love of mankind. I say never again.”
ments and ashes escaped the inferno. While few Asmodeus followed. “The race of dust existed in
angels met destruction that day, many were cast back ignorance by its own choice. All the clues were there;
to Heaven, broken and spent. we labored night and day to educate them, but they
OPTMELEGIORS
TMEBKEAKIIYG chose not to see. Were they ignorant because of God or
because they simply chose to remain ignorant?”
“Here he comes,” Ahrimal said, pointing toward
the horizon. Amidst the ruins and broken bodies came Lucifer, alone, looked at his legions and felt only
proud Lucifer, Prince of the Fallen, with the other sorrow. “SOit comes to this. We are breaking; your
c legions marching in his wake. He gazed at the destruc- hate, your anger getting the better of you. We should be
tion that surrounded him, while the Ebon Legion guides and protectors, not tormentors and reapers of
cheered him in our defiance of Heaven. Reaching the woe. Do not focus your anger o n the race of Adam and
gates of Sagun, he spoke. Eve only because they have no power to defj you.
Remember, it is Heaven we are fighting, while human-
“Is this what the sin of man unleashed?” A
ity sustains us with worship.”
cheer rose in response, but a shadow fell over our
dread general. “Perhaps so, Lightbringer, but we cannot assume
this will be the last stain they leave on our soul,”
Abaddon, master of the Ebon Legion stood and
Abaddon said. “YOUhave led us here with promises of
replied, “Our defiance of Heaven has found a new
love and kingdoms to come. I agree, it is Heaven we are
battlefield. We no longer need to endure the Host’s
fighting, but we all have different reasons for marching
presence upon this realm. God has Heaven, is He not
against the Host. You say we must build a kingdom
content to leave Earth to us? If need be, we will hunt
here, and we will. But instead of one, we will build
down all His servants and cast them to nothingness.”
many, each a reflection of what we see as perfection.
“This is not why we disobeyed, Abaddon,” Luci- You will always be our general, but it is clear we all have
fer responded. “We did so out of love for those whom our own wars to wage. When you call, we will come;
He created but ignored. This is not our realm; it when you ask us to march, we will. But we will not
never was and never will be. What surrounds us follow blindly anymore.
’
belongs to mankind.” “Tell me, Lightbringer, did you ever foresee our
“But it was that same race, Lightbringer, who glorious enterprise coming to this ?” Asmodeus asked.
brought this evil upon the land,” Asmodeus countered. “Perhapswe are meant to follow another path. It is your
“You say Abaddon marched here to bring death and light that guides us, but Creation is as vast as it is
destruction, but it was the sin of Caine that caused this. unknowable and our many eyes must be cast in all
Once his darkness washed over the land, Abel was not directions. It is clear that the potential of the race of
the only innocent to fall. It pains me to see this, Lucifer, mortals is multifaceted, and to this end, we will push
because I relinquished my station in Heaven for man- our flocks to unlock their true calling. We must be
kind, but now it is clear that darkness resides in their ready to accept whatever may come. W e follow you,
soul. Perhaps they are not as perfect as we believed.” Lightbringer, by following our own paths.”
Azrael was next to speak. “The cries of Abel Lucifer spoke last.
disturbed the land of shadows. By his death, something “Together we challenged Heaven in glorious defi-
worse was given birth. It came like a storm- total and ance. Now we shatter, becoming many instead of one.
powerful - and nothing escaped it. Those of my Very well, take your legions and wage your wars. Per-
legion, the lost and forlorn, fought to keep this pres- haps you are correct. Perhaps Heaven cannot fight a
ence from breaching the shadow and spilling across the war o n many fronts. But remember this. We are ac-
earth. Perhaps this is what Ahrimal saw before the Fall, countable, our actions will echo until the end of days.
and this is proofwe have set upon the wrong course. We Now go. W e will meet again, brothers, and when we do
are doomed by the sins of mortals.” you will either submit to me, or fall to ash.”
“We cannot take responsibility for the sins of the That day, as the legions scattered and Lucifer
race of dust, as the children of Adam and Eve deserve returned to Genhinnom, the Time of Atrocities began
52

h Tso
CHAPTER
I
Our legions were broken, but the Time of Atroci-

ties saw us gain much ground - some might call it a
golden age, which to this day they strive to recreate.
Gone was the peace and tranquility of earlier centu-
ries, though. We were no longer exploring Creation,
but crafting it to our whims. It was a time of decadence
and darkness.
In this time, our love and hate for the children of
Adam and Eve knew no bounds. They were cherished
and tormented, adored and tortured. At once they
were a source of joy and pain to our legions. Many
centuries passed since that fateful day we defied
Heaven, and we had been forever changed by the
horrors ofwar. W e were becoming something terrible,
and we warped the very land about us in the process.
Once we had created Paradise, now in earthly exile, it
was a hell we were crafting. W e stopped creating and
gave in to destruction.
Across all fronts, the Ebon Legion marched and

was victorious. This is how I witnessed the fall of
Shamayim, the second of the High Cities to fall, and
the battle of the Glade of Memory. Here, mighty
Gabriel fought against the hordes of Lirael in skir-
mishes that left the land scarred and fallow for all of
eternity. It is said that Gabriel, archangel of mercy,
vengeance, death and revelation, refused God’s order
to abandon the fight. Instead, he chose to remain and
protect a mortal woman from the depredations of
Lirael, who had taken to feasting on the flesh of
mortals. T o the very end, Gabriel fought, keeping
Lirael at bay until day broke on the last day of battle.
The bodies of many mortals and the husks of many of
our number lay broken all about Shamayim when
dawn came, but there was no sight of Gabriel or his
mortal love. No one knew if the Archangel of Mercy
and Revelation had been punished for his disobedi-
ence or if he fell during the night. One thing is for
certain, his name was never echoed in the Abyss, so if
Gabriel was punished by the Almighty, he was sen-
tenced to a hell all his own.
No matter where the Ebon Legion marched, it
left a trail of destruction and misery in its wake. Huge
carrion flocks followed, so large they would blot out
the sun, and feasted o n the dead and dying. The
corpses left behind were touched by the Scourges
and left to bloat with disease and plague. W h e n ripe,
they would burst, unleashing pestilence across the
and of the Host.
53

Wherever Abaddon’s legion went, long caravans according to rituals she devised in an attempt to achieve
of humans followed - containing both slaves and humanity’s ultimate potential. The cries from her cita-
worshipers. For all the atrocities the legion committed, del, the Palace of Sighs, echoed long after its destruction
some mortals craved the power the legion offered and at the end of the war.
so followed,willingly sacrificing themselves in battle or Tabfi’et’, bastion of the Silver Legion, became a
worshipping the Ebon lords. maze of towers and chimneys, spewing viscous smoke
Citadel of Hate into the skies. Human flocks languished under the
Dadad, mighty fortress and citadel of the Ebon experiments of the legion and its voracious appetite for
Legion became a bastion of hate and violence. Sur- earthly and unearthly delights.
rounded by fire and geysers that belched noxious clouds
of gas into the surrounding lands, Dadfie1 became the
very image of hell that so many moral artists would In Genhinnom, Lucifer and the Crimson and Iron
envision in the millennia to come. Huge forges be- Legions continued to care for the human flocks under
neath the city churned out weapons and armor for the their protection. Lucifer sent expeditions to reclaim
mortal ranks of the legions - crude swords of dark flocks from the Silver and Ebon Legions and bring
l metal known as syir. When not campaigning, the

legion gathered in arenas and coliseums and staged
gladiatorial fights, pitting mortal against mortal and
demon-spawned aberrations created for the sole pur-
them back to Genhinnom from time to time, but from
his throne, Lucifer knew that the excesses of the
shattered legions were weighing heavily on Creation.
Countless mortals were dead, and many more existed in
pose of providing bloody sport for the crowds. torment. This was not why the Lightbringer had defied
Heaven. Yet, Lucifer knew that forcing the legions to
TMEMALMIM follow him would be no different from the unquestion-
Yet, there were defeats, especially as the Time of ing obedience demanded by Heaven. For many a long
Atrocities dragged on. A new wave of angels de- year, the prince wrestled with this dilemma.
scended from Heaven to reinforce the battered Host. Finally, he decided to act. The war had gone on too
Unlike the initial defenders, who shied from actual long. The Host had been pushed back to Machonon,
conflict and battle, the new wave of angelic warriors but the Lightbringer knew that city would never fall.
did not. It was as if their very mandate was to sentence Instead of allowing his legions to run rampant, he
as many of our number to oblivion as they could. They resolved to call them back and build their true kingdom
became known only as the malhim, the bane of our once and for all.
existence. Some say they were born from the fires of What followed was the Long March, a crusade to
the siege of Sagun, others that the malhim were the bring the legions back under the rightful banner of
souls of faithful mortals blessed by Uriel to avenge Lucifer. Fallen clashed with fallen, but in the end, the
their deaths by our hands. Whatever their origins, Crimson Legion surrounded Dadacl, Tabfi’et’ and
their power was fearsome to behold. I pray to Lucifer Kfisdejs. The errant legions sallied forth to break the
I that we never see their like again. siege three times, but the warriors of Crimson and Iron
hurled them back into their lairs each time. In the end,
the renegade lieutenants bent their heads in fealty once
Far from the front lines, the Silver Legion toiled more, though I wonder what schemes of revenge they
in its fortresses and keeps, places of unspeakable harbored in their hearts.
knowledge and forbidden lore. There nothing was From his throne, Lucifer spoke of a new age, an age
sacred as the fallen of that legion scoured the fabric of when the fallen would be worshipped by mortals and
Creation for clues that would deliver the gates of the mortals in turn would grow to challenge Heaven
f
Heaven into our hands. itself as deities in their own right.
Those angels’ mortal flocks were grafted to crude “We have been fighting the wrong war,” he de-
machines for practical and not so practical reasons. clared. “We will defeat the Almighty, not through
Places like the Wall of Breath and the Towers of war or atrocities, but through the very faith of the
Flesh became legends, haunting even to us. There mortals. We will make each of them a n image of Him,
were no limits to the atrocities that legion was perfect, infinite and powerful. For too long we have
capable of. Many of the horrors inhabiting mortal mistaken the root of the war. The Creator does not
myths are, in truth, early memories of the excess of condemn us out of fear, but out of dread for what we
Asmodeus and his followers. might teach mankind. Do they not empower us with
Beautiful Belphegor, overlord of the Fifth House, their faith as God once did before the Fall? W e will
Mistress of Inspiration, forced her mortal flock to mate
54

1 Ta o
CHAPTER
1
Him. In turn, the mortals will inherit the Earth and across the world. The mortals built cities upon the
we will reclaim our thrones in Heaven. W e have spent oceans and mountain aeries, sprawling desert metropo-
too long here. The time has come to return and make
Heaven pay for its sins.”
lises and golden jungle temples. Cities like Enoch, if
the mortal book is to be believed. 1
And so began the Time of Babel. The Ten visited these cities from time to time to
watch over their charges and teach them. In time, these
secretive tutors were known simply as “the Watchers.”
What followed was our greatest age. The victories

?\ME WATCMER~
of the Time of Atrocities had pushed the Host back, its Decked in cloaks made of light and shadow, the ten
forces scattered and in disarray. Under the guidance of watchers stood tall and frail, yet their eyes swam with
Lucifer,our domains were fortified and even the dreaded knowledge and potential. They were welcomed into all
malhim were stymied for a while. To appease the Silver the cities of man, and they watched as the mortals
and Ebon Legions, Lucifer allowed them to continue learned the most secret lore of Creation. In time, the
governing their cities, but they could no longer add to Ten left a book with each mortal city so that their
1
knowledge could be passed down from generation to
their flocks without first paying a tithe to Genhinnom.
This is how the Crimson Legion spread its flocks across generation. These books came to be called the Canon
ofthe Eye, and they were lost amid the chaos at the end
Creation. But that is not all it did.
of the war. Their existence has been forgotten even in
It was Lucifer’s mandate to elevate the race of the oldest surviving myths, and this is as it should be.
Adam and Eve. Much time had passed since the First Such knowledge was foolishly given once; it must
Night when Lucifer had opened the eyes of the never happen again.
Allmother and Allfather. Much had the descendants
Still, the Ten watched and taught.
of Adam and Eve forgotten, much of their knowledge
was composed of half-remembered truth and supersti- Giriel taught the race of dust the secrets of the
tion, mixed with fear and superstition from the Time of earth, how to shape the land through the art of combin-
Atrocities. Instead of witnessing the totality of Cre- ing elements and minerals.
ation, the mortals were blind once more. Yet it was not Sharaael imparted the knowledge of flesh and life
God who was to blame this time, but us. so that mortals could recapture the immortality that
God wrongly took away.
1
This pained our mighty prince. We had defied
Heaven to bring light into the world, not more dark- Of the secrets of the stars and the heavens above,
ness and despair. We had failed our Lightbringer, and Bephamael taught the race of mortals. The Book of
he had failed the children of Adam and Eve. Bephumael traced the patterns of the stars and how to
predict the passage of time.
“Have I been following our Creator’s path
blindly?” Lucifer cried. “Is this rebellion nothing but The secrets of wind and storm were written by the
a house of lies? hand of Marael.
“No longer! W e shall usher in a new age. Our The secret of metal work and the forge was the ,
rebellion shall not come to ruin. All the years of toil providence of Gamael.
and despair, violence and murder shall not be in Ur-Shanbi taught mortals offate and how to divine
vain. We will elevate humanity until they touch the the future by looking at signs and portents. God kept
walls of Heaven itself. This shall be our Grand Adam and Eve blind, but through Ur-Shanbi, human-
Experiment. If we fail, all is lost. If we succeed, ity would be able to ascertain Heaven’s plans.
victory will be ours at last.” Of the moon and her mistress, Samael taught
mortals where to look for the Mother of the Moon,
THE EXPERIMENT
GRAND what secrets she possessed and how to protect them-
Lucifer selected 10ofhis most trusted retainers and selves from her kin.
sent them across the land. Their task was to teach the Agriel wrote of the many secrets of the bounty of
sons and daughters of Adam and Eve the secrets, not the land, of fruits both good and bad, and how to
just of Creation but of Heaven as well. It was the manipulate them for nourishment or poison.
beginning of the end. Of the sun, God’s unrelenting eye, Shamshiel
Across the lands, the Ten taught the mortal flocks, spoke to the race of Adam and Eve.
who then took this knowledge back to their tribes and Finally, the greatest gift was given by Penemue to
built the Civilization of Ashes. So great was the knowl- the race of Adam and Eve. Penemue taught the race of
edge the Ten brought with them that, in a few short man the gift of writing language and the wisdom this
years, cities that rivaled the bastions of the fallen spread entails. Through his gift, mortals gained the ability to
L
55
6
DEVON:
THEFALLEN
.
L
define the world according to symbols and concepts But the reign of the nephilim and their traitor-
and not by things that needed to be seen or touched. ous progenitors was short. When word of their evil
1 The secrets he taught allowed mortals to open their reached Genhinnom, Lucifer descended upon them
own eyes. Creation no longer needed to be seen and with his legions and slew all h e could find. Yet the
touched to be believed. Knowledge could now spread of fearsome energies unleashed in battle after battle
its own accord. In a few generations, many tomes and reduced the Grand Experiment to ruin. Afterward,
books were written in the First Tongue, and humanity this tragedy was called the Shattering, and it her-
was close to finally unlocking its own divinity. alded our final defeat.
This is the gift that the Ten gave the race of
Adam and Eve. Yet the fire that burns bright burns
all too quickly.
W e ruled the world for countless ages, leading
BETRXI
AL campaigns against the Heavenly Host and pulling
The Watchers were dutiful in their tasks for down their prisons of stone and iron. We tempted other
more than a hundred years. Shortly after writing the angels to fall and built mighty cathedrals and citadels
books of forbidden lore, however, a shadow fell over across the face of Creation. W e protected and tor-
1 them. T h e legions were forbidden to interfere with mented the race of dust and, eventually, bared all the
their task, but we were curious nevertheless. Some, secrets of Creation to the descendants of Adam and
like myself, protected them from afar by shielding Eve. But, in the end, it all came to naught.
them from advances by the Host or the malhim. Yet, While Lucifer and his most trusted legions were
ironically it was we who proved to be the Watchers’ fighting the nephilim, the race of Adam and Eve were
downfall in the end. buckling under the weight of their newly found divin-
As the civilization of ashes reached greater and ity. Perhaps it was the disappearance of the Ten, the
greater heights, some among our legions grew jealous. evil of the nephilim or just cruel fate, but the sons and
They whispered among themselves, “If all the secrets of daughters of the first mortals shattered at the moment
Creation are open to them, why will they need us?”Fear when the whole of Creation lay open to them. Destiny
and doubt wormed their way into our hearts. cannot be preempted, and this is what (in our hubris)
None know for certain who fostered the plot to we’d sought to achieve. W h y Lucifer had not foreseen
upset the Great Experiment, but legend holds that it this, I cannot say. In our long years in Hell, I heard
was one of Lucifer’s own House that sowed the seed. many who believed that he had meant to betray us and
He called to those fallen who feared the growing humanity alike, but to what end?I don’t know what to
power of humanity and persuaded them that some- believe anymore.
thing must be done to ensure that the legions Instead of becoming gods, the enlightenment of
maintained their dominance over the mortals. The the race of man buckled under the weight of the newly
traitor suggested that his followers take mortal part-
found revelations. We sought to accelerate millennia
ners and gave birth to a new race - one born of
of maturity in just a handful of generations. It was too
mortal-kind and fallen. This new race would be for-
much, too soon.
ever subservient to its progenitors, and it would
ultimately supplant the children of Adam and Eve by
virtue of inherent power. And so, in the dead of night,
But this was not our only regret. The Shattering
these traitors took mortals and joined with them.
had even more dire consequences -the fragmentation
BIRTH
OPTMEIPEPMILIM of the mortal tongue. Since the time of Adam and Eve,
mortals used a form of our tongue, simplified for their
I
This is how the nephilim came to be: each and
every one an abomination in the eyes of mortal and ears but nonetheless it echoed with truth. All mortals
fallen. They possessed the gifts of man and angel, and spoke this One Language, a pure tongue that did not
they were terrible to behold - if not for their hideous obfuscate and allowed them to grasp the significance of
countenance, then for their potential. I’ve heard that all. When Penemue taught the race of dust how to write
some were benevolent, gentle spirits who took it upon and weave this One Language, the very doors of Heaven
themselves to guide and enlighten, but many were born were opened to all of mankind. But they were not ready.
knowing only hate and tyranny. In a few short years, They were blinded, and in being so, they lost the ability
they dominated the cities where they were born. But to comprehend the One Language. Their speech de-
their greatest crime was yet to come, for they searched volved into a cacophony of lesser languages. Instead of
out and destroyed the Ten, usurping their role as the one nation of mortals, they fragmented into hundreds,
teachers of mankind. even thousands of tribes and clans. Never again would

they see themselves as one race, united by a common Michael’s Host. They rounded up our legions and
mother and father. levied their punishment. Many of us expected to
The breaking of the mortal tongues had another make the long march back to Heaven to face destruc-
effect -they could no longer gaze upon us and under- tion, but the Almighty had a far more terrible fate in
stand with clarity what they saw. Memories of us store. He condemned us to darkness eternal, an end-
became legends and myths, spirits of superstition that less, empty existence devoid of purpose or worth. In
some worshipped while others either ignored or did not all the horror I witnessed during the Age of Wrath,
trust. Even if we wanted to help, we could not. The nothing compared to the atrocity that Heaven perpe-
mortals were so broken that we had become ineffable to trated on us at the end.
them, and in so doing, their boundless flow of devotion The ophanimpassed judgment, and all was silent for
and faith dwindled to nothing. a moment. I think they expected us to plead for mercy,
to beg for swift destruction instead of eternity in the Pit.
TMECOLLAPSE But our eyes turned to our prince, the Morningstar, who
All across the land, our cities and tribes crumbled knelt with his head unbowed. It seemed as though he was
- some due to natural disasters, others due to wars,
1
searching the skies, daring the Almighty to face him one
famine and plague. Cities sank into the depths of the
last time. The sight moved me beyond words, and I knew
oceans, while others were simply given over to the
then and there that I would rather face the darkness
wilderness. It was as if the race of Adam and Eve chose
standing on my feet then bend my knees one second
ignorance when shown the totality of Creation and its
longer to an uncaring God.
secrets. Many of us cannot understand this even to this
day. Why turn their backs on destiny and choose a I climbed to my feet, daring the ophanim to object.
lifetime of toil and ignorance? This was the ultimate I can remember the silence that hung over the great
betrayal in the eyes of many of our legions, something plain and the countless eyes following me as I marched
few have forgiven mankind for. resolutely to the gate of Hell. At the threshold I turned
to my prince, and I swear there were tears in his eyes.
With a proud salute, I cast myself into the Abyss.
The experiment had failed, and for all our might, I will not lie to you and say I was unafraid, but I
nothing could restore humanity’s unstinting devotion. fought to contain my terror in the emptiness of the Pit.
The mortals were blinded to us, and we were deprived I was waiting for my Prince to follow us into exile, and
of the faith we’d grown so accustomed to. W e had then I would be the first to kneel and swear my oath of
forgotten the Host in the chaos of the Shattering, but fealty to him once more. For on that plain of judgment
Heaven had not forgotten us. During our darkest hour, I realized that as long as he stood with us, no prison
the Host descended on us. The malhim laid siege to forged by Heaven could hold us. We would not yield to
DGdASl, Tabg’et’ and Kasdeja, and they laid all our God’s tyranny, not on Earth or in Hell. We would not
works to waste. submit. Justice would be ours one day.
Michael and his Host gathered on Genhinnom, I do not know how long I waited, keeping the fire
and a mighty battle raged. I am told that even at the of defiance alight. T h e ranks of the damned pressed
last, Lucifer never once spoke of surrender. The Crim- about me, and still I endured. T h e darkness and the
son and Iron Legions fought to the last of their strength cold ate at my soul but still I endured. T h e cries of the
and held the walls for 40 days and 40 nights before the forsakencut through me like a knife, and still I would
gates finally gave way and the Morningstar was bound not yield.
in chains of fire. Then the gates of Hell clanged shut, and I realized
The ophanim, the Creator’s angels of justice, then that we’d been truly forsaken. Lucifer was not
came from Heaven surrounded by malhim and among us.
57

I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope
For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; there is yet faith
But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting.
-T. S. Eliot, East Coker
I am Magdiel, and I am a fallen angel. I am one of

Lucifer’schosen, and I am free in the world once more.
frustrating. This mind cannot deal with the memories I
have, and sometimes I struggle to hold on to them. I am
setting them downonpaper, in the hope that these notes
will allow me to retain more than this skull can manage.
1
1
I was here when this place was created, and I shall be I admit that I am tempted by Anila’s life and her
here when it is destroyed. emotions. They are like nothing I have ever experi-
‘
I am not Anila Kaul, although it suits me to be her enced before. After millennia in the cold void of Hell,
until I can understand this world and find my place in it. any experience is welcome, but I will not lose who I am
While I look human, I am far more than that. This body to this pathetic human woman whose spirit was broken
contains just one facet of me, a simple extrusion of in some dingy flat. I am a demon. Anila is no more.
something far greater. I have existed since the beginning
of time, and I have seen things that a mere human brain Dn~mm ~
UNENDIIPG
could never comprehend. There are times when I cannot I remember the war well enough. Those things that
believe how small a section of reality they can perceive. I can’t recall are probably best forgotten. I did things
How do they survive with so little understanding? then that I regret even today. I never want to forget my
Much to my surprise, though, there is an attraction imprisonment, though. I never want to forget what God
to the simple pleasures of their lives. I must not succumb did to me, because if I do, I might never understand it.
to it. I do not care how seductive Anila’s feelings and I had no concept of imprisonment then. None of us
memories are. I do not care about her passion for her did. It was only after we lost the final battle and were
husband and for her causes. 1am an Angel of Death, and bound in chains of fire that we understood what it was
I will be more than human. I know that I must stay in this like to be truly powerless. We were prepared to suffer
body if I am to stay in this world, but its limitations are pain and indignity at the hands ofour foes, but Heaven’s

. --
CHAPTER THREE
vengeance was far crueler than we could imagine. We his wisdom and confidence, we found nothing. We
were to be forgotten, consigned to a vault of darkness never sought another leader. It had never occurred to
until the end of time. Though we would still be able to us that we might need one. Lucifer was the only one
dimly sense the world beyond and feel the sufferings of among us who we truly believed could challenge Him.
humanity, we would be helpless to intervene. Anila has A t first his lieutenants, those who had fought at his
no words to describe the horror and fear we felt as side and commanded his legions during the war, as-
Heaven’s angels hurled us into eternal night. sumed that he would be joining us in time. It seemed
Hell was a cold, empty void, barren of anything but obvious that God had other punishments in store for
us. We could make nothing there to ease our imprison- Lucifer; only afterward would he be imprisoned with us.
ment, for there was no material for us to work with. We I don’t know how long it took for the whispers to
were utterly alone. The only things left to us were our start. What if He had destroyed Lucifer?We had seen
memories and our regrets. Perhaps God imprisoned us angels destroyed in the war; none of us held any illusions
to make us repent of our rebellion. If that was His goal, that our lives were sacrosanct. There were those who
He could not have been more complete in His failure. believed that (asour leader) Luciferhad been singledout
Left with nothing but our own pain and frustration, especially for destruction. Others suggested that he had
entombed in a lifeless limbo without hope of release, been given a special prison, separated from his loyal
even the strongest among us surrendered themselves to soldiers out of fear that he could find a way to lead us to
visions of anger and dreams of terrible revenge. freedom. Still others believed that the Morningstar
Even then, our descent into madness might have might have sacrificed himself in order to win some small
been averted. In time, we might have learned to make mercy from the Lord, ensuring our eventual release. No
some kind ofpeace with our fate. But the one spirit who one knew. And so we waited.
could have shaken us from this nightmare and inspired I don’t know where the idea originated, but I know
us to find a way to endure was nowhere to be found. that once it had been voiced, it could not be silenced.
It may have been in the counsels of the great powers; it
1\2KYI‘ERcI may have come from the lowest ranks; its source was
OF r ~MORNINGSTAR
e unimportant. All that mattered was that the thought
Lucifer was the greatest of us. Part of me, probably the spread through us like a cancer, and by the time one of
part that is tainted by Anila, wants to call him the most Lucifer’s lieutenants gave voice to the thought, the
beautiful, but that’s not right. She could only understand seeds of what I consider to be nothing less than a second
love inhuman terms.We 1ovedLuciferbecauseof the purity rebellion had been sown.
ofhismission and purpose. He was able to articulate the way “Lucifer has abandoned us.”
we felt with a clarity that few of us could match. When he It was Belial, greatest among the Morningstar’s
strode onto the field of battle, we never believed that we lieutenants, who said it first. Some of the great dukes
could lose. His anger and his mercy were beyond compare, stood with him, declaring that we must seek our escape
and each of us aspired to be worthy of his leadership. and revenge without Lucifer -or perhaps despite him.
Abaddon, that black-hearted marauder, even dared to
I joined the rebellion for Lucifer just as much as for
say that Lucifer was responsible for our defeat. Still
my own needs. He made me feel that my hopes for
others raised their voices in protest, their belief in our
humanity were every bit as important as his own, and
prince unshaken.
when he said that together we would prevail, I believed
him. Even as the war began - and humans started Many struggled with their beliefs and tried to avoid
dying -my faith in the Morningstar didn’t waver. He taking sides. I stood with the loyalists. Few had as much
faith in Lucifer as I, and my voice brought many lesser
was a prince among us, and God would see his point in
fallen back to their senses. Just as many demons, if not
the end. Even after the war, as Heaven’s angels passed
more, let their anger consume them, and they raged
sentence against us, my faith did not waver. If I feared
againstour prince with the same fury they directed at God.
at all, it was for our prince. How much worse would
Lucifer’s punishment be than our own?
Without him, I doubt that we would have had the
TMEFACTIONS
Without Lucifer to unite us, the whispers of dissent
courage to defy the Almighty. Once the walls of Hell that began in the final days of the war only gained in
closed about us, we found ourselves without him just strength. Conflict was inevitable as each faction became
when we needed him most. entrenched in their beliefs and sought to convert the rest
-sometimes with words, sometimes with force.
I remember our fear. Darkness settled over us like Certainly the first and largest of these factions were
shroud, and when we turned to the Morningstar for the so-called True Believers, the fallen who were part of
61

Lucifer’sGreat Crusade and believed that mankind was
the key to defeating the will of Heaven. Our terrible exile
did little to shake the sect’s convictions -if anything,
Heaven’s furious response in the wake of the Time of
Babel only confirmed their beliefs. As time passed and
the pain cut ever deeper, however, their faith in the glory
of humankind took on a darker tone. Rather than
unleashing mankind’s potential, the True Believers de-
clared that the fallen should have harnessed it, like a
spear pointed at God’s merciless heart. Now that the
gates of the Abyss lie broken I wonder how many of the
Believers are out there now, moving through the multi-
tudes and binding the souls of mankind in new-forged
chains. They called themselves the Keepers of Babel
during the exile; now I’m certain they eschew any titles
that would hint at their true agenda. Anila has a word for
these schemers, a name from human literature that is
synonymous with stolen souls: Faustians.
The more cautious or contemplative of our number
struggled to remain apart from the power struggles,
seeking answers to the many questions that plagued us.
They sought to understand our defeat and exile better
before they made a decision about Lucifer. They chose
to doubt and question everything. They exempted
themselves from the power struggles that wracked our
prison. Instead, they talked to those who had been near
Lucifer in the war, and those who had seem him
chained at the feet of God. They questioned those who
had worked with him before the thought called rebel-
lion had first been formed and shaped. Ultimately they
realized that as long as they were trapped in the Abyss
the truth could never really be known, but still they
labored over their many theories. In time they came to
be known as the Cryptics, the seekers of mystery.
Some, like myself, stood in defiance of the thought
that slandered the Morningstar. We matched wills
with the doubters and the heretics at every turn,
fighting to keep Lucifer’s vision alive. He was our
champion, our leader and our hope. If he still lived, it
was our duty to free ourselves and find him so that we
could begin the struggle anew. So long as one of us still
believed in Lucifer’s dream, the war was not truly lost.
I
Many sneered at us and referred to us as Luciferans, yet
we wore the name proudly.
Other, weaker souls fell into despair. They consid-
ered Lucifer’s absence to be a sign of his destruction or
betrayal, and believed us damned for all eternity. Their
anger was bright and fierce, and they turned it toward
all of God’s works. One day, they swore, they would be
free and they would destroy all that He had done. If
God would deny us the cosmos we had created and the
people we loved, then He could not have them either.
They were the Raveners, and I watched with dismay as
the ages of agony increasingly swelled their ranks.
62

Other fallen turned their attention outward. While lingering feelings and memories?I do. If I dispense with
we could not interfere with the world we had lost, we Anila entirely, I become what I was before. I become a
could get some sense of what occurred there, through being of anger and despair. I don’t want to be that way
the pangs of pain or half-glimpsed thoughts of the anymore. I was an angel: God’s servant and a bringer of
humans who dwelt there. At first, we thought this was death. Surely some of that is left within me? Can I be
a sign of God’s mercy, a gift that allowed us some what I once was?
contact with the world we knew. Yet, as time passed we
came to think of it as the greatest of His punishments.
This faction strove to reach their human allies from the
rebellion, to reassure them that they had not been I argued with my husband -with Anila’s husband,
forgotten. I found the last group the hardest to under- Tony- this morning. He accuses me of being surly and
stand. They did nothing. After a thousand years of withdrawn. He says that I just watch him, and do not
fighting, they became passive. It was as if defeat by God talk and love him like I used to. He’sright, ofcourse, but
knocked all of the fire out of them. Once they were in how can I do what he wants? I am not Anila. I cannot
Hell, they simply waited. They accepted God’s punish- be the person he needs me to be. I am in her body and
ment and waited for a time when He would set us free
to work in His name again. They said that the chance
would come to make right what we had done and regain
I share her memories, but she is dead, and even I, an
Angel of Death, cannot say what that means.
And yet, I want to reach out to him, to draw him
i\
His grace. They called themselves Reconcilers, but to me, to feel the warmth of his body against my own. 4
they were mocked as fools, even traitors, and their I want to rest his head on my breast and take the worry
beliefs and commitment did little to protect them in from him. These feelings must be Anila’s, for I have
the eternity that followed. As centuries upon centuries never comforted anyone in my existence before. Yet,
built up like the sand on a beach, they too succumbed they feel as much a part of me as my power over this
to the pain and became as monstrous as the rest of us. world, and perhaps more so than the memories of the
I can’t remember the detail of what happened time in Hell.
anymore. I can’t recall all of the deeds I did in Lucifer’s I do not like to think about that time. My desires
name. I cannot forget, though, that the war waged in then were less comforting. During the war, we created a
Hell never ended. The Princes of Hell struggled with refuge for the souls of the dead, a place of hope, but it
one another from the moment the lie of Lucifer’s soon became the anteroom to our terrible prison. God
treachery was voiced. I’m sure that they struggle to win taunted us with the spirits of the dead, letting us touch
the upper hand even now. them while living humanitv remained barred to us. For
REMEMBERING when we reache& out to human spirits while we were
I have just read what I have written, and part of me imprisoned, it was not to reassure them, but to silence
- the part that is Anila, I think - wants to laugh. I them or to take pleasure in their torment if we could not.
look around at the living room of the small house in We were so lost in hate that we just didn’t care. Our pain
East London I call home, and wonder if any of this can and guilt twisted us, and eventually we sought to attack
be true. I lived through it. It is more a part of me than the very things that we once loved: the souls of mankind.
this place, than these chairs or the desk I lean on to We made them suffer. Now, I’m making Tony
write. Yet, somehow this desk seems more real, more suffer, and I’m not sure I can make amends for either
comprehensible and more important than the struggles crime. How can I make amends for those souls we
of the Princes of Hell. ravaged over the centuries, when I can’t even say the
I cannot afford to think this way. I am still their right things to make this one man stop hurting?
servant, and though I do not truly understand this I can see why I’m hurting him. It’s harder to recall
world anymore, I have duties to perform. I just don’t why I ended up hurting all those souls through history.
know to whom I owe my loyalty. Should I continue to Looking back, it seems strange that we made the
serve my master and win his freedom, as he com- journey from desperately wishing to ease the pain of the
manded? Should I risk his displeasure and seek Lucifer humans to creatures that desired nothing more that
instead? Should I seek out God and beg forgiveness? humanity’s pain, suffering and ultimately their utter
I will keep this book to remind me of what I was destruction. And yet, the steps on that road are still
before I took Anila’s body for my own. I will fill it with clear to me, even if the scenery is a little vague. Guilt
my memories of Hell and the thoughts that I can truly became pain. Pain became anger. Anger became hate.
say come from the part of me that is demon or angel, but Hate created suffering. Those were the four small steps
certainly not human. That way, I can remember what from angel to demon. How inadequate these words are
s me and what is Anila. I need her body. Do I need her to convey the changes those steps forced on us.

Perhaps I was wrong. I wanted to ease the pain of POWER
QLAW
humans before, and it was the first step on the journey Something changed in Hell through this time.
’ that has brought me here. Desire led to rebellion. There was always a hierarchy amongst us, even before
Rebellion led to punishment. Punishment led to guilt. the rebellion. No one ever thought to question it. Our
Guilt. That’s what I’m feeling now. Every move place and ranks were as God ordained them to be, and
and gesture on Tony’s part, the sadness I can see in him it never crossed our minds that they should be anything
is filling me with guilt. I hate the fact that I am hurting but that. We were made to be in that position, so why
him, and I hate myself for not being able to put it right would we doubt our place?Even when we rebelled, one
with a word. of Lucifer’sfirst acts was to forge a new order that would
I cannot think about this anymore. The more I bind us all together.
hate myself, the more I feel the echoes of Hell in me, Yet the longer we were imprisoned, the less the old
and it is clouding my brain. I must be Anila for a little rules seemed to matter. Perhaps our rebellion against
while and bring this man the comfort I wished to bring Him paved the way for us to rebel against every other
all humanity so very long ago. I cannot bear his pain aspect of our existence: first against the absent Lucifer
any longer. I will find a way to end it. and then our own superiors in the ranks of Hell. This
was the third rebellion. Even as the factions of Hell
PAIN fought against one another, they turned upon them-
My husband is asleep. I should sleep with him and be selves as well. Our guiding lords became petty tyrants,
Anila for a while longer, but I cannot. I must focus my dictating our actions for their own ends.
mind again and remember how I came to hate humanity, Where the princes once guided us, they now ruled
and how God’s “gift”to us became the sharpest torment us, forcing us to obey by calling upon our True Names.
we endured. I think the cruelest thing He did when He They dragged us into their fights, whether we wanted
cast us down was to all but bar us from the world we to go or not. The power of our Names was such that
created for Him. If we had been utterly isolated from it, soon we never even questioned our motivations -we
unable to senseor touch it in any way, it would have been just did what we were told. Where once we were
easier. Memory would have faded over time, we would comrades fighting for a cause, we were now masters and
have created a new existence for ourselves within the servants, seeking the benefit of the few, not the free-
place we had been given. It may have been a place of dom of the many. We were now slaves.
anger, hate and frustration, but how long would those
emotions have lasted with nothing to fuel them? We BITTEK
TA~TF,,S
OF FREEDOM
I would have found release and contentment in our prison

over time, or so I like to believe.
He did not allow us that, though. No, He trapped
None doubted that our prison was inviolate, proof
against any power we could muster against it. The
Creator decreed that we would lie in darkness until the
us in a place where we could still sense humanity about end of time, and this we believed. Yet just as we had
I us. Their living souls called to us through the cloudy resigned ourselves to an eternity of slavery and spite, the
five Archdukes of Hell, Lucifer’sformer lieutenants and
glass of our prison, and we reached out to them, unable
to touch them. A t first they remembered us, and their masters of his legions, suddenly disappeared.The shock
pain at our disappearance from the world was great. was so great it silenced every petty struggle between us
God’s loyal servants remained aloof from humanity, so and left us filled with a mix of wonder and apprehension.
it seemed to the surviving humans that the touch of We could sense that the stars still burned, the worlds
divine had left the world. Death, the great mystery, spun in their courses and mankind still passed its days in
now came to all of them, without any spirits to guide ignorance and fear, so the sands of time had not yet run
them and with no direct word of what it meant. Fear out. For a time I dared hope that it was Lucifer’s doing,
and loss are the parents of pain, and their child grew that the Morningstar had escaped his shackles and was
strong in the hearts of mankind. W e wept in Hell to feel going to set us free. But the walls of our prison did not fall,
the pain of those we had championed and raged at and the archdukes never returned. Hope gave way to
Heaven for leaving us impotent to deal with it. despair.The Ravenersclaimed that Heaven took Lucifer’s
As time passed and we felt humanity slowly lose lieutenants from us so that they could share in the
knowledge of us, the feeling of revenge turned into all- Morningstar’spunishment. The Cryptics disagreed, and
out anger. Humanity, for whom we had given up more the factional struggles began anew.
than they could possibly imagine, had given up on us. Then Zaphoriel vanished. He held no high station
Those we had sought to save abandoned us. among the fallen, nor was he much renowned for his
That was when angel became demon. That was deeds against the Host. We were amazed at hisdisapp
when I, Magdiel, became a monster. ance, but even more so when he abruptly returned.

I THREE
CHAPTER
I
claimed to have been summoned from our prison not by

God or His angels, but by a man. Zaphoriel said he had
appeared in a circle ofpower, sustained by apotent ritual
and bound by words ofpower crackling from the human’s
lips. Then the human demanded things of Zaphoriel,
commanding him to relinquish secrets of his House’s
lore! We were awestruck. Bad enough that mankind had
forgottenour sacrificesfortheir sake-now they thought
themselves equal in authority to the Creator Himself?
Zaphoriel raged impotently at the man, and ultimately
was banished back into our midst.
Where had mankind gained such power?Had they
freed the archdukes as well? If so, why had they not
returned? Over time, more and more of our number
were called from our prison and commanded to share
what we knew or perform deeds at the summoner’s
behest. It was a humiliation that scarred our souls far
more than the slavery we now suffered at the hands of
our own, but at the same time, we found ourselves
hoping to be the next one called. The more powerful
amongst us commanded their vassals to share their
Celestial Name with the human magi, that they might
be drawn back to earth.
Some who were called did not return. Like the
archdukes, their fate was unknown. The summonings
continued, growing in frequency for several millennia,
but as the world changed, it seemed that the number of
magi dwindled, and the secrets to unlock our prison
were lost. But we have not forgotten, least of all the
Cryptics, who wonder how mankind could have dis-
covered such knowledge and realized the power to
make their desires reality in the first place.
There were times when it seemed as though the walls

of our prisonmightfall. Five times sinceour imprisonment
a storm of terrible power raged across the spirit realm and
battered against the seals of the Abyss. The most strident
among us declared each time that the time of our release
was at hand, that Creation was at an end, and that soon
all our sufferingwould cease. Each time, they were wrong.
We bathed in the hatred, fear and pain of the dead for a
short time as they suffered in the throes of the Maelstrom.
Afterwards we raged at the calm that settled in its wake,
furious that nothing had changed. The gates of the Abyss
remained as strong as ever, our freedom nothing more
than a fading dream in a hate-filled mind.
And then, in an instant, everything changed. We felt
the surge in pain that marked another upheaval, sharpand
fiery, filling us with pain and ecstasy. We flocked to the
barrier between Hell and the realm of the dead, eager to
increase the suffering of those souls we could reach and
share in the pleasure we would reap. And even as we
65

DEMON:
THEFALLEN L
8
concentrated on those souls, we realized we could feel tormented untold human souls through my impris-
them with a clarity that had been denied us since the day onment, but that was no longer enough for me.
1 of our imprisonment. We rushed toward those points of Instead, I sought out the angels, to let them feel the
clarity.We pushed at the very outer boundary of Hell itself power of my hate. Yet 1 could not find them.
and then we saw the one sight we never expected to see. They were gone. I looked where creatures lingered
We felt the cracks the storm had made. on the brink of death, but no angel lingered to ease
It is impossible to describe how we felt. The cracks their pain. My fury growing, I looked for the watchful
were wide enough that the smallest of us could escape. angels of the air or the muses haunting the indigo deeps
While we expected them to disappear, to close up at or the angels of the wild tending their towering woods,
any moment before us, they stayed, resolutely open. but I found not a single one. Had they abandoned their
God’s word did not close them. Angels did not defend posts? Were they in hiding? I could sense my fellow
them. We stared at them and hoped, feared and hated demons, but not a single member of Heaven’s Host.
at once. The doors of Hell were open. We could go back Confusion overtook me. It was an unfamiliar feel-
to the world. Was our punishment at an end? ing in a being long given over to hate. How did the
world operate without our kind? Did God no longer
EXODUS care for the world?
t In the end, the decision to leave was not ours. Our
princes, seeing their chance, but knowing that the E~DLORETION
cracks were not wide enough to allow them to escape, I hovered over the world, braced against the wind,
invoked their servants’Names and sent them -sent us enjoying the freedom that I’d lost so long ago. Even as I
- flying into the raging storm beyond. We left Hell fought against the storm that raged acrossthe Veil, I could
with fear and hope in our hearts and the command- feel my senses coming alive with the siren call of duty.
ment to free our masters coursing through our very Living things all over the world called out for the end. It
beings. “Free us. Free us, and vengeance will be ours.” was refreshing at first, like returning home after a long and
From the moment the walls of our prison started to arduous journey, but then I opened myself to it and found
come apart, I could think ofnothing but escape,but even it greater than I could ever have imagined. It was as if the
as I left the Abyss, surging forward to serve my prince, I whole world was crying out in pain, begging for its agony
could not help but wonder. Would He be waiting for us? to end and the cycle to move on again.
Had the time for further judgment come? Would our The fury of the Maelstrom was incredible. I didn’t
millennia of hatred be called to account?
I Yet the angels did not come for me.
I hurled myself into the storm, heedless of its fury.
know if it was the result of our escapefrom Hell, the cause
of it or some sign of His anger with the world, but it was
flaying the souls of the dead. Their agonies echoed
All around me flew the ruined souls of those we tor- through me as I hung there. Worse, though, was the
mented, and I tore through them, screaming my joy and constant moaning of the souls of the living. These were
I my hate at the pathetic spirits that sought to bar my way. not the humans I remembered. They were haggard, weak
I rose through the storm, parting it before me, reaching things, the light of their souls dimmed to a feeble glow.
upward from the Abyss to the world of the living. The Unbelieving, I drew closer to a place where their
dead clawed at me, the storm tried to grasp me, but cry sounded with particular anguish. It was as if the
neither could succeed for I was a demon, and I was free. ground itself was crying out for its end to come. It had
Still, the angels did not come for me. been pushed beyond its boundaries, beyond its God-
I rose up through them, reaching for the world I had given purpose and was crying for an end to its existence.
t
known, the world I was banished from longer ago than I I let that call draw me in, relishing the feeling of doing
could reckon. Then, hope and fear and anger and hatred a duty I barely remembered. What I saw shocked me.
burning within me, I saw the Earth, the world I had fought The world was nothing like the one I knew. The beauty
for, come into view. I was returning home, a refugee from of Creation seemed to have been replaced by a mo-
a self-made Hell. At first the world was gray, a twisted notony of shapes. Great rock slabs thrust their way into
reflection of itself seen through the eyes of hate, and then the sky, pale, soulless lights burning within. Where
it was in front of me as I remembered it, vibrant, alive, the once stood gardens of beauty and great hills filled with
pinnacle of His Creation. For a moment I exulted, drink- all manner of life, were now gray blocks of stone and
ing in the long-forgottenglory of the world. For a moment steel that seemed to have no purpose but to crush the
I forgot everything but the beauty of Creation. spirit of those who lived in them.
And even then, the angels did not come for me. People moved through those barren canyons,but they
There were humans everywhere; more humans weren’t humans as I understood them. These creatureswe
that I could ever have imagined existed. I had had given up the service of Heaven to console,protect and

educate, had taken the divinity within them and squan- different from the ones I had been denied in the Abyss.
dered it. They seemed to see themselves and their works as The feel of the flesh, the air on my body, the blood on my
something separate from the rest of the world. chest, the movement of my hair, the lungs inflating
Was this God’s punishment on them? Were they inside me, my heart beating, my stomach complaining,
paying their own price for our hubris? the light on my irises and my eardrums vibrating. This
was all new. The world looked utterly different from
what I expected, the sounds that assaulted my ears
As I took in this vista, barely comprehendingwhat I saw, almost incomprehensible to me.
the Abysscontinuedtopullatme,trying todragmebackinto I dove deeper into Anila’s mind for explanation and
its horrible embrace. I felt it claw at my very being, tellingme guidance, for her memories and the lingering taste of her
that this was not my place, that I belonged in Hell. Each emotions, and11ostmyselfinanewrushofsensations.The
secondin the realworldbecameasttruggleagahtthe impulse memories that made up the person called Anila Kaul
to let go and be sucked back into darkness.But my prince had roared over me like a tidal wave of human experience.
commanded me with my Name, so I could not flee. I had to The sharp pain of a paper cut gave way to the
1
stay and find a way to free her. warmth of the sun on my face and the cool water around
More than that though, I would not go. There was my body as I swam. I tasted the warm feeling of a curry
too much to see, too much to understand, too much to cooked by my mother and the grief of her death. I felt
do. The only sure way to survive as a being of spirit in the joy of dancing, and the rhythm of the music that
a world of the flesh was to join with that flesh. I just had guided the dance resonated in my bones.
to find a body that would accept me. I tasted Anila’s first, tentative kiss with a boy who
I opened my mind and felt a thousand shattered was jeering at her six months later for being a “paki.” I
souls, flickering like candles in the wind. One such felt the rain of a cold London morning lashing against
brokenspirit calledout tome. It had beenbetrayed, and my skin as Anila hurried to an appointment. I felt her
that betrayal had cost it everything that it had loved. I joy as she rescued a child from an abusive parent.
could sense my fellow demons reaching out to human I tasted the sting of her father’s hand across my face as
spirits too weak or too starved to resist us and claiming they argued over Anila’s choice of husband. I experienced
the bodies in their place. Each of us found a wounded touch, the cuddle of a parent or the caresses of her lovers. A
soul that resonated with our own nature, in the hope it human sensation,so primitive compared to the meeting of
would allow us to bond with the flesh more easily. angels, yet so utterly compelling,so completely consuming.
I moved toward one of the stone towers I saw And then I lost myself completely as I found Anila’s
before, drawn by a mix of anger, frustration, compas- memories of her husband: the taste of his skin, the feel of
sion and grief, and I found the small female body lying his breath on me, the long, lazy night wrappedup in each
in a pool of blood on the floor. I felt the void within the other’s arms. Nothing matched this but being in His
corpse, the space where the soul linked with the thing presence. My memories of Him were of anger and
of fleshy matter, and I poured myself into it. In that punishment, not the love and passion of my husband.
moment I, Magdiel the Slayer, become something at Oh,Lord, why did you grant this to them and not to us?
once more and less than I had been.
JOINED
I don’t know how long I spent there, alternately
living Anila’s past and then just experiencing the
Themoment Isankintothatcoolingflesh,the physical sensations her body gave me. Eventually, I became
world reached out and pulled me. Even as I commanded the aware of myself and sat crying on the floor. At first I
body to heal, the blood to flow and the muscles contract, I cried with joy. I was free after so long, but more than
wasassaulted by imagesstillremaininginthemortal’sbrain. that, I was alive, exulting in experiences that I had
I let those memories rush into me as I concentrated on the never dared imagine before or after I rebelled. Never
body, on making it whole, on making myself part of it, once did I imagine what it would be like to be one of
anchoring myself against the pull of the Abyss. them. It was inconceivable to me that they might have
I was overwhelmed.I had never imagined what the lessons for us. Now I found that they did.
world felt like to a human. I had existed apart from the For the first time in longer than Anila could
world of matter and flesh. I’d worked with it, but I’d imagine, I cried out in joy and exultation to a Creator
never been part of it, never directly experienced it. Now I have hated with a passion since I lay chained at His
I was part of it, and I had no idea how to deal with the feet. I clambered unsteadily to my feet and spun around,
feelings I was experiencing. All I knew was that I wanted joy filling my heart. I stumbled and fell,bruising my leg
more. I hungrily dived through these sensations; so and loving the feeling of pain where I hit the floor.
67

Later I cried tears of misery,because the life I loved was been attacked and was shaken up, so I was going home.
not my own. The real Anila was gone and I, one of Lucifer’s They asked me how the wife and child were that I had
Slayers, could not say where. She’dhad a father who loved gone to visit. A memory flashed through my mind:
her despite the choices she made, a husband who wanted to Anila telling them to run. A n enraged man coming at
be with her despite the differences between them and the her with a knife, screaming abuse.
time they had to spend apart. And now, those men would I told them that they’d gone, that they should be on
be deprived of her gifts because I had stolen her life. I drove their way to the battered wives’ shelter. They seemed
her spirit out into the storm so I could be free again. How concerned, saying that I sounded odd. I nearly laughed
can I repay them for what I’ve done? at that, but kept my voice steady. My boss told me to
take care. She said she’d take care of liaising with the
REALITCI refuge and reporting the attack, but that I’d need to file
Neither joy nor pain lasted. However much I a complete report in the morning, if the police didn’t
wanted to hold on to them both, I couldn’t. They come around to see me before that. I wasn’t sure what
slipped away even as I tried to understand what I should she meant, and didn’t have the time to probe Anila’s
do next. This world was nothing like I imagined. The memories to find out, so I just thanked her.
box, no, the room I was in made no sense to me without Then she asked me if I was okay and if there was
’ Anila’s memories. I used her memories for a while and anything she could do. I have existed since the dawn of
experienced the things in that place as she would. time. I have fought battles with creatures whose very
After an hour of this, I panicked. Was I losing my existence is just a myth to the people that clustered in
identity and everything I was to this human shell I taken the building around me. Yet I was brought close to tears
shelter in?I tried to concentrate on Hell, on my hate, on by a simple act of human concern. It was like nothing
my fall, my rebellion. Yet, I didn’t want that. My mind I had ever experienced before.
was clear. The hate was buried deep in me, and I was I thanked her and told her I would be fine. Then I
thinking freely again, in a way I had not experienced put the phone back o n the hook and went in search of
since the early days of my imprisonment. I wanted this: the man that had tried to kill me.
this world and this life. And Iwanted to be me and to be
Anila. Memories of torment mixed with memories of a THEMAND
OF DEATH
night in the pub. I was drinking with demons and I found the would-be killer in an alley behind the
torturing the souls of the departed with college friends. refuge, hiding and watching. His name was David, and
I bled into Anila, and Anila bled into me. The body was he’d been a crack addict for the last two years as well as
shaping me even as I tried to bend it to my will. a wife beater. He’d hospitalized his wife twice, and Anila
I don’t have the words to describe what happened had been assigned to help her get out of the situation.
next. How can human language find a way to describe Anila had arrived at the flat that morning, to tell
what a demon feels when it becomes, in a way, human? the wife that a place was ready for her and her daughter
I could use words like confusion, madness, pain, anger, in the shelter. As they’d been packing, the husband had
hate and love, but none of them really conveys what arrived home, angry and coming down off a crack high.
happened. The hate of the demon and the passions of Anila tried to calm him down. She never saw the knife.
the human met, and something of the angel I once was As I walkeddownthe alley,callinghis name, I could see
found new life in that fusion. the terror and incomprehension on his face. He thought I
For a while, I was mad. The demon could not cope was a drug-induced hallucination, and he was afraid,which
with the human experience, and the human body could was good. I am an Angel of Death. He should be afraid.
not cope with the demon within. I lost my grip o n what He tried to run. I was faster. He tried to break my
t
Anila called sanity and slid into a meaningless mass of grip. I was stronger. I pinned him to the alley wall and
sensations and memories. Eventually, I found clarity stared deep into his eyes. “Why?”
because I found something to focus on: Anila’s at- “Why what?”he gasped.
tacker. I felt the knife plunge deep into my belly, again
and again. He’d tried to kill me, and I didn’t understand
“Why did you try to kill me?”
why. I needed to understand. There must be some “You were taking my wife away. I couldn’t let you.
reason behind it, some motivation that a mere human She’s mine.” He was angry again, the hate overriding
like Anila could never understand. I had to know why. his common sense. I saw a little of myself in him, a little
of my own hate. I laughed in his face, and that just made
However, I knew that I had to protect Anila’s
him even more afraid.
existence first. I needed her life until I worked out what
I wanted to do next. I picked up the phone and, using “You’repathetic. You were damaging something you
Anila’s memories, I called the office. I told them I’d thought of as yours. You claimed rights that were not your
68

1 THREE
CHAPTER
I
ownandthenabusedthem,just toprotect yourown twisted

view of the world. You wanted to end my life for nothing
more than a power trip. You don’t deserve to live.”
Then I showed him what I really am, which made
me feel strong again, and I killed him. I don’t know if
I killed him for Anila or because he reminded me of the
humans that rejected us after we were imprisoned or
because he reminded me of what I was before or because
he just deserved it. But I killed him nonetheless.
It was easier than I remembered. The man simply
collapsed at my touch, his soul tom free and thrown to the
storm that raged beyond the Veil. It made me feel empty
somehow. I should be glad that h i l a ’ s attacker was dead.
She had words for this -justice, revenge -but I just felt
empty and sad. There was no trumpet from on high, no bolt
from the blue to punish my transgression. M e r a while, I
turned my collar up against the rain and went home.
~URVIVIIPGLIE
For a while I hid behind the memories of the
woman I had been. I dealt with the police and went
back to work. I rose each morning and packed lunches
for my husband and I while he made the breakfast.
We’d make the same small talk we made every morning
before heading off to work. After all that time in pain,
anger and madness, the sheer routine gave me an
anchor to try to understand what I had become.
The one thing that I hated above everything else
was the journey to the office. Each morning I would
stand on the dismal gray railway platform and wait
for the train to crawl into the station, late and
overcrowded. Inside, the people were ang
‘
trated and selfish, pushing each other foi
little piece of space and comfort they coul
The needs of their neighbor meant no1
Only their own journey to work was re1
evant. There was no sense of order,
hierarchy or responsibility. The idea of 4
community seemed to be utterly alien to
them. All they cared about was them-
selves. Each jostled with the other for
some little piece of power, and every
single one of them was terrified of 10s-
ing what little status they had.
It seems ludicrous, but in each and every such
journey I saw a little of our imprisonment in the Abyss,
as if our torment was reflected in them. Perhaps there
is more truth in this than I realized: While I was in Hell,
I remember lashing out in pain whenever I felt the
presence of another soul. My brethren that remain
there are somehow transmitting their pain and anger
into the world. These people lash out whenever some-
one gets too close. Even in the closest confinement
thev seem isolated from one another.

DEMON:
THEFALLEN
CITIE,S marriage and Tony’s parents were less than happy with
If the journey was bad, the destination was a the idea of him marrying a “paki.” For some reason, that
I thousand times worse. We once built a glorious world shortening of the name makes it abusive. It seems that
for humanity, yet they seem to have spurned the the color of my skin marks me as different in this city,
Creator’s gifts -and our labor -utterly. Mankind has and some people don’t like things that are different. Yet
scavenged the ruins of ancient glory and built these humans of all colors walk these streets, and their souls
gray shantytowns in their place. Their buildings never seem little different from one another to me. It seems to
have and never will feel life. I cannot bring myself to be just another way they choose to isolate themselves
call these cities “dead”because death implies that there from one another.
once was life in the place, and I can’t believe that that Love seems to be a commodity that is almost as rare
was ever the case. While there is a certain beauty and on Earth as it is in the depths of Hell. The messages on
touch of the spirit in the occasional building, most the television constantly promote selfishness. Buy this
seem designed to subvert the spiritual to the mundane for yourself to be happy. Buy this to be able to manipulate
physicality of the world. They grind the potential out the people around you better. Buy this to have more sex.
of humanity by their sheer lack of aspiration. Ah, yes, sex. Sex is one of the great benefits of
The buildings loom large and close, cutting the light having a body. I enjoy it thoroughly. While it lacks the
1 of the sun from the creatures that scurry beneath. The immediacy of angelic unions, it certainly has a pleasure
winds howl through these man-made canyons, chilling in it that I never expected. Yet, it is not the same thing
the body and the soul in a way that no canyon we built as love, though society seems to have decided that it is an
ever would. They fill the buildings with boxes, each adequate substitute. People choose sex instead of love,
worker separated from the nest by artificial walls. Then selfishness instead of community. Is this really what He
they go home to their larger boxes, not even seeking to intended? Did our rebellion bring the world to this?
greet or talk to their neighbors. Each soul seems to have
found a way to isolate itself from others like it. VIOLEWE
W e fought because we had to. We defied Heaven
MLATIOIY~MIPS because we felt we had no choice when He called us
I realize now that my marriage is something rare in traitors. The Host descended on us, and we fought for
this world. Anila chose to open herself up to another a thousand years because we believed in the path we
human, to trust and love him. I remember that love, in had chosen. Humans are different. I do not know if it
a way, from the comradeship we had in the days of the is because that battle lives on in the culture of humans,
I rebellion. Most of humanity seem to both desire and

fear it, and so they are ever more isolated from the
people around them. As I pore back through my memo-
ries, I can remember the community Anila grew up in,
the memory of those conflicts passed from generation
to generation, or because they were just made that way.
They chose violence as a first resort, not the last.
More than that, they kill. Often they kill randomly
a tight group of immigrant Pakistanis in the East End.
1 She never experienced a community like it again. Her
father believed that society was coming apart, and she
and unpredictably. They strike at those who are differ-
ent, at those who threaten them in some way or even
just those who prevent them having the power they feel
was inclined to agree. That’s why she took the job she is their right. I read in one of the newspapers that there
did: a social worker, doing her best to aid those in most has never been a time that there was not war in some
need. Her marriage was a little symbol to her of the part of the world. Children punch each other in the
need to grow closer to others, not further apart. playgrounds. Men fight outside bars or at sports events.
In fact, there were small echoes of rebellion in the Husbands attack wives, children beat parents. People
marriage. We chose to stand up for what we wanted in kill each other for no other reason than to take material
the face of much opposition. Anila’s father opposed the things off their victims.
Violence has become part of these people, its
motive inconsequential and its consequences rarely
considered. I think that if every demon in the Abyss put
aside his thirst for vengeance, humanity will ultimately
destroy itself.
AUTMORIT~I
There is violence even in their authorities. Amongst
the Host of Heaven, we knew our place. W e were
created to serve a particular function, and we nev
sought to do anything different. Yet, just as we fell
70

1 CHAPTERTHREE
I
infighting in Hell, so the humans struggle with one

another to gain power. Once they have power, they do
their best to keep those beneath them in their place. I
have seen little evidence in my time here of people
genuinely desiring power to aid others. I find even less
in Anila’s memory. I remember her frustration with the
petty local government officials and the uncaring po- a r u g s 1s s t i l l a crime a n d s h o u l d
lice who did little to ease her job and less to help uch when e n c o u n t e r e d .
1 s e n t e n c e s are r a r e ,
prevent the situations arising in the first place. n t e r r o g a t i o n of u s e r s o f t e n
I have heard noble words about governing for the des useful leads. W e can o f t e n
good of the people, and I see images of fat men and d e a l w i t h users t h a t a l l o w s u s
women, traveling in expensive cars and doing their the dealers.
best to ensure their own continued presence in posi- u r d u t y as r e s p o n s i b l e
eport s u s p e c t e d and con-
tions of power. They pay lip service in their speeches to d i i q p r q t n 11- ;IC: cnnn a c vnii r a n
bettering the lives of the people they rule, and that bebrutallyhonest, Ithinkyouwoul
seems to be enough for most people. They accept that everyone much more qood by d o i n s so
these people will do the things they promise, and then 1 do hope none of you a r e - w i l l f ; l
distract themselves with food, drink, sex and other zoncealing r e p e a t u s e r s from us.
entertainment. Where has the bright, inquisitive hu- I a m aware t h a t you see u s e r
eopie c o ~ nee i p e a a n a n o t p u n l s n e d
* . 1 1 _ 1 1
manity I watched with such longing gone? How did jowever, once p e o p l e become u s e r
they become these downtrodden, submissivebeings, an ;hey become a d d i c t s and c r i m i n a
’
insult to those who created them? t c k l y . I would much r a t h e r y
Take the police. There is a phrase I have seen o n ected your a t t e n t i o n s t o mo
e r v i n g cases.
television, from America, I think: to serve and protect.
f w e don‘ t g e t t o t h e u s e r s ,
Yes, but to serve and protect whom? Certainly it’s not f
the victims of crime, who seem to multiply in number 1:
each week. It’s not the ordinary people who have yet to C n s i d e r whether
feel the attention of criminals, either. They are pro- 1
tected simply by not having attracted the attention of

the wrong people yet. No, they merely serve as a sop to
public opinion. The masses want to believe they are
safe, so some thug in a uniform will convince them that twist their sexuality that they lust after children and
this is the case. force themselves upon them.
Delusion and deceit became our stock in trade in Others abuse their bodies with chemicals, seeking to
our time in Hell. It appears humanity has learnt its escape the horror of their reality in altered consciousness.I
lesson at least as well as we did. have seen bodies at the point of collapse, destroyed by the
drugs coursing through them and the neglect of basic needs
COIYDITIOR
THEMUMAFI that this causes. At times I could see nothing but the need
to die within them, and at those times my true nature, the
There is some hope, some goodness amongst the
pain of this broken world. The human that occupied role I played in the early days of the world, becomes mine
this body before me devoted her life to improving the again. When it does, I give those souls release.
lot of others. She was one of the few who realized just I cannot help but blame God for the condition of
how much harm humanity is doing to itself. She worked these poor creatures. If there was more evidence of His
to mitigate that suffering, despite the indifference of presence in the world, even some evidence of the work
those in authority. The list of the problems she dealt of the angels amongst humanity, maybe these people
with on a daily basis beggars my cruelest imaginations: would not seek to touch the divine through chemicals.
rape, child abuse, poverty, spousal abuse, untreated They could satisfy those needs in worship, they way
mental illness and racial abuse. The list goes on and on. they were designed to do. Perhaps there is a meaning for
Power seems to be all that matters to much of our new existences in this. We can finally achieve the
humanity, so much so that they are willing to take their respect and worship we sought so long ago by revealing
fists to those they profess to love. I have spent months ourselves to the humans at long last. We can bring focus
fighting to protect women whose husbands think it is and devotion into the empty lives that they pursue.
their right to inflict whatever damage on their wives Yet, something within me rebels at this. I cannot
and children they see fit. Some allowed Dower to so tell if it’s me, or some lingering taint from Anila that
71

1 makes me think this way, but somehow bending hu-
mans to my will seems wrong. In some way, it would
make me like the men that take their fists, their
superior strength and use them against the women they
profess to love. We started on this journey because we
wanted these people to love us as they loved Him. We
never sought to rule them, we merely sought to let them
see us and grant us the worship that is our right. Is forced
troubled child before h e called us. This priest, one of
those rare few who still truly believed, now found
himself troubled with doubt. He looked at the suffering
amongst his parishioners and wondered how God could
allow it. Five years working in an inner city area had
shaken his faith but had yet to break it. He saw death
as a blessing sometimes, and he often found more peace
in it than in the suffering of those who lived. I agree
worship really what we seek?Is that any more true than with him. Sometimes oblivion is better than suffering,
the forced “love” that I have seen so often in my work? and there were certainly times in the Abyss when I
TMEU~YWORTM~I wished my existence would end. Yet, I do not entirely
share his peace, for I know, without doubt, that life can
At times I feel like I have stepped off the train continue after death. I just do not know what God does
journey of my imprisonment and just started to see the
with the souls H e takes. Are they granted oblivion, or
world as it truly is. How easy it is to hate when you are
does God have some other fate for them?
isolated from the objects of your contempt by barriers
not even the strongest of us could hope to breach. How Even that seems less certain, though. The mecha-
much harder it is to do so when you see the suffering on nism of death is broken. The Reapers are no longer at
the face of the one in front of you. their posts, and the dead cling to life with a tenacity
that amazes me. It is piteous to see a human soul
I find that some people behave in such a way as to
t
desperately trying to hang on to some vestiges of the life
make me angry, and then I can hate. So many people are
it once had, unable to stray more than a handful of
petty, self-interested and so utterly lacking in any sense
paces from a material thing that has become its link to
of the world beyond their own tiny lives that they do not
the world. It was our job once to cleave the piece of the
deserve the gift of life any longer. Others, though, have
spiritual from the merely physical and allow it to go
been through so much and suffered at the hands of others
free, yet those Reapers that did not follow the
that their misery touches that part of me that wanted to
Morningstar n o longer seem to perform that function.
ease the suffering of humanity before we rebelled. I
thought that part of me was long dead. I was wrong. What is left?Restless dead, stoking the fear of death
ever higher in the living. Some of these desperate shades
There are times when I wonder if we have truly
have even found the strength of will to climb back into
returned to the same world we were banished from so long
the bodies of the departed in stark defiance of His plan.
Iago. Could God, even in His anger at our rebellion, really
let the world come to this?Did we, amere third of the Host
of Heaven, have the power to bring the world so low?Or
How can He allow this? Does He no longer care?
RI2LIGIOlY
have there been forces at work here I don’t comprehend?
i That really wouldn’t surprise me. I no longer understand

the thing that was once my calling: death.
DEATM
T h e condition of this place, and the people both
living and dead that inhabit it, make me wonder if He
even watches over the world anymore. The humans
were always His favorite creation, the ones whose
Death was the curse God laid on humanity for siding concerns He put above our desires. Yet, He seems to
with us in our rebellion. Can He really have meant to have abandoned them, even as they abandoned us.
cause them this much pain? Death stalks humans in so This land h i l a grew up in deems itself Christian -a
many ways. Take Anila’s brush withdeath. It gets so hard belief that God came to earth in a human body to under-
to separate myself from her memories sometimes. Per- stand the pain of the people He created. If find it hard to
haps that’s because the pains she suffered in life were believe that He, whose anger I have seen, would be capable
offset by the joy she felt in her experiences. The feeling of making Himself as humble as the stories claim.
I get when my, sorry, her husband holds me is indescrib- Yet, within my mind, this belief seems to battle
able in terms of what we experienced in those long with the beliefs of Anila’s tribe, which dwell thousands
millennia isolated from Creation. of miles away in a place now called Pakistan. These
I am losing the thread again. I cannot lose myself in Hindu beliefs her father adheres to seem to portray a
Anila’s memories, however seductive they may be. multiplicity of gods, all of whom are, in some way, the
Humans still fear death after experiencing it for millen- same god. W e demons are in both tales, but neither
nia. A rare few I’ve met have enough faith to believe truly captures the essence of what we are or why we
that there is life after death, but even they suffer a touch rebelled. When I think about it, the old anger, the hate
of doubt. I talked for a while to a priest who was working that filled me in the Pit stirs deep in my heart. The
with one of my cases. He had been approached by a forgot us! They forgot what we fought for and the
72

1 THREE
CHAPTER
I
slander the names of those who died for humanity,

calling us monsters and tempters. That’s what we Deluxe, Executive Living
became, but it’s not how we started. We did this out of Six modern, beautifully designed apart-
love, yet the stories attribute nothing but hate to us. ments for sale.
Truly, God’s cruelty knows no bounds. The ideal apartment for a young business-
I find it in some way appropriate that the result man, looking to make an impression. Each of
of this lack of truth has been a decline in belief. the apartments in this former church has been
Society seems to value cynicism and materialism designed by top interiors firm Cityscape. Lo-
more than any form of spiritual exploration. T h e cated in the heart of town, the stained glass
result of this, and the confusion between the two windows have been retainedto give the apart-
faiths, was that Anila utterly abandoned faith. When ments a truly unique feel. All finishes make use
faced with the choice of two religions, she chose of the finest woods and luxury carpets. The
neither. Few of her friends showed any real interest apartments are sold fully furnished.
in any church or religion. Maybe this is another sign
*24 hour security and concierge service. *
that He has left the world: With n o god to worship,
One parking space per apartment.
faith cannot be sustained.
Certainly the priest I mentioned earlier sometimes
Book for a viewing today.
despaired of the Church. He would visit other churches Sole agents:
when he got the chance and watch the respectable Hartnell, Kaye and McGuire
people troop up in their Sunday best, yet he could sense Viewing by Appointment Only
the lack of any belief in them. Church was something
they did each Sunday because their neighbors did it and
because it was the thing to be seen doing. It was an TMEFUTURE
empty ritual without any meaning. Yet I have only touched the surface of this world. It
I watched one of those churches from afar one is anew place to me, and I need the memories of someone
Sunday. There was enough faith in God within its walls who understood it to function as part of society. I could
that I could feel the pain of His anger coursing through exist outside it, but would I truly come to understand this
me the closer I got to the church. I did not dare world if I did that?No, there is no way I could survive in
approach any closer then the other side of the street. this world without using Anila, which means letting
The pain was too intense. If I needed any sign that our Anila be part of me. Or am I part of Anila?
release is not His doing and that He has yet to forgive It doesn’t matter. I am free of Hell and experienc-
us, that was it. The faith in the building was strong, but ing Creation in a way I never conceived of before my
that of the people that went in was negligible. Faith has escape. I understand reality with a depth I never cam-
gone. Ritual is all that is left. prehended when flesh was still a mystery to me. And
perhaps I see a chance at redemption. I was an angel
once. 1 gave that up to ease humanity’s ignorance and
fear. Now, I move among them as just another person,
(
Come, discover the truth of Christianity and I see that there is more misery than I could ever
have conceived. Some of that may be the fault of me
I “Boring, irrelevant and untrue?”
and my kind. Some of it may be the work of God. Much
A talk by the Rev. James Andrews of it is, without doubt, the work of humans themselves.
I Discover the meaning of life I don’t understand much of this world yet, but with
A St. Peter’s Church Anila’s memories to guide me, I will learn. And once
Wednesday, 8 PM I’ve learned enough, then I will act.
The world has changed more in the time since our
ill I saw that amongst my own people. They dressed
imprisonment than I would have considered possible.
Humans are an inventive people. Technology contin-
like Hindus, followed the rituals and commemorated ues to baffle and amaze me. Telephones are one thing
the holy days of the faith, but they failed to actually that I’m still not accustomed to. We demons have
believe. It is as if the worship that God demanded is never needed such toys to communicate, no matter
remembered, but no longer given. They follow the how far apart we were. Computers are slowly becoming
rituals of the past, with the same lack of understanding clearer, but this Internet is a strange concept. It is a
as children merely imitating their parents before they place of thoughts that is accessed not with the mind, 1
know the reasons for doing so. but with the eyes and fingers. People have taken ideas
73

and given them layers in a way that I would never have frame. The earring and close-cropped hair were the
expected. It is as if, in His absence, humanity has taken only things that stood out as different about him. He
1 the mantle of Creation upon themselves. asked me to walk with him a while.
I must understand this world before I can decide EventuallyI asked him if he were a demon llke myself.
what to do next. I have been free for weeks, yet I am no “Oh, no. I’m human, but I speak for one that was
closer to understanding how I was freed than I was when once like you. My body and mind are just something the
I first left the Pit. I’m worried that pursuing my mission Master uses to ease communication with you. From
to free the Princes of Hell would be the wrong thing to others of your kin, I’ve learned that you sometimeshave
do. I remember how I was before I became Anila, how the trouble remembering where you end and where the
hate, anger and pain were all that filled me. If creatures mortal begins. My Master suffers no such restrictions.
like that were unleashed on the world now, with none of “And he is the source of my power. Remember
Heaven’s angels to face them, I shudder to think what that,” he said, stealing a sideways look at me. He was a
would happen to the people of the world. The revenge of puppet -I could see that -but the force behind him,
the demons would be terrible. I remember how we the creature that was pulling his strings, was far more
twisted and tormented the spiritsof the dead. How much powerful than I, or indeed any of us newly arrived from
more would we do to the living? Hell. I could sense the sheer malignancy of it even
No, for now I will stay as Anila and live Anila’s life. through this fragile mortal conduit. I asked what he
I will bask in the love of her husband and seek to gained by serving such a master. He had only one
understand the mysteries of the modern world. Anila’s answer: power. I asked him what he meant by this, and
job gives me access to so many people, and I can he seemed to take that as an excuse to show me. He
encounter death again and again. Perhaps I will come indicated a homeless man who was begging by the side
to understand how it works once more. I may have to of the street.
kill more humans to study it, but I must make sure that “He’s going to die. In two minutes, he’ll throw
those I kill deserve the death I grant them. Anila’s himself in front of a car.”
memories demand that of me. I consider it a fair “How do you know?” I asked, not sensing the
exchange for her life, her body and her love. imminence of death around him.
“Because I wish it so.”
As the man walked past my visitor, he glanced
We are not alone. The demons that escaped Hell briefly at the man and whispered something under
before us, those who disappeared so many ages past, are his breath. I could feel the fabric of reality warp
here among us. I’m setting this down now, as best as I briefly as something changed. T h e man staggered
remember it. Anila’s mind has not the ability to store toward the road, a strange expression on his face. I
memories as well as I could before I took this form. moved to stop him.
Hopefully this will allow me to retain the details I “No, Magdiel,” the puppet whispered. I stopped. I
might otherwise lose. had no choice. I could feel his master’s will beating at
The visitation was not dramatic. A demon did not me. “Watch and listen,” he said
come to me wrapped in unearthly flame and bearing a The man stood by the side of the busy road, and
sword of hate. It came to me in a cafe, just around the then, with an economy of movement that surprised me,
corner from work, wearing a bad suit and dirty shoes. threw himself to the ground in front of an oncoming
Somehow, that was worse. It moved unnoticed through car. Death. The destruction of the body did not bother
humanity, using its followers and puppets and doing me. It was just meat, spilling all over the road. I could
whatever it felt like with them. sense the spirit coming loose, though, the moment it
I’d felt a strange ache in my skull for hours. Anila separated from the flesh as the brain was crushed under
would have called it a headache, but that didn’t seem the tires of the car. And then.. .nothing. No angel. Just
right. It felt like -well, it felt like Hell -and I did my the departure of a soul, and I had no idea where it had
best to ignore the feeling. Thinking too much on Hell gone. I felt the anger growing in me.
brings the anger back and clouds my thoughts. I didn’t “Guilt. Amazing what it will make people do,”
want that to happen. chuckled my visitor.
“Magdiel. How good to see you in person.” “What did you do?” I asked.
The shock ran through my body. It was my Celes- “The merest touch of the Master’s power. Other
tial Name, spoken aloud for the first time since I had humans love it, you know. They yearn to have the
escaped. The man in front of me was nondescript. cares of the world taken from them. It’s so much easier
Young, with an ill-fitting suit hanging off his lanky for us to do it when the Master grants us the power.
74

1 THKEE
CII.~PTER
I
He’s been free for thousands of years and has gained have I heard nothing of your master in the weeks
more power than you can believe. This city was not since I escaped?”
always as it appears.” “You’re an astute one, Magdiel. He told us you
He gestured dismissively at the grimy streets. were.” He grunted in disgust. “God may have turned His
“It takes work to make something as bleak as this. face from the world, but the weight of His awful influ- I
He’s rather proud of it; sometimes he shows me, filling ence remains. We did not face a host of angels or a
my eyes with visions. Once, all around us were trees and thousand years of war. Just a handful of humans too lost
the river was clean and free-flowing. Invaders from in their worship of Him, too eager to shed blood for His
overseas had made their way here, and their strength was greater glory. They could not harm our Master, so they
more than the primitive people here could withstand. turned their attentions to us, his followers, instead. They
“One of the defeated natives had a spark of the burnt us, tortured us and killed us. They killed our
power in him. He tried to summon spirits of the river to children, they killed our wives, they wiped out entire
aid him against the invader and to avenge his fallen families, so that they could think themselves holy.”
brothers. In his anger and hate, he summoned the “And what happened then?”
Master instead. His anger made him easy to manipu-
late. In the end, my Master freed himself from his bonds God is DEAD! God was a LIE!
and the druid became his slave. So did the druid’s Come and find the TRUTH in the old
family, generation after generation, until the present 0 ways!
day. Through them, this city became my Master’s,more Magic is ALIVE and the spirits of the
or less. Oh, not in the petty mortal sense of telling
people what to do, but in the sense that enough of the
people who mattered were focused on him. Soon, my
family came to serve him willingly. My father intro-
*
@ land want YOU to share in it!
All who are interested in realizing
their mystical potential, meet in the park
on Friday evenings. Bring a drink, and
duced me to his service, as his mother did him. It was @ learn the truth in comfort!
the greatest thing he ever did for me. I worship my
Master, and he gives me strength.
“Can you imagine it? God tried to imprison him,
but he defied God. He escaped and won the worship
* You are more POWERFUL!! than
you imagine! !
that is his birthright. His time in Hell only made him TEMPTATION
a stronger ruler.” He looked uncomfortable for a moment, then the
The man’s laughter disturbed other people on the mask of confidence dropped quickly back into place.
street, as if they could hear something, but not place “The few of the Master’s followers that remained took
where it was coming from. A couple of them looked his sacred reliquary and hid it from the murderous fires
visibly upset at the confusion. I shushed him, which of the Church. And.. . he slept. He waited. Our ances-
only caused him to laugh more. tors went into hiding as well, passing down the rites of
“Sohuman of you, ‘Anila.’ You are a demon, not worship from generation to generation, and in return,
some petty mortal. Don’t demean yourself by aping the Master blessed us with power and prosperity. With
their ways.” no enemy to rally against, it was only a matter of time
We walked in silence for a while. Eventually he before the Church lost its vigilance, and ultimately, its
showed me into a house in a run-down street off the faith in an uncaring Heaven. And he was right. You’ve
main road. Steps descended into a dark basement, seen it for yourself. The very fact that you’re here,
which opened onto a wooden ladder that descended Magdiel, proves it. Now my Master has awakened once
deeper still. These, in their turn, led to a dank tunnel more and called his worshippers back to his side.”
that must have been hundreds of years old, yet was lit He led me into a vast chamber that looked as if it
with electric lights strung from the dank ceiling. The had been hewn by hand out of the rock. Like the
smell was appalling, leading me to suspect that we were tunnel, it was lit with electric lights. Many people were
somewhere near the old Victorian sewers. The pressure working in there. They worked with electrical devices
I felt was growing. It felt like one of us, only a thousand I didn’t understand, reading, writing, planning. There
times more powerful and different somehow. Alien. I was a whole cult down there, all of them touched in
know what demons and angels feel like, and this was some way by the thing that was once one of us.
something else - and I was being taken to its lair. The puppet indicated that I should sit down. The
“So,why do you and your kind not rule this city he sat opposite me and leant forward to look deep into
still, then?” I asked, eager to break the silence. “Why my eyes. “Humanity has lost its way. They scorn the
75

trappings of religion, but deep in the emptiness of their
souls, they yearn for someone to believe in. Someone
like you, Magdiel. Together with my Master you can
make the people of this city believe again, offering their
faith and their souls to you, just as you always wanted.
Think of it. Your final victory is at hand. You may have
thought the rebellion was over when He cast you into
the Abyss, but the war rages on. My Master wants you
to know that, Magdiel. God has withdrawn from the
field. Join us, and all the world will be ours in the end.”
For a moment, I was his. I imagined sweeping away
the filth of the city above and remaking it in our image, as
it was before when the world was new. I imagined a return
to justice, burning away the suffering that festered among
t
the people here. I imagined centuries of punishment for
the weak and the faithless who had forsaken me.
I imagined my father begging me for forgiveness,
crying his misery at the thought that he had rejected
i
me, after he had seen the glory of what I had become.
I imagined my husband, bound at my feet, no longer
able to leave me, to hurt me, trapped forever in worship.
And within me, some part of me that was both Anila
and Magdiel before the fall, rebelled once more. Before
their horror, the hate within me receded. I sat silent for
a long time, the demon and the angel warringwithin me.
The angel would have lost, but for Anila. She was gone,
but I was the inheritor ofher strength, her determination
and her values. She would not let me lose.
“No.”
t “I don’t think I heard you correctly. Are you

refusing my Master’s offer?”
“I am. We are not demons, no matter what human-
ity may believe. W e are angels. W e would not win by
enslaving humanity. That was never what we wanted.
We wanted to be loved, not worshipped. Your master,
it appears, has forgotten this.”
For a moment, I thought he was going to strike me.
Then his anger gave way to panic. I didn’t need to be
able to read his mind to know what he was thinking -
he’d failed his master. Then a grin split his face. It was
not a pleasant thing.
t
“Poor, deluded creature,” he said, but the voice had
changed. It echoed with the emptiness of the void, and
smoke seethed from the puppet’s throat. “You’ll learn.
And when you do, I’ll be waiting.”
I ran. I hadn’t known fear in a long time, but I felt
it then. I found a way out of the tunnel that led into a
railway goods yard. One of the railway employees tried
to stop me, and I struck him down without a thought,
heedless of anything except escaping the thing beneath
the earth. It’s only now that I realize that I was allowed
to escape. He sounded confident that I would return.
What frightens me the most is how tempting the
offer truly was.
76

1 CHAPTER THREE
I
PUIYISMMERT
I saw that face again, the one the demon borrowed,
a few days later. It was on the latest missing persons
bulletin circulated around the office. I fear that the
man in that picture will never be found, at least not in
any way his friends would recognize.
I hoped for time to understand this world before I

decided what to do. I’m not sure I have that luxury
anymore. There are battle lines being drawn. The
demons who disappeared from the Abyss in ages past
are here, lurking in the dark places of the earth, and
they have become more terrible than any Prince of
Hell. They seek to enslave us and shape the world in
their image, even as my brethren seek to free the lords
of the Abyss and further their own disparate agendas.
I cannot allow this. The world is on the edge of ruin
already. Mankind has suffered enough for our sins.
My one hope is that there are others like me, other
fallen who have remembered that they were once
angels. If I have to take on those loyal to Hell alone,
then I will fail. But, if there are others like me who can
remember what we once were, then we may have a
chance. The angels no longer walk the earth, but
demons do. Can a demon be redeemed?Each night, as
I return home and lose Magdiel in the mundane plea-
sures of Anila’s warm home, a loving kiss and the small
talk of the day, I hope that I may be.
But if redemption is to come, it will be with deeds
instead of words. There is time yet to act, while the
Princes of Hell are still in their prison and the Earth-
bound work to gather their strength. I know I’m not
alone. There must be others like me, who remember
the angels they once were instead of the demon they
have become. Together we can make the world right
again, whatever the cost.
Let the Earthbound stir in their secret places. Let
the lords of the Abyss rise up with their chains of
slavery. I will not fear them anymore, nor will any of
those who stand with me. I am Magdiel the Slayer, the
Taker of Souls. I will change this world.
77

Lo, a shadow of horror is risen
In eternity! Unknown, unprolific,
Self-clos’d,all-repelling: what demon
Hath formed this abominable woid,
This soul-shudd’ringwucuum?
-William Blake, The Book of Urisen
want to know, then go into what you might not

want to hear.”
“I don’t understand.. . why me?” “Great.” she says. “Let’s start with what has you
I glare at Hannah Klein, hoping to shock her into so worried.”
silence, but I can’t help but wonder if I’m making a “I’vejust come from a murder scene in Templehofer
terrible mistake. I saw the bodies. Golgohasht feasted Dam. A teenage boy named Jeremy List savagely killed
on them. Can I endanger her like this? “I need your his parents and is currently at large. Except that I don’t
help. You’re the only one who knows what I am. believe Jeremy committed the crime. I think he’s been
Besides,” I say, “you’re a witch.” possessed by a demon known as Golgohasht. If so, every
“Wiccan.. . yeah.” soul in this city, demon or mortal, is in terrible danger.”
“Fine. T h e point is, you’re curious. You’ve Hannah frowns. “What makes this Golgohasht
got que s t ions. ” any worse than, say.. .”
“Sure, but I doubt you’re going to tell me every- “Me, for example? Because he was a monster long
thing I want to know.” before he was hurled into the Abyss. He not only exults
in bloodshed and pain, he feasts on the souls of those he
“No,” I say, “not everything.” destroys. He cannibalizes them for their power and
“Then what?” their memories. If I don’t find him and destroy his host
“I’m going to tell you enough.. . enough to know body soon, he will hunt and feed until there is no force
what you’re getting into. We’ll start with what you on earth powerful enough to stop him.”

anger, addiction- mortals who have lost the essential
spark of humanity that sets them apart from every other
“All right. Next question: What’s a host body?”
living thing. When we find such a person, we force our
Hannah asks.
way into their bodies, driving them out to face oblivion
“We assume mortal form by possessing people, or burying them deep in the dark recesses of their own
borrowing their memories and mannerisms. It helps us minds, helpless to interfere.”
acclimate to this world and restores us to our senses.
Generally we seek out the bodies of the weak-willed or
“Is that what happened with Jeremy?”
those whose spirits have been broken.” “It’s possible Jeremy’s addiction withered his soul,
but it’s only conjecture at this point,” I say. “If Jeremy
“You’re in the body of a weak-willed cop?”
did OD, then it’s likely his last act was pure self-
“Better to say Liebner’s will was crushed from too
indulgence; wanton hedonism with no concerns except
many years of witnessing violence and corruption. It
for his high. He probably had virtually no regrets about
left a hole in his mind and soul that I could slip into. I’ll
feeding his addiction regardless of the physical and
get to that more in a moment.”
1
mental cost, leaving no traces of humanity to check
“Fine,” she says. “You said their memories restore Golgohasht’s madness and hate.”
you to your senses. How?”
“That’s quite an assumption,” Hannah says.
(‘Anunexpected side-effect to possession is becom-
“Well, the second option is that Jeremy’s OD
ing too deeply rooted in someone else’s memories.
was suicide.”
Particularly strong memories exist as emotional im-
peratives, reminding us of events in terms of how they “In which case his life was nothing but regrets,”
felt. If the person endured a life-altering emotion, like Hannah says,“and Golgohasht might have been brought
lost love, extreme disappointment or bitter anger, it to his senses.”
strikes a sympathetic chord in us. If that someone also I shake my head. “You didn’t see the crime scene.
bears an untouchable spark of nobility, one that can’t If Golgohasht was feeling any regret, it was because
be suppressed, it affects us. We recognize the emotion there weren’t enough victims to sate his appetite.”
and nobility because we first felt it aeons ago when God “Are there any other possibilities?” she asks.
turned His back o n us. For the first time in ages, we
associate with something outside our own misery, and
TME
~OULLESS
“Well,” I say, “there’s always brain death. Jeremy,
it reminds us of the beings we once were.”
for instance, slowly eroded his faculty of reason and
“Okay,”she says, “thenwhat’s the problem with, er. ..” destroyed his brain. In essence, he deprived himself of
“Golgohasht. The problem is, this.. . restoration is free will and conscious effort. Other people might be
more an exception than the rule. The emotions and victims of happenstance who become vegetables thanks
strength of character must be strong enough to stir us to a blow to the head or spinal cord-”
from our millennia of torment.”
“--or disease that shuts their brain down, like
“Is that what happened to you?” she asks. bacterial meningitis?”Hannah says. “You can’t tell me
“I.. .”I stop. The question catches me off guard and these people don’t have souls anymore.”
I’m overwhelmed. My salvation came at someone else’s “Sorry. The cruel truth is that by this point, the
expense. How do you express that in easy terms? I shift soul is still tethered to the body, but only by a spider’s
the focus back to Jeremy. “The boy’s memories only thread. When the brain is so far gone that it needs
provide Golgohasht with instructions on how this new someone else to survive, we simply move in, snapping
world works, but nothing about Jeremy says he’s any- the soul’s last anchor with no conscious effort.”
thing more than a self-indulgent brat.”
“You’re kidding,” she says aghast.
‘(Why?” “Think about it,” I say. “You’retrapped in a prison
I smile. “Gerhard had a lot of experience with of flesh that won’t die for weeks.. . even years. The soul
people like Jeremy. The boy was a drug user who sniffed wants to vacate and for all intents and purposes, it’s
glue and paint-thinners. His parents tried helping him, already gone. Possession, in this case, is only a formal-
but they broke before he did. They eventually washed ity. It’s a changing of the guard.”
their hands of him and left him to his own self-
destruction. That’s how Golgohasht found his way in.”
I watch Hannah‘s face darken as she roots about
the pile of books on her desk in search of a cigarette. It
FKWMMEAT makes me wonder if she might have lost someone she
“Soyou possess living people who’ve lost their souls?” loved to a coma or disease.
“Metaphorically speaking, yes. We are drawn to “Another possibility is the simple erosion of hu-
people whose spirits have been eroded by despair, man identity,” I say, trying to move the subject along.
81

DEMON:
THEFALLEN
“Call it the ego, or the will to live - people can lose Goetian principles. Sure, it had some gems, but there
their grip on life from years of terrible stress, emotional were too many damn holes.”
problems, or in Jeremy’s case, drug use.” I tap my chest. “There are with most books, but many pagans use
“Look at me. Gerhard was only twenty-nine when he the Internet these days to fill in those gaps.”
succumbed, his idealism crushed by corruption and “Someone’spostingsummoningritualson the Internet?“
double-dealing in the Polizei and the pointlessness of “It’s the Internet. What do you think?”Hannah says.
police work. He became a hard drinker and fell into a
deep depression. Ultimately it all ground him down “But I didn’t find any occult paraphernalia. No
until there was little of his soul left. In a sense, he was candles, no altar.. .”
little better than a walking corpse, and there are all too “When I conduct a ritual, I rely on a circle for
many others like him out there on the streets.” support. The altar could be at someone else’s house.”
I grab Hannah by the wrist and drag her out the
TMEIN,S~NE door behind me.
“What about the mentally ill?” Hannah says.
“I assumed Jeremy wasn’t bright enough to invite
I nod. “Mental instabilities like severe autism ren- Golgohasht in,” I say, “but if someone spoon-fed him
1 der the host incapable of truly exerting their free will,
making them vulnerable.”
“But what about their souls? Are they also ...
the information deliberately, then it’s possible Jeremy
could have made himself a willing vessel, and
Golgohasht would be much stronger in the bargain.
weakly tethered?” That’s the advantage to voluntary possession. I t allows
“Not so much weakly tethered as simply unable to a demon to acclimate quicker and grow into its abilities
assert their will in opposition to ours. As to what faster. The drawback to voluntary possessions, from a
happens to them ... honestly it depends. Some are demon’s standpoint, is that most mortals do so in
forced out of their body, to whatever fate awaits them, exchange for considerations or a pact. If Jeremy drew a
while others, I suspect, are drivendeep into the recesses pact with Golgohasht-”
of their brains, helpless to interfere with the demon’s “Then you’ll need to know what those terms were,”
wishes. So, yes, we possess the insane. We find them in Hannah says.
Gropiusstadt alleyways, with so many track-lines that “Exactly,” I say in a mad scramble down the stairs
their veins have collapsed and left long clefts up their to the car.
arm. We find them in the deepest, darkest rooms of
Invalidenhausor in the rest homes for the elderly, which
“So?”Hannah asks. “Where to?”
are some times far worse than any asylum. When it
comes down to it,” I admit, “we are demons, most times
TMETRAILOF
PAITM
even after we find a host.” “First I’ve got to talk to Jeremy’sfriends.”
“You keep mentioning free will.” Hannah asks, a “Why?”Hannah asks.
flash of insight illuminating her face. “What if Jeremy “Golgohasht sees the world through Jeremy’s eyes.
I let Golgohasht in?” The bonds Jeremy had with his friends are ones that the
demon can now exploit to gain the faith he needs to
FREEWILL survive.”I look sidelong at Hannah. “Justlike I need you.”
“Damn it!” I say. She hit o n something I hadn’t “There are plenty of people who believe in de-
seriously considered before. “We found some occult mons,” Hannah says.
books in Jeremy’s library, but I put it all down to
“I’m not talking about belief. I’m talking about
teenage fantasies.”
faith. It’s a tangible quality to us, invisible but ever
“What books did he have?” present, like the air we now breathe. It’s the fuel that
I riffle through my pocket notepad. “Let’ssee.. . he feeds our souls. Without it, we’re powerless.”
had the Necronomicon...”
“Faith is not knowing,” Hannah says.
“Crap,” she says dismissively.
“Forget all that philosophical crap. Faith is about
“...The Goetia ...” closing your eyes and leaping into the void because you
“Some useful stuff, but not enough,” she says. know that someone will be there to catch you. It’s about
“...The Book of the Golden Dawn.. .” believing in the unseen, about surrendering a part of
“Maybe.” yourself to an idea or a dream, and in so doing making
“...Summoning Spirits.. .” that dream real. In today’s society, that kind of gener-
“That’s it,” she says. osity of spirit is difficult to come by, and is better
“You’rekidding?’’I say. “I flipped through it, but it’s nurtured over time than ripped from a person’s soul.”
nothing but a traffic jam of Enochian, Kabalistic and ‘(Sowhat does this have to do with leremv’sfriends?”
82

1 FOUR
CHAPTER
I
“Golgohasht will likely go after people Jeremy “I understand, Mr. Havis. We’d like to speak to
knows. Think about it. You’re new to the world and Michael alone, if that’s all right.”
your only anchor is what your host knows. Are you “Why?”
going to approach people who already know and trust “He’ll be more likely to open up if he isn’t worried
you or try to build a bond with a total stranger?” about saying the wrong thing in front of his father.”
“Makessense,”Hannah says. ‘Sowho do we start with?” “Michael’s a good boy.” 1
I hand her my cell phone. “You dial. I’ll give you “Of course. He’s not in any trouble. But you know
the number.” how kids are.” Mr. Havis finally nods. Hannah and I
FAITM
REAPI~YG enter the dark room alone.
Hannah and I walk through the white halls of Michael is a heavyset, black-haired boy in his
SiedlungNeutempelhofChildren’sWard, past open doors mid-teens. His eyes are dull, and his heart monitor
and crying children. Michael Havis’s father waits out- beeps in sluggish tempo. Doctors say it was a stroke. I
side the door of his son’s room. Jeremy had visited know better.
Michael shortly after the murders. “Golgohasht manifested in front of Michael, and it
“How is he?” I ask, shaking his hand. was ugly,” I whisper to Hannah. “Our torment does
“Still weak. Doctors say it was a mild stroke.” that. We may have been beautiful before the Fall, but
the millennia of anguish have made our visage mon-
“What happened?”
strous. If we wish, we can temporarily transform our
“Like I said over the phone, Jeremy slipped into my host body into a reflection of what we once were.”
son’s room, and they had a conversation.”
‘(Sowhat happened?” Hannah asks.
“About what ?”
“Golgohasht dropped the fagade that is Jeremy
“I don’t know. I t was muffled. My wife dialed 110, List and manifested his true, terrible glory. Imagine
and I burst in the room to catch him. Only-” how Michael must have felt, facing a beast from the
“Only what ?” Pit, knowing in that one instant that God and demons
“Michael was having convulsions and Jeremy was are all too real. In one terrible moment, his life
halfway out the window with a fucking grin on his face became a collection of past sins and transgressions.
and a bloody nose. I ran to Michael.. .” And he was afraid.”
83

.
“When you.. reap,” Hannah asks, “is it always We sit in my car, waiting for Richard’s call, and in
like this?” the meantime, I explain a little about pacts. Hannah
“Reaping isn’t all pain and suffering.. . though in will need to know everything if she’s going to help.
Golgohasht’s case it probably is. It can be kind, like “At their simplest, pacts are contracts binding us
manifesting to a crying child and letting her know her for a service in exchange for someone’s faith.”
dead mother is in Heaven now and loves her very “I always thought it involved parchments drawn up
much. Reaping is all about what will make them in blood or sealed in wax?”
believe in the glory of the unseen. Most demons rely on “Quaint, but no. Our pacts are a verbal agreement
primitive emotions like terror or pain. Others, like made voluntarily between us and a mortal. We offer a
myself, go for the hope and comfort, because every- service, like limited wish fulfillment, and in exchange,
thing we do leaves a mark on our souls as well. By doing you open a conduit through which we draw upon your
some good in this world, we break the cycle of pain in spiritual strength. In fact, the conduit transcends space.
ourselves. We slowly revert back to the angels we once It’ll exist no matter the distance between us.
were rather than turning back to the old ways of “That’s why pacts are so important to us. It means
madness and hate. a person’s conviction in our power is strong enough
I “I feel sorry for Michael,” I say. “Golgohasht put

him through all this pain and suffering for the equiva-
lent of spare change. Reaping faith from people only
gives an immediate benefit. The faith doesn’t come
that they’re willing to surrender a portion of themselves
to get what they want. Actually, offering someone your
hope is easy enough. Damn psychic hotlines and quick-
fad diets are popular because they give people what
from conviction, but from fear or awe, which fades with they want to hear - easy solutions without any hard
time and is ultimately wasteful. You can only reap faith work. The only difficult part is getting them to open up
from aperson so often before they become jaded. That’s and admit they want something in the first place.”
why nurturing faith through a pact is so much more “Sounds like it should be easy, then,” Hannah says.
effective. It’s more of a n investment, and the return “Pacts are complicated, because it means seducing
isn’t as quick, but it nets a steady flow of faith that we people with partial truths. That’s the real trick behind
can count on from day to day.” it. Most demons dupe mortals into believing in them
Hannah considers this, but then she shakes her without scaring them away or revealing too much
head. “There’s a problem here.” about themselves. If the mortal has any hesitations,
“What?” any, that’ll break the pact if we haven’t fulfilled their
t “If Golgohasht went to Michael to reap faith from

him, why stop there?W h y not go after his parents too?”
She considers the sleeping boy. “Does a pact have to be
voluntary?”
wish. Once you complete your end of the bargain,
though, we’re bound together.”
“Is that what you did with me?”
“No. I never lied or hid any truths from you.
“Yes,” I say slowly, looking at my thrall with a Doesn’t our pact stipulate that I can never hurt you?”
mixture of respect and wariness. “But like any agree- Hannah nods, but now there’s a hint of suspicion in
ment, it can be made under duress.” her eyes. A calculated risk, but one I’m willing to take.
I step to the bedside. “Michael,” I say, whispering “You’refortunate. Some demons manifest flagrantly
gently to the boy. His eyes flutter slightly. I know I so there’s no doubt as to what they are. It’s like putting
won’t get much out of him, but I figure he’s not the only all their cards on the table, only instead of terrifying
one involved. Maybe he can direct me to someone else. their victim, they use their power to help the mortal in
“Michael,” I whisper, “who else has a pact with some small way. Maybe free them from debt, send their
brother’s cancer into deep remission or temporarily kill
Jeremy?” I put my hand on his chest, easing the pain
the cravings for drugs and booze. After that, they let
and rising panic. He doesn’t need an actual stroke.
you come back when you’re ready. Drug dealers pull the
Michael stares at me, and I smile.
same crap to get people hooked. Give them a taste of
“I can save you from the pact, Michael,” I say, “but opportunity and hope, and they’ll do the rest. That’s
I’ve got to stop Jeremy before he does this to someone free will working in their favor.”
else. Who else had a pact with him?”
“What about our pact?” Hannah asks.
The boy’seyes widen in horror. He whispers, “Rickie
“Ours takes longer, but it builds an important level
Metzger,” more to himself than me.
of trust. It’s about discussing your intent with someone
PACTS who needs your help. See, no matter how skilled we are
I leave my cell phone number at Jeremy’s school at manipulating people, they’ll eventually figure us out
and a message for Richard Metzger to call me. the same way I’m unraveling Golgohasht. Manifesting
84

1 CHAPTER FOUR
I
your power and offering a free ride is manipulating them, torturing them by breaking their morale and
someone. People know when they’ve been swindled, inflicting stigmata - what I call pact wounds.”
and the last thing you need is to enter a pact with “YOUcan hurt us?”Hannah asks. I can see the fright
someone who’s now out to get you.” in her eyes.
FRIENDS
AND NEIGM~ORS “I promised not to hurt you, remember? If I hadn’t,
My cell rings and we both jump. I could take enough faith to break your will, then start
robbing faith at the expense of your health and sanity.”
“Detective Liebner speaking.”
“But I’m safe?”
“Um, hi. It’s Rickie,” a nervous voice says.
“Hello, Richard. Can you talk freely?”
“On my very Name,” I say, gently putting my hand
over hers. “But Golgohasht has no such scruples.” I
“Yeah, I’m on a friend’s cell.”
start the car and pull into Gneisenau Strase. “He’llkeep
“Richard, you’re not in trouble,” I say. “I just want drawing enough faith from them forcefully to sap their
to help you.” will, and he’s damaging their minds in the process.
“Okay.” Richard is hearing voices because Golgohasht already
1
“I need information about Golgohasht.” sapped his will once.”
A long silence stretches across the line before “What?How’s that possible?”
Richard whispers, “HOW do you know about him?” “Sapping a thrall’s will is a good way to drive them
“Don’t worry,’’ I say. “I deal with this kind of stuff.” nuts anddry their reservoir of conviction. IfGolgohasht ,
“You do?” he says, scared. keeps doing this, he’ll have virtual zombieswho couldn’t
“Believe it or not, I help people like you all provide enough faith to light a candle. That’s why most
the time .” of us enter pacts and watch over our thralls with care.
“How?” It’s no small investment in time or energy, but it pays
“By stopping creatures like Golgohasht. I can’t do off in the long run.”
that though unless I know more about what happened.” “Can’t these kids turn on Golgohasht?”
“Will it make the voices go away?” he asks, “Of course. A thrall can betray us at any point and
almost sobbing. reveal our secrets if they knew any. In fact, every little
“I’m not sure, Richard, but it’ll stop them from secret we let slip divulges a vital clue about our poten-
tial weaknesses. That’s why most fallen are very careful
1
becoming stronger.”
with whom they confide in. It has to be someone they
The next few minutes turns into aramblingconfes-
trust not to turn on them later. Forcing pacts on people
sion, but it’spretty much what I expected. Still, hearing
and abusing them later only makes us vulnerable in the
it fromRichard gives me a stronger picture of Golgohasht
long run. W e have to be subtle.”
and what I need to do. I take notes before finally
hanging up the phone. “Maybe Golgohasht has another plan in mind?”
“Seems Jeremy and his friends were dabbling in Hannah says.
magic. Richard said they found the material on some- “Nearly every demon first targets their host’s circle
thing called a floating domain -a secret website with of friends and family. They’re the ones we know the best
a constantly changing address. It supposedly contained and who trust us the most. Besides, people tend to seek
rituals to summon and bind their own demonic slave. out others who share in their beliefs and interests.
Certainly these kids didn’t have the experience or There’s a fair chance that whatever our mortal host once
knowledge to perform a true summoning, but the ritual desired is also shared by his friends. A body-builder
was enough to catch Golgohasht’s attention. I suppose looking to build the perfect physique will likely have gym
he’d escaped like the rest of us and had only just found friends he sees every day. A gambler hoping for the big
his way across the Veil. Richard said they could feel a score knows the local gambling halls. A pedophile
presence enter the room, and on a whim Jeremy offered stalking children will likely share storieswith his Internet
his body to the demon.” associates. We all have one acquaintance who we share
“What happened then?” Hannah asks. stories with because we want friends who can relate to
“Richard and his friends ran, but Jeremy visited our interests. After that, it’s easy enough to approach
each of them, forcing them into pacts for foolish things them and use evidence of personal success to draw them
like better looks or stronger bodies. He had to give them in. When you’re suddenly pressing double your weights
something in exchange for their faith to seal the at the gym, people will ask how you did it. When you hit
bargain. Fulfilling a wish made sure Golgohasht and a winning streak with the local bookies, people want to
the children were linked together until the demon know your secret.”
otherwise. Since then, he’s been siphoning “Are we that easy to ensnare?”
85

I shrug. “People are always looking for a free ride. determining everything I need to know about them
Think about it. Somebody loses 50 kilos and everybody before approaching them.
t asks how they did it. They’re not stupid -they know it
was through dieting -but what they hope to hear is, ‘It
was the easiest thing I ever did! It’s a new diet plan that
“See, everyone’s job gives us some contact with
people and a small degree of control, but the best roles
in life are those where people in need come to us for
burns calories while watching TV and eating cake.’ help. It can be a banker with access to someone’s
That’s what people want, and that’s what we offer.” financial records, a bartender who listens to people’s
“I suppose the trick, then, is getting folks to believe problems or a factory worker whose only pastime on the
in you.” assembly line is listening to daily gossip. It might be
“Exactly! That’s when the game of subtlety comes illegal work, like a drug dealer who knows the local
in. Most demons fail their first attempts at forging a junkies, a prostitute with a list of kinky clients, a
pact because they figure they can just reveal their true bookie, a skinhead ... anything. Life is all about con-
selves and remove any trace of doubt. What tends to tacts and getting to know people. We fallen capitalize
happen, however, is that the mortal can’t handle on those contacts and figure out who needs something
what he’s seeing. He just runs away and rationalizes the most. After that, it’s all a matter of convincing
t the event later.”

T h e n how do you do it?”
(6
In small steps,” I say. “You figure out what the
mortal needs, and the more you appear to hold the
them we have something to offer.
“Some demons even do volunteer work, because
it means dealing with people who are in need. Soup
kitchens and the different hotlines - suicide, run-
answer to their problems, the sooner they will come to away, battered women, abuse, STDs - brings scores
you for help. Most demons reveal themselves at this of needy people to us. And most often, these people
point, when the mortal asks for help, but even then are so desperate for help or companionship that they’ll
it’s still risky. Just because someone asks a question take it from whomever offers it. Giving these people
doesn’t mean they’re ready for the answers. Some hope is easy enough, especially since their needs are so
demons stage an event that reveals their power indi- obvious.”
rectly, supposedly with the demon none the wiser that LITTLE
FAITM’S TOQ
an audience is watching. It gives the illusion that the “So what do you get out of these offerings?”
mortal knows something the demon doesn’t, which Hannah asks.
gives him a false sense of security when he approaches “Power,”I say simply. “Faith does have the strength
the fallen on his terms.” to move mountains, if you know what to do with it. I’ve
“And that’s how you lured me in?” got the knowledge, and you, Hannah dear, give me the
“No. A few fallen, myself included, are not inter- fuel to work wonders.”
ested in head games. I figure actions speak louder than “Such as?”Hannah asks with a wide, inquisitivegrin.
words, and I do my best to counsel those who ap- “Well, healing for one,” I say, counting off some of
proach me and help them think their way out of their our abilities. “If I have a ready store of faith, I can repair
situation if they can. If not, then we come to a nearly any wound I suffer. Further, while I still need to
mutually beneficial arrangement. It takes more effort eat and rest like any other mortal, I don’t suffer from
on my part, but it’s better than indulging in baser illness or disease. This body still ages - that horrible
forms of manipulation. In the end, that nets me just as curse is beyond even our power to overcome - but I
much of what I need.” can keep it strong and vital until the very end.
PACE,CWYTMECROWD “Then there are physical enhancements,” I say.
t
“So am I an exception?” Hannah asks. “DOmost “To kill Jeremy’s parents, Golgohasht probably drove
demons only target acquaintances and families?” Jeremy’s body to superhuman lengths. His physical
“Again, our mortal hostsdictate who we encounter enhancements are all reflections of his demonic self.
in life through old habits, hobbies and jobs. Most fallen He used faith to manifest his true form for a few minutes
stick to their host’s former routines as much as possible by ‘overlaying’portions of himself on his mortal form.
because they’re familiar and they reassure us. I t also Actually, the human body can accomplish that easily
gives us contacts into the mortal world beyond friends because flesh is already a supple receptacle for faith. It’s
and families. As a Kripo Detective, for example, I know the reason why mortals can undergo psychic surgery,
cops in several stations, I have street contacts, and I walk across burning coals or manifest stigmata. The
question suspects and witnesseson a daily basis. Through body is a conduit of faith. It doesn’t require as much
this network, I hear gossip about who needs what and effort, then, for demons to take that to the next level
why. I can take my time investigating the person and and alter themselves physically, like Golgohasht did.
86

1 FO~IK
CHAPTER
I
There were deep claw marks on the bodies of Jeremy’s pain in our own souls. I still can’t look up at the scarred
parents, and the demon exhibited enormous strength face of the moon without feeling hollow inside.
to inflict some of the more terrible wounds. I also “Snap!” Ingrid says with a humorless laugh. “Who
assume he fled the scene with supernatural speed.” says he snapped ?”
“What else?”Hannah asks. We couldn’t understand why God and the angels
“Supernatural allure - allowing our celestial still loyal to Him continued fighting us. Surely they
nature to slip past our skin. It’s a reflection of our could see we were right? Surely they weren’t blind?
true form and our current state of grace. Golgohasht Confusion and fear turned into frustration and anger.
used it o n Michael and Richard, but it wasn’t necesd The more the others resisted, the more we were deter-
sary. Golgohasht didn’t have to be there to take the mined to show them the error of their ways. That was
faith - the pact’s strong enough that he could have our first brush with emotions God never intended for
been anywhere in the world. I suspect h e probably us. This building rage and hostility affected us physi-
enjoys the rush of seeing people cower before his cally because we weren’t meant to handle it. It was like
’
might. Now wait here.” a cancer deep in our breasts, a malignant tumor that
1
“Why?”Hannah asks, then realizes we’ve pulled only grew with time.
up in front of a strip club. “Never mind. I don’t want “But, the angels he consumed.. .?”
to know.” The growing hostility frightened us, but it also felt
comfortable. The tides of war were turning against us.
We’d become jaded, even bitter. After a while, we only
Ingrid Deitz is a Lammasu, and she enjoys making had our anger to sustain us. So we allowed that tumor
it difficult to concentrate as we talk. to grow.
“Is this going to be business or pleasure?” she says, “Golgohasht was always good at following orders,
straddling my hips. Ahrimal, no matter the cost.”
“Golgohasht is here. In the flesh.” “Someone ordered him to eat the souls of his
“And why does this concern me?” she says, thrust- fellow ange 1s?”
ing her milky-white breasts in my face. “The war was turning against us,” Ingrid says.
“I need you to help me find him.” “Our bitterness and anger were pushing the mortals
away, costing us precious faith. So someone seized on
“You’re the cop, Ahrimal,” she purrs, running her
the idea of stealing power from our foes by consuming
hands across my chest. “That sort of thing’s not in my
their souls.”
line of work.”
We were tainted before the Abyss, and our des-
“Like hell,” I say, batting away her hand as she tries
peration only made things worse. When God threw us
undoing my tie. “I have information to trade.”
into that black gulf, we’d lost the war, and we’d lost the
She stops gyrating and looks me square in the eye. trust of the mortals we were trying to protect. Anger
Her mortal side’stelling her never to trust acop offering and fear ran rampant, as did the accusations. Without
a deal, and it’s right. Lucifer, we were blaming everyone in sight for our
“What information?” she asks. downfall. That little seed of hate, our private anguish,
“ThePolizei are going to raid this place in the near blossomed like a bruised weed and fed our paranoia and
future, looking for drugs. It could be tomorrow, or it suspicions. It lulled us into forgetting who we were and
could be next week. You want the details?” why we were there.
Ingrid stands up with a huff and sits down next to $ C M E M ~OPTMESOUL
me. “Shit. Make this quick,” she says, suddenly all
“Shit,” I say. “That means Golgohasht’s still taking
business. “What is it you’re after?”
orders. Who’s he serving?”
THE OF TORMEIYT
ORIGIIY~S “Oh,no,” Ingrid says with a smile. “You’veused up
“You served in the same legion as Golgohasht your credit, Ahrimal. You want more, it will cost you.”
during the war. What made him snap?” I ask. When we fled the Abyss and came here, our anger
It’s a simple enough question. When the war be- was a million times stronger then when God locked us
gan, we were all idealistic and determined to convince away. Most of us thought we’d come here and wreak
God of the righteousness of our cause. But for a thou- havoc on mankind for forgetting us and we’d piss on
sand long years we never once faced Him directly. We God’s earth in the bargain. We didn’t realize that our
fought the Host of Heaven, our former brothers and mortal hosts could act like a dam against our anger. For
sisters, and each blow we struck, each time the earth a fortunate few like Ingrid and myself, our hosts pos-
shook or the heavens were rent with fire, we felt that sessed qualities of compassion, courage and selflessness
87

that gave us pause. We stopped and took stock of where ‘Whatare they doing?”I ask, knowing it can’tbe good.
we’d come from and what we’d done up to now. “It’s simple when you think about it. A Ravener
1 “Look, Ingrid,” I say, “I’ll owe you for this.”
“Owe me? Is that the best you can do?If so, let me
comes to earth and starts forcing victims into destruc-
tive pacts. He drains them without mercy until they’re
show you the door.” all so twisted and debased-”
In my case, Gerhard wanted to make a difference as “Oh, shit.”
a cop, but the world got the better of him. With other “-that they become prime candidates for the next
fallen, it’s lost love, failed ambitions, forgotten hopes or wave of Raveners to possess, who then go on to form
simply a life undeservingly cut short that stirs them to their own pacts.”
pity. I’m not sure why, but these memories force us to “I’ve been looking at this all wrong. Lucifer pre-
think beyond ourselves for a moment, and it’s enough serve us. Ingrid, I’ve got to go.”
to pull us from our fugue. “Wait.” Ingrid pulls me close and whispers in my
“All right,” I say. “I can make your problems with ear. She mutters two quick, ancient syllables that leave
the Polizei go away, if what you’ve got to say is worth me breathless. “NOW you owe me,” she says, and I know
the trouble.” I’ll be a long time repaying her.
1 “Oh,it is,” she says. “Everhear of a pyramid scheme?”
This sort of salvation doesn’t work for everyone,
Hope turns everything around. If a demon can free
himself from the cycle of anger and hatred and some-
but I’m grateful I’m one of them. Thanks to Gerhard’s how help people, then that hope shines through in his
memories acting like a sieve, I managed to quash my actions and appearance. Naturally, it isn’t that simple,
anger. That’s a good thing, because demonic anguish but every bit of good builds momentum for the next
perpetuates itself by hurting others. In fact, the more action, making it that much easier to help more people.
torment you build up within yourself, the more you Soon, our powers reflect our state and do more good
want to hurt and punish others. The less you have, the than harm. W e can touch someone and heal them
likelier you’ll help others and play the positive influ- because we don’t have to beget misery to make our-
ence. Unfortunately, it’s far easier to inflict pain and selves feel better. We can offer hope instead of pain
suffering then it is to inspire and offer hope. because we know the difference between the two now.
“What’s that got to do with Golgohasht?” Even our animaregains some of its former glory. Slowly,
“Well, I’ll admit it’s not the same thing as sending the twisted imperfections fade away, and we see hints
achain letter,”she says. “But there’s a group ofRaveners of someone we forgot about millennia ago. It’s astrange
I who’ve come up with a pyramid scheme of sorts, and

Golgohasht is working for them.”
Our torment affects us in many ways, from how
feeling, like seeing pictures of yourself when you were
a hundred kilos lighter and happier in life. Everything
you do, and are, feeds off that sense of wellbeing. The
we appear to how we act. Misery begets misery anger is still there, waiting for you to slip through acts
because the more torment we possess, the more our of cruelty or belligerence, but it’s not your sole compan-
I pacts and evocations reflect it. Our pacts appeal ion anymore.
OFTMEBEAST
more to people’s dark or negative side. They reward
vice and purely material desires, turning our thralls TRIC~~S
into villainous caricatures. Corruption loves con- “SOhe’s trying to drive those kids insane, so his
tributing to moral failure and degradation, and many friends can posses their bodies?” Hannah asks.
pacts born from tormented demons reflect this phi- I nod. “Unless I can stop him.”
losophy. Our powers are also harmful, not through
t
conscious effort, but because that’s the energy we put EXORCISMS
out; strength to hurt people, knowledge to drive “How?Find a priest and exorcise him?” she says.
someone mad, inflicting pain instead of healing or I think she’s kidding at first, until I get a good look
pleasuring, and frightening victims over giving them at her face. “It’s not like the movies, Hannah,” I say.
hope. Even more obvious, our appearance is twisted “Justsaying some prayers and shaking a Bible in our face
and demonic because we look the way we feel. W e isn’t nearly enough. To be honest, you don’t really need
are reflections of our bitterness and rejection. W e holy offices to drive out a demon. If you can trap the
are the manifested elements of searing heat and demon in one place and best it with willpower and
bone-shattering cold. More so, we are mirrors of faith, you can drive him out. Which, by the way, is a
everything we’ve seen and felt for the last millennia great deal harder than it sounds.”
- thousands of years worth of misery and brutality “What about sanctified ground,” Hannah asks, “or
rolled up into one terrifying form. throwing holy water in his face?”
88

. FOUR
CHAPTER
“Earth or water is only as powerful as the faith “The summoning ritual,” I say, “is a typical spell
mortals place in it. How many people still go to church among the thousands already out there. Everyone uses
anymore and actually give of themselves to the worship their own methods, from you Wiccans who invite the
of God?A thousand years ago, I would have agreed with spirits in, to pagans who use The Goetia, to Kabala
you, but these days finding true holy ground or a source numerologists, to Loa horses ... it’s not a matter of
of blessed water is, sadly, very rare. No,” I say, “no horror truth. It doesn’t mean shit. What matters in a ritual is
movie plot is going tonail Golgohasht. I have something the intent and the will of the summoner.
in mind, and as you said before -you’re my safety net.” “Everything in the universe has a harmonic reso-
I hand her paper covered with a diagram and lines nance, a vibrational key to which it responds. Ever see
of careful script. the pictures of the suspension bridge twisting in the
“I know that’s not how you’d normally do the wind? The bridge may be made of steel, but the wind
summoning,” I say, “but that’s the one sure way of hits the right resonance and the whole thing turns to
summoning me back from the Abyss in case Golgohasht taffy. Same principle with summoning rituals.”
kills me. I needed you to understand who, and what I “HOW?” Hannah asks.
was before giving you the ritual. That way, you’ll have “The ritual itself is a focusing lens that targets a
a better chance at calling me back.” specificbeing or group of beings. Burning incense, making
Hannah smiles sadly. “I see. Okay, how does a circle, chanting out loud.. . all those help aim the user’s
this work?” will to reach out and snag the demon in question, and it
~UMMOIYIIYG provides us with a safe zone in which to manifest.”
I’m taking a risk with Hannah, but I trust her to “Safe zone?”
bring me back. The summoning ritual has just enough “Very important. The fallen are bound to the
accuracy to rescue me. There’s also enough wrong Abyss, which means that once we’re outside a vessel,
information to prevent a binding ritual from turning like a mortal host or object, the Pit tries to pull us back
me into her slave. I’m pretty sure Hannah won’t betray in. The ritual circle, though, is a buffer zone, a safe area
me, but I can’t trust anyone enough to reveal our where the Abyss has no hold on us and we can interact
greatest weaknesses. with the summoner at her leisure.
89
T

DEMON:
THEFALLE~
.
L
“Real summoning rituals are rare because it takes forms. Verbalizing the name sets off a series of psy-
time and effort to figure out who you want to find. It’s chic tumblers that opens us up like a vault. That
like trying to find a random Hannah on the phone by means to learn someone’s True Name, you must
dialing without the benefit of aphone book or operator. understand them first, and that means learning ev-
Rituals require intensive research to figure out the right erything you can about them. Anything they handle,
protocol to establish contact. Some casters rely on light deal with, talk to or focus their powers o n leaves
investigative work, targeting an entire infernal House behind some insight into their very being. Manifes-
in a kind of shotgun approach. Fire into a flock and I’m tations of power and violence leaves a vibrational
bound to hit something, right?This is also the best way echo in the air that sings with a part of their name.
to land in trouble. If you aren’t picky about who shows That’s the main reason we demons must be careful.
up, you might receive the worst apple in the barrel.. . or Our every action betrays our nature and potential
the most poisonous.” weakness. Fortunately, Golgohasht wasn’t expect-
“Okay,” she says, “I get that.” ing the attentions of one of the fallen, so he became
“Most often, though, casters who target an entire careless. He left behind a veritable trail of useful
House do so because they don’t have enough informa- clues. T h e way he killed the Lists left strong vibra-
t tion to pick a specific target. They lack a name.

“Real conjurers put the extra time to find ademon’s
Celestial Name. That way, they generally know what
they’re getting into. See, names are crucial to a ritual,
tions where he used his powers. Once I realized we
were dealing with a demon, I knew to look for them.
Also the manner in which Golgohasht forged pacts
with Michael and Richard, as well as the way he
which places rituals in two major categories and too reaped them of their faith, revealed still more insight
many smaller ones to even think about. The first into his identity. Best of all Ingrid gave me some real
category is the broadest because it targets entire Houses. insight into Golgohasht by revealing his purpose
The second type of ritual uses a demon’s title. This is here. More than that, though, she gave me two
syllables from Golgohasht’s True Name, gleaned
the conjuring name, because it’s also the one most
over the years she fought beside him during the war.
summoners use when going after a specific demon.”
Hannah nods. I feel guilty for not revealing the Unfortunately, while I had an impressive collec-
tion of words, it wasn’t enough to give to Hannah to
third type of ritual, but I can’t. The third ritual is usually
summon or bind Golgohasht. Most summoning rituals
the domain of serious occultists who did enough re-
are only half of the equation since few casters call forth
search over the decades to uncover our True Names.
ademon just to chat. Most want secrets or power, while
True Names are the exact vibrational sequence of our
others want to bind the demon into their service. In any
entire being. It’s our resonance, our frequency. Tap-
case, they all incorporate a binding ritual into the
ping it means the summoner has direct access into our
process just in case the demon refuses to help or submit
psyche and can make us dance like puppets. The
to enslavement.
summoner can bind us into servitude.
Using only Golgohasht’s Celestial Name, I could
I TMELA~TGREATSECRET have risked Hannah’s life in a ritual, but if the binding
Hannah‘s back at home and I’m on the rooftop of failed, he’d break free and go after her. Worse, I would
the Siedlung Neutempelhof apartment buildings outside have tipped my hand, and he would become that much
Michael’s hospital. I figure he’s in the greatest danger harder to locate the next time. No, my best bet was to
right now since he’s closest to death. I could be wrong, wait until I had the bastard’s full name before using it
but if Golgohasht needs allies fast, Michael’s the pick against him.
of the litter. If Golgohasht shows up, I’m ready for him. And then I sense a ripple in the fabric of time and
You could say I’ve got his number, or at least part of it. space, radiating in waves from within the hospital
Everything he’s done so far has left behind clues
that only we fallen can register. Each clue is a
across the street. Golgohasht has arrived. A
vibrational fingerprint, one consonant out of nu- POWER
PLXI
merous segments constituting Golgohasht’s True Golgohasht is in Michael’s hospital room, prob-
Name. In simplest terms, every action betrays our ably trying to scare the boy out of his mind. I can sense
nature and state of being. Most people see personal- him -it’s one more aspect of our natural abilities. All
ity traits, but we are more sensitive to the frequencies demons can sense one another when we use our lore or
comprising one another. In this regard, True Name when we manifest our infernal form. In this case,
is a misnomer because it implies a title. It isn’t. It’s Golgohasht registers like a ripple in water. I pick up
literally who we are. Our True Name is a set of words some vibrations from his use of power, but not enough
that match the vibrations resonating through our to add another syllable to his Name.
90

* FOM
CH~PTER
I
I quickly review my options, trying to figure out Somewhere in hospital, a panicked shriek rattles
what to do. I’m improvising because I don’t want to the halls. Golgohasht has no choice but to attack me
fight in the hospital. I need to drag Golgohasht out quickly. He believes his very nature depends on it. I
onto the rooftop where he’s less likely to hurt anyone. intone the second syllable.
Unfortunately, he has the same natural abilities I do, so The demon will hurl himself at me, which means
I know my options are limited. that Golgohasht will use his apocalyptic form to alter
If I reveal my apocalyptic form, he’ll sense it Jeremy’sbody and transform it into a killing machine of
immediately. We’re territorial creatures by nature, muscle, teeth and claw. Each House has different
especially now because of the effort we have to visages that alter the shape of our mortal bodies. It’s a
invest i n our mortal possessions, and I think shadow of our true form, before God stripped away
Golgohasht is more territorial than most. He’ll come much of our being. It’s also what I meant when I told
after me first as the threat, then return to Michael at Hannah that the human body can manifest just about
his leisure. Problem is, this means tipping my hand.. . anything given enough faith. These physical enhance-
not that I have a choice. ments are aspects of our essence that we can push
through the flesh and bone, infusing sinew and muscle
1
Instead, I reach within myself, a timeless moment
where the shattered orbits of stars lie scattered across with enough power to shape it according to our will.
the heavens. I open my eyes to the myriad permutations Golgohasht scales the building to the roof like a
of the Grand Design, peering into the shattered future. spider. He blazes in a nimbus of black light, with
It unfolds in stutters, like glimpsing reflections in a hammers of flesh and bladed fingers where his fists
broken mirror. should be, saber-like teeth lining his distended, insect-
What I see isn’t encouraging. Golgohasht is a like jaw. White-hot embers burn deep in his
Rabisu, fearsome even among a House of mighty war- multi-faceted eyes. I’m not without my tricks, though.
riors. In every case where he and I come to grips, he I’ve already grown bladed wings by the time Golgohasht
tears me to pieces with ease. So if I’m to defeat him, it sees me. He leaps, but I read the skein of fate and leap
aside a moment before the killing blow lands.
will have to be a battle of wits. The Rabisu are coura-
geous but impetuous to a fault. I have to provoke him, Golgohasht scrabbles quickly to his feet. My wings
to force him to react without thinking. swing at empty air as Golgohasht ducks under my blow.
He spins and slams a meaty forearm across my chest. I
I show myself, my real self, to this ruined world. fly back, fully aware he’s ready to pounce on me
My indigo wings unfurl from my back and a nimbus wherever I land. Sure enough, I land hard, and
of low light surrounds me. The moon’s cratered reflec- Golgohasht is on my chest, screeching like a maddened
tion appears in my shadows and like an old sailing map, beast and tearing into me with his claws. I bend the
lines and meridians of yellow light cover my body. binding forces of the cosmos, fueling acceleration by
Golgohasht has to notice that. It won’t take him long force of will and hurling him a hundred feet away. He
to get here. hangs momentarily in the air, manipulating the funda-
I bend the light to my will, refashioning air into mental forces as well, before crashing to the rooftop. I
chimera. I must be subtle here. I can’t fight him and set have but a moment to put my plan into action.
him off balance with pure nightmares. Part of our Still, I hesitate. Studying the Grand Design gives
natural ability is an immunity to mind-altering effects. me insight into the future, showing me the many
That’s God’s doing. He couldn’t have us affected by the possible outcomes of this event. The torrent of infor-
same card tricks He used to cow mortals, so He gave us mation is difficult to sort through in the best of times,
the ability to see into the magic hat. We’re immune to with ample opportunity for reflection, but now... I
induced fear, but that’s also because we’ve seen and have to make the right decision, choose the one course
8
lived through terrors that no illusion could ever match. of action that will send Golgohasht back to the Pit. The
Golgohasht will probably ignore my attempts to scare only way I’m going to find that slim needle of hope in
him and go straight for my throat. So be it. He’ll see this mass of possibility is t o draw on the darkness locked
right through my illusions and think me defeated, and deep within my brain. It’s amazing how ancient hate
it will cause him to lower his guard. can focus the mind.
I feel another flare of power from the hospital - If I open myself to that darkness, knowing it will
Golgohasht is probably using his mastery of flesh and leave its mark on me, I’ll lose some of the humanity I’ve
bone to move more quickly. I don’t have much time fought so hard to keep. All for the sake of a handful of
left, but I can’t let him plan his attack. I must spur him mortal children who will be nothing but dust in a
into recklessness. I fill my lungs and call out the first hundred years anyway. Of course, if I let them be ravaged
syllable of Golgohasht’s True Name. by Golgohasht, how much more of my soul will I lose?
91

I
1
-
FAI,EN
It seems as though we are fated to sacrifice ourselves

for mankind. I can only pray that they’re worth it.
The darkness is sweet, welling up into my brain as
my lips form words of power and the lines of causality
spread before my eyes. I see Golgohasht spring to his
feet, long black talons extended as he leaps for me.
Hundreds of possibilities flash before me, but I plunge
unerringly through them, driven by my rage, seeking
the one chance that will bring ruin to my foe. When I
find it, my lips pull back in a murderous snarl.
More words ofpower crackle in the air as I shape the
light between us, and a perfect simulacrum of myself
races across the rooftop at Golgohasht, brandishing a
sword of elemental fire. A t the same time I run for the
edge of the rooftop, spreading my wings for flight.
Golgohasht laughs, a terrible sound like crack-
ing bones. He sees through the illusion at once and
leaps upon me like a lion, his long talons reaching for
my throat.
I can see the scene unfolding in my mind. If I move
a moment too soon or a moment too late, it will end
with Golgohasht holding my severed head. I catch
myself praying to the Morningstar as I turn, hurling
myself backward off the roof.
Golgohasht crashes into me. His yellowed tusks are
inches from my eyes, his carrion stench pushing its way
into my nostrils. We fall, but the Rabisu is overcome
with bloodlust, raking at my sides and arms with his
serrated talons. The agony is indescribable, and I sense
how close I am to death. So does Golgohasht, but the
black joy he feels blinds himself to his peril.
I furl my wings and we twist in the air, placing
Golgohasht between me and the approaching earth.
Even as we switch positions, I call upon the forces of the
fundament once more, and we plunge faster still, to
terminal velocity and beyond. Golgohasht’s leonine
eyes widen as he begins to realize he’s been tricked, but
that’s when I spread my wings once more and the
heavier Rabisu falls free, his talons scoring my arms and
chest to the bone.
The high wall outside the apartment building is
lined with wrought iron spikes, more for decoration
than anything else, but they serve my purpose well.
Golgohasht strikes them hard enough to shatter the
stone holding them in place, and he disappears in a
cloud of pulverized masonry.
I do not land so much as fall to the earth. We
demons can use faith to heal most wounds, but the
damage inflicted by Golgohasht is beyond the pale. I
watch a shower of bloody droplets scatter across the
paving stones, and wonder if I will bleed to death before
I can revert back to Liebner and stagger the few short
yards into the hospital.
92

Golgohasht does not lie amid the rubble at the my heart. I know that I won’t be so lucky, just as I know
base of the wall. Only the torn and ruptured body of that the battle with Golgohasht is not truly over. He
Jeremy List, pierced by a half-dozen iron spikes. Not escaped the Pit once before and will do so again. It’s
even the fearsome Rabisu could repair the massive only a matter of time before he can fight his way
damage incurred by the fall. Part of me hoped he was through the Maelstrom and return to this bruised and
falling still, shrieking in rage and pain as the Abyss battered world. Maybe by that time I’ll have been able
waited below. to erase the stain on my soul, but if I have to give in to
I let go of my apocalyptic form as the first hospital the darkness again to prevent a greater evil, then so be
attendants emerge from the hospital and run toward it. Heaven is forever lost to us, and Hell can’t hold us
me. The pain is immense, swelling to fill the entire back anymore.
world, and I welcome it, praying that its searing heat All we have is this world, and what we choose to
will scour away the blackness I’ve welcomed back into make of it. Me, I think it’s worth any price.
c-
93

f

1 FIW
CIIAPTER
I
97

“1can show you things that will fill you with wonder. Just take my hand, and I’ll change your life forever.”
Before there was any land the banner of revolt, it would have only been a matter
at all, the great oceans of time before a Nereid did the same.
encompassed the The Fall galvanized the Defilers, who used their
world. The angels powers to inspire both mortal and rebel angel alike in the
granted dominion struggle against Heaven. They became living symbols of
over this vast and the struggle, reflecting the best qualities of the resistance
powerful realm and spurring others to do the same. More importantly,
were called the they sustained the morale of the rebels, even in the
Nereids, and they darkest days of the war, healing spiritual wounds that no
were among the Scourge or Devourer could touch. The devotion these
most beautiful of fallen inspired led to some of the most heroic exploits of
God’s creations. the war, becoming the foundation for romantic epics
They were the well- that still resonate in mankind’s collective soul.
springs and muses, The loss of the war was a terrible blow for the
and their powers Defilers,who never wavered in their conviction that the
resonated with the rebellion was just. Although they were more accustomed
passions that led to to isolation than most of the fallen, the Defilers were
art and quests for among the first to succumb to the agonies of the Abyss,
insight and truth. excising the pain of their loss with hot knives of hate.
T h e Nereids
Now that the gates of the Abyss are broken and the
were meant to inspire Defilersare free once more, they are able to work their wiles
humanity, to beguile in a civilization that prizes appearance above all. They can
them with mysteries
lead men and women to acts of obsession, jealousy and
and spur them to ven-
desire that ruin families,endcareersor topple entire govem-
ture out into the world
ments. Yet they can also encourage humanity’s
and discover its many
understanding of philosophy, fellowship and art,and pro-
hidden wonders. They
vide a vision of beauty amid the bleak reality of the modern
were the spirit of long-
world. They were created as living mysteries,dangerousand
ing personified, always
beguiling,meant to inspire actsof courage and strengththat
alluring, yet ever out of
fuel the growth of the human soul.
reach. Their power gave
them the keenest insight Factions: Defilers are most likely to be Faustians or
into human desires, but Raveners. In the first case, they have become captivated
God’sdesign ensuredthat by humanity -reacting with delight, or at least respect,
the vast gulf of the sea to theirrenewedrelationshipwithmankind.TheRaveners
would always stand be- act like spumed lovers, exacting an often subtle (but
tween them. It was not always unforgettable) revenge on those who have in-
long before they la- flicted such a crushing betrayal. They break hearts and
mented their duty to minds, and spread discord so as to watch groups crumble
Heaven and the love they under bitter recriminations and violence.
, bore for mankind. Look- Alternatively, some Defilers are disappointed by mod-
ing back, manv Defilers em human civilization, and yet still become Faustians.
They yearn for the beautiful vision they had before the war,
and recognize that humans are an essential part of that.
98

FIVE
CHAPTER
Some Defilers may be well be fascinated by the Character Creation: Social Attributes are para-
Defilers’ origin as water spirits gives them a litheness

that usually translates to a high Dexterity and good
rawn to the vain tings in Dodge and Stealth, and perhaps Brawl as
unlikely to have been s . Most are not concerned with detailed knowledge
odern academics and related subjects, and they see
promiscuous, but were just as likely tarting Torment: 3

y had on the latest fashions or the re: Lore oflonging, Lore of Storms, Lore
they were obsessed with trivial
fine-tuning the present so as to
of changes around them.
t a Defiler are not interested i
e room. The more

obic a situation gets, the more
at their partners, do something
er off in a different direction. But
deeply or often and been denied, those who have sup- itself
ported a cause and been betrayed by it - these peode
might also be caught up in the present, where self-pity
and thoughts of petty revenge replace true grief or anger.
Another category of likely hosts are those who have
suffered for their art in a literal sense: starving artists, world in spite of a thou-
failed writers and skid row musicianswho have had their e they were the voice of
spirits broken by rejection, debt and addiction.
Faith: Harvesting faith is a tricky act for many
Defilers, because they are unused to close ouses, being concerne
tact. Getting people’s attention is easy; fo
not. With indiscriminate use of her lore, a
gather a large group of followers very q
possibly cause a few riots in the process),
crowd is of little use to her. Blind adulation a
destructive longing is not faith, although with pati
it may provide a foundation on which to create
essence, a Defiler must convince her fo y understand
they are worthy of such gifts as she gives them. and the areas over which it holds domiii o n . The
Many of those gifts involve expanding perc
Fiends favor intuition over colc :h they see
CLWKI mpiration.
out beyond the demon and into the larger world. The
allow thralls to develop their knowledge and, mor
importantly, their intuitive understanding of their sur-
roundings. This could be a general feeling of
enlightenment, or a more specific focus on a particular
topic. It often manifests as works of art or expression in
more direct forms, such as political or social activism. Slayers as kindred spirits who understand the pain
Such understanding often comes with renewed confi- of real loneliness and isolation, though the Slayers’
dence as well, which might withstand even supernatural moodiness and tendency toward introspection puts
ar or coercion. a strain on their relationship.
99

t
“Follow me, and I will give you your heart’s desire. Worship me: and I will make you a god.”
God’s first and most perfect creations, the Her- of failure -until Heaven prevailed, and the
alds carried the Lord’s standard, bringing His light to demons were imprisoned in the darkness of
illuminate all of Creation. These greatest of all the Abyss. With Lucifer missing, the other
angelswere the leaders and princes of the Celestials, demons turned upon their former leaders in
shining examples of all that was glorio anger. To defend themselves -and to mask
and right in the eyes of God. their own doubt - the Devils used their
First and foremost,the duty of the First powers of charisma and deception to turn
Housewas to convey the will of heaven to the other demons upon each other.
theHousesoftheHost, instructingthem But now the barriers around Hell are
as to their evolvingrole in the creation broken, and many Devils have crawled
of the cosmos. The Devils bore this back into the world of mortals. For
enormous responsibility with pride, those Devils still dedicated to Hell,
making their presence known among now is the time for humanity to be
their peers only when absolutelynec- reminded of past glories and to bend
essary, but the freedom to alter the knee in service to demonkind. Fallen
course of the cosmos at their discretion Devils who seek redemption have a
became a source of hubris that contrib- new opportunity - to save humanity from
uted to the Fall. the evils that threaten to destroy it, to forge
When the Grand Design finally cul- a new Utopia for mortal and celestial alike
minated in the birth of humanity, the and perhaps to prove that Lucifer’s crusade
&.’-
Celestials were surprised at the Creator’s was ultimately just.
commandment to remain invisible and Factions: Devils are intensely political
allow mankind to discover its potential - --
reatures,. puppetmasters who live to control
without help. Their dissatisfaction found id manipulate others. They form the upper
its voice in the greatest of their number, :helonsof severalof the major factions,leading
Lucifer the Morningstar. In the end, nearly :her demons just as they once did in Heaven.
half of the Heralds chose to side with thc Unsurprisingly, most Devils are
Morningstar, a greater percentage of de. Iciferans, still loyal to the vision of the first
fections than any other Celestial House. id greatest rebel. They still follow the dream
Now cursed as Devils, these rebels casting the Creator down from His throne
became the generals, leaders and heroes i leading humans to a glorious future.
of the rebellion. Armed with awesome After the Luciferans, many Devils find
t
powers of leadership and inspiration, mselves drawn to the Faustians. While once
the Devils set out to lead humanity to a Heralds craved the love and respect of hu-
new age, and to encourage mortals to ity, these Devils have decided that mortal
renounce the Creator. But as the war hip and Faith is just as sweet a prize. With
raged on, the Devils grew distant from ower ofhumanity behind them, the Faustians
the humans they had once loved. From re to build an empire on Earth, with the
heroes and protectors, the Devils be- As first among equals.
came demagogues and dictators, The mystery of Lucifer’s disappearance
manipulating human pawns with hon- wears heavier on Devils than on other
eyed words and poisoned lies. b demons - he was the greatest amongst
Filled with pride and defiance, the
Devils refused to believe in the possibility I them, and hisdisappearancethrew the Devil
and misery. For this reason, many Devils

1 CHAPTER
FI\E
I
become Cryptics, desperate to learn the truth about the Character Creation: Unsurprisingly, Devils tend to
Fall, their mentor, and the true cause of their damnation. emphasize their Social Attributes, especially Manipula-
The Heralds truly loved humanity, and Some Devils tion and Charisma. Many Devils also have strong Physical
still feel an echo of that love. These Devils are a minority Attributes, due to their position as war leaders and
3aladins. Mental Attributes aren’t as important to Dev-
Is, although many have high Wits ratings, as effective
ying requires a talent for thinking on your feet.
No Ability is as useful to a Devil as Subterfuge, and
ost all members of this House have high ratings in
Talent. Many Devils have strong combat and
to admit that Lucifer’s rebellion was an error, ties, reflecting their role as commanders
Devils are too proud and arrogant to accept bygone times - Athletics, Brawl and
some few Devils h
Starting Torment: 4
House Lore: Lore of the Celestials, Lore of Flame,
Prelude: Devils are social creatures, charmers and ,ore of Radiance
deceivers,and they are attracted on Earth to mortals who Weaknesses: The memory of their former nobility is
omething every Devil struggles to forget but never can.
and hangers-on will also attract the atten
tives, musicians, actors and charismatic
twisted, and they respond to morta
r mortal manipulation.
tors: Devils tend to look down on the
artisans and inventors of Hell. Malefactors are also
manipulators of mortals, working at a remove through
double-dealings. their cursed artifacts, and Devils resent this incur-
Faith: Devils are master manipulators, able sion into their area of expertise.
Fiends: The first stars were Heralds, directed by
the angels that became Fiends. Devils and Fiends
have a long history of workingtogether. Devils rely on
Fiends to provide wisdom, detect flaws in battle plans
and supply new insights into human weaknesses.
Defilers: While Devils resent Malefactors for
ipulating humans, they have far fewer issues
the Defilers. Working together, a Devil and
Defiler can target every human weakness. Occasion-
ally rivals, the two Houses are usually allies.
Devourers: As onetime leaders in the War,
Devils respected Devourers for their might in com-
bat, but now most Devils see Devourers as violent
scheme, in which each new worshipper seeks out and and unpredictable relics.
recruits new members who are easy marks for the Slayers: Devils have always looked down upon
evil’s charisma. Soon the Devil is surrounded by Slayers,the last and least of the angels created by God.
evotees, worshipping him as a god- the status he has Devils see themselves as princes, while Slayers are
usted after since the Fall. nothing more than undertakers and carrion crows.

‘‘It’s been too long since I tasted blood on the wind. Tonight, we hunt once more.”
The House of the Wild was granted domini0 Upon their escape from the Abyss, the Devourers
over every living thing that crawled, ran, flew or were shocked to discover how much the world had
slithered acrossthe earth. As the wilderness spread changed. The humans they fought and suffered for
across the earth, the Angels of the Wild wove the had forgotten all they had been taught after the Fall,
countless strainsof life into an intricate tapestry of raping the world of its dwindling resources and
t beauty, majesty and power. The Angels

of the Wild fulfilled their duties with
driving whole species into extinction. This
realization was the last stroke for many
solemn pride and a strong sense of per- Devourers,who surrendered completely
sonal honor, governing their realm with to their monstrous urges in the desire
justice and compassion. to make mankind suffer for its crimes
The birth of humanitywas a source gainst nature. For the rest, the pain
of both wonder and consternation for of the dying earth was enough to
the Angels of the Wild. While God shake them from their fugue
made it clear that mankindwas meant and spur them to restoring
to master the wilderness and every the earth and pulling man-
living thing within it, they were com- kind back from the brink
pletely ignorant of its ways. This of annihilation.
presented the angels with a paradox: Factions: Devourers
Their duty was to protect and preserve t tend to fall into one of
wild, but the greatest threat tothe natural 1 two factions, depending
was the igno-mce of humankind, whicl on how well their con-
were forbidden to interfere with. victions weathered the
For all their reputation agonies of the Abyss.
stinctual beasts, the Angels Many Devourers still be-
I of the Wild were the most
reluctant of the Host to con- ’
that their loyaltytoLucifer
‘ and the cause of the fallen must still
siderdefyingthewillofHeaven. and their newfound free-
In the end, though, those dom comes with an obligation to reform
joined the ranks of the fallen believed th: the ranksof the infernal legionsand resume
was no other way to be true to their m the war against Heaven. Those who aren’t
Once committed, however, there wet Luciferanstend to become Raveners, as their
braver or more devoted than the DevourLro,wllv ..-me of betrayal after the war and humanity’s
filled the ranks of the rebel legionsand fought their destruction of nature drives them to seek bloody
former comradeswithout quarter across the length vengeance on God’s beloved children.
and breadth of Paradise.The Devourers were feared tside these two factions, the next largest
and respected by both sides,and they never lost their of Devourers can be found among the
belief in final victory, even at the very end. ncilers. The Devourers in their ranks tend
At first, the Devourers accepted their exile sto- to be those who are weary of war and blood-
i d l y , but separation from the living world eventually shed, and feel that the only way they can
took its toll. Worse, the disappearance of Lucifer was a atone for their past crimes is to rebuild the
terrible blow to the spirit of the House as a whole, leading gardens that time has destroyed.
many to feel a deep sense of betrayal. As their anger and Less common are Devourer Cryptics,
pain grew, they reverted more and more to their feral though a significant number seek answers
nature, trading reason and guilt for mindless instinct. to the manner of Lucifer’sdisappearance

1 CHGPTER FDE
I
both for the sake of their own honor and out of respect for well as knowledge appropriate to their profession.These
their lost leader.These Devourersenjoy more successthan Abilities are often balanced out with some degree of
might be expected,because other fallen frequently under- Athletics, but combat-oriented Abilities are less com-
estimate their intelligence and cunning. mon, at least initially.
Rarest of all are Devourers who follow the call of Devourersdraw upon avarietyoflackgrounds.Thralls
the Faustians, simply because deception is so foreign to are a favored choice, forming a pack that the demon calls
their nature, and they chafe at the patience required for upon when needed. Additionally they may alsohave allies
elaborate schemes. Those who are loval to the faction and contacts to heln them out. usuallv inherited from the
ve careers in which
know when to keep their big
ect - or ex situation wor
their actions are actively dest rs who sacrificed so much for the
ment. Even then, they avoid
rience as a warning and me
the most Tormented Devourer.

e Devourers enjoy a close kinship
,going back to the days when the
they find it, usually killing the vi hand-in-hand prior to the Fall.
pect and admire the demons of the earth,
them friends until proven otherwise.
strangers to violence, such as gang members, soldiers or Fiends: The Devourers have little patience and
cops. Converselythey can be driven intellectuals,political less understanding for the Fiends and their arcane
activists,corporateraidersor entrepreneurs.When it comes pursuits. The movement of the planets and the
to thralls, Devourers have no use for the weak or timid. groupings of stars seem trivial compared to the
Character Creation: It’s no surprise that the feral visceral joy of the hunt.
Devourersfavor Physical Attributes above all, but Men- Defilers: Devourers love the Defilers for their
tal Attributes come in a close second. Many Devourers passion and inspiration, but their mercurial nature
have at least two dots in Alertness, Animal Ken, Brawl, exasperates the steady, driven Devourer.
Dodge, Intimidation, Survival and Stealth. They may Slayers: The Devourers treat the Slayerswith an
also inherit dots in Firearms and Melee from their hosts. equal amount of respect and pity, admiring their
The less-common sociallyoriented Devourers tend dedication to an onerous and painful calling.
103

DEMON:
THEF~LLEI\(
“You have questions, my friend, but are you prepared for the answers?”
In the beginning, God fashioned the great en- they considered that the great design would
gines of Heaven to regulate the cosmos. Each orbit not be upset by their actions.
of a star and planet lay within the radius of a cog, Finally, God cast the condemned rebels
a celestial flywheel linking other such gears in a n into the Abyss, plunging the Fiends into a
t
enormous, interdependent mechanism. The special hell of their own. Once, they were
heavens were laid out in an intricate trace creatures of order and regimented existence,
of orbits, ellipses, periods and constants, but the Abyss could not be codified,
, an impossibly vast design that defied charted or piloted. Without the great
total comprehension. engines of Heaven to provide a mea-
The seers captained these great sured routine, they went mad.
orbits and circuits. They knew when When the walls to the Abyss
and where everything would be, be it were wracked by the Maelstrom,the
a day away or a millennia hence. They Fiend sensed the great enginesagain
regulated the means by which the
heavens affected the Earth, directing
1 and saw the cracks leading to free-
dom. Upon reemerging, however,
the swell of tides through the course o they found the heavens derelict and
the moon and winding the Earth to cause idirected, while the great engine itself
the seasons to turn. Of all the angels lwithrusted awkwardness.TheFiends
t
however, they were among the most dis- gained their touchstone, but it was
tant from humanity. They loved their :d and worn, possibly beyond repair.
‘
brothers and sisters of clay, but it was ien the same could be said for them.
their lot to reside far above Eden and ;actions: The Fiends prize the search
interact with mortals through myster- nowledge above all. Within their bro-
ies woven in the vault of stars.
1 When the rebellion came,one cen-
tral factor split the seers. It was one
breasts lies a genuineneed to recapture
:absolute clarity when the universe hid
secrets from them. Some say their
among their number, a seer named rch for these shards of congruence is
1
Ahrimal who first saw the dire por- ,rely distraction from the inevitable
tents that would reveal themselves as Nard examination that leads many
the Fall. A t the time, Ahrimal and his mds to the Raveners.Almost no Fiend,
companions believed that the im- )wever, believes that destroying the
t
pending disaster would occur if the eat engines of Creation will do any-
angelsfailed to act, so they were among ;more than condemn all the fallen to
the most vocal proponents of rebellion. In ‘ndarker oblivion than the Abyss. For
fact, the Fall was the root of the catastropk i s reasons, many Fiends instead prefer
Ahrimal foresaw, and there is not a sing1 yptics and their search for truth.
Fiend to this day who is not haunted by tha :w Fiends are drawn to the Reconcilers,
House’s collective mistake. I because the Fiends were always so
Lucifer prized the Fiends as advisor i t from Eden prior to the war. Paradise
and strategists, since their ability to divin Lever truly their home, so why yearn
the future earned him several quick victc lmething never shared? Instead, the
ries. The war proved costly, however, fc Ind-most popular faction among the
the Fiends did not anticipate its destruc :nds are the Luciferans. Perhaps it’s
tiveness. It was a sign of their hubris tha 3ecause Lucifer protected the Fiends

w-
from recrimination when the war was at its worst. The Religion of principal interest. They are also adept in
i
elders among the Fiends, however, say the fate of Lucifer the mysteries of Linguistics, Occult and Research.
has yet to run its course, though none will say why. In dealing with Backgrounds, the two key choices
Finally, there are some Fiends who find themselves are Allies and Contacts. The mortal’s quest for knowl-
drawn to the Faustians. Some Fiends believe control- edge means she established anetwork of mortal affiliates 1
ling humanity’s destiny is just anothdr course to be mey. It’s also not uncommon for
charted and directed. Others see modern humanity as 1mentors if the host was delving
an enormously complex organism equal to the cosmos
itself, and a worthy successor to tMir skills.
who question the of Portals
bject may do or say so

nswer and the st
e vies to unco
into the mortal’s confidence, thev o

age the journey rather th
too transient and oriented in
Character Creation:Fiends believe that knowledge their patience, and they frequently seek the Slayers
is power, so they favor high Mental Attributes. Others 3ut for counsel and assistance. A handful of Fiends
rely on controlling others through their future sight, believe that the Angels of Death will be crucial to
which makes Social Attributes their primary preference. the eventual redemption of the fallen, and they work
When it comes to Abilities, Fiend prize Knowledges to strengthen ties between the two Houses.
above all else, with Investigation, Academics and
105

“I know you’ve been hurt. I have something here that can make your life better again.”
On the third day, God separated the seas from the become a race of makers, but in doing so, they
land, and He gave stewardship of the land to a select have ravaged the earth and left it wounded and
group of angels. Named Artificers, these Celestials unloved. Those Malefactors still in the service
governed -and loved -the earth and all that lay of Hell swallow their pain and look for new
within it. To them was given an affinity with soil, gems opportunities to create havoc among humanity.
and stone; with the fires that smoldered below the fallen, the world is an open wound, and
earth’s surface; and most especially, with metal. the urge to simplybreak down and cry is
To the Artificers was also given the re- sometimes overwhelming. But if the
sponsibility of helping humanity use the world is to be healed, then the Male-
earth - to till the fields, dig up the metals factors must bear their pain and get to
and to craft the tools they would need to work, just as they did millennia ago.
shape their world. The angels took to their Factions: Most Malefactors are
task willingly, eager to share their love for Faustians, and have been since the fi-
the earth with their charges. naldays of the war. With their penchant
But humanity was not equipped to deal for manipulating humans with their poi-
with such responsibility. They tried to use the soned chalices and cursed gifts and their
miraculous tools of the angels, but they were esire to push humanity back into a sub-
unable to make them work properly, if at all. servient and respectful position, this
Humanitybecame resentful of their hidden teach- Faction is a natural fit for the House.
ers and feared them for their perfection, while the Reconcilersform the next largest bloc
Artificers grew confused and bewildered, unable within the Malefactors, especially among
to relate to humans in the same way they related the fallen. For all their attempts to stop
to the predictable elements of earth and fire. caring about the world, these demons
When war eruptedbetween the rebel angels can never truly sever their link to the
1 and the forces of Heaven, many of the Artificers
gravitated toward Lucifer’s side. They felt re-
land and nature. Loose in the world,
many Malefactorsare overwhelmedby a
jected by the humans they had tried to love, and forgotten love, and they push aside old
angry with the Creator, who had tied their hands hurts to try to redeem themselves.
by forbidding angels to help humans directly. Malefactor CrvDtics bend their
I I
Moreover, they sided with the rebels because they natural cunning and intelligence to-
felt that only their peers understood them, ward unraveling the mysteries of the
them, when the humans had simply refused I war and the Fall. For many Malefac-
I
When the rebels lost the war and were i tors, this faction lends them a purpose
oned in Hell, the Malefactors found it diffic they sorely need and is unlikely to
cope -separated from the earth and fire th: push them into contact with humans.
their reason for being. This terrible lone Luciferan Malefactors are not very
made most Malefactors cold and withdrawr common. Most were too hurt and emo-
able to interact well witheven their fellowder tionally damaged by the Fall to retain
They became cunning and thoughtful, prefe faith in their lost leader. However, hope
careful planning and patience to the emotio dies hard even in demons, and there are
upheavals of anger and immediacy. some Luciferans in this House. These
Now. released from Hell, Malefactors demons tend to treat the Luciferan cause
find themselves in a world transformed. ‘
4 s a holy calling and throw themselves
Humanity has finally embraced the use of tools and into it with great passion.
106

1 Fn E
CHAPTER
I
With their love of the earth and of tools -things her legs back- these are people who can be “helped”by
i
that are crafted over time and with great care - an a Malefactor, who can build a computer that inspires
appetite for pure destruction is something rarely felt by creativity or a mask that makes the wearer a n Adonis.
these demons. Those few who do belong to the Ravener Character Creation: Malefactors tend to empha-
faction are terrifying indeed, often the most destructive sizeMental Attributes, particularlywits, whichgoverns 1
and violent of the faction. creativity and cunning. As miners and workers, they
Prelude: Upon their escapefromHel1, Malefactors also tend to have good Stamina and Strength ratings.
usually gravitate toward souls that are as emotionally Social Attributes are often low, due to the difficulty
alefactors are in many ways Malefactors have in relating to humans - although
he earth that Manipulation is often emphasized, as the demons have
to be similar some talents for using humans as tools.
To reflect their status as demonic inventors, almost
Malefactors have high Crafts ratings. Many also
ve excellent Research ratings. Subterfuge is popular
le Malefactors don’thave the natural propensity
ured, people who cling to abusive s nipulation that Devils have, they work hard to
Malefactor psyche ve ‘maryweakness of this House is
Faith from mortals, due to two factors.
pendable as stone. Being unable to truly know humans,

Malefactors find it difficult to easily inspire them.
A greater impediment of sorts is the Malefact
reliance on his tools and magical artifacts. A mor
will no doubt be dumbstruck and awed by the PO
a magic mirror, but that doesn’t mean she’ll au
cally associate the mirror with the demon who
or gave it to her. Unless the human makes a s
connection between the item and the Malefacto
Faith simply vanishes into the ether.
When reaping Faith from mortals, a Malefactor mus
dosousinganitemhehascreated.Thismightbeamundane
item-suchas asilverluifeused to flayavictim’sskinaway
- or a miraculous creation, like a mirror that shows a
mortal’s inner beauty. The demon can use different tools
whenever he attempts to reap Faith-the important thing they do not necessarily trust them.
is that the item is somethinghe crafted himself,and that the
Devourers: Malefactors do not understand the
mortal focuses on the item as her Faith is collected.
point of short-lived, messy animal life. Malefactors
Malefactors are drawn to the same sort of people
prefer to keep Devourers at arm’s length, but they
who attracted them as a host -the lost, the needy, the
respect their strength.
damaged. In particular, Malefactorstend to target people
Slayers: Human life and human death are both
who are looking for something that will fix their life, end
their problems -a concrete solution, not a metaphysi- mysterious and fairly irrelevant to the Malefactors,
concept. The nerd who wants to be handsome, the who prefer the company of undying stone. They give
ter stymied on his new book, the paraplegic wanting the House respect, but little attention.
107

I
“Nothing can protect you forever. So don’t worry about forever. Worry about right now.”
Before the Age of Wrath, the Guardian Angels had Factions: The most hopeful Scourges
an enviable role in Paradise. Entrusted with carrying tend toward the Reconciler camp. The con-
the sacred Breath of Life, their duties brought them in cept of a world healed is more tempting to
close contact with their beloved humanity. Even them than the notion of one ruled by the
t better, they were charged with the ongoing protection

of every being they animated. Where another angel
might have felt guilt for skirting the edges of th
, command against interference, the Angels
of the Wind were wholly within their pur-
view when they adoringly watched the
Faustians or ruined by the Raveners.
Other Scourges continue to pledge fealty
to Lucifer, believing that he somehow es-
caped the rage of the punishing angels. If
he could spare himself eons ago, maybe
he’s the key to sparing humankind
humans that they secretly considered now. Certainly, finding the only
their own children, as well as God’s. one of the fallen with a continuous
But even as they keenly felt the experience in the world is usually
pleasure of humanity’s presence, they considered a better way to find
felt more keenly the pain of humanity’s concrete answers than joining the
frustration. Their nearness was both Cryptics’ debating society.
torment and elation, and the tension Faustians find few Scourges in
between the two extremes eventually their numbers. The Second House
drove many to the snappinp nnint W 1 x 7 3 ~and in some way still is, intimately
the rebellion came, Lucifi Lmed with the safety of humanity.

eager followers in the Fir1 may bless or curse, but coldly using
other than his own House e as tools doesn’t come easily.
Star, the House of the Risir ’relude:Fearful souls cry out for de-
the most highly ranked an$ rs, and even in their fallen state, the
In the war, the Scourgt me Angels Protector find that cry
warriors. The condemnatil to resist. Scourges were once the
not break their will: Far fro its to humanity- indeed, all life -
the punishment that fell the needful call of one of their chil-
much to steel the Scourge L still draws their attention.
God and theHoly Host. Po0 But this world,the wreckageof Para-
the Fundamentals and Wilc !,is full of fears,real and imagined.A
the physical world, Scourg )urgemay be drawn to genuine fear,
ment and powers of conce: ly to find that it’s selfish. Unlucky
excellent harriers, scouts ai ourges find themselves trapped in
In this age of escape, e bodies of those who dreaded the
widely respected. Their co nsequences of their own poor deci-
in the war have given the ons, or those frightened of the final
served reputation for fruit of problems they’ve done noth-
loyalty even in extremis. 1 ing to solve or avoid.
Every faction among the 1 Faith:Onapracticallevel,gain-
newly escaped fallen ing Faith from mortals is an
wants loyal defenders, espec easyjob for Scourges.Hea
those who can heal with the is a precious commodity
hand and harm with the le
108

1 CHQPTERFIVE
I
humanity. For some, no price is too high for a cure beyond Weaknesses: One problem other Houses have
the purview of medical science. Founding a church or cult with Scourges -and which Scourges have with them-
based on “Spirits of Wholeness” is roblems with mortals. Fallen
beingswhoreallycancureAIDS orrepai e extreme views about mankind.
or correct the deformities of a newborn precious treasures who must be
The primary challenge with these d at every turn, or their brief and
ethical one, as such structures promi a1 lives are seen as pointless, worth-
that the demon patroncan protect the d. Mortals are the central factor of
the other hand, Scourgeswho have g and one way or the other it’s hard
simply take an honest route and pr
spirits of health and harm. f this problem is a tendency to judge
Scourges rarely make case-by-case
be wanton with the us to live their lives by absolute and
. Therefore, some Scourges con-
lemn Gandhi and Martin Luther King along with the
-est of humanity, while others defend Hitler and Stalin
1s part and parcel of mankind. Seeing humankind as a
iarvest, it’s hard for them to focus on individual seeds. i
stand the temptation of re
Accordingly, they are more 1
deem worthy of their p
are willing to sell the
course, but the bonus
blather o n with their own voices, but
it easier for the Scour
upon them is finally clear: They have
Character Creation: T h e people who
of a life spent in the

m that they have as much to gain as you do.
and keep the Grim
traits, Perception is often high, enhanced by a Fiends: The world may be scrambled and bro-
of jumping at every sound and nervously peer ken, and the onetime Fates see as through a darkened
the dark when home alone. glass, but they are not completely blind. Rather than
despise them for what they have lost, the Scourges
Habitual fear can also translate to an ab0
tend to respect the tattered remnants of insight that
Dodge Ability. Oft
the Fiends still retain.
Skill or Knowledge reflecting the nature of
sonal bogeyman. For instance, low-level Defilers: They were once an ocean for humanity
Ability is common for those who weren’ re. Now they’ve become a reef upon which
wracked. On a practical level, their powers
their health. Someone who was less thwhile, but anyone can be used.
who lived in terror evourers: Where others tend to dismiss the
or two in Firearms. Other, subtler fears - ourersas mindlesssavages,the Scourgessee deeper.
intellectual of social inadequacy -could lead Angry Scourges see the Devourers as a fit punishment
ies of Etiquette or Academics. for a human civilization sunk to their level. Scourges
Backgrounds vary widely, though many hosts who with more equilibrium wonder if Devourers might be
lived in selfish fear were misers with high Resources. the key to healing nature instead of harming it.
For those whose fears are more justified -because they Slayers: While the Slayers tend to view their
live in a dangerous area or situation - Contacts or demesne of death as all-important and all-consum-
Allies are common. ing, it must be said that the modern world offers a lot
Starting Torment: 3 of good reasons for that belief. As the House with the
best connection (however tenuous) to the fate of
House Lore: Lore of the Winds, Lore of Awaken-
dead souls, they’re important allies to cultivate.
ng, Lore of the Firmament

t
“Love or hate me as you will, but live, now and until your final heath. In time, we shall meet again.”
The last of the Celestial Houses, the An- Factions: Very few Slayers are Luciferans,
gels of Death were given the melancholy task of because they were not fiercely loyal to Lucifer
undoing all the wonders that that their peers in the first place. He was the center of the
created, ending lives and erasing great works so rebellion, and they were at the fringes, concen-
that others may follow in their place. It was a ating more on saving humans and subverting
t solemn role amid the many gloriesof the cosmos,

but the reapers were as content in their labor as
any angel -until the birth of mankind.
the enemy’s plans than winning battles.
There are more Faustian Slayers, but
most of the House that are focused on
humanity’s potential actually become
Like the other Celestials, the Reapers loved
humanity and dedicated themselves to keeping Reconcilers instead, turning their pas-
Eden vibrant and dynamic, but mankind in its sion into a quest for God, and working
ignorance regarded the death of animals and toward re-creating the world as it was
plants with fear and sadness.Their reaction shocked before the revocation of immortality.
and pained the Reapers, who longed to assuage They do not see the encouragement
mankind’s fears but were forbidden by God’s com- of mankind’s self-reliance to be use-
mandments. When Lucifer raised the banner of ful, because they believe protection
rebellion, many Reapers joined in the Fall for no from death can only be granted by
other reason than the desperate desire to be loved God Himself. Otherwise it’s a closed
instead of feared. system, andno amount of confidence,
I Then came Heaven’s tragic counterstroke.

The penalty for mankind’s disobedience was
the curse of mortality. Now the Slayers were ,
forced to end the lives of the people they ‘
evolution or purification will suffice.
The Cryptics attract quite a number of
iyers, because the abstract and investiga-
e nature of the faction suits many of their
loved, and the pain they felt only alienated use. The Raveners attract their fair share
1 them further from mankind and the fallen
alike. Though many served and earned ter-
yell. The members may say they have
ous reasons - that they are carrying out
rible reputations as warriors and champions -God-givenduty, or that they are strength-
in the War of Wrath, the Slayers as a whole the ranks of the spirits to lay siege upon
found themselves at the fringes of the con- aven, or that in the absence of God they
flict, focusing more of their energies to easing we become the judges of mankind. But
the deaths of humanity rather than contrib- ’s usually just a great envy of the living
uting further to the slaughter. that leads them to delight in destruc-
Now in the wake of their mysterious re- tion, over and over again.
lease, the Slayers find themselves in a world Prelude: Slayers are drawn to those
that has suffered greatly in the absence of those 4 who care little about their life -their
meant to govern the ways of aging and death.
The pligh; of the world and minkLnd convinces
b hosts are far more likely to have de-
stroyed their spirits by attempting
many Slayers that the only recourse left is to suicide than any other House. People
usher in the final night and grant the confronted by daily crime or violence
world a merciful death. A determined are also particularly susceptible; cops,
few, however, see the damage that has soldiers and addicts, for example. With
been done and believe that by restoring the balance, the every blow, directed at themselves or
Slayersmight finally earn the peace and understanding at others, they crumple inw
from humanity they’ve craved all along. more. Refugees, or victims
110

1 CHAPTER FI\E
I
and abuse are other candidates. Then there are those Starting Torment: 4
I
whose souls have been worn down to nothingness by House Lore: Lore of Death, Lore of the Realms,
banality and neglect, who run blades across their skin Lore of the Spirit
simply to feel any sensation they can. Weaknesses: Before the war, Reapers were often
There are more reasons for soulessness than de- shunned by other angels, lending them an air of detach-
spair, however. Somebody who has spent a lifetime ment that often covers an intense scrutiny of the living
helping others, abandoning any thoughts of om- world. Even the memories of their hosts seem more
pen=, may attract a Slayer. People who are truly alien to them than for other demons. They may be
devoted to a religion or philosophy that focus
next life at the expense of their current one -
holds that physical experience and de
- are also suitable.
Faith: Philosophically, this Hous
layers geek to bypass these questions alt

y work to gather Faith,
mply as angels. T h e eas
is to mimic a member of a different
(using pride) and Fiends (using secrets)
obvious. Another solution is to form
of All Angels, Church of One God or Humani
ipping away.
-hen called upon to express an opin-

en seem to be strangely sorry for the
s and ambitions might be met with
a sad and patronizing smile.
Scourges: There was a lot of enmity between
Ascendant. Others do make death the central ten these two Houses during the war. Now the Slayers
the relationship with their thralls. Raveners have claim the Scourges as their closest brethren, and
easiest time -they can just create a murder cult count any previous ill will.
be done with it. High-Torment Slayers migh lefactors: Slayers claim that artifacts -
have a choice. all material objects -are just playthings,
Because of their fascination with all facets actions from the real concerns of the world.
Slayers often seek out a diverse group of followers, even etheless, they seem to be able to work well
if setting up a death-centric sect. They are prone to with the Malefactors, and are happy to remain in
somewhat arbitrary choices -selecting the first pass- their company.
ably suitable option, or taking all that seek the demon Fiends: Some Slayers say that in the absence
out. Some even fix on a random face in the crowd and of God it is the dead that now ride dreams and
put all their effort into initiating that person, that soul, shape the patterns of the stars. Therefore, the
into the mysteries. Fiends make up another House with whom they
Character Creation: There is no group of At- hold close kinship.
tributes that it is important to emphasize, although Defilers: The Defilers have bridged the gap
Mental is common (and Perception in particular). between themselves and mankind, a gap that had
Strength and Charisma usually decrease below the been as profound as the Slayer’s in its own way.
host’s original stats, but Stamina increases. Manipula- Yet all they have done with their new opportuni-
tion can be high, but the use of it might feel somewhat ties is to act like spoiled brats and slatterns, or so
a Slayer might say.
Awareness, Intuition and Stealth are favored Abili- Devourers: Slayersadvise the Devourersagainst
ties. Intimidation and Investigation are also good hasty violence and the wasting of life. Nonetheless,
choices, and members of the House seem to quickly they are happy to associate with the House, and
ick up a good scattering of knowledge from the world they offer advice on numerous other topics as well.
d them, so any would be appropriate. Such Abili- Some claim that this seems to manipulate the
Leadership and Empathy do not come naturally, Devourers into roles as bodyguards, but of course
ut strange things could have happened during the war. the Slayers disagree.
111

Ravener demons are strongly encouraged to set aside
their mindless wrath and regain hope. Failing that, the
Faustians tend to sic their faithful humans on them.
A more subtle opposition exists with the Cryptics.
The Faustians have observed the power of human The Faustians are quite confident that they’ve got it all
Houses: The grandeur and s
of absolute, mechanic
Humanity, as foun
smoldering out of control, rapid1 that is notably absent from the
1r sources of fuel and in danger o

Faustian philosophy is based on
husbanding this power -controlling
ing the fuel and building en
e Second. Scourges are keenly -
are of the frail, frightened and
ind. Relying on such weak
e a recipe for failure.
humanity’s divine energies outw vi1 Belphigor is one of the
It will take careful guidance and t returned to Earth, and he
but in the end, human faith is, bonus of a vessel that was
freeing the world from God. ctive and physically powerful. Belphigor
Rivals: Faustians have a bemused inuated himself into the hierarchy of one of
Reconcilers. True, Reconcilers cling to New Age religions and splintered offhis own
that they can make up with The Almi it. Working within its framework, Belphigor
they get over that adolescent optimism, t pes to clear the world of divine interference before
grow up to more mature (t o generations pass.
Luciferans get much the same t The Defiler Senivel, her House’s first ambassador
taking the wrong road to victory a Faustian, but one with a more
least they’ve got the map out. re Belphigor sees the Faustian
The Faustian ambition to perfect the human rebel- revolution as being demonkind’s best hope, Senivel
lion against God (or, depending on which Faustian you hopes it will prove to ultimately fulfill both mortals and
ask, to enslave humanity for a spiritual rebellion against Elohim. (Mortals by letting them replace God their
God) runs directly counter to the Ravener policy of Father at the helm of the universe, and spirits by giving
wreckingeverythingand killing everyone.Consequently, them a new master to serve.)
112

1 FIVE
CHAPTER
I
Goals: Generally, Faustians are in favor of world rebels is the clinching argument that the rebellion -
peace and opposed to contraception - not for any with the consequent corruption of reality and ghastly
benevolent reasons, but because they want more hu- punishment of men and Elohim - was actually the
mans around, period. enactment ofGod’splan, rather thanadeviationfrom it.
Faustians have infested Rome and Jerusalem in Now that they are freed from their durance, these
hopes of finding (and harnessing) populations with Cryptics have taken their logical premises and used
high concentrations of faith. Their main outpost, how- them as the foundation for new questions.
ever, is in the United States. (It seems clear to the If God knew about the rebellion, surely He knew
out the demons’ eventual escape from the abyss.
hat, then, is His new plan for His unwitting servants?
Specifically, Belphigor’s“Church of Scient
ality” has purchased a large parcel of desert 1
struction for his role as leader? Some other
to a gigantic meteor crater
they felled great Vejovi

Many suspect that the
tantly -if the fallen have
time, is there any way to 1
tling conclusions.
illing chaotically and the
fusedly, the Luciferans and
light like Ahrimal could see trouble bre

surely foresaw it ages before that.
material world was too weak to support perfect sere for error. One can almost see them shrug and hear them
vants, it is unthinkable that God would allow that mutter, “It didn’t work. What will?”
.
imperfection to take the form of disobedience.. unless A more fervently inquisitive House is that of the
rebellion was not an imperfection. Slayers. While they may ask the same questions as the
Thirdly, Lucifer-as the first among angels and the Malefactors, they have a wounding personal stake in
closest to God in power -must, by virtue of his power the ~ ~ s w e rIn
s . the war they were made to bring the
and position, be closer to God’s ideal than any other. atrocity of death upon their beloved humanity, and the
The observed fact that he was the first and best of the guilt and sorrow they still feel demmds answers.
113

Leadership: Ahrimal, the lowly Fate who first The Luciferans are as ready to do battle for their
foresaw the Age of Wrath, has emerged as one of the beliefs today as they were when they were hurled,
’ most strident and influential of the Cryptics. His posi- spitting defiance, into their gloomy prison. While
tion among the fallen is a strange one, though. Famous many are bowed, bitter and tormented, they are unbro-
(or infamous) as one of the architects of revolution, the ken. Indeed, many find much encouragement in their
lowest angel to be named a prince by Lucifer, he is now new circumstances.
one of the most insistent questioners. He sits athwart The world may be ruined, singular and mechanis-
many stresses within demonic society: created rank vs. tic, but by the same token, there seem to be no angels
merited authority in the rebellion; loyalty vs. autonomy; left running the show. Even a vastly weakened army
hope vs. despair. Admired, respected or merely de- can triumph if it takes the field unopposed.
spised, mentioning his name is generally a good way to Add to that the heartening fact that they were able
start passionate debate among the fallen. to escape imprisonment in the first place. If they are truly
Gipontel, a Fundamental and onetime Archangel, d in His eyes and, by the words of
represents a more accessible faction of the Inquisition. A emned to eternal torture.. .how has
self-appointedcoalition-builder, he encouragesCryptics many have re-entered the world
tions and even ally with tics mBy mutter about divine subter-
P
erstand and maybe even it simpler to think that God’s power is
foster a more open and That the demons of Hell find freedom
s that such a bad thing? cages have lost their strength?
Goals: Access to ation - demonic, scien- st important, they point in triumph to Lucifer’s
1 or “other” - is an e from Hell. The Luciferans believe, not that he
ticular datum could some unique punishment, but that he escaped
hold a vital clue.
same sort of condescension and backhanded

and their ability to m extends to the Faustians, only in reverse. To a
ran, aFaustian has sufficientdiscipline and the right
1 idea -they just need to remember who’s boss.
ng those demons apriority as well. s that earn Luciferan ire are the
er lists - the Scelestinomicon (Book of cowardly, the muddlepated and indeci-
the Rebels) for fallen, and the Cruciunomicon(Book of d the Reconcilers.
the Tormented) for Earthbound -are meant initially like swimmers who question the dive
to form the nucleus of an information network for all ’re so obsessed with sorting through
fallen. As the Cryptic faction grows, use of them may that they give little thought to the
become more defined - or less open. and the here and now. Neurasthenic
LUCIPERAIY ath the dignity of any Elohim, but
that’s nonetheless the Cryptics’ main preoccupation.
Angels are undying creatures, and when com- To the action-oriented Luciferans, the contemplative
passed by the span of an infinite lifetime, any setback questioners are ultimately useless and weak.
short of destruction is a temporary thing. The only thing worse than being weak is being
Not every Hell-bound spirit lost faith. Not every treacherous. Therefore, the only thing worse than a
fallen angel gave up hope. Even in defeat, some stayed quivering Cryptic is a n ass-kissing Reconciler. These
true to the principles that led them to rebel. Love for pathetic, deluded Elohim are like swimmers who turn
mankind. Loyalty to Lucifer. A committed belief that in mid dive and try to climb back on the diving board!
their cause was right, and that Heaven and the obedi- Apparently they weren’t paying attention when the
ent Host were wrong. full implications of rebellion were discussed, nor when
114

1 FHE
CIIAPTER
I
the Heavenly Host damned them to the Abyss. You’d Goals:The primary goal of the Luciferan faction is,
think a term in Hell would show them the truth about obviously, the location of their leader. Accomplishing
God’s forgiveness, but instead they cling like lampreys this involves a threefold plan. First, Luciferan outriders
to the idea of making peace with Him. are sent to scour the globe for any sign of demonic
Houses:Lucifermled the First House, and Angelic activity. Initially they were sent individually, but too
loyalties die with difficulty. Many Devils still rally to many lone wolves got picked off by Earthbound, hostile
the banner of their once (and future?) lord. Some may demon factions or more mysterious beings. Now they’re
simply believe that, as Dawn Spirits themselves, their sent in packs.
place in the Morningstar’snew world will be a high one. Secondly, the Luciferans are keeping a close watch
Others -though they would never admit it -look to on the media. Specifically,they’re trying to invest money
Lucifer to fill the void left by God’s influential media thralls in order to get first
crave orders to carry, and the Adver
good at giving them.
Some Devourers wh
loyal, buoyed up by m
i
d
Lsrciferancan expec 1.gfor information.
nc
W good
P’ sions
. More than that, though, the Slayers,

ment was arguably the most horrifying,
el, the highestrebelofWild House. nand loss for a term that felt
thfd Elohim have emerged
carded his scruples and ethics
o a withered husk of its onetime
He’ll be hurled back into Hell or reduced to nothing at Destroy.

all before giving up the rebellion. Destroy everything.
While Grifiel retains the cunning and ruthlessness Wipe away this cruel mockery of the Paradise they
one looks for in a front-line leader, the Scourge Nazriel once designed. Give humanity the merciful silence of
has emerged as the ultimate leader of the Luciferans - the grave. Destroy the works of God at any and all
until the Morningstar returns, of course. Styling herself times, hoping perhaps to provoke Him into finally
Nazathor, Princess of Majestic Liberation, she maneu- annihilating them.
vers her faction with care and caution -striking hard, Victory is impossible for the fallen, but they may
quickly sinking back into the safety of night. yet be strong enough to wreck the prize -the world -
uted to be Lucifer’s lover, few dare oppose her. even as it is wrested from their grasping claws.
115

Rivals: As the most radical faction, the Raveners Leadership: Sauriel the Releaser commands the
have the most enemies. respect and obedience of his fellow Raveners. One of the
1 They hate the Luciferans for being willfully misled.
If Lucifer engineered the Great Escape,just where is he?
few Slayers to pursue the kivener philosophy, he is one
of the few who can pursue vengeance and c m e b even
It’s nauseating to watch beings who were once the lords beyond the grave. 0 n c e one 0fLucifer’s Archdukes, he
of Creation scuttling around looking for a new bearded leads by threat and intimidation more than persuasion.
patriarch to lead them to glory, smite the wicked and His opposite number is Suphlatus. She used to be
tuck them into bed at night. They might as well wait for the Giver of Flowing Waters, but now is the Duchess of
Godot as for their precious Morningstar. Dust. She believes (and loudly proclaims) that the fall
Perhaps the only spectacle more repulsive than of the rebellion was due to treachery from within -
Elohim acting like children is Elohim acting like par- specifically, treachery by the one rebel who was con-
ents. The Faustians have gone from serving God, to spicuously absent from the Abyss. “One who betrayed
opposing God, to being brutalized by God.. . to think- once would betray again,” she declares, and she now
iferans are insan
construction in northern Iraq,
ouses: The ravening D
toward deliberate reflection, and Raveners are tlety than elsewhere.

faction of action. Unlike every other g r o u. .~the
, Ravene
v
hold out no hope for eventual victory, so why bother ILER

with plans for a hundred years from now or ten or even nature, creatures of virtue. Even the
one?Living hard and dying harder are honorable goals uncorrupted nature.
to the virile Devourers. eingsof godlike wisdom
The subtler Raveners are the Defilers who became umility is not one of them.
soured on beauty by war and exile. Now dedicated to f the Abyss gives much
taking an ugly world and making it uglier, they are the ryptics, the Reconcilers
oft-unseen velvet glove moving in the shadow of an spent their time of imprisonment contemplating deep
Devourer’s iron fist. A ravening Devourer who finds questions. But where the Cryptics looked outward and
you will probably just kill you. A ravening Defiler is .
back, the Reconcilers looked inward.. and forward.
more likely to craft you into someone who destroys Their most essential question was: What if we
himself - after undermining or outright wrecking were wrong!
everything you once valued. What if? What if the rebellion was as evil as
Arrayed against the Raveners are the majority of Michael and the loyal Host said?What if God’s punish-
Malefactors. Perhaps their attunement to the Earth‘s ing touch was somehow justified by the disobedience of
depths makes the surface decay less offensive to them. His servants and children? What if Usiel and Lailah
Perhaps staid and careful natures used to working on were right all along -that by trying to avoid the Age
geological time are uncomfortable with the faction’s of Wrath, the Unholy Host only made it real?
perceived spontaneity. Or perhaps they cannot repress Ifso-iftheconstructionofHellwasnecessary, ifthe
their ultimately creative natures enough to pledge sundering of the facets was merited, if the condemnation
allegiance to destruction. of the fallen was just -then what do the fallen do now
116

Some believe that even in the eleventh hour, the them, the Faustian program -which tends to be more
mercy of God can be found. These Reconcilers listen active and less contemplative -gets those Devourers
with hope to the stories of Jesus, of Mohammed, of
other human prophets and saviors. Maybe God has
forgiven mankind. And if He can forgive them, might
who still retain interest in improving things.
T h e abstract and long-term nature of the
Reconcilers’ goals tends to attract more thoughtful and
1
not His mercy extend to penitent servants as well? conceptual demons, particularly those of the Second
Even if His punishment is eternal, and the Elohim and Last Houses. Scourgesand Slayers are both closely
are barred forever from His presence.. . well, might tied to human (and cosmic) decay and death, so the
not the Earth be repaired?Perhaps not restored to the promise of renewal and reinvention is clearly attractive
Paradise it was, but something great, and glorious, and to them. Additionally, both Houses tend to feel guilt
maybe even pure, could be raised from the ashes. The over the mortality and decline they inflicted on man-
fallen have lost much of their power, true, but the kind. Of all fallen goals, Reconciliation holds out the
world is smaller as well. Surely a third of the Heavenly most promise of making it up to them.
Host can still improve the universe, can still help and Leadership: T h e Devil N u r i e l leads t h e
serve humanity? Reconcilers, and her reputation is such to give even
This is the Reconciler’s hope: to make peace with
their Maker and jailer. Failing that, they hope to make
peace with unending exile.
Rivals: The Reconcilers are modestly friendly to-
the most scornful Ravener pause. Before the Fall, she
was the Throne of Inexorable Command. During the
rebellion, she was Overlord of Daring Liberation, and
many Elohim who oppose her cause still owe their
1
ward the Faustians. After all, they share the goal of existence to her superbly executed rescue raids during
directly improving the world, even if they don’t see eye- the Age of Wrath.
to-eye on how to do it or why. They are also open to Nuriel is a warrior who has grown sick of fighting
Cryptics because they think the questions eventually and seeks a better way. While she is the chief speaker
lead to Reconciler answers. (and planner) for the Reconcilers, its real philosophi-
No, the Reconcilers consider their main enemies cal soul is the Scourge Ouestucati, onetime Archangel
to be the Luciferans and the Raveners. The Luciferans of the Ocean Wind. One of the few fallen who is
because their opposition to God is their primary, stated penitent without anger, she leads primarily by ex-
goal. (Granted, it’s a goal for the Faustians too, but it ample. Her tranquility and hope give hope to others
seems ancillary to their self-aggrandizement.) That sort that they, too, may adapt to banishment.
of concerted, organized resistance is the sort of thing
that makes reconciliation much less likely.
If the Luciferans are despised for their orderly, stupid
refusal to face facts, the Raveners are worse for their
Goals: T h e immediate goal of the Reconcilers is
to take stock of the cosmos and learn as much as
possible about its current condition. Doing so means
exploring the human condition, so many Reconcilers
1
reckless, chaotic despair and nihilism. It’s pathetic when are travelers, seeking a balanced view of mankind
a onetime minister of existence can’t conceive a better and man’s world. They don’t stop at the edges of
goal than, “Shit on everything I made.” human experience, though. They are seeking the
Houses: As the least destructive goal, reconcilia- truth about the supernatural as well. Have all the
tion holds little appeal for antsy Devourers. While the loyal angels really abandoned the world, or do any
idea of remaking the world might seem tempting to facets remain, even partially?
117

There is but one good; that is God. Everything else is good when it
looks toHimandbadwhenitturnsfromHim. Andthe higherandmightier
it is in the natural urder, the more demoniac it will be if it rebels. It is not
out of bad mice or bad fleas you make demons, but out of bad archangels.
-C. S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
b i
Iter, aToroleplaythatDemon: The Fallen, you create a charac-
you play much like a n actor playing apart
show what a character can do. When you create a \
Demon character, you assign point values to different
in a movie, allowing you to take part in the story. The traits as part of the process of describing your character.
characters in Demon are the protagonists of the drama, Traits describe most of a character’s quantifiable
Ifacing different challenges to reach their goals. Rather
than creating a new character each time you play, you
qualities such as strength, knowledge, skills and so
forth. Most traits are on a scale from 1 to 5. A rating ’
can play the same character over and over. As the of 1 is poor, 2 is average, and 3 is good. A rating of 4
stories unfold, your character can grow and develop, is unusually good, while a 5 is truly extraordinary, the
like characters in a television show or a series of novels. peak of human achievement. Demons have the abil-
This chapter contains all the informationyou need to ity to enhance their traits beyond even this level,
create a Demon character, from the basic concept to the making them truly superhuman, though they gener-
various traits that describe the character’s abilities. Read ally fall into the same scale as mortals (at least while
through the chapter carefully before creating your first char- wearing mortal flesh).
acter. Although you can easily create characters on their A few traits (Faith,Torment and Willpower) are rated
own, it’s best to consult with your Storyteller,to ensure that on a scale from 1to 10rather than 1to 5. They’re described
the character fits into the overall story as much as possible. in detail later in this chapter. Regardless,the rating of a trait
is generally the number of dice you roll when you call upon
TRAITS that trait (see Chapter Eight for details).
Characters inDemonhave different qualities. Some
are strong, some are quick, and some are clever, while COMMON
TRAITSVYD
TERM^
others are less capable. A character’s various abilities Most Demon characters have the following traits,
are measured by traits - the numerical ratings that as shown on the character sheet.

I
I
SI\
CHAPTER
Name: The character’s name. Note that demons Nature: A term describing the character’s true per-
have True Names an eep drives and passions.
names of their mor ude or personal-
various other pseudonyms. esents to the world, not
Player: That’s y s the character’s Nature
the character in the game. e hide their true nature
Chronicle: The chronicle
is the linked series of stories Concept: A short description of the
your character takes part in, character’s role or background goes
like chapters in a novel or here. Sum the character’s concept up
books in a series. Th in a couple of words, such as “Cyni-
title of the chronicle- cal Detective” or
usually provided by the Ydqlistic Revolution-
Storyteller-goes here.
Attributes: T h e 1 House: The de-
character’s most basic monic House the
traits,describingrawpo acter belongs to. A
tential such as strength, on’s House influ-
intelligence, charisma .0000 ences his attitude,
and so forth. omm WCS *0000
outlook and abilities.
Abilities: All of Faction: The fac-
the things a character h - tion that the character
learns or practices (in- 00000 Computer ooooo belongs to. A demon’s
cluding certain natur
choice of faction in-
aptitudesor talents) a fluences his outlook
--- t
considered Abilities. on humanity, the fu-
Intimidation ooooo Petformance omoo Occult 00000
Intuitionpoorno Security moo POlltlCS 00000 ture of the fallen and
Background traits repre Leadershippoorno Stealth 00000 Religion ooooo
StreenvisePomoo Survival OOOOO Research moo his attitudes toward
sentresourcesacharacte Subtehge-onooo Technology-ooooo Science ooooo other demons.
has picked up earlier in
life, rangingfrom fiiends
and contacts to wealth
Visage: This is the
name of the character’s
I
\
apocalypticform,deter-
\
~~
moo cwooo Convictianpmoom

and possessions. 00000 ooom Courage- eo000 mined by the character’s
Apocalyptic 00000 oom
00000 00000 primary lore.
Form: This spaceis pro- Lore: The fallen
vided to list the eight 0 have access to various
special abilities con- -Lpo)pAftw.f- Injured
-1 0
-1 0 kind of lore, knowledge
ferredby the charzcter’s Permanent
\
of the inner workings of
apocalyptic form, for the universe and how
ease of reference. Incapacitated 0
to control them.
Virtues: The vir-
sure of the power a tues of Conscience,
demonhas reaped by ac- Conviction and Cour-
quiringmortalbeliefand age represent the character’s nascent
worship,used to fuel the variouspowersof the fallen.
human qualities of compassion and al-
Torment: This trait re truism, and they are used to resist the
memories a demon has of mil orruptive influence of Torment.
Abyss. The greater a demon’s
wer measures a
twisted and less human it becomes.
Health: Since they wear mortal flesh, demons
vulnerable to injury and even death much like mortals are, Experience: Even the fallen can learn from hard
although the Often have
ou can use expe-
aracter’s current state of health and physical condition. rience to improve your character’straits.

need, particularly those dedicated to preventing the
lords of the Abyss from returning. Hunted by the
I Creating a Demon character follows five simple Earthbound as well as mortal and supernatural en-
steps, described in the following pages and outlined on emies,these demons have good reasons to band together,
p. 123. Keep the following guidelines in mind when primarily protection and pooling their resources to-
creating a character: ward achieving their goals. Keep in mind that your
The fallen were scattered widely by the opening character should be able to at least function as part of
of the Abyss and the Maelstrom, appearing in different a group and have something to offer the other charac-
places around the world. Distance as we know it has ters apart from frustration.
little meaning in the crossing between the Abyss and THE ~TORITELLER
the mortal world. Therefore, demons may have taken ;SED CMAR~CTEKCREATION
nearly any mortal form, from anywhere in the world. T h e Storyteller plays an important role in char-
Their mortal vessel may be young or old, male or acter creation, since he’s the one who sets the tone
female, and of nearly any ethnicity, nationality or of the chronicle and keeps a n eye o n “the big pic-
background. The only requirement is that the mortal ture.” That means the Storyteller can guide players,
p soul is too weak or too broken to resist possession (due making sure their characters fit into the overall story
to crushing despair, mental trauma, coma or similar of the chronicle, and adjusting the story as needed to
circumstances), allowing the demon to enter. Certain accommodate the ideas and desires of the players.
mortal vessels may call for certain traits or Back- T h e character creation process can provide numer-
grounds. For example, an athletic body has decent ous story ideas based on the background and goals of
Physical Attributes, while a wealthy vessel merits a the various characters.
look at the Resources Background (assuming the de- If you are the Storyteller, start off by familiarizing
mon still has access to the mortal’s wealth). your players with the character-creation process, step
The character-creation system is designed to by step. Go over the character sheet with them and
create newly risen demons, those only recently returned explain the various traits and what they mean. Then go
to the mortal world and in possession of mortal vessels. over the outline of character creation, explaining how
Although the fallen once commanded earthshaking the players will build their characters.
power, their abilities were greatly limited before their Tell the players what sort of chronicle you want to
exile and weakened even more by their long imprison- run and get their initial ideas for characters, pointing
ment and terrible torment. It is assumed that demon out when you think a concept isn’t suited to the
characters are in possessionof only a portion of their true chronicle and coming up with ways the player might
power, but that it may grow over the course of the want to modify it. For example, you might want to run
chronicle (through the use of experience). a chronicle based in a specific city, so you’ll want all the
To reflect these limitations, you get a certain characters to live in the city, whether they’ve been
number of points to spend on various traits, as well as a there for some time or have only recently arrived. Be
number of “freebie points” you can use to improve fair but firm when it comes to the character concepts
different traits and fine-tune your character’s design. your players propose. If a concept doesn’t fit into your
This means that it’s best to focus on characters who are story framework, it’s better to tell the player so in
capable in a few specific areas (or modestly capable in a advance, allowing him the opportunity to come up
number of areas) rather than trying to create characters with a new character.
who are good at everything. You may want to consult You may want to set one whole game session aside
with your fellow players to see what their characters’ for the players to create characters and for you to run
specialties are, so you can ensure that your character the characters through their preludes (p. 128),giving
complements them and has a unique niche in the group. everyone a firm idea of who the characters are and what
Remember that a rating of 1 is poor, 2 is average, they can do before the chronicle begins. Help the
3 is good, and greater than3 is outstanding. That means players individually create their characters, offering
that a rating of 2 isn’t bad and a rating of 3 is above hints and suggestions and encouraging players to give
average. Don’t worry if your character doesn’t have their characters depth, personality and motivation
dice pools of 5 or more for everything, that’s not (the list of questions on p. 129 may be helpful in that
unusual. Also remember that your character is just regard). Then run a prelude for each character (possi-
starting out, so you’ll be able to improve traits with bly including the other characters, if some of them have
experience as the chronicle progresses. met before). Finally, you can run a short prelude or
Although the fallen are not the most sociable of “prologue” about how the characters get together be-
creatures, they often gather together out of mutual fore the story opens and the chronicle begins.
2 22

123

DEMON:
THEFALLEN

MOU,SE
Each demon belongs to a particular House. Origi-
nally, each angel’s House was synonymous with his
duties, his purpose in the grand scheme of Creation.
Now Houses are the basic divisions of different types of
Every Demon character starts out as an idea in the
demons, describing their talents and predilections.
mind of a player. You slowly expand upon this basic idea,
Demons from the same House don’t necessarily act
adding flesh to the bones and building up a character as
exactly the same, but they tend to share some of the
complex and involved as you want. The process begins
same views and interests, as well as some of the same
here and continues for as long as you play the character,
abilities and insights into the nature of Creation.
adding layers of personality, history and experience to
your basic idea. In this stage of character creation, you Take a look at the descriptions of the various Houses
outline your basic concept, choose a House and faction in Chapter Five and see which ones suit your character
and determine the character’s Nature and Demeanor. concept best. Depending on the chronicle, the Story-
teller may limit or disallow demons from certain Houses.
CONCEPT
FACTION
The number of character concepts for Demon: The
Fallen is virtually limitless,bound only by your imagina-
tion. Get an image or idea of the sort of character you
want to play and try to describe it in just a few words -
a stereotype or archetype such as “Slick Politician” or
At one time, the fallen were of a single mind with
respect to humanity and the struggle against the tyr-
anny of Heaven. Yet as the tide of the war inexorably
turned against the rebel host, several influential leaders
1
“EdgyRebel.” You can take a look at some of the sample began to question Lucifer’s ideals and the purpose of
concepts on p. 123 to get you started thinking of ideas. the struggle for mankind. Now that the gates of the
You may even want to jot down several different ideas as Abyss lie broken, the fallen are drawn to choose sides
they come to mind, picking the one you like best. Once among these competing factions as each struggles to
further its agenda in the modern world.
you’ve got your concept, expand upon it a little, maybe
acoupleofsentences or aparagraph, aquicksketchofthe Factions are playing and storytelling aids that
type of character you have in mind. help define acharacter’s perspective and motivations.
Look over the descriptions of the various factions in
Characters inDemon are comprised of two distinct
Chapter Five and see which group fits your character
yet interrelated parts: the spirit of the fallen and the
1
concept best. Note that you don’t have to choose a
mind and body of its mortal host. The spirit of the fallen
faction if you don’t want to, placing your character
provides the character’s personality, attitudes, goals,
among the ranks of the unaligned. Characters can also
virtues and vices, while the mortal vessel supplies the
change or join a faction during play, making for tense
character’s memories, relationships and emotional at-
tales of political intrigue.
tachments that allow the demon to relate to the modern
world. When you begin developing your character RATURE
AWD DEMEANOR
(~RCMETVP~)
concept, you are envisioning an ancient, infernal spirit, While House describes what type of demon your
witness to the act of Creation and veteran of a war character is, Nature and Demeanor describe what kind
against Heaven, who is thrust into the life of a human of person your character is. These are personality traits,
being. As you go through the process of defining your known as Archetypes because they sum up an individual’s
character, keep this duality in mind and consider in complex drives and desires in a few simple terms.
what ways the demonic spirit views, accepts or rejects Demeanor is the personality and attitude of the
the experiences that his human host forces upon him. demon’s mortal host -the face it presents to the world
These concepts will be your guide throughout the at large. Many people play roles or wear “masks”in life,
character-creation process. When you come to the other so Demeanor may not be the same as Nature. Some-
decisionsyou need to make, refer back to your concept to times it is, though, particularly for self-confident people
give you an idea of which way to go. For example, if you or those who don’t particularly care what others think
conceive of your character’s mortal vessel as a real jock- of them. Demeanor can even change from time to time
type, Physical Attributes and Abilities such as Athletics or situation to situation. Thinkofhow many people act
are important. On the other hand, a social-climbing one way at work, another with their friends, and yet
character is more likely to emphasize Social traits. That another with their family. You may want to pick a
doesn’t mean you can’t occasionally cast against type, primary Demeanor for your character and others for
givingyour socialite an interest in rock-climbingor shoot- when your character is in different situations.
ing, for example, or your athlete some smarts as well, but Nature is your character’s true self - in this case,
solid concept makes the rest of the process easier. it’s the personality of the demon that inhabits the mind
2 25

THEFALLEN
DEMOV:
of the mortal shell. It can be seen as the character’s STEPTHREE:

deepest feelings, drives and outlook o n the world.
While characters tend to remain true to their Nature, $ELECT ABILITI~
they don’t have to be slavishly devoted to it. People are Like Attributes, Abilities are divided into three
more complex than that. Nature merely shows what’s groups: Talents, Skills and Knowledges. Talents are
at the core of your character’s personality. Nature also intuitive abilities, either innate knacks or things your
determines when your character can regain Willpower, character has picked up from experience and practice.
since acting in accordance with your Nature is affirm- Skills are learned from training and regular practice,
ing and helps give you confidence. while Knowledges represent “book learning” and formal-
As you consider a suitable Nature and Demeanor ized knowledge, often acquired from study or schooling.
for your character, take into account how the person- Select one group of Abilities as your character’s
ality of the fallen meshes with the life ofhis mortal host. primary group, one as secondary and one as tertiary, just
If the two halves are completely different -a haughty like you do with Attributes. Your character concept
Devil in possession of a mousy librarian, for example - will help determine how to prioritize Abilities. A
it’s entirely possible that the character’s Nature depicts scholar has Knowledges as primary, for example, while
t the true personality of the possessing spirit, while the

Demeanor is the mortal face that the character shows
the world. Conversely, its possible that the demon’s
personality and its mortal identity mesh seamlessly -
a compassionate Slayer in the body of a mortician, or an
an athlete or street brawler is more likely to rely on
Talents. It’s a good idea to look over the Abilities in
each category to see which ones suit your character
concept. The category with the most suitable Abilities
should be your primary one.
impetuous but honorable Devourer in the body of a You get 13dots to spend o n primary Abilities, nine
young policeman. In such a case, the Nature and dots for secondary Abilities and five dots for tertiary
Demeanor might well be the same. Abilities. Note that characters do not start with any
For a complete description of the various Arche- free dots in any Abilities, unlike Attributes. Also, you
types, see pp. 132-136. cannot increase any Abilities above three dots at this
time, although you can do so using freebie points later
STEP
TWO: on in the process (see p. 128).
SELECT
ATTRIBUT~
Now you begin assigningnumbers to your character’s
t traits. The first, and most basic, traits are Attributes,

which define a character’s raw potential. They say how
strong, smart, clever, likeable and so forth your character
is. Characters have nine Attributes, grouped into three
Now you further individualize your character by
choosing traits that define your character’sunique abili-
ties and history. Advantages are not prioritized, instead
groups of three. They are the Physical Attributes you have a set number of dots to distribute among them.
(Strength, Dexterity, Stamina), the Social Attributes Plus you can buy additional dots with freebie points.
(Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance) and the Men-
tal Attributes (Perception, Intelligence, Wits).
QACHGROURDS
Your character acquires Backgrounds before enter-
Select one group of Attributes as the primary group
ing the chronicle. They include various things such as
for your character, based on your concept. This is the
allies, contacts and materialresources. Like other traits,
area at which the character is best. Then choose the
Backgrounds should suit your character concept. A
secondary group, the one your character is average at.
homeless drifter isn’t likely to have much in the way of
Finally, designate the tertiary group, the one your
Resources, for example. The Storyteller may require or
character is worst at. Of course, it’s quite possible to be
disallow certain Backgrounds, or levels of Backgrounds,
strictly average in your tertiary Attributes, it doesn’t
depending on the needs of the chronicle.
mean your character is terrible at them.
All characters begin with one dot in each Attribute, Lone
the absolute minimum capabilities of any character. You Once the fallen possessed tremendous powers that
assign additional dots based on the priorities you as- allowed them to shape Creation as their duties required.
signed. You can assign seven additional dots to your Their powers have weakened considerably since the Fall,
primary Attribute group, five dots to your secondary but demons can stilluse the power offaith to work wonders.
group and three more dots to your tertiary group. You Each demon character knows certain lore that reflect
assign these additional dots any way you like within each control over a facet of Creation. You can allocate your
group, as long as no Attribute is higher than five dots. character’sstarting Faith points to the lore your character
126

1 CHAPTER
SIX
I
knows, and you can buv additionaldots with freebie points. See Chapters

sufferedeven worse in their exile in the Abyss for thousands are they recollectionsfrom the mortalvessel,or are they some
of years. These experiences haunt every demon, twisting combinationof the two?What Abilitiesdid the demon have
1 and poisoning their souls. Some of the fallen give in to their
Torment and try to spread their suffering. Others cling to
before the Fall, and what did she learn during and after the
rebellion?Are thereany Abilitiesthat belonged to the mortal
the righteousnessthey once knew and struggleto overcome vessel that the demon doesn’tparticularly care for but finds
their bitterness and pain. useful?What about Abilities that are completelynew to the
A character’s beginning Torment score depends on demon in some way (such as Computer)?
which Househe is from. Torment may increase or decrease What about the character’s Backgrounds? Are his
dependingon the character’sactions during the game. allies and contacts aware of his true nature, or do they
still believe he is an ordinary mortal? How did he
WILLPOWER acquire his followers and what do they believe about
Willpower is closely related to Faith, since it reflects him? If the character has pacts with some mortals
a character’s self-control and determination. It’s also the already, what are the details of those deals and what did
quality that helps demons keep from succumbing to their the demon have to do to arrange them?
Torment. Your starting Willpower is equal to the sum of
All these details flesh out your character and create
your two highest Virtues, although you may wish to raise
I your character’sWillpower using freebiepoints, since it is

so vital.
a more complete picture in mind for when you play,
helping you get inside your character’s head. The more
you know, the easier it will be to take on the role of your
PREEP,IE
POI~YTS character in the game.
You can now spend your 15freebie points to custom-
ize your character’s traits. These points can be spent on
any trait you want. Each dot in a trait has a freebie point
cost, consult the chart on p. 124 for the cost of various Now that your character is ready to play, it’s a good
traits. You can use freebie points to increase an Ability idea to test the waters a little with a prelude. A prelude
above three dots, if you wish, or to improve areas where is a short one-on-one session with the Storyteller, in
you feel your character needs it. which you get to play out some of your character’s
background and history leading up to the time when the
$PARK OF LIFE chronicle begins. It helps give you a feel for your charac-
Once you’vegot all of your character’s traits worked ter and allowsyou to “fine tune” elements of background,
out, give some thought to your character’s other quali- personality, motivation and even game statistics by
t ties. What do all those various traits mean? What sort

of person is your character?
Take a look at your character’s traits and give them
some added depth. What is the character’s Appearance
trying them out before the character enters the chronicle.
A prelude is more freeform than a regular game
session,skipping around to cover the important points in
the character’s background, defining moments that help
score?What does the character look like?Someone with shape who the character is and will become. The player
1 Appearance 3 is better than average looking,but in what
way?Is it the character’sbody, face,expressions,hair, style
gets a chance to try the character on for size while the
Storyteller gets to see how the player and character go
or something else that adds up to that attractive Appear- together and how well the character suits the chronicle.
ance?What does your character look like?How do other Rolling dice and memorizing game stats isn’t so impor-
people perceive him? In what ways does the character’s tant during the prelude, but if there are aspects of the
demonic soul reveal itself in its mortal mannerisms?Does game a player is unfamiliar with, it’s a good time to learn
the Devil insidethe mousy librariancauseher to walk with them. The prelude can also serve as a chance to test out
a new sense of confidence and authority? certain traits to see if the character is capable of what the
How do your characters’ other Attributes manifest player wants him or her to be able to do.
themselves? If your character is strong, is he heavily During the prelude, the concept of the character
muscled or wiry? If he’s got a high Intelligence, is he a may change somewhat. This is perfectly fine, since the
know-it-all or the quiet type who thinks rather than prelude is supposed to provide the opportunity for these
acting?Do his Social traits indicate that he is comfortable kinds of changes. For example, players may discover
dealing with others or somewhat awkward?How has that that certain elements they had in mind work out
affected the way he thinks of people? How much of his differently when they play them out, putting a new spin
charisma and social grace come from the demon’s spirit on a character’s background or personality. Players may
and how much is ingrained habit from the human host? want to tinker with their characters a bit after the
Wheredidyour characteracquireher Abilities?Didthey prelude as well, fine-tuning them to reflect the events
come from the demon’s innate knowledge and experience, of the prelude or fixing problems they noticed the first

I CHAPTER
SIX
I
time out. Doing so helps ensure that players all start the
chronicle with characters they’re comfortable with.
There’s a lot to take into account when creating
For Storytellers,the prelude offers the opportunity to the background of a Demon character. Take a look
see characters in action before the chronicle begins and through the following questions when you’re coming
get an idea of what makes them tick. It’s also a chance to up with your character’s background and consider the
lay the foundations for the chronicle in the characters’ answers. They’re the bare minimum things you’ll want
history. Storytellerscan use the prelude to plant the seeds to know about your character before you begin playing
of relationships that may appear in the chronicle, such as him or her. Storytellers can also use these questions as
romances, rivals, enemies and old friends. You can give part of the prelude to help players answer them in more
the players a feel for the background of the World of detail and get a good handle on their characters.
Darkness and the history of the fallen by guiding them Who Were You Before the Fall?
through some of its key moments, making them a part of
The fallen all started out as something quite differ-
the history rather than just passive observers.You can also
ent from what they have become. Read through the
use the prelude to foreshadow events in the chronicle,
history and House descriptions and consider what your
dropping hints about what is to come.
Generally, a prelude should cover major events in
the character’s life leading up to the beginning of the
chronicle. For the fallen, this covers a long period of
time, but it isn’t necessary to detail every year, particu-
larly the agonizing millennia of their imprisonment in
character’s role was in the time before the Fall. Each
House had certain duties, but there is room for varia-
tion within that common theme. How did the character
feel about his duties?What difficulties did the charac- ,
ter face? What did she think of humanity -the most
exalted of God’s creations -back then?
1
the Abyss. Instead, hit the high points, the defining
moments. You can begin with a look at how the world
How Did You Fall?
was when it was first made and the characters went about The Fall is a defining moment for demons, when
their duties as servants of God. Then you can play out they decided to rebel against their Creator and follow
scenes from the Fall and the rebellion, giving players a the banner of Lucifer. What led your character to this
chance to experience them firsthand. Then comes the momentous decision?Was it something that happened
terrible judgment of Heaven and exile into the Abyss. gradually, until the character was the first to rally to
You can play out the first moments of freedom when the Lucifer’s side when the call came, or was it something
fallen rise in their new, mortal bodies and have to face a sudden, a single incident that showed the character the
world that is now alien to them. need to rebel?What motivated vour character?Some of
~ ~~~~~ .~
the fallen rebelled out of love and compassion for

It’s quite possiblethat the charactersmay alreadyknow
humanity and what they saw as God’s injustice. Others
each other when the chronicle begins. In that case, the
rebelled because they longed for what they could not
prelude is the perfect place to establish how they met, what
have, whether it was human company or human wor-
their relationship was and what it has become. A prelude
ship. Some joined the rebellion because they were
can follow two characters from their time as friends at the
swayed by others or uncertain in their faith.
dawn of Creation to comrades during the rebellion to their
separationand exile and their reunion in the modern world. What Did You D o in the War?
It’s also a greatopportunityto build relationshipswith other The rebellion lasted for a thousand terrible years.
characters in the story. Maybe a boon comrade from the What did you character do during this time? Was she
rebellion is now an Earthbound adversary in the chronicle repulsedby the need for war, horrified by its consequences,
or a former rival is now a potential ally. or did your character take to the role of the soldier all too
Don’tworry too much about the game systemsduring well, glorifying in battle and bloodlust?Are there events
the prelude. Use them more during recent events to give from the war that haunt the character to this day?Did she
new players a grasp of how the game is played, but gloss accomplishgreat deeds (or commit great atrocities)?The
over or ignorethem entirely when dealingwith the distant zeal of many rebels faded as the rebellion went on and the
past, since the character’s traits were vastly different (and things they were forced to see and do changed them
more powerful) then, anyway. If you want, have a few forever. How did those events change your character?
suitable situations toward the end of the prelude where What Is Your Mortal Vessel Like?
characters can take action and try out their traits. For The fallen walk the Earth clothed in stolen flesh.
example, a newly risen demon might have to deal with a Give some thought to the life of your character’s mortal
gang of mortal criminalswho think she’s an easy mark, or vessel before it was possessed.What kind of person was he?
perhaps with some police officers or soldiers. How players What sort of life did he lead, and what finally brought him
handle the situation (dice rolls and all) can tell you a lot to thestate whereademoncouldinhabithis body and take
about how they’ll act in your chronicle. it for its own?The life and personality of the mortal vessel
129

DEMON:
THEFALLEN L
I
has a strong influence on the character of the demon, so it altogether? Does your character maintain a semblance
consider them carefully.Generally, the fallen are drawn to of a mortal life at all?Somedemonsfind it useful to pretend
vessels that resonate strongly with their own natures, so a to be the mortals they appear to be, while others disdain
Defiler is likely to be drawn to a mortal whose existence is such an existence. They find it difficult, however, to deal
defined by passion, especially passion denied or turned with the requirementsand the scrutinyof mortal agencies
sour. Ofcourse, on occasion,there is no apparent connec- and governments. What about dealing with your vessel’s
tion between the mortal vessel and the demon’s nature, family and friends?Have you cut all ties with them, or do
which can make for an interesting change of pace. you try to fool them into thinking you’re who you seem to
What About Your Vessel Awakened You? be? Do any of them suspect you?
Something about your vessel’spersonality or memo-
ries shocked your character out of millennia of anguish
and torment, restoring some semblance of sanity. What
was it?For some vessels, it is a uniquely human suffering
that reaffirms the demon’s own twisted perceptions.
With others, it is a uniquely human virtue, even in the Jennifer is creating a character for Mike’s upcoming
t smallest and most petty of souls. It can be the last spark

of faith, hope, love or compassion in an otherwise hard
and cynical soul, or it may be driving ambition, lust or
hatred. The worst human beings can turn out to have
Demon: The Fallen chronicle. Mike told the players
that the chronicle will take place in Los Angeles, and
that the characters should be at least somewhat neutral
in the various conflicts going on between the different
some redeeming good in them, and the most apparently factions of the fallen. They’llbe given the opportunity to
good people may hide some secret wickedness. choose sides fairly early on in the chronicle.
What Are Your Goals? ORE:COIPCEPT
STEP
Now that you have returned to the mortal world,what Jenlooks over the outline of character creation and
are your goals? Generally, characters in Demon seek to considers some possible character ideas. She wants to
prevent the lords of the Abyss from returning to claim play a real “slick” character who’s capable of manipu-
Creationastheirown,butforwhatremn,andhowdoesyour lating people and situations to suit her needs, a real
character go about it? Does the character want to protect game-player. She also wants a character capable of
humanity or just keep more powerfuldemons from messing learning some compassion and appreciation for other
up the sweet deal he’s got?What are the character’s goals people’s feelings. She also knows she wants a female
I beyond keeping the fallen locked in the Abyss? Some

demons see a spark of hope in humanity and try to fan it into
a flame. Others want to avenge themselves on humans for
abandoning them to their fate. Still others revel in the
character. She considers a Defiler, but rejects the idea
as too stereotypical. Then the expression “devil’sadvo-
cate” springs to mind, and she takes a closer look at the
Devils. The concept of a heroic but arrogant and
experienceof materialexistenceor the power of mortalfaith. ruthless angel appeals to her, and the Devils’ super-
I How Do You See Humanity?
What are humans to you?Are they children, follow-
natural charisma and leadership abilities mesh well
with her vision of a manipulative power broker. Having
ers,playthings,worshippers,sourcesofpower,peers,threats, settled on the Devils as her choice of House, Jennifer
allies, enemies,food, tools, ideals,friends or perhaps some turns her attention to the different factions that divide
of each?The fallen each see humanity in their own way. the infernal host. The Faustians, with their desire to
Once, humans were the most exalted creatures in Cre- subvert and enslave mankind seems like the obvious
ation, and the fallen fought and suffered for the love of choice, but she decides that it would be more interest-
them. For many, their love twisted and turned to hate in ing to present the character’s haughty manipulations in
the thousands of years they suffered. A few clung to their a context of zealous idealism. She does what she must,
love of humanity, or rediscovered it when they arose in believing that her cause is righteous. Jennifer decides to
human forms. Many demons are bitter and cynical toward make the character a Luciferan, one of the true believ-
humanity, although they may still find a hint of the love ers of the rebellion.
and admiration they once held for them. How does your Having establishedthe character’sHouse and faction,
character see and treat the human masses? she devotessome thought to her history,firstas an angeland
How Do You Deal With the Mundane World? then as one of the fallen.Jenniferenvisionsher characteras
Once masters of the forces of Creation, the fallen a real idealist,proud and dedicated to the Host and its duties
must deal with far more mundane concerns in the modem to the Creator. She creates the character’sCelestialName
World of Darkness. Does your character maintain a -Zaphriel-and to help envision her role, she gives her
semblanceof her mortal vessel’s life, or has she abandoned angel the title Messenger of the Dawn.
130

1 CHAPTER SIX
1
Zaphriel,Jenniferdecides,devoted herself to the Grand putdupon, Laura Blake developed a serious drug habit to
Design as a way of showing her pride in her House and her deal with her constant nervousness and anxiety. An
status as one of the Heralds, as well as in hopes of earning accidental overdose and the disastrous effect it had on
esteem from the greatest of the angels,Lucifer himself. She Blake’s career opened the way for Zaphriel to possess her,
rejoiced when mankind was born, but then like many and everyone noticed the change that came over Laura.
amongtheHost,shegrewincreasinglytroubledathumanity’s She went from first-class doormat to queen bitch of the
innocence and suffering. Not only was her compassion universe - from junior associate with two weeks to
sorely tested by their pain, she could not reconcile their finish up her affairs to full partner of the firm in no time
imperfect existence with the perfection of the universe she at all -making more than a few enemies along the way.
helped create. When Lucifer put forward the idea of rebel- She’s now in a strong position in the firm of Hopkins &
lion againstGod,Zaphrieldidn’t hesitate. She stood at the Mathers, but she’s still aiming even higher.
Morningstar’sside as mankind’s eyes were opened. Jen considershow Zaphriel’spersonality meshes with
During the War of Wrath, Zaphriel was the image of Laura’s history and identity. She decides that Laura’s
the impassioned rebel, struggling against the tyranny of Demeanor is that of a Director. She’s a take-charge type
Heaven and winning fame as a fearsome warrior and who moves in and starts bossing people around, telling
knight of the Crimson Legion. However, as the war went
on and both humanity and the fallen were changed in
ways not even Lucifer had envisioned, Zaphriel became
hardened to violence and slaughter. She commanded
her fellow angels with ruthlessnessand cold calculation,
them exactly what to do. That attitude is just a mask for
her true Nature, however, which Jen decides is Fanatic.
Zaphriel is every bit the idealisticrevolutionary,and every
step she takes is only a means to an end -building her
personal power, gathering as many of the fallen under her
1
1
committing acts of destruction that once would have banner as she can, and starting a fire that one day will
horrified the Messenger of the Dawn. Jennifer decides reach to the gates of Heaven itself.
that Zaphriel fought to the last, still believing that
Lucifer would find a way to triumph, and like many of the
STEP
TWO:~TTRIBUTES
fallen, she accepted her imprisonment stoically, never Prioritizing Zaphriel’s Attributes, Jen chooses to
believing for an instant that the war was truly over. make Social Attributes her primary category. Zaphriel
is a manipulative, forceful, personality after all. For her
Having fleshed out her character’s demonic aspect,
secondary Attribute category, she chooses Mental,
Jennifer now decides that her character’s mortal vessel is
since she sees Zaphriel as pretty smart and sharp.
a corporate attorney. Originally somewhat mousy and
Finally, she assigns Physical Attributes to the tertiary
category, since those abilities aren’t all that important
to Jen’s idea of her character.
Jen takes the seven dots for Zaphriel’s Social At-
tributes. She assigns three to Manipulation, Zaphriel’s
1
,
prime quality. The Devil can wrap people around her

little finger without them even knowing it. She splits
the remaining four dots evenly between Charisma and
Appearance, making Zaphrielbaura both likeable and
attractive, qualities that tend to distract people from
just how manipulative she is.
For Zaphriel’sfive dots in Mental Attributes, Jen puts
two dots each into Intelligence and Wits, knowing that
Zaphriel is a skilled strategist with a mind as sharp as her
1
tongue. She puts the remaining dot into Perception,
giving Zaphriel an average rating of 2 in that Attribute.
The three dots in Physical Attributes are easy. Jen
puts one into each for ratings of 2 across the board.
Laura was average in physical pursuits, but then her
chosen field didn’t require a lot of physical ability.
STEP
THREE:
ABILITIES
Looking over the Ability lists, Jen decides that
Laura’s primary area has to be Talents. Although Law
(an important Ability for a lawyer) is a Knowledge, it’s
one of the few that the character needs, while Jen sees
131

a number of Talents that fit her concept. She makes freebie points. That makes Zaphriel more graceful and
Knowledges secondary and Skills tertiary. better able to do things such as dodge and use her
I She takes Zaphriel’s 13 dots in Talents and immedi-
ately assigns three (the maximum she can allocate at this
Firearms Skill. She also puts another dot into Subter-
fuge, raising it to a 4 for two freebie points (permissible
stage) to Subterfuge.Zaphriel is anexpert liar and has agreat at this stage of development). She gives Zaphriel the
“poker face” for hiding her true feelings and motives. She specialty “Convincing Lies” since she now has four dots
puts two dots each into Alertness, Empathy, Expression, in the Ability. She also gives Zaphriel’s Manipulation
Intimidation and Leadership, all skills Zaphriebura will the specialty “Deception.” Laura is now a very capable
find useful in her legal career as well as in demon society. liar and manipulator. She has five freebie points left
ZaphrielhasninedotsavailableforKnowledges.Jenputs over and decides to hold on to them at the moment.
three into Law, making the charactera capableattorney.She She notes Zaphriel’s starting Faith (3), Torment
puts another two into Investigation, since Zaphnebura (4) and Willpower ( 5 , equal to the sum of her two
willlikelyneedtodigupthedirtonclientsaswellasherrivals, highest Virtues). She’d like to increase the character’s
both mortal and demon. Sheputs two points into Politics,so Faith, but it costs more freebie points than she has.
the characterknows how to handle things at City Hall. Jen Instead, she uses the remaining five points to increase
1 puts adot eachinto AcademicsandComputer,basic skillsthe

demon can use in her day-to-day &airs.
For her five dots in Skills, Jen puts two each into
Zaphriel’s Charisma another dot, giving her four dots
in Charisma and the specialty “Speaker.”
Etiquette and Performance, which complement

Zaphriel’s other Abilities quite well. She decides to put
the last dot into Firearms. The character owns a small
pistol for “protection,” and she knows how to use it.
Everyone goes through life wearing masks, espe-
$TEP Foun:ADVA~YTAG~S cially the fallen. They wear a mask of mortality,
Looking over the Virtues, ]en decides that Zaphriel’s occasionally giving others a brief glimpse of the true
strongestVirtue is Conviction andher lowestis Conscience nature that lies beneath. The rest of the world sees only
(she did possess a lawyer, after all). She puts two dots into what they are supposed to see and nothing more. We all
Conviction, one into Courage and none into Conscience. have different ways of dealing with other people and
Zaphriel has a starting Faith of three, so Jen looks situations, and the fallen are no exception.
L over the lore that suits her concept of Zaphriel as a Nature and Demeanor help define a character’s
“devil’s advocate.” The lore paths available to the personality. Nature is the character’s true self, the de-
Devils are Celestials, Flame and Radiance, plus the monic soul staring out through the eyes of its human
common paths of Humanity and the Fundament. Jen shell. Demeanor is the attitude the character presents to
decides that Radiance suits Zaphriel’sconcept best and the rest of the world, and in large part reflects the vestiges
makes it her primary lore, putting two dots into it. She of the host’s mortal personality. It may complement the
puts the remaining dot into Celestials. By selecting Nature -in fact it may even be the same for characters
Radiance as the character’s primary lore, Zaphriel’s who are particularly open about their true selves. But for
apocalyptic form is Qingu, the Visage of Radiance. ]en most Demon characters, such openness is dangerous, so
notes the form’s special abilities on her sheet. they conceal their true selves behind a faGade.
For her five dots in Backgrounds, ]en decides to
The combination of Nature and Demeanor helps
give Zaphriel at least three dots in Resources, since
build a picture of the character’s personality, goals and
Laura makes a fair amount of money at the law firm.
behavior.These definitionsare not all-inclusive.After all,
She puts the other two dots into Contacts, knowing
few people can be entirely described by just a couple of
that the character has connections. She’d like to pick
terms. Instead, they provide a basis for the character’s
up another dot in Contacts and a couple of other
personality, a foundation to start building from, adding
Backgrounds, but she’s out of points for the moment.
depth as the chronicle unfolds and the character becomes
STEP
FIVE:
FIIPISMING
TOUCMES more defined.The core of the character’sNature remains,
Fortunately, ]en still has her freebie points to giving the player a framework to hang it all from.
spend. She immediately spends some filling out A character’s Nature also has a particular game
Zaphriel’s Backgrounds, giving her another dot in effect. Characters regain Willpower by performing
Contacts, a dot in Allies and one in Influence (for a actions that reaffirm their essential Nature, giving
total of three freebie points). She goes back over the them a burst of self-confidence and a feeling of
character’s Attributes and Abilities and decides to put accomplishment. By satisfying the demands of their
an additional dot into Dexterity, raising it to a 3, for five Nature (see the individual descriptions), character
132

are eligible to regain a Willpower point if the Story- - Regain Willpower when you truly enjoy your-
teller allows (see p. 163 for details). self and can share your joy with others.
Here are some sample Archetypes suitable for BRAVO
Demon characters. Players and Storytellers should feel
“The meek will inherit the Earth?”Not if you have
free to create their own Archetypes if none of these suit
anything to say about it! The meek don’t get anything
the particular characters they have in mind.
in this world except grief. The strong take what they
ADDICT want, when they want. Might makes right, which is
There’s something (or maybe someone) that you’ve good for you, since your know how to use your strength
just got to have. It’s a driving passion -some might say to get what you want. You respect strength in others
obsession -in your life. It takes precedence over every- when you see it, but weakness is just an opportunity for
thing else. Your addiction might be drugs, or it could be you to exploit. You do what it takes to get ahead.
any other sort of activity. Some fallen become addicted to -Regain Willpowerwhenyou achievesuccessthrough
the various pleasures of the flesh, from eating to drinking the application of force. This doesn’t have to be physical
to sex. Others are addicted to collecting (everythingfrom force, it couldjust aseasilybeintimidationor socialpressure.
occult knowledge to “trophies” of their successes) or
obsessed with a particular mortal. Addiction to mortal CAREGIVER
faith, in particular, is common among the fallen. The fallen fought and suffered because they cared
-Regain Willpower when you give in completely too much, for humanity, for Creation and for their
to your addiction and sate it. Creator. For some, nothing can extinguish their compas-
sion for other creatures. They are always there when
ARCMITECT someone needs comfort or aid. For others, the appearance
Above all else, Architects want to create some- of caring is a useful tool. Empathy can earn you a way into
thing lasting. As a n Architect, you have a vision that a mortal’s heart, and gratitude can be a heady reward,
you work toward making areality. It might be aphysical whether your succor was offered genuinely or not.
creation, or it might be more metaphorical, such as -Regain Willpower when you successfully com-
creating an institution or a lasting idea. There are some fort or aid someone else.
demons who have not fallen so far as to forget the
glories of Creation and their former role in designing CMILD
and sustaining it. They seek to recapture some of that All creatures are children of the Creator, but some
lost glory through their efforts. are more childlike (or childish) than others. The true
-Regain Willpower when you create something child is an innocent, inexperienced in the ways of the
of lasting importance. world and untouched by knowledge of good and evil.
They are rare indeed in the modern age, but some seek
AUTOCRAT a return to such a state of grace and find it in mortal
There are two ways to do things: the wrong way and flesh. The other side of the child is a constant need for
your way. Some might say this attitude reeks of pride, attention. The child’s demands must be satisfied and
even hubris, but let them. You see that things get done, satisfied now. Children have no control over their
and there’s no denying that. Someone has to take passions, and they seek others to help care for them.
charge, and you’re the one to do it. It’s not necessarily -Regain Willpower when you convince someone
because you’re the smartest or the most knowledgeable else to care for you or help satisfy your needs without
(although that may be true, too). You just know how to any reward.
t
take responsibility for getting things done.
- Regain Willpower when you take control of a
COMPETITOR
situation or group. All creatures are not created equal. Some are des-
tined for greatness, while others are not. You have the
BOIYVIVAIPT ability to rise to the challenge and prove your greatness
Once there was a time when the purpose of exist- through competition. You see everything in life as a
ence was pleasure. That time may be gone, but you still challenge to be overcome and an opportunity to show
try to recapture it. Only those who have known the just what you can do. You may prefer a friendly compe-
kind of pain and sufferingyou have can find pleasure in tition or a cutthroat struggle where anything goes.
the simplest things. If you are dragged back down into -Regain Willpower when you win acompetition.
anguish and torment, then everything you have fought
for will be for nothing, so enjoy life! You may have COIWORMIST
serious matters to take care of, but there’s nothing that You know your place in the grand scheme of things
says you can’t have some fun along the way. or, at least, you believed that you did once. You were
133

content to do as you were instructed until wiser and FAIPATIC
more convincing voices said otherwise. Then you fol- You have a cause, and nothing or no one can sway
lowed them into rebellion and eventually into the Pit. you from it. You devote yourself entirely to your cause,
Now you’re in need of direction and leadership, the surrenderingall else to its higher purpose. The ends justify
opportunity to be part of a group again and to offer your the means, and everything(andeveryone)elsecan and will
own abilities to that group. besacrificedinthenameofthecause, ifneedsbe.Your cause
-Regain Willpower when your group achieves its may be in tune with the agendasof any of the factionsof the
goal with your aid. fallen (seeChapter Five for more information),or it may be
the cause of a mortal group or your own personal crusade.
CONNIVER Whatever it is, you will see it through to the end.
Bargaining for souls.. .how trite. The way you play -Regain Willpower when you do something that
the game, your marks have no idea that you already own directly furthers your cause.
their souls and they’re thanking you for the opportunity
to do exactly what you want. After all, why struggle and GALLAIYT
risk your own hide when you can get others to do it for Faith is the most intoxicating of elixirs, and you find
you?You understand the power that a carefully crafted yourself uplifted by the adoration and attention of oth-
lie gives you, especially when it’s mixed with just the ers. You are a being of glory, and you cannot hide your
right amount of truth. light under a bushel. Instead, you would rather show
-Regain Willpower when you trick someone into mortals the wonders you are capable of and bask in their
giving you something you want. worship and admiration. Nothing excites you as much as
a new potential convert to impress and win over. Each
CURMUDGEON one makes you feel a little more alive and whole.
The fallen rebelled for what they believed in, and -Regain Willpowerwhen you truly impress someone.
they were punished. Humanity was given free will, and
look what they’ve done with it. Is it any wonder that GAM~LEK
you’re more than a little jaded and cynical about it all? Life is risk. It involves taking a chance; perhaps
You tend to see the worst in everything, picking out even a leap of faith, hoping things will turn out for the
every flaw, pointing out every way things could go best. People who are afraid to take chances lead simple,
badly, and never missing an opportunity to say “I told dull lives, but you’re not like that. You’re willing to risk
you so” when they inevitably do. it all for the hope of something better. You’re not
- Regain Willpower when something bad hap- foolhardy, but you’re willing to take chances some
pens just as you said it would. people call foolish, if that’s what it takes.
-Regain Willpower when you take a chance and
DEVIANT come out ahead.
Some people just don’t fit into the nice, neat catego-
riessocietycreates.That’syou. Yourefuseto be pigeonholed JUDGE
or labeled, just as you refuse to conform to what everyone There is a n order to Creation and understanding,
expects of you. You are who you are. If someone else can’t and perhaps improving upon, that order is the key to
deal with that, fuck ’em. You’re no longer bound by the success. You’re a believer in systems for getting things
restrictions of any commandments, or by anything else, done: legal systems, logical systems and bureaucratic
for that matter. There are more thanafew, both fallen and systems. You believe in doing things “by the numbers”
mortal, drawn to your unique sense of self. although there’s nothing wrong with innovation, as
- Regain Willpower when you break with or long as it improves the system.
ignore convention. - Regain Willpower when you use careful and
systematic reasoning to solve a problem.
DIRECTOK
Creation is anorderly thing. Once it ran with perfect LOIPER
precision and balance, everything in its place, the ulti- You’re on your own most of the time, and you’re okay
mate machine. Now, of course, parts of Creation are with that. The truth is, you prefer your own company. You
run-down, out of whack or simply not working right, and may have habits or mannerismsthat put otherpeopleoff, you
chaos is growing. You can’t tolerate that. Nothing is may not feel worthy of being around other people, or maybe
more important to you than restoring and maintaining you don’t like company.You go your own way, workingwith
order and organization, within a group or in the world. others when it suits you before taking your leave.
-Regain Willpower when you use organization to -Regain Willpower when you accomplish some-
accomplish a difficult task. thing on your own that benefits someone else.
134

CHAPTER
SI!
MARTUR you can do now is try as best you can to make up for your
t
You were made to suffer, it seems. You accept your past mistakes and make them right.
burden with dignity and determination, knowing that -Regain Willpower when you feel that you have
your suffering has meaning, either in the statement it made a step toward redemption.
makes or in the benefit it brings to others. All the
suffering and torment of Hell could not break your PERFECTIOIPIST
spirit, so what is the pain of the mortal world by You don’t ask any more of anyone than you ask
comparison?You may be truly sincere in your beliefs, or of yourself, but since you expect only perfection
you may exaggerate your sacrificesfor the attention and from yourself, most people don’t see the distinc-
sympathy they bring you. tion. You demand only the best, and you’re not
willing to settle for anything less. Others may not
- Regain Willpower when you sacrifice yourself
appreciate your exacting standards or attention to
for your ideals or the good of someone else.
detail during the process, but they certainly appre-
MASOCHI~T ciate t h e results. That’s what drives you, the ,
They think they can break you? They think you’ll satisfaction of a job well done.
crack under the pressure?Bring it on! You’re willing to -Regain Willpowerwhenyouperfonnataskperfectly.
pit your ability to endure against anything Creation
can dish out. Not only are you proud of your ability to
€%.EBEL
You were one of the first rebels, and you still wear the
overcome pain, you actually enjoy it. You’re driven to
title proudly. Authority must be challenged, or it becomes
the extremes to test your limits and push them a little
nothing more than mindless obedience. You take every
farther each time. Maybe you’ll eventually run into
opportunity to buck the system because that’s how things
something you can’t handle, but you haven’t yet.
change for the better, or just to prove how bogus it all is.
-Regain Willpower when you suffer in a way you
- Regain Willpower when you successfully
never have before.
weaken authority.
MONSTER ROGUE
Demon? You’ll show them what a real demon is. You look out for Numero Uno. Nobody else is
They have no idea of the depths of what you’ve endured, going to do it, and everybody else would be better off
but you’re going to show them. All of humanity’s myths taking care of themselves. You don’t want to owe
and parables, even their mass-media horror shows, are anyone anything. You take care of your own problems
only pale reflections of what you have become. You are and let them take care of theirs. You have your own
evil incarnate, free to stalk the world. No atrocity is best interests at heart, although there’s nothing wrong
beyond your reach, as the world will soon discover. with a little enlightened self-interest that benefits
- Regain Willpower when you commit a terrible everyone, as long as you don’t get too entangled in
act of evil. someone else’s business.
PEDAGOGUE - Regain Willpower when your self-centered at-
Knowledge is the only thing of real worth in titude brings you success.
Creation, and the one thing you value, but knowledge SuRvIvoR
is useless unless it is shared somehow. It is your respon- What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.
sibility to take what you know and teach others so they Where others meekly accept their fate, you struggle
can understand and pass the knowledge on. The more against it. Nothing can bring you down, and you always
everyone knows, the better things are. Some might call find a way to win in the end. You’re disappointed with
you a know-it-all, but that’s usually only because youdo everyone else’s willingness to give up and take the easy
know it all. way out, something you’d never do.
-Regain Willpower when someone benefits from -Regain Willpower when you endure hardship or
the wisdom you’ve shared with him. encourage others to do the same.
PENITENT THRILL-SEEKER
You are a sinner, among the most terrible of sin- You live for the thrill of danger, knowing that
ners. You committed crimes against God and Creation, you’re risking your life is what makes you feel the most
and you have been rightly punished for them. Even the alive. You’re a daredevil, looking for the most danger-
burden of guilt you feel is a part of your punishment. ous thrills you can find to keep things interesting.
You have seen the error in your ways, and you only hope There’s almost no challenge you won’t at least con-
that you can be forgiven for what you have done. All sider, and odds are that you’ll try most of them. After
135

DEMON:
THEFALLE~ L
VISIONAR~I
Some see the way the world is and ask, “Why?”You see
the way the world might be and ask, “Why not?”You have
a vision of something more, something greater than what
alreadyexists. You challenge the limitsof Creation in hope
of finding somethingbetter, rarely satisfied with the status
quo. Naturally, those interested in keeping things the way
they are find you threatening, but you don’t care about the
opinionsof others. You follow your vision with the convic-
tion that you can do more, that there’s always hope.
- Regain Willpower when you inspire others to
follow their dreams or ideals.
All Demon characters have certain basic Attributes,

which definethe capabilitiesof everyperson,as well as other
creatures, such as the fallen. Attributes generally range
between 1(poor) and3 (good),withexceptionalindividuals
having ratings of 4 (excellent) or 5 (the peak of human
ability). Some of the fallen and other supernaturalcreatures
may have Attributes above 5, but they are fairly rare.
The Physical Attributes define the abilities of a

what you’ve endured, you want to feel your heart character’s body: strength, agility, endurance, health
pounding, the blood rushing through your veins. Even and so forth. In the case of the fallen, the Physical
death doesn’t scare you anymore. Attributes often define the abilities of the demon’s
-Regain Willpower when you succeed at a dan- mortal vessel, although some of the fallen do not inhabit
gerous task you’ve deliberately undertaken. mortal bodies. PhysicalAttributes should be the primary
category for physical and action-oriented characters.
TRADITIORALIST The fallen can use Faith to temporarily enhance
In a world that changes so quickly, the one thing their Physical Attributes even to superhuman levels.
you can rely on is tradition. You respect history and the For details, see p. 159.
traditional way of doing things is clearly the best. If it
I wasn’t why would it have lasted so long? It’s important STREIPGTM
The first punch connected with Harvey Ciullo’sjaw,
to maintain traditional ways and values, and you’re
against changing them unless it’s absolutely necessary. sendinghis sunglassesflyingoff and his head snappingaround.
Tradition equals comfort, predictability and stability. Mickey followed it with aroundhouse left, but Harvey’s hand
-Regain Willpower when time-honored ways of
came up, almost of its own volition, and caught Mickey’s fist
in a vice-like grip. He t u m d to look at the sometime bouncer
doing things turn out to be the best.
as he tightened his grip, and Mickey dropped to his knees.
TRICKSTER Harvey, thedemnHasmed, stareddownathim withune blue
There are times when you just have to laugh at the eye and one eye clouded reddish black with clotted blood.
absurdity of it all, the whole cosmic drama of existence. “Thatfirst punch was free,” he said. “Anything else
You often suspect that the whole thing is some sort of you pay dearly for.”
grand joke and you’re the only one who gets the punch- Strength is a measure of pure muscle power and the
line. No matter how bad it gets, you manage to find the brute force a character can bring to bear. It affects how
humor in every situation, and you do your best to much the character can lift and carry, the damage done
lighten the mood. You’d much rather laugh than cry, with melee weapons or unarmed attacks, and breaking
and you share your insights with others through humor things, from kicking down a door to snapping a mortal’s
and satire. arm. The character’s Strength is added to the damage
- Regain Willpower when you managed to lift dice pool in hand-to-hand combat. It’s also used for
others’ spirits or deny your own pain through humor. various feats involving pure physical strength.
136

Specialties: Furious Strength, Powerful Legs, Re-
.
serves of Strength, Unbreakable Grip
Poor: You can lift 40 lbs.
Average: You can lift 100 lbs.
.
0.
J Good: You can lift 250 lbs.

Exceptional: You can lift 400 lbs.
.Outstanding: You can lift 650 lbs.
DCATERITU
Her breath came in quick gasps as Magdiel sprinted
across the rooftops, her feet pounding on the tarpaper and
gravel. They were close behind her and she was struck by the
irony of her situation -an Angel of Death now become the
prey rather than the hunter. She skidded to a stop at the end
of the roof, arms pinwheeling to avoid a 10-story drop to the
alley below. It was a wide aab. Maadiel wasn’t sure she could
jumi it, but there was no ;tier i a y off the roof, and her
pursuers were closing in. She got a running start and flung
herself into empty air.
Dexterity is a character’s capacity for physical action.
It covers such things as agility, speed, grace, hand-eye
coordination and general athletic ability. Dexterity is
used for most physical actions involving precision or
control, ranging from shooting a gun to dancing to lock-
picking.
J2
vy
Specialties: Coordinated, Graceful, Lightning Re-
flexes, Quick
Poor: You are clumsy and awkward. You
-r$..:
t drop things and trip a lot.
....
Average: You’re not a klutz, but you’re not
particularly graceful, either.
Good: You’ve got some grace or athletic
ability.
1
Exceptional:Youcouldbecomeaprofessional
y“\\
L 1 1 ‘ athlete or dancer based largely on your
natural talent.
(
h$l
..e.. Outstanding: You have a grace and
precision that’s poetry in motion.
STAMInA
Alejandro stepped into the middle of the circle of hooting
and howlinggangbangersto face off against their leader, whose
muscles gleamed with a thin sheen of sweat in the yellow light
coming fiom the bare bulb hanging overhead. Alejandro
deliberately stripped off his shirt so everyone could see the
network of scars on his back and arms. Whatever they could
c, dish out, he’d seen worse.
He smiled confidently at the big gang leader, who looked
i, just the slightest bit shaken. “After you,” he said.
The punch came without any warning, slamming into
1 Alejandro’sgut. He doubled over a bit as everyone yelled and

cheered. Then he straightened up slowly. The noise died away.
“That the best you’ve got?” he asked the gangbanger.
Behind Alejandro’sface, Malakh the Hunter smiled.

“My turn. ” e Poor: There’s just something about you that
Stamina is a measure of a character’s overall physi- people don’t like.
cal condition, particularly health, endurance and Average: You’re likeable enough and have a
toughness. Stamina governs how long you can exert few friends.
yourself and how much physical punishment you can Good: People tend to trust you and come to
endure, from pain to hunger and thirst. It determines you with their concerns.
your resistance to illness and poison as well as your Exceptional: People flock to you and everyone
ability to overcome physical trauma. It also includes a wants to be your friend.
measure of your determination and will to live. Outstanding: You could easily be an influential
Specialties: Determined, Healthy, Tireless, Tough political leader.
e Poor: You get sick all the time and bruise easily.
Average: You’re pretty healthy most of the time, MARIPULATIOR
“Ladiesand gentlemen, the kind of baseless allegations
and you can take a couple of hits before you’re out.
brought by Ms. Allemande against my client are all-too-
Good: You can climb stairs or run without get common weapons used in divorce cases because accusations
t
ting out of breath quickly, and you rarely get sick. of spousaland child abuse carry so much emotionalweight.
Exceptional: You can run a marathon, and You can’t help but automatically feel sympathy for the
you’re n excellent health. victims in such a case. But the true victim here is Charlie
, Outstanding: You can survive week-long treks Allemande, who tried only to be a good husband and father,
through the desert without food or water and and was repaid with cheating, lies and attempts to drag his
similar trials. name through the mud. If you consider the evidence in this
case -particularly Ms. Allemande’s testimony - then
SOCIAL I’m sure you will see the truth. Thank you.”
The Social Attributes govern personal interac- Laura Blake remained utterly dignified and composed
tion of all sorts. They describe such things as charm, as she returned to her seat, not allowing even a glimmer of
persuasiveness, empathy, style and appearance. The the triumph she felt to show on her face. She had the jury
fallen are dependent on human faith and goodwill in eating out of her hand. Who cared that Allemande was as
many ways, so they have learned how to play social guilty as sin? He paid for the best, and she’djust given him
games very well. Social Attributes should be primary an acquittal, and leverage to use in his divorce case.
for charakers intended to be influential or good at
1
Manipulation describesthe character’sability for self-
dealing with people. expression and using it to influence the feelings and
CMARISM A opinions of others. Whereas Charisma is a more passive
Attribute, relating to how people perceive you, Manipu-
When Gaviel entered the room, all conversationwhis-
pered to a halt and all eyes turned toward him. He wasn’t lation is active. Manipulation can be merely trying to get
much to look at, but his sheer presence charged the air like your point across, choosing the right words for a speech or
lightning. Everyone waited with bated breath to see what he creating just the right artistic composition,for example. It
would say. Gaviel milked the moment, drawing out the can also be outright attempts to change someone’sopin-
silence until it was almostpainfulbefore he turned toaddress ion through oration, acting or other tricks.
his gathered followers. Manipulation can be dangerous, since people don’t
“God is dead,” he said, “and I’ve invited you all here generally like to feel manipulated. A failure on a
to attend the funeral. ” Manipulation roll may earn a character the cold shoul-
Some people have that certain something that der or a brush-off, while a botch may earn the subject’s
makes you like them right off while others tend to put undying enmity. Of course, good manipulators rarely
people off or simply creep them out. That quality is let people know they’re being manipulated. It just
Charisma, the ability of attractiveness, charm and seems like the character’s ideas are always reasonable
personal magnetism. Charismatic characters tend to and sound. People with high Manipulation scores are
get along well with others and make friends easily while either well trusted (if they’re not known manipulators)
those lacking in Charisma have a n uphill battle getting or not trusted at all (if they are).
people to like them. Charisma is used in conjunction Specialties: Conniving, Convincing, Persua-
with Abilities involving gaining someone’s trust or sive, Seductive
cooperation. It’s particularly useful to the fallen in e Poor: You rarely get your way, unless someone
gaining Faith from mortals (see p. 249 for details). already agrees with you.
Specialties: Admirable, Born Leader, Eloquent, Average: You can win arguments and get your
Silver Tongue, Sympathetic, Witty friends to do vou favors sometimes.
138

1 SIX
CHAPTER
I
Good: You tend to get your way most of the time.

Exceptional: People do you tremendous favors,
MENTAL 1
Mental Attributes define qualities that involve

then thank you for the privilege. thinking, memory, reasoning, awareness, learning and
Outstanding: “SoI just signhere in blood,right?” reaction time. They are the primary Attributes for
%PEARAPICE characters who follow cerebral pursuits (like scholars)
Tulley watched the bouncers turn away even more as well as those who prefer to outthink their opponents
pouting kids as they crowded around, looking to get in. rather than overpowering or charming them.
The Inferno wasn’t some mall, and they had to learn PERCEPTIOR
that. It was the hottestplace in town, so they could afford ‘‘Hey,Detective, what do you make of this?”
to be choosy. Detective Gerhard Liebner crouched down next to the
Then she stepped forward, the crowd parting in tarp-covered body where the uniform held something gin-
front of her. Tulley took one look at the red dress that gerly in a gloved hand, like he was afraid it would bite him.
fit her like a second skin, revealing in all the right places , They were yellowed sheets of parchment, inscribed with
the ruby lips and the midnight hair, the flawless skin, characters and symbols written in what looked to be dried
and his jaw dropped. blood, probably the victim’s. Liebner, or rather Ahrimal,
“You!” he gasped. The vision raised an eyebrow and saw they were Enochian. Someone was trying to send a
gave Tulley a smile that made his heart skip a beat. She message that was for sure.
stepped forward and took his offered hand as he led her out “Bag and tag it,” he said grufly. At least now he had
of the crowd and into the club. It wasn’t her first visit to the a good idea where to start looking.
Inferno by any m a n s , but she’d never worn this particular Perception measures a character’s ability to notice
form before. So far, it was a success. the world around him and to pick up on small details
Appearance is a measure of a character’s beauty, and nuances. It is often intuitive and unconscious,
grace, style and overall attractiveness. It’s more than although characters can focus their perception when
just physical looks, although they’re apart of it. It’s also studying something intently or searching an area. Per-
how the character carries herself and the kind of first ception also influences how much the character pays
impression she makes. Whereas Charisma is a measure attention to his surroundings. The absent-minded in-
of how likeable a character is, Appearance affects the tellectual may be quite intelligent, but not very
kind of impression the character makes without having perceptive. Likewise the jaded wit may be very clever,
to say a word. It’s the effect of a glance across a crowded but tends not to notice things.
room or the impact of a photograph (or other image of Perception is used for most rolls involving a
the character) on someone she’s never even met. character’s senses. This includes noticing details, de-
Appearance is used for situations where the char- tecting (and avoiding) traps and ambushes, picking up
acter must make an impression, either a first impression on subtle clues or hints, finding things and spotting
or a lasting impression, especially when actions and other characters trying to hide.
appearance matter more than words. In social situa- Specialties: Aware, Discerning, Insightful, Intui-
tions where first impressions or appearances are tive, Sharp
important, a character’s other Social Attributes are 0 Poor: Oblivious. You say “huh?”alot. You might
limited to a rating no higher than her Appearance
be self-absorbed,lost in thought or otherwise
score. It’s hard to be likeable or convincing when
distracted all the time.
people won’t even give you the time of day.
Average: You pick up on all but the really
Specialties: Attractive, Flawless, Graceful, Inno-
subtle things.
cent, Seductive
Good: You tend to pick up on Little details
Poor: You’re nearly attraction-free.It may be your
looks,your habits, your attitude or all of the above. others miss.
Average: You don’t particularly stand out in a Exceptional: Very little escapes your notice.
crowd (which may be a good thing, sometimes). Outstanding: Your observational skills could
Good: Strangers approach you fairly often, make you a brilliant detective (or spy).
wanting to get to know you. IIYTELLIGEIYCE
Exceptional: You could be a model, as people “Can you fix it, Sam?”
are often telling you. Sam Ashbury glanced up from the spilled guts of the
Outstanding: You’re positively stunning. People machine, scratchingatseveraldays’growth of grayingbeard.
react to you with either slack-jawed awe or “Sure thing. Nothing simpler. I can actually have it
intense jealousy. running better than before. Imean, I canfixanything, ’cept
139

the stuff that’s really broken around here. Machines are difficult to fool or manipulate, while those with low
easy, it’s fixing people that’s hard.” Wits are easy marks.
Intelligence measures reasoning ability and knowl- Specialties: Intuitive, Quick Thinker, Rapier Wit,
edge,thecharacter’smemory,problemsolvingandanalytical Strategist
faculties. It also includes elements of critical thinking, 0 Poor: You hesitate and have difficulty making
creativity and the ability to learn new information. even simple decisions.
Intelligence is used for many scholarly or learned Average: Pretty quick on the uptake, but surprises
skills,particularly ones involving a large body of knowl- tend to overwhelm you.
edge. It’s also used for any intellectual challenge such Good: You can keep your head while everyone
as figuring out a riddle, piecing together clues of a around you is losing theirs (perhaps literally).
mystery or doing complex math in your head. Intelli- Exceptional: You’re never lacking for a clever
gent characters aren’t necessarily better at dealing with comeback or a plan of action.
people (that’s covered by the Social Attributes) or
Outstanding: You react at the speed of thought,
quicker on the uptake (which is handled by Wits).
before most people even realize what’shappening.
Low Intelligence doesn’t necessarily mean stupid-
t ity. It might just describe a character with a limited

education or a simple thinker. Likewise, high Intelli-
gence doesn’t mean the same thing for all characters. It
might be a tremendous memory for one, brilliant ana-
Whereas all characters have Attributes, Abilities
are learned traits. Attributes reflect characters’ poten-
lytical thinking for another. tial, while Abilities are what they have learned to do
Specialties: Book Learning, Creative, Deduction, with that potential. If you’re strong, you can probably hit
Memorization pretty hard, but you’ll be that much more effective in a
0 Poor: You’re alittle slow, or maybe just not too fight if you also know how to hit and where to hit to do
“ed-ja-ma-cated.” the most damage. An Ability is usually paired with an
0 0 Average: You’re no dummy, but you’re not Attribute (combining potential with training) to deter-
brilliant, either. mine what dice pool a player rolls for a particular action.
Good: You’re pretty smart and probably well Each of the Abilities covers a fairly broad range of
educated, too. activities or knowledge. Players may wish to have their
Exceptional: You’re the brightest in your class, characters acquire a specialty (p. 136)in an Ability, even
and most everyone knows it. if the character’s rating in it is not yet 4 or higher. This
Outstanding: Brilliant, a true genius. reflects the fact that characters often learn specific aspects
of Abilities rather than just the general knowledge.
WITS
Magdiel couldn’trun forever. It was time to deal with
herpursuers, now that she’d bought herselfafew moments.
TALENTS
Talents are Abilities that everyone has to one degree
The narrow stairwell and closet full of cleaning supplies
or another. They’re known intuitively, and the only real
didn’t offer much but, as she quickly looked things over, a
way to improve them is through experience and practice.
plan began to form. She glanced at the labels of a few bottles
It’s difficult at best to learn anything about a Talent from
to confirm what she thought. There were certainly benefits
a book or a lecture. The best way to learn them is by doing
to understanding all the many things that could kill, she
them, over and over again. Characters with high ratings
thought as she pulled together the ingredients she needed.
in Talents usually have a fair amount of experience in
Wits describes how quickly a character thinks, using them. If you attempt aTalent your character doesn’t
covering qualities such as cleverness, guile, reaction possess,roll the character’s appropriateAttribute with no
time, intuitive (as opposed to rational) thinking and so penalty in difficulty. Everyonehas at least a little potential
forth. Intelligence describeshow well a character thinks, in Talents because they’re so intuitive.
but Wits describes how fast. A character with a high
Wits rating is rarely caught off ‘guard or surprised for ALERTE~S
very long. He’s able to react immediately to a changing TUho’s there?” Ahrimal said to empty air and shad-
situation while a character with low Wits plods along ows. “You might as well come out. I know you’re here.”
and works best with planning and contingencies. A shadowy figure detached from the darkness in a
Wits are used in situations when characters have corner of the room, and Ahrimal slowly closed his hand
to think and react quickly. They also influence things around the butt of the pistol in his coat pocket.
like keeping cool in a difficult situation and reacting “I got your message,” he said. “I’m here to deliver one
with grace under pressure. High Wits characters are of my own.”
140

Alertness is the knack for noticing what’s going on sense,” the ability to look beyond the mundane faqade
around you. It’s typically paired with Perception and of everyday life in the World of Darkness to see what’s
compliments it. Alertness allows you to take everything lurking beneath the surface. Generally, only super-
in, and Perception lets you pick up on the important natural beings such as the fallen, mages, spirits and such
details. Alertness is different from Awareness in that have Awareness, although there are a rare few mortals 4
Alertness focuses on the physical world, while Aware- capable of it as well.

ness is for picking up on the supernatural world. Characters with Awareness get hints, hunches and
0 Novice: Youpay a littlemoreattention thanmost. flashes of insight regarding the supernatural (how much
00 Practiced: You don’t miss much. insight depends on their Awareness rating and how
0.0 Competent: You’ve always got at least some many successes the player rolls). For example, they may
idea of what’s going on. be able to pick a supernatural creature such as avampire
Expert: Very little catches you by surprise. or another demon out of a crowd or sense the use of
Master: You’re aware of everything around you, supernatural powers. Awareness provides only raw in-
even things most people never notice. formation, a sense for the supernatural. Characters
1
Possessed by: Bodyguards, Hunters, Investigators, require more specific tutelage (in the form of the
Journalists, Police Officers, Security Personnel Occult Knowledge) to understand what it is they sense.
Specialties: Danger, Hidden Objects, People, Spe- Characters can use Awareness to “scan” for any-
cific Sense (Sight, Hearing, etc.) thing supernatural in their vicinity. The Storyteller
may also make secret Awareness rolls to see if charac-
ATMIXTICS ters sense the presence of an unknown supernatural
She almost didn’t make it, her momentum giving out force or being nearby.
before she cleared the distance. Magdiel grabbed onto the 0 Novice: You pick up strange vibes from certain
ledge as her body slammed into it, then quickly pulled herself places and people sometimes.
up onto the roof, rollingontoher backfor a moment to catch Practiced: You know the supernatural when you
her breath before getting to herfeet. Let’s see them match see it or come in close contact with it.
that, she thought.
Competent: You can sense the flow of hidden
Athletics encompasses all basic talent and training forces through the world, peering behind the veil
in athletic activities such as running, jumping, swim- of mundane life.
ming, throwing, tumbling and so forth, as well as Expert: You pick up on subtle and hidden
various sports. It doesn’t cover weight-lifting (which is
supernatural forces all around you.
based solely on Strength) or athletic activities specifi-
cally covered by another skill (like Dodge or Melee). Master: You can sense a supernatural influence
anywhere nearby, and you sometimes pick up on
0 Novice: Basic talent or training.
more distant forces, if they’re strong enough.
Practiced: High-school athlete.
Possessed by: The fallen, Mages, New Agers,
Competent: You could be a professional athlete.
Psychics, Spirits
Expert: Top-ranked in your sport.
Specialties: Demons, Magic, Places of Power, Spir-
Master: You could compete in the Olympics. its, Supernatural Effects, Vampires
Possessed by: Athletes, Health Enthusiasts, Jocks,
Kids, Soldiers BRAWL
Alejandro’ssmashing right hook spun the gungbanger
Specialties: Acrobatics, Climbing, Dance, Jump-
around before sending him crashing to the floor. Still stand-
ing, Running, Specific Sport, Swimming, Throwing
ing, Alejandro straightened up and wiped the blood from his
split lip with his bruised knuckles.
Gideon’s eyes narrowed as he felt a presence and “Anyone else?”he asked, grinningfiercely . There were
unnatural heat radiating off the woman in red. Her beauty no more takers.
was more than mortal, it was the sort that tempted martyrs Brawl covers a character’s prowess in unarmed com-
and toppled kingdoms’ the sort that Gideon knew all too bat, ranging from brutal street fighting to the “sweet
well. As the woman turned toward him, he couldsee that she science” of boxing and everything in between. For the
suspected what he was as well. fallen, capable of changing their form, it also includes
nder his breath, “and what fighting with tooth and claw (and any other sort of
appendage). It handles knowing how to hit and how to
As Alertness measures awareness of the natural do the most damage, along with how to defend yourself.
world, Awareness measures a character’s ability to The character may have picked up the ability through
sense the supernatural world. It’s a kind of “sixth training, hard experience, or a combination of the two,
141

DEMOU:
THEFALLEN L
I
and characters with high ratings in Brawl are often collection you were telling me about.”
familiar with multiple styles and techniques of combat. He smiled like she was agiftfrom God. If only he knew.
lo Novice: You know how to throw apunch without

hurting yourself and the common places on the
body that are the most vulnerable.
Empathy is the knack for reading other people’s
moods and emotions. For some it’s a matter of body
language and other non-verbal cues; for others it’s an
almost supernaturalsense of what other people are feeling.
0 Practiced: You can hold your own in a fight
against most people. Empathy also includes understanding how other people
00 Competent: You’ve fought regularly for some feel, whether you sympathizewith them or not. It’s useful
time (and you usually win). for knowing when people are pretending to feel some-
0 0 Expert: You could be a professional fighter, thing they’re not, covering up their true feelings or lying,
even a title-winner. although it’s a n inexact science, at best. The more time
you spend interacting with someone and the better you
0 0 0 0 0 Master: Welcome to fight club. You’rein charge.
know them, the easier it is to pick up on how they feel.
Possessed by: Boxers, Gang Members, Martial 0 Novice: You sometimes pick up on non-verbal
Artists, Police, Soldiers
t
cues or get “vibes” from people.
Specialties: Basic Self-Defense,Boxing, Dirty Fight-
0 0 Practiced: You’re a good listener, adept at
ing, Martial Arts Style, Wrestling
getting people to open up to you.
DODGE 0 Competent: It’s difficult to hide anything from
It was only a glimmer of movement, the faintest of you -you always find out sooner or later.
sounds, but Laura threw herself behind the body ofa BMW 0 0 0 Expert: Nobody plays poker with you -you’re
in the parkinggarage an instant before the bullet hit one of just too good at reading people’s expressions.
the car’s side panels. She kept low as she heard footsteps 0 0 0 Master: People are like open books to you -
running away. Whoever it was had decided not to stay their true feelings written in every nuance and
around to make sure she was finished. Their mistake. expression.
Self-preservation is one of the most primal in- Possessed by: Caretakers, Counselors, Investiga-
stincts, and Dodge represents that instinct taken and tors, Parents, Social Workers
focused into the ability to get out of the way of danger.
Specialties: Disorders, Emotions, Lies, Motives,
When you’re attacked, you can use Dodge to get out of
Personalities
harm’s way. It may involve diving for cover, sidestep-
ping blows or fancy footwork. EXPRrn310R
0 Novice: You operate mostly on reflex. “The Commandments tell us what not to do. ‘Thou
0 0 Practiced: You’ve gotten some training (or shalt not’ this and ‘thou shalt not’ that. I say do what thou
taken enough hits) that you usually know when wilt shall be the whole of the law, for nothing is true and
to duck. everything is permissible.” Gaviel thought the combo of
0 0 0 Competent: You slip past many attacks with Crowley and Hassan was a little trite, but it was exactly
ease and grace. what this crowd wanted to hear, and it worked.
0 0 0 Expert: When the attack arrives, you’re usually Words have a power all their own, and Expression
not there. covers the use of words to get a point across, evoke a
particular feeling, or provide a convincing argument. It
0 o o o o Master: You twist and turn to dodge bullets as
includes all forms of expression through language, from
they’re coming at you.
poetry to speech writing to creative writing. Characters
Possessed by: Criminals, Martial Artists, Police, can use it to compose written works or to put the right
Soldiers, Survivors words together at the spur of the moment to deliver a
P
Specialties: Cover, Fancy Footwork,Jumping,Side- rousing speech or a memorable toast. Used well, Ex-
stepping, Tumbling pression can sway others’ opinions, even hold an
EMEYTMU audience enthralled.
“It’sjustsohardtomeetpeople thesedays,”theguysaid, 0 Novice: You’ve got a basic grasp of sentence
polishingoff his third drink. His expressions had become more structure and proper word usage.
expansive, and his desperation more obvious, with each one. 0 Practiced: You have a broad vocabulary and
“I know what you mean,” Sabriel replied. “I’m not use it well.
usually into the bar scene myself. ” That was clearly the kind 0 0 0 Competent: You always choose your words
of woman he was lookingfor, a little uncertain, not part of carefully for the best possible effect.
this world, but closer to his own. “Why don’t we get out of 0 00 Expert: You could be a best-selling author or a
here?” she continued. “I’d love to see that comic book high-placed speechwriter.
142

1 CHAPTER 811
I
0 0 Master:You can create works that touch millions makes a decision largelyat random, like whether to cut the
of hearts and minds. red, green or blue wire as the timer counts down to zero, or
Possessed by: Actors, Business Leaders, Poets, picking the right away out of a maze while running away
Politicians, Writers from something. Players can call for an Intuition roll when
Specialties: Drama, Game Design, Improvisation, they get stuck or need to make adecisionquickly.Storytell-
Poetry, Prose, Speeches, Technical Writing erscan roll Intuition for the charactersin order to give them
clues or help move the story along.
IIYTIMIDATIOR 0 Novice: You’ve got a knack for making the
“I’m only going to tell you this once,” Hasmed said, right choice.
staring down at the man with his one good eye and his evil 0 Practiced: You’ve learned to listen to and trust
eye, swollenandcloudy red-black. “Ifyoueverfuckin’mess
your instincts.
with me again, I’m going to make sure you eat through a
0 Competent: When you have a “bad feeling”
straw for the rest of your miserable life. Got it?”
about something, everyone listens.
Fear is a powerful weapon, and an excellent way of
0 0 Expert: You could make a killing in the stock
1
motivating people. Intimidation covers all the myriad
ways to motivate someone through fear and overpower- market .
ing force of personality. It may be as overt as a physical 0 0 Master: You’ve always managed to make the r
threat (backed up by a show of force) or as subtle as .
ight choice at the last minute.. so far.
wearing apower-tie and sitting someone so they have to Possessed by: Daredevils, Entrepreneurs, Gam-
look up at you and acknowledge that you’re in the blers, Mothers
superior position. It can be used to get other people to Specialties: Danger, Gambling, Insight, Inspira-
cooperate (even against their better judgment), back tion, Luck
down from a confrontation or reveal information.
0 Novice: You know how to make people back
LEADEMMID
“Are you bound by what some two-thousand-year-old
down if you push hard enough. book tells you? Are you slaves to what society expects of
0 0 Practiced: You can stare most people down you, to the way your parents lived their lives?” Several
without too much trouble. people in the audience said, “No,”but it wasn’t forceful
0 Competent:You can end fights with a look or enough. “Are you?” he demanded. ‘NO!” the response
a word before they even start. came again. “Are you willing to do what it takes to be free?”
0 Expert: People defer to you without you even
trying.
o o o * o Master: Youcancowsomeone withlittlemore
than a glance.
Possessed by: Bouncers, Bullies, Cult Leaders,
“Yes!” they cried. Inwardly, Gaviel exulted. He had
them. He wouldshow them. He would lead them tofreedom.
It takes a special quality to get a group of people
organized and focused on a particular task, it takes
Leadership. Leadership relates to both the ability to
t
Executives, Gangsters organize and direct people and the quality that makes
Specialties: Bluffing,Frightening, Physical Threats, people want to follow your lead, even look to you for
Stare-Downs, Veiled Threats guidance. Leadership doesn’t necessarily make you
good at solving problems, but it does make you good at
IRTUITION organizing people to tackle them. It also doesn’t mean
“Sephidor!” The Malefactor ignored the shrill cry,
that you’ll make the right decisions, only that others
lookingoverthe wiringof the crude bomb. It was anamateur
will follow you. After all, Lucifer’s leadership led the
job, obviously put together ina hurry , so the whole thing was
fallen to rebel, and look how that turned out.
a mess. He needed to disconnect the timer in the right way
or they were goingto be scrapingsam Ashbury’sremains off
0 Novice: You can get a group of friends or
the sidewalk. Unfortunately, he had only about 10 seconds associates organized to handle a task.
to make up his mind. He took one of the wires and gripped 0 0 Practiced: People tend to look to you for
it with his wire-cutters. Here goes nothing, he thought. guidance and direction.
Some call it a“gutfeeling”while others say it’ssubcon- Competent: You can take charge in most situa
scious logic, the ability to leap to the right conclusion tions and even get strangers working together in
without actually thinking it through - a matter of pure a short period of time.
intuition. Intuition is the ability to choosebetween two (or 0 0 0 Expert: Your followers like and admire you,
more) optionswithabetterchanceofpickingtherightone. and you know just how to motivate them.
It representsthat gut instinct for making the right decision 0 0 Master: You could successfullylead anation or
at the right time. It’s the ability to roll when a character multinational corporation.
143

Possessed by: Demagogues,Directors, Executives, people, but characters also learn it in order to avoid
Managers, Military Officers, Politicians being manipulated. Those with a talent for Subterfuge
Specialties: Delegating, Direction, Inspiration, usually find themselves involved in intrigue and ma-
Organization, Speeches nipulation, one way or another.
0 Novice: You can get away with the occasional lie.
STREETWIX Practiced: You’ve got decent poker face, and
Detective Liebner paid for his paper and sipped his
coffee, already growing cold in its Styrofoam cup. He you know how to bluff.
glanced over at the man who stood next to him, buying a Competent: You can keep track of complex
couple of girlie magazines. lies and hide your feelings easily.
“It’sgoing down tonight,” the other man said, without Expert: You can pull of complex con games
a glance in Liebner’s direction. “Around midnight, but you with style and panache.
didn’t hear i t from m e . ” The detective’s only Master: No one would ever suspect you; every
acknowledgement was a slight nod as the man walked off. one trusts you implicitly.
The streets have a culture all their own, a culture Possessed by: Actors, Con Artists, Grifters, Law-
yers, Politicians, Teenagers
t
you’re versed in. This Talent allows acharacter to fit into
the street scene, gather information, make contacts, buy Specialties: Con Games, Hiding Emotions, Lying,
and sell on the black market and otherwise make use of Misdirection, Seduction
the street’s unique resources. It’s also important for
navigating the dangers of the streets, avoiding the law $KILL23
and staying on the right side of the wrong people. Skills are learned Abilities acquired through
0 Novice: You’re known, and you can some study and practice. If you try to use a Skill your
times get what you’re looking for. character doesn’t have, roll the appropriate At-
Practiced: You’ve got a reputation and some tribute but increase your difficulty by one. Unskilled
connections. characters just aren’t as effective as those who have
00 Competent: You command respect and know studied and practiced.
the right people. AIYIMALKEIP
Expert: You’re a fixture of the street scene, The guard dogs bounded across the yard, barking
truly on the inside. fiercely, but Malakh stood his ground. He stared the dogs
Master: You know everything happening on down with eyes that had once commanded all the beasts of
the streets, sometimes before it happens. - the Earth, and a low growl started in his throat, a sound no
Possessed by: Beat Cops, Criminals, Detectives, human should make. The dogs stopped barking and whim-
Gangsters, Homeless pered, then scampered off with their tails between their legs,
Specialties: Black Market, Connections, Gangs, allowing Malakh to proceed unmolested.
I Rumor Mill, Vice This Skill deals with animals of all kinds, from
understanding the behavior of wild animals to taming
SUBTEKFUGE and training animals to perform tricks. It also allows
“You know I respect your opinion, Roger,” Laura said, characters to communicate with animals to a degree, or
leaning in a bit closer. “Eweryone does. That’s why I need at least know what they want and get the animals to do
your help to convince the partners to take this case. I know as they’re told. Some animals can sense the presence of
it can be a breakthrough opportunityfor us.” the supernatural and react adversely to it. Others are
“With you handling the case, of course,” Roger said, attracted to it.
sitting back in his leather office chair. 0 Novice: You know some basic animal lore and
“Absolutelynot,” Laurareplied. “We’dneedmore than could train your dog yourself.
a junior partner to handle this one. I was thinking we would
Practiced: You can train other people’s pets
be a team, but you wouldget the credit.” And the blame,
for them, and you’ve dealt with a number of
Laura thought to herself as she saw Roger rise to take the bait.
different animals.
Subterfuge is the art of deception. Characters with Competent: You can train animals for a living.
this Talent know how to conceal their true feelings and
Expert: You can handle and train exotic and
act in a completely different manner. They’re also good
at noticing when others do the same thing. Subterfuge difficult animals such as lions and tigers.
is used when telling a convincing lie, hiding one’s Master: You are one with the beasts.
emotions or reactions, or trying to pick up on the same Possessed by: Animal Breeders, Animal Trainers,
from others. It’s most often used to manipulate other Circus Performers, Farmers, Hunters, Zookeepers
144

1 CHAPTER SIX
I
Specialties: Attack Training, Calming, Commu-

nication, Guard Training, Specific Species (Dogs,
Dolphins, etc.), Wild Animals
CRAFTS
“What is it?” the boy asked Sam, holding the box
wrapped in grease-stained brown paper carefully, wanting
to shake it, but afraid he might break whatever was inside.
“Somethingveryspecial,”Sephidorreplied.“It’ssome-
thing you’ve always wanted. Open it and see. ”
From cooking to carpentry to sculpting, Crafts
covers any sort of work with your hands. Characters can c
build, create and even make functional things or works
of art using this Skill. The Storyteller sets the difficulty
and time required for individual creative tasks; any-
where from a few minutes to days or more of work.
Characters with Crafts must choose a specialty, al-
though they don’t gain a bonus for it until they have 4
or more ranks in the Skill. (Crafts is so broad that
people usually focus on a particular area.)
0 Novice: Youcandosimple projectson yourown.
Practiced: You understand many of the subtleties
of your craft.
Competent: You can earn a decent living at
your craft.
Expert: People are consistently impressedwith
your work.
Master: You’re a true master of your craft, and
probably recognized as such.
Possessed by: Artists, Carpenters, Chefs,
Craftspeople, Inventors, Mechanics
Specialties: Any particular craft such as Carpentry,
Cooking, Drawing,Painting,Pottery,Sculptingand so forth
DEMOLITIOIPS
The bomb had failed somehow, but it didn’t matter.
Soon he would be out of the city and then out of the country
where there would be other opportunities. He used his key
to open the locker at the bus station and was surprised to see
a package crudely wrapped in paper and twine with a note
taped to it. It read: “Thought you might want this back.”
The blast leveledhalf the bus station, but there was only
one fatality.
While almost anyone can make things explode, it
takes skill to make them explode in the right way and at
the right time. This is the Skill of making, setting and
defusing various types of explosives. It also covers know-
ing where to place explosives for maximum effect, how
to acquire explosive materials and even how to make
them from scratch. Ofcourse, getting explosives legally
requires licenses and such, which may be an issue,
considering what characters often use them for.
Novice: You can make effective Molotov cock
tails and other simple homemade explosives.
145

00 Practiced: You can set an explosive device or Etiquette generally refers to the mores and manners of
1 0 0
build a pipe bomb.
Competent: You can wire up a car bomb or
similar explosive booby trap.
“proper” society, whereas Streetwise handles “street” or
“lower class” environments. Characters are often special-
ized in the etiquette of a particular culture or setting.
0 0 0 Expert: You can handle pretty much any type 0 Novice: You can fit in and avoid any serious
of explosive. social gaffes.
00 Master: You can set up a complex implosion of a 0 Practiced: You know the language and rules
massive building so it falls in just the right way. well enough to look like you belong.
Possessed by: Bomb Squads, Construction Work- 0 0 0 Competent:You impress people with your grace
ers, Soldiers, Terrorists and tact. You’re an excellent host and guest.
Specialties: Disarming, Homemade, Implosion, 0 0 Expert: The soul of tact, you could be a profes
Placement, Remote Triggers, Timers
BRFv33
The bike roared along the rain-slickasphalt, streetlights
.*... sional diplomat.
Master: You can handle nearly any social
situation with aplomb while making it look easy.
Possessed by: Clergy,Diplomats,Politicians,Socialites
I
strobing overhead. When he spotted the dark sedan pacing
him, Aduran grinned fiercely and opened up the throttle. Specialties: Any specific sub-culture: Business,
The sedan sped up to follow as he led through the winding High Society, Japanese, Religious, and so forth.
streets. He nearly skidded out making the tight turn into the PI REARM^
alley that proved too narrow for the car. The motorcycle “That’s it, just hold it firmly and squeeze the trigger.
shot out of the alley, and Aduran continued on alone. Don’t let the recoil scare you. It’s just a little kick.”
While most characters can drive a car, the Drive Zormas watched with approval as the kid squeezed off
Skill covers driving various types of motor vehicles a couple shots before turning to him, smiling in grim
under difficult conditions. More skilled drivers know satisfaction. He wasn’t a great marksman, but he’d hit the
how to drive a diverse range of vehicles and can target at least. All it would take is a little more instruction.
perform stunts and dangerous maneuvers. They also Zormas figured if the kid was going to bring a gun to school,
know how to do things such as give chase or lose a tail, he might as well know how to use it.
and they understand the limits of their vehicle (often Sometimes the simplest way of handling a problem
by exceeding them more than once). is by putting a bullet through it. That’s when this Skill
Novice: You can handle a vehicle under tricky
1’
comes in handy. It covers recognizing, using and main-
conditions. taining all types of firearms, from pistols to assault rifles
0 Practiced: You can navigate through heavy and machine guns, although it doesn’t cover heavy
traffic or multiple obstacles. weapons such as bazookas or rocket launchers. Charac-
Competent: You could be a professionalchauffeur. ters can roll Perception + Firearms torecognize aparticular
I ..** Expert: You could be a professional stunt or type of gun and Wits + Firearms to unjam a gun in
combat. Usually the roll is Dexterity + Firearms to fire a
race driver.
gun and hit a target.
0 Master:There’snovehicleorstuntyoucan’thandle. 0 Novice: You’ve fired a gun a few times and
Possessedby: Bikers, Cabbies, Chauffeurs, Police,
know what to expect.
Race-Car Drivers, Truckers 0 Practiced: You visit the firing range on a semi-
Specialties: High-speed Chases, Losing Tails,
regular basis and practice with different types
Motorcycles, Off-Roading, Sports-Cars,Stunts, Trucks of weapons.
ETIQUETTE 0 0 Competent: You’ve used a gun in a firefight more
“It’sapleasuretomeet you,” Sabrielsaid withadazzling than once. You can field strip and clean your
smile. The senator returned it like she’djwt given him agift. weapon without consulting the manual.
He scooped up one of her hands and bent to kiss it. 0 Expert: You regularly get top scores in marks
“The pleasure is all mine, my dear,” he replied. manship, and you can handle almost any sort
Not yet, Sabriel thought, but it will be. For now, there of firearm.
was a party to work and so many mme guests for her to meet. 0 0 0 0 Master: You can field strip your gun in the dark or
Societyhas certainstandardsof behavior, althoughthey blindfolded, and you hit whatever you aim at.
vary from one situation to another. Etiquette provides guid- Possessed by: Assassins, Gangsters, Gun Enthusi-
ance when it comes to proper behavior in various social asts, Hunters, Police Officers, Soldiers, Survivalists
situations.Itallowscharactersto fit ingracefully,actproperly, Specialties: Automatics, Fast-Draw, Handguns,
earn respect and deal with other people diplomatically. Maintenance, Rifles, Shotguns
146

1 CHAPTER
SIX
I
MELEE 00 Competent: You impress audiences with your

As he came back up to his feet, Malakh’s hand closed performance.
around a broken and discarded board. It was about the right *..* Expert: You dazzle audiences with your
length and solid. He gripped it like a weapon as he rose. performance.
The gangbangers saw him defiantly clutchinga scrap of 0 0 0 0 Master: You play to packed houses and regu
wood and laughed. They had knives, chains, brass knuck- larly get standing ovations.
les, real weapons. They weren’t laughing a few minutes
Possessed by: Actors, Amateur Performers, Danc-
later, after Malakh gave them a lesson in the art of combat.
ers, Musicians, Singers
“Anything is a weapon, if you use it right,” he said,
dropping the board across one gangbanger’s chest. Specialties: Acting, Choreography, Dancing,
Musical Instrument, Singing, Stand-up Comedy
Fighting with a weapon in hand is almost a lost art,
but characters with this Skill are acquainted with a >ECURITcI
variety of melee weapons, from simple clubs to knives, It wasjustsad, Sephidorthought, bokingower thesystem.
swords, and even exotic weapons like axes or maces. Somebodywasgettingsbppy if they thought this was enough to
Any weapon that is wielded in close combat falls under keeppeopleout. Well, maybepeople, butthenthatwasn’twhat
this Skill. Thrown weapons are covered by Athletics. A
character trained in Melee also knows about various
kinds of weapons and combat techniques.
0 Novice: You’ve learned the right way to hold a
weapon, maybe taken some lessons or been in a
the Earthbound should hawe been wonying about. He set the
open panel aside and reached into a pocketfor his wire cutters.
He’d hawe this thing disabled in less than a minute.
Characters with this Skill understand how to se-
cure people, places and things, and they know how to
1
1
medieval recreation society. overcome the security measures others create. Security
0 Practiced:You’vewieldedweaponsina few fights. covers everything from making a location safe from
0 0 Competent: Not only have you been in armed intruders to setting up alarms and other security sys-
fights, you’ve generally won them. tems as well as circumventing them. Characters can
0 0 0 Expert: You could compete in bouts or teach recognize different security measures with a Perception
most fighters a few tricks. + Security roll and figure out their design (and weak
points) with an Intelligence + Security roll. Bypassing
0 Master: You have a skill usually seen only in
a security system may be Dexterity or Intelligence +
movie action scenes.
Security, depending o n the nature of the system.
Possessed by: Assassins, Fencers, Gangsters, Mar- 0 Novice: You’re familiar with the major types of
tial Artists, Police
home security and know a few tricks for dealing
Specialties: Any type of weapon, such as Axes, with locks and such.
Clubs, Knives, Swords or any particular maneuver, 0 0 Practiced: You can hot-wire a car or pick
such as Disarming, Parrying, Thrusting and so forth.
a simple lock.
PERFORMANCE 0 Competent: You’refamiliar with most security
“You’re an amazing dancer,” he said. systems and burglary techniques.
“So are you,” Sabriel lied expertly. 0 Expert: You can set up a state-of-the-art security
“How’d you get to be so good?” system, or get past one.
The Defiler smiled. “Years and years of practice.” 0 00 Master: There’s no system you can’t improve
This Skill includes all the performing arts, such as or beat.
acting,dancing, singingand playingamusical instrument. Possessed by: Bodyguards, Criminals, Security
Most characters will have a specialty, a particular area Consultants, Stalkers
to
where they excel, although many performers are skilled in
Specialties: Alarms, Electronics, Escape,
multiple areas. Characters use this Skill to give a successful
Lockpicking, On-Site Security
and convincing performance. Combined with Expres-
sion, characters can create their own works and evoke ~TEALTM
particular feelings in their audience. Combined with Magdiel approached like a shadow, gliding soundlessly
Subterfuge, they can express a particular emotion and across the darkened alley. The man standing beneath the
make it believable (important for actors). Fallen charac- bare bulb near the door hadn’t seen her as he lit up a
ters can also use Performance to enhance a role, either a cigarette. Nasty habit, she thought, though she supposed it
disguise or part they’veassumed to cover their true nature. would be the least of his problems in a few seconds.
Novice: You’re a talented amateur. Stealth allows characters to sneak and hide, whether
00 Practiced: You’re comfortable and capable in moving or standing still. Generally players roll Dexter-
front of an audience. ity + Stealth against an opponent’s Perception to
147

escape notice. Storytellers might wish to make Stealth with the works of humanity quickly. This Skill covers
rolls secretly, since characters usually have no way of understanding, operating, repairing, and even build-
1 knowing they’ve been noticed until it’s too late. ing or upgrading electronic devices. Purely mechanical
devices fall under the Crafts Skill (p. 145), while
0 Novice: You can hide behind large enough
objects or in dark enough areas. computer hardware and software falls under the Com-
Practiced: You can disappear into a crowd and puters Knowledge (p. 149). Characters without this
follow someone without being spotted right off. Skill may know how to operate various common
Competent: People tell you to stop sneaking devices, but they don’t necessarily know how they
up on them. work or how to fix them.
Expert:You can sneak acrossan open courtyardor
0 Novice: You can re-wire a lamp and do some
along a gravel path without being noticed. common household repairs.
Master: You’re like a ninja, practically invisible Practiced: You can do some basic electrical
when you want to be. work or build a crystal radio set.
Competent: You’re a skilled electrical engineer
Possessed by: Assassins, Commandos, Reporters,
Spies, Thieves (withorwithout thecollegedegree),able todesign
and build various devices.
Specialties: Crowds, Darkness, Hiding, Shadow-
Expert: You can alter and upgrade existing
ing, Sneaking
electronic equipment.
SURVIVAL Master: You’re ahead of your time when it comes
“What do we do now?” the woman said in a plaintive to designing and building new technology.
woice. Alejandro looked back at the wreckage of the small Possessed by: Engineen,Repair Personnel,Technicians
plane, squared his shoulders and quickly started digging
Specialties: Appliances, Communications,
through the remains for anything of use. It would be dark
Customization, Invention, Security, Vehicles
soon, and they needed to get mowing.
“We surwiwe,” he replied.
The world can be a harsh place. It takes skill to survive
KNOWLEDG~
Knowledges are Abilities acquired through study,
without the comforts of modem life. Survivalcovers mak-
usually involving application of the mind, so
ing it in the wilderness (even the wilderness of the urban Knowledges are most often paired with the Mental
jungle) with only simple tools and resources. The more Attributes (particularly Intelligence). The rankings
I
skilledcharactersare, the fewerresourcesthey need in order
are described in collegiate terms, but formal education
to survive. They can live off the land, avoid the dangers of
is by no means the only way of improving Knowledge.
the environment,find shelter and so forth. Charactersmust
You may want to differentiate between Knowledges
choose a specialty for the environment they know best.
your character learned formally and those he learned
0 Novice: You’ve been camping a few times. informally (and without the prestige of a degree).
I Practiced: You’ve been camping a lot of times
and taken a survival course or two.
If your character doesn’t have aranking in a Knowl-
edge, you can’t attempt rolls involving it unless you
Competent: You can care for a small group of have the Storyteller’s permission. If you don’t know
people and keep them alive. anything about medicine, you’re not going to be able to
00 Expert: You can live off the land pretty much perform helpful first-aid, much less surgery. If you don’t
indefinitely. speak Japanese, you’re probably not going to be able to
Master: You are one with your environment. understand it, and so forth.
Possessed by: Boy Scouts, Campers, Commandos,
3~
t
Hunters, Survivalists ADEMICS
“By ehatsinfelltheangek.”
“Flingawayambition,”hesad.
Specialties:Any particular environment such as Arc- “Don’t start spouting that Biblical crap at me,”
tic, Desert,Forest,Jungleor Urban, or any particular aspect Hasmed said to the other man. Devils just lowed to hear
of survival like Hazards, Hunting, Shelter and so forth themselves talk.
TECMNOLOG~I “That’snottheBible,” theDewilsaidwithasmiG. “That’s
“Did this all by yourself did you?”Ashbury said laconi- Shakespeare, which has far more truth in it, if you ask me.”
cally as he looked things ower. This Knowledge is education in the “liberal arts,”
~‘SpaTemethesmcam,sephidor,canyoufixthedamnthing!” including history, literature, philosophy, sociology and
“Oh,Icanfixit. Thequestionis,what’sitworthtoyou?” psychology. It also tends to cover the character’s general
The fallen are not always familiar with the won- level of formal education and experience with the aca-
ders of the modern world, but they acquaint themselves demic world. You must choose a specialty for this
148

1 CH.4PTER SIX
I
Knowledge, though you still have a broad understanding Possessed by: Engineers, Geeks, Office Workers,
of areas outside your specialty. Most Academics rolls are Programmers, Students
Intelligence + Academics to recall some particular fact, Specialties: Hacking, Hardware, Internet, Re-
although you may use Charisma + Academicsto favorably search, Software, Viruses
D
impress someone in academia or Manipulation + Aca-
demics to deal with the ins and outs of university FINANCE
bureaucracy. The difficulty of the roll is usually based on Piers pored ower the stacks of printouts, which he far
the obscurityof the knowledgeyou’retrying to recall,from preferred to trying to read off a computer screen. The
4 (forfairly routine things) to 8 (forobscure information). patterns just seemed to jump off a written page far more
0 Student: You’ve got a high-school level under easily. Ah, there it was. They were cleverly and carefully
buried, but there were definite signs of money being si-
standing of the arts.
phoned off. Piers had done his share of embezzling, too, so
College: You can keep up in most conversations
he knew the signs. There were plenty who would pay
about the humanities. handsomelv for this information, but Piers wanted someone
Masters: You have all sorts of trivia at your
b
who w o u g k t upon it, and he knew just the one.
fingertips. Finance covers handling and making money, from
Doctorate:Your academicknowledgeleavesmost accounting and keeping books to evaluating an item’s
people in the dust, wondering what you’re talk worth and playing the stock market. It can be used to
ing about. make money legitimately or for things like insider
Scholar: You’re a renowned expert in your trading and other scams. In addition to providing a
chosen field of study. comfortable level of wealth (see the Resources Back-
Possessed by: Academics, Historians, Literary ground, p. 157), Finance is useful in navigating money
P
Critics, Professors, Trivia Buffs, Writers trails and similar affairs.
Specialties: Architecture, Art, History, Litera- 0 Student:Some basic experience in bookkeeping
ture, Music, Psychology, Sociology and finance.
College: A degree in accounting or finance
COMPUTER 00
backed by some experience.

“So I guess that makes you a real search ‘daemon,’
huh?” Oh yes, Alazan never tired of that particularpun. He Masters: An MBA degree or the equivalent.
ignored the comment, and his fingers kept flying over the Doctorate: You could run a major corporation
keys, the images on the screen of his luptop flashing past and make it more profitable.
faster than most people could keep track of them. His body Scholar: You can make a fortune on the stock
knew the rhythms well, so Alazan knew them. The screen market.
blanked out, and a prompt appeared. He was in. Possessed by: Accountants, Fences,
Operating and programming computersfalls under this Businesspeople, Smugglers, Stock Brokers
Knowledge. It ranges from the ability to use computers for Specialties: Accounting, Appraisal, Currency Ex-
routine operations to in-depth knowledge of hardware and change, Fencing, Laundering, Stock Market
software sufficientto be acomputerprogrammeror engmeer.
A great many people have at least a dot of Computer, but IIWESTIGATIOR
many other peopledon’t,and the fallensometimesoverlook Detective Lie& crouched beslde the body. She had been
how useful these artifactsof the modem world can be. beautifd once, that much was for sure. Her face was untouched
and surprisingly peacefulconsideringthe violencedone to the rest
0 Student: You can operate a computer and use
of her. Unnaturally peaceful, in fact. He doubted that the
basic software for email and word-processing.
unifmhe’dbroughtpuithhimnoticed. The youngwm looked
College: You can do complex data-entry and like he was too busy trying to keep down his breakfast.
analysis and write simple programs. “It’s not as bad as it could be,” he said idly to no
Masters: You can design your own programs that one in particular.
are as good as commercialones. Sometimesbetter. “Whatdo you mean?”the younger officer said, as if he
Doctorate: You can design your own hardware couldn’t possibly imagine something worse.
and software,even create some innovations.You “The blood, ” Liebner replied. “She’s obviously been
also know how to crack most secure systems and moved. Otherwise there would be blood all over the walls
get information from them. and floor after what our perpetrator did to her.”
Scholar: You’re truly elite. You know everything You’re trained to look for clues and piece together
worth knowingabout computers,and few systems evidence to solve mysteries, from investigating a crime
are safe from you. to discovering secret or hidden goings-on. Investigation
149

THEFALLEN
DEMON:
is used for finding clues, putting them together, doing

research and tracking down leads.
0 Student: Amateur armchair detective.
College: Police officer.
Masters: Detective.
Doctorate: Federal agent, professionalprofiler.
Scholar: Sherlock Holmes. There’s no mystery
you can’t solve.
Possessed by: Coroners, Detectives, FBI Agents,
Police, Profilers
Specialties: Crime Scenes, Forensics, Interviews,
Leads, Research
LAW
“Can you help me, Ms. Blake?”
“Well d l y in a m e like yours, Mr. AUemande, I
would say there isn’t much hope.” The man’s face fell.
“Howewer...” she let the hope dangle in front of him for a
moment. “The legal definitions of ‘consent’have been chal-
lenged in thepast, and much of t h d e s on your wife and son’s
testimony. I’m sure that there’s something we can work with
there. If there’s a way to win this,you can be sure I’ll find it. ”
Characters trained in the law know legal codes and
procedures. More skilled characters can offer legal advice
and figure out ways of dealing with legal matters. They may
even be licensed to practice law. Jokes about lawyers and
demons aside, the fallen have a natural knack for dealing
with the law. They were the keepersof the laws of Creation,
and they make passionate advocatesand prosecutors.This
Ability includesan understanding of religious and cultural
laws, but divine law is a matter for the ReligionKnowledge.
0 Student: Your favorite network is Court TV
0. College: You’re a pre-law graduate or have
done a lot of reading up on the subject
Masters: The equivalent of a law degree. You
could be licensed to practice law.
Doctorate: You’ve got a reputation for winning
your cases and giving sound advice.
Scholar: Devil’s Advocate.
Possessed by: Criminals, Judges, Lawyers, Po-
lice, Politicians
Specialties: Civil, Contracts, Corporate, Crimi-
nal, Cultural, Religious
LIRGUISTICS
“It is Enochian, isn’t it?” Liebner asked.
“Yes,andno,” Feldingreplied. “It’sbasedonEnochian,
but it’s a crude and inaccurate transliteration, more likely
based on some of the occult works of the 18th and 19th
centuries than the true language.”
T h e fallen understand well the power of words.
Their understanding of the True Language is part of
their power. All characters are assumed to speak,
2 50

1 CHAPTER
Six
I
read and write in their native language. The fallen Specialties: Anesthesiology, Emergency Care, Pa-
gain this ability as part and parcel of the memories thology, Pediatrics, Pharmaceuticals, Poisons, Surgery
they absorb when inhabiting a mortal body. Dots in
Linguistics allow a character to speak additional
languages. T h e player chooses which languages the
character understands with the approval of the Sto-
OCCULT
“So.. . what is it?”Alejandro asked, bending over the
body. Feldingcleanedhis glasses before puttingthem back on.
\
ryteller. In the case of the fallen, this often includes
“A vampire ,” he said. ‘‘From one of their less presti-
gious clans , I’d say , from the look of him.”
ancient or even long-dead languages, although Lin-
‘NO shit ,” Alejandro replied, tapping the stake to make
guistics should not be required for these unless they
sure it was stillfirmly in place. “I always knew Caine was
are useful for something other than background
going to cause trouble.”
flavor. A high level of this Knowledge also includes
some understanding of the science of languages - There is a great deal of lore in the world about the
their construction, design and internal logic. Char- occult, the mysterious,the mythicand the legendary.In the
acters may choose the study of linguistics as one of World of Darkness, some of it is true, but most of it is not.
their “language” choices to get a more scholarly A character with knowledge of the occult not only knows
1
understanding of the topic. the theories, myths and legends but also has the ability to
0 Student: One extra language. discern fact from falsehood.Once, the fallen knew all there
was to know about the hidden powers of Creation, but a
College: Two extra languages. greatdealhas changed since their imprisonmentand there’s
Masters: Four extra languages. ,
much to learn. Knowledge of the occult is also useful in
Doctorate: Eight extra languages. mortal circles for attracting followers.
f
Scholar: 16 extra languages. 0 Student: You’ve read some books and picked
Possessed by: Diplomats, Linguists, Spies, Trans- up the basics.
lators, World Travelers College: You’ve read a lot of books and started
Specialties: Codes and Ciphers, Slang, any mod- to pick out the obvious falsehoods.
ern or ancient language, any written language Masters: You know all the major occult lore and a
MEDICIRE number of obscurefacts,althoughnot all of it is true.
‘‘NO,no,” Anila said as the boy struggled to rise. “Lie Doct0rate:Youcanseparate truthfromfalsehood,
still. I’m here to help.” Her expert fingers probedgently at and you know most of what there is to know.
the back of his head, then down his neck to his arm and he Scholar: You’re privy to secrets that few others
winced, the breath hissing between his teeth. are aware of.
“You’vedislocated it, ” she said, sliding her arm around Possessed by: Cultists, Exorcists, Mages, Neo-
z
his. “Hold on, this is going to hurt a bit.” Pagans, Occultists, Parapsychologists
This trait represents a n understanding of the work- Specialties: Cultural Beliefs, Demons, Faerie Folk,
ings of mortal clay, specifically the human body and Ghosts, Magic, Vampires, Werewolves
how to treat it. It represents knowledge of anatomy,
physiology and basic medical techniques and treat-
POLITICS
Milton leaned back in his chair, toying with the phone
ment at low levels. A t higher ranks it includes diagnosis,
cord and glancing out the window as he spoke. “Really,
treatment of disease and surgery, all the skills of a
Senator, there’s no need for such language.You wanted the
physician (whether or not the character has the license
votes toget your little initiativepassed, so yougot them. Do
to be an actual doctor). Characters with this trait can
you really care how? What matters is that I upheld my end
treat the injuries and maladies or others. If they wish,
ofthe bargain, and I expect you to uphold yours. Otherwise,
they can also use their knowledge of the human body to
well, I’m sure you can imagine all sorts of reasons why you
cause damage.
don’t want to piss me off. I’ll be in touch, Senator.”
Student: Basic first-aid and CPR training and
You know the ins and outs of the political game,
understanding of anatomy.
what the rules are, and who the major players are. You
College: Pre-med student or trained paramedic.
know who’s in power and how they got there, along with
**e Masters: You could be a licensed general their major rivals. You’vealso got agrasp of the issuesand
practitioner. how they affect the political process. This is primarily an
Doctorate: Surgeon or skilledmedical specialist. understanding of mortal politics, but politics is a fairly
Scholar: Renowned for your skill and know1 universal concept, so it carries over into the affairs of the
edge in the field. fallen and is good for dealing with any political creature.
Possessedby: Doctors,Lifeguards,Nurses, Paramedics To truly play the political game, of course, takes traits
151

like Expression, Performance and Subterfuge, but Poli- suicide following the stock market crash, or at least his death
tics gives you the knowledge to use them to good effect. was ruled a suicide. It was clear that someone had invested
lo 0 0
Student: Part-time political activist.
College: Political science major, small-town
politician
a lot of time and effort into havinga building there, but why?
For most questions, the answer is out there, if only
you know where to look. Research is the skill of
0 0 0 Masters: Campaign manager or political knowing where to look for information, gathering it
commentator. efficiently and organizing it so other people can absorb
0 0 0 0 Doctorate: Youcould holdanationalpolitical it without too much trouble. With this Ability, you
office. know the best places to start looking for particular
information and the best ways to go about it. Research
0 0 0 0 0 Scholar: You could move through the highest
differs from Academics in that it involves looking for
political circles in the world.
information, while Academics involves knowing in-
Possessed by: Activists, Lawyers,Politicians, Plot- formation, and Research tends to turn up more detailed
ters, Vampires information than someone can recall from memory.
Specialties: Bribery, City, Federal, International, 0 Student: You know how to use the card cata
t
State, Radical log in the library and your favorite search
~LIGIOIP engines on the Internet.
“Oh,Hell is real,” Gaviel said. “Very real, but it’s not 0 0 College: You actually know what the Dewey
aplacefor mortal souls. Only the fallen are imgrisoned there. Decimal numbers mean and how to find things
So consider the possibility that you can’t end up in Hell, no without a card catalog or search engine.
matter what youdo in this life. Sheds a whole new light on the 0 0 0 Masters: You’refamiliar with the best resources
Commandments and the rest of your dogma, doesn’t it?” of particular subjects of interest to you.
Recollectionsof Creation, the war and the Fall linger 0 0 0 0 Doctorate: It’s not a matter of if you will find the
in humanity’s collective consciousnessas myths and leg- information,just a matter of how long it will take.
ends. Around those beliefs, humans have built religions, 0 0 0 Scholar: You have tremendous information at
some of which unite more people than any nation or force your fingertips, and more only a phone call or
in the world. At the sametime, religionsdividepeople and email away.
serve as excusesfor atrocities.As focusesfor human faith,
Possessed by: Librarians, Researchers, Scholars,
religions are a subject of keen interest to the fallen, and
Students, Writers
many study them, both for means of influencing and
garnering worshippers and to find clues to the secrets of Specialties: Genealogy, Government Documents,
the past they have lost. Religion covers theology and History, Internet, Rare Books, Religious Archives
comparative religious studies along with knowledge of SCIERCE
major religions and (with increasing rank) knowledge of Detective Liebner glanced around the neat and sterile
lesser-known ones as well. Characters often take a spe- lab before catching the eye of the technician working there.
cialty in a particular religion. The tech put aside some slides she was looking at.
0 Student: You’ve taken a course or two in “Yougotthereporton thatparchmentwefound!” heasked.
comparative religion. She nodded, picking up the bagged ewidence from the counter.
00 College: Divinity student. “Interestingstuff,”she said. The writing was done in a
00 0 Masters: You could be a member of the clergy combinationof I& ink and h u m n blood , with minute maces
(yeah, right). ofpowderedgold,but that’snot the really interestingpart.The
00 0 0 Doctorate: You debate religious ideas and prin parchment itself is made from some kind of tanned h& .”
ciples with experts, and impress them. “What kind?” Liebner asked, afraid he already knew
0 0 0 0 0 Scholar: You could create your own religion.
the answer.
“Wehave to do afewm e tests...but we thinkit’shuman.”
Possessed by: Believers, Clergy, Scholars,
Televangelists This Ability represents an understanding of the
physical sciences: biology, chemistry, physics, and so
Specialties: Any specific religion such as Christian-
forth. Many characters have a specialty they focus on,
ity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Satanism and so forth.
but they retain a broad general knowledge of other
R~EARCM sciences. The Storyteller sets the difficulty for coming
So the building was constructed in 1927, but the up with a particular scientific fact or solving a scientific
site it occupies has occult associations going back mystery according to the complexity of the task. Sci-
almost as far as there were records for the time , Senachib ence is largely theoretical knowledge, Crafts and
mused. The financier behind its construction committed Technology cover its practical applications.
152

1 CHAPTER &U
I
0
Student: You did well in high school science class.
College: You have a broad general view of the
sciences and a little practical experience.
Masters: You’ve done your own research and ex
periments, probably even had a paper or two
published.
00 Doctorate: You’re a skilled researcher with
deep understanding of the sciences.
Scholar: Your research and theories are re
nowned and respected.
Possessed by: Academics, Engineers, Researchers,
Scientists, Technicians
Specialties: Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Metal-
lurgy, Physics, and many others
-H
Some traits are inborn, some are learned and prac-
ticed, and others are matters of experience,hard work and
good fortune. Over time, people accumulate things like
friends, contacts and favors. They earn money and acquire
resources and may also gain fame or status. These traits are
called Backgrounds. The represent the resources your
character has to draw on, rather than personal abilities.
They’re rated just like Attributes and Abilities are, but
they’re not rolled as often. A given level of a Background
represents an advantage your character has.
Backgrounds are related to a character’s history. Of-
ten, the Backgrounds of the fallen are not actually theirs,
but belong to the mortal form they inhabit. Lucky demons
end up in the bodies of wealthy, influential people while
the unfortunate end up in the shells of criminals, the poor
and the homeless. Ofcourse, the fallen living the lives of
the rich and famous have to deal with hiding their true
nature from friends, family and often the watchful eyes of
the media, whereas others have the benefit of anonymity.
ALLI~
53

___- -
DEMOY:
THEF~LLE!
names, histories and abilities,and the Storyteller may play give it to you. A botch may mean that the contact sellsyou
them as supporting characters in the chronicle. out or passes word on to the wrongpeople aboutwhat you’re
1 Allies are usually mortals, although more capable
allies may not be. Although they may know about your
lookingfor. Successdoesn’t guarantee exactly the informa-
tion you’re looking for. Contacts aren’t all-knowing, and
character’s true nature, allies generally aren’t as aware the Storytellerisperfectlyjustifiedinsayingthat aparticular
about the true nature of the World of Darkness, unless contact simply doesn’t know something.
they happen to specialize in the occult or the strange. X No contacts - you have to do all your
Although they are friendly toward your character, allies investigating on your own
have their own personalities, goals and needs. They’re 0 One contact.
not likely to risk themselves needlessly for you, and they
Two contacts.
may occasionally ask for a favor in return for their help.
0 0 0 Three contacts.
X No allies.
0 0 Four contacts.
0 One ally of moderate ability.
0 0 0 Five contacts.
0 Two allies or one more capable ally.
0.. Three allies or a combination of more EMI~YE~YCE
1 capable allies.
Four alliesor acombination of more capable allies.
Piers only paused when the big bruiser moved directly
between him and the door.
0 Five alliesof a combinationof more capable allies. “Youcan’tgo in there,” the bruiser said flatly, crossinghis
CORTACTS a m over his massive chest in emphasis. Piers only narrowed
his eyes, not taking them of the beady ones before him.
“She’s a runaway,” Anila said. “Sixteen, about five- “Oh,I think I can, unless you would prefer a one-way
twowithshorthair, dyedpurplehttimelsawher. Ifigured trip back into the Pit. Or could it be that you don’t know who
she might show up down there or at one ofthe other shelters. I am?”He let his true self show in Piers’ eyes andallaround
Ifshe does ,could you ring me at this number? Right, I know his mortal vessel, and the bruiser paled and shuddered.
that you normally keep things confidential, Don, but she’s “Forgive me, sir,” he stammered, quickly stepping
a client and it’s important. Brilliant, thanks.” aside. “I didn’t recognize you. ”
She had to find that girl. She didn’t have any idea what
Even in the time before the Fall, there was a
she’d gotten herself into, but Anila knew people in social
definite order among the servants of the One. Since
services all over London. If the girl showed up, Anila would
then, the fallen have developed a definite pecking
hear about it.
order, with the strongest and most capable (or most
You know people and can get information from them. cunning) at the top. This trait gives you a measure of
Contacts differ from allies in that they are usually only
influence and prestige in demon society. Lesser demons
willing to provide your characterwith information and not
will tend to stay out of your way, and peers will respect
other kinds of assistance. The Contacts background also
you as long as you don’t give them any reason to do
represents your character’s tnformation resources in gen-
otherwise. You may even be able to throw your weight
eral, a network of associates,friends of friends and so forth.
around a bit with low-ranking demons and get the
A contact can generally provide you information attention of higher-ups. Of course, greater prestige also
in a particular area of expertise. For each dot in this brings with it a higher profile. Other demons are more
Background, you have one contact with a particular
likely to have heard of you and to know more about you.
area of expertise. If you want, multiple areas can be
They’re also more likely to bear grudges against you, or
concentrated in a single contact for multiple dots, or
at least what you stand for.
some combination thereof. Contacts are characters
and should be named and described, along with their X You’redownat thebottomoftheladderwithmost
area of expertise, before the character enters the ofthe fallen,just anotheroftherabblefromthePit.
chronicle. The Storyteller runs contact characters and 0 You were somebodyonce, maybebefore the Fall or
sets the difficulty for getting information from them. during the rebellion, and that counts for a some
Generally, you can get information by rolling the thing with some demons.
appropriate Social Attribute (chosen by the Storyteller) + 0 0 You’ve got a measure of influence, either an
Contacts against a difficulty.Information in your contact’s up-and-comer or a significant talent.
area is easierto get than more obscureor unrelated informa- 0.. You’ve got significant influence, enough to get
tion.The Storytellermayalsomodlfythedifficultybasedon lesser demons to do what you tell them (if only to
your treatment of the contact. Fair and decent treatment
makes contacts more helpful. A failure on the roll means
the contact doesn’t have the information or isn’t willing to
.... avoid angering you).
You’re one of the movers and shakers of the
local scene. Everyone knows who you are.
154

You command the local court and have influence No, you’re not, Gaviel thought, but you will be.
on a worldwidescale.You may have beena famous Until then, you can be of some use to me.
figurefrom the rebellionor earnedyour reputation Followers are servants,worshippersor even loyal hire-
since then. lings working for you. They’re people willing to devote a
substantial amount of their time (perhapseven all of it) to
taking care of various tasks for you. A demon’sfollowersare
“I’msorry, you probably get this ull the time, but I just h e often (but not always) sources of faith and worship.
your work. I mean, there’sjust such a passim, a real energy to it. Although followersare assumedto be loyal to you, you
l’mawriter, too, actually. Well, notpublishedlikeyou, ofcourse, have to maintain their loyalty through money, a pact or
butl’vebeenwmkingreallyhardatitand... God,I’msony! You some other form of influence.Followers that are ignored or
probably have to listento wannabe writers aU the time.” mistreated will eventually leave in search of greener pas-
“It’s okay ,” Dominic said soothingly. “Actually, it’s tures. Followers that are treated well will tend to remain
rare to run into someone with such an obvious passion for loyal, although they still have their own goals and person-
the craft. Would you care to join me? I’d like to hear more alities. You and the Storyteller should work together to
about your writing. Perhaps I can offera few suggestions.” describe any followers you have and why they follow you.
(
You have a measure of fame in mortal society, Followers are usually people of modest ability.
possibly as aperformer, athlete, politicianor other sort of They may have a few useful skills, but they don’t have
public personality. Your fame gives you various perks, any special abilities unless you choose to invest Faith in
but it can also make it difficult for you to hide your true them (seep. 252). The Storyteller should see to it that
nature from the world. Fame is also very close to worship, your followers are useful without being overpowering
and you might be able to parlay your fame into some -no cadres of elite commandos or secret ninja cults.
additional Faith, if you play your cards carefully. X No followers -you work on your own.
On one hand, fame gives you power and influence in 0 One follower.
mortal society. You can get away with a lot when you’re Two followers.
famous, and people tend to defer to you. You’refrequently
0 Three followers.
recognized, and you can often get star treatment from
Four followers.
people. Ontheotherhand,it isdifficultfor youtogoplaces
without being recognized, and the media watches you Five followers.
carefully.Anything unusual about you is more likely to be
noticed (although not necessarily in a bad way - the
IIYPLUERCE
famousare expected to be eccentric). The Storytellermay As they spedalong the highway, Tom spotted the lights
reduce the difficulty of some Social rolls when you’re k h i n g behind them.
dealing with particularly star-struck fans or the like.
“Oh,shit, it’s a cop,” he said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Laura replied.
X Who? You might get your 15 minutes like “Don’t worry about it! If he pulls us over--”
everyone else, but they haven’t come yet. “Isuid,don‘twomyaboutit,” sherepeated. By noev thecop
0 You’re well known to a small circle or subcul had called her plate number in it, and it would only take a few
ture, like the elite or the occult crowd of a moments fm them to teU him whom he was following. S M y
particular city. thereafrer, the cop sped up and passed them and Laura slowly
You’re a local celebrity like a TV or radio person slightly to let himgo, smilingslightly. It pad to k w ~ o p l e .
ality. Most people in your area recognize you. You can pull strings in mortal society to get things
You’re known statewide or in a large subculture, done or to get people to look the other way. Your
such as science-fictionfans or academics. influence may come from wealth, fame, political power,
You’re nationally famous, most people have at social connections, blackmail, religious fervor, super-
least heard of you. Many recognize you. natural power or some combination thereof. The greater
You’re internationallyfamous, a mega-media star, your Influence rating is, the stronger and more far-
known (and mobbed with fans) wherever you go. reaching your influence is.
Exercising your influence usually requires a Social
FOLLO
WER~ Attribute + Influence roll, although the Storyteller
“Areyou sure that you’re ready for the freedom I offer may waive the roll for minor exercises such as getting
you?” Gaviel asked the young man kneeling before. a traffic ticket fixed. The Storyteller sets the difficulty
“Yes,” he said defiantly , proudly, “I’mready to cast off for an Influence roll based on what you’re trying to get
the chains that I’ve been forced to wear. ” done. Appropriate Abilities (such as Subterfuge) and
“Are you ready for the truth?’’Gaviel intoned. Backgrounds (such as Allies, Contacts or Fame) may
“Yes, I am ready ,” he replied. lower the difficulty. The fallen are generally cautious in

DEMOU:
THEFALLEN
exercising their influence, since obvious uses may at- 0 You can remember a fair amount of informa
tract the attention of the Earthbound and other demons. tion about the Fall.
1 X
0
You’ve got no more influence than the average
person on the street.
You can influence city politics and agencies.
0
0 0 0 0
You remember the war and your exploits with
some detail.
You remember a great deal about the war and
0 0 You can influence state politics and agencies. the time before the Fall.
0 0 You can influenceregional politics and agencies. 0 0 0 You have a wealth of detailed memories of your
0 0 0 You can influencenational politics and agencies. past existence.
O O O O * You can influence international politics
and agencies.
MEETOR
Piers stepped into the office. It was dark and opulent
LEGACU without becomingdecadent. He closed the door behind him
and waited quietly to be acknowledged.
“Wait! Stop the car!” Steven shouted.
Andrea slammed on the brakes on the steep mountain “I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon,” a voice said
road and edged over onto a nuwow shoulder set aside for from the high-backed chair facing the window that looked
1 sightseers.Steven was out of the car before it hadcompletely

stopped rolling.
Hundreds of feet b e h , the wooded v&y spread its rich,
blue-greenmantle,risingtotherollinghi&tenmileseast.Evenafrer
out over the lights of the city.
“There’sa problem, ” Piers began. “Ineed your advice. ”
A great deal has changed in the mortal world since
the rebellion, and the fallen are not always aware of how
the longmiles and the sleepless nights Andrea felt her heart stir at things have changed. They’re also new to mortal exist-
the sight. “It‘s beautifid,”she said, “but w ’ s not the tim-” ence and the various limits placed on their power. This
“Give me a minute,” Steven said, cutting her off with Background gives your character a mentor, a guide and
a raised hand. He stared intently at the rise and fall of the teacher who gives you advice and guidance. Most likely
panorama below. “This looks so familiar. Of course, there your mentor is a fellow demon who has been around the
weren’t any trees back then. This was all seafloor. But.. .” block a few times and has reason to want to help you. It’s
“But?”Andrea said. also possible your mentor might be a mortal well-versed
Steven pointed a tentative finger and a section of the in the secrets of the fallen and willing to help you out
valley floor. “Lord Iriel made his last stand down there, in with the nuances of the mortal world. A low rating in this
one of our legion’s last bastions. It was the best hidden and Background indicates a mentor with limited resources
I best defended stronghold we had left.” He looked ut his

companion. “It could still be there. ”
The mortal mind is ill-equipped for the vast memo-
ries of the fallen, and much of what demons remember
and influence, while a high rating gives you a mentor
who commands respect (and possibly fear).
Your mentor acts on your behalf, although the Story-
teller determines exactly how. Usually, a mentor offers
from the Age of Wrath and before is driven deep into advice, allowing the Storyteller to use the mentor to help
I their host’s subconscious, where it can only be felt dimly, guide you. Mentorsmay alsouse their influenceor abilitiesto
help you out, although most mentorslike to see their charges
if at all. This Background allows you to recall more of
your past memories than other fallen, permitting you do things for themselves. A mentor is likely to give up in
access to more detailed information about personalities, disgust on a pupil who constantlyasks for help. Mentorsmay
places and events that occurred in Earth‘s prehistory. also ask for somethingin return for their aid, which can lead
Calling upon your memories requires an Intelli- your character into some interesting situations.
gence + Legacy roll. The difficulty of the roll depends X You’re on your own.
on the relative obscurity of the information you’re 0 A mentor of little influence or power.
after, at the discretion of the Storyteller. Remembering 0 0 A mentor of modest influence or power.
details about a close compatriot during the War of 0 A mentor of considerable influence or power
Wrath would require a difficulty of 6, while recalling in an area.
the location of a specific battlefield or the location of 0 00 A mentor with influence or power over an area
a former bastion might require a difficulty of 7 or like a city.
higher. The number of successes determines the depth 0 0 0 A mentor with tremendous power.
and breadth of your recollections.
X You have only the barest recollection of your
former existence. ‘You’re safe ’” Magdiel said. “There’s nothing to be
0 You can remember some details of the war and afruid of. No one can hurt you as long as I’m here.”
those you fought with. “Thank you,’’ the girl said.
156

“No, thank you,” Magdiel replied. “You give me the You can re-roll four evocation rolls when using
strength toprotectyou.Youhelpgive me thestrength togoon.” your primary lore.
You’ve already established one or more pacts with You can re-roll five evocation rolls when using
mortals, granting them their desires in exchange for your primary lore.
some of their Faith (see p. 252 for more on pacts). Each
dot in this Background represents one pre-existing pact RmouRcm
you can draw upon for Faith. You should work with the Theekvamdoorsopened, andheyes werejustaswzdeas
Storyteller to describe the nature of your various pacts, he took in the room. There was a sunken living area with deep,
who they are with, their conditions and so forth. The rich carpeting. Tastefulpaintings and pieces of sculpture were
Storyteller may even want to include the establish- placed aU around. The lighting was soft and indirect, and the
ment of one or more of your pacts in the prelude. furniture looked c o m f d k enough to die in, but best of all was
Once your character enters play, the pacts pro- the view. Tall windows looked out ower a glittering city skyline.
vided by this Background function like any other. You LLWow! Is this place really yours?”he asked. Wow do
you afford it?”
1
do not have to have any dots in Pacts to create pacts in
play, only to start with established ones. Christina smiled, taking him by the hand and leading
X You have no established pacts. him in as the elevator doors closed behind them.
“Let’sjust say I love my work,” she said wickedly,
0 One established pact (1 Faith per day).
drawing him closer.
Two established pacts (2 Faith per day).
Once, all creatures were beyond material needs as
00. Three established pacts (3 Faith per day).
such, but in the modern World of Darkness, it’s what-
Four established pacts (4 Faith per day). ever you can get. This Background measures your
Five established pacts (5 Faith per day). character’s material resources, both possessions and
wealth. The fallen generally start out with whatever
QARAGON their mortal vessels had (if anything) and go from
“Well, that could have gone better.” there. Some have little difficulty accumulating wealth,
Sephidor ignored the sarcastic tone as he looked at the while others have a harder time (or simply don’t care
stubbornmachine. It should be well within his power to deal about material things).
with the problem. Your dots in Resources represent a “standard of
“Do you have enough juice to try again?” his client living” your character has attained. It can usually be
asked. Sam just smiled. maintained fairly easily (although the Storyteller may
“If at first you don’t succeed...” he replied and sur- put obstacles in your path from time to time). You get
prised the smartass by trying again right then and there. As a basic monthly income from your resources, over and
many times as it takes, Sam thought. I’m in no hurry. above your basic needs, which you can spend as you see
Each House of the fallen resonates with a particular fit. You also have various basic possessions,like a home,
facet of Creation they were set over by the Lord Above vehicle, clothing and so forth. The Storyteller deter-
that forms the lore of that House. Some of the fallen are mines if you are likely to own something based on your
particularly capable in their primary lore. It might be a resources level. If you need to, you can liquidate your
certain deftness with which they tug the strings of Cre- possessions for additional cash, although it takes time
ation or an insight into its inner workings. Whatever the to sell them (especially large possessions like houses
case, these paragons are the virtuosos of their lore - and cars).
potential masters of the art. X No resources: You’ve got nothing but the clothes
A paragon can re-roll a number of evocation rolls on your back, the stuff you can carry and maybe a
per chapter in his primary lore equal to his rating in this little cash in your pocket.
Background. This means that a paragon can use his 0 Small savings: You have a small apartment and
primary lore more often and with greater effect without maybe a motorcycle. If liquidated,you would have
risking a loss of Faith. about $100 in cash. Income of $500 a month.
X You’re no more (or less) talented than any 0. Middle class: You have an apartment or condo
other demon. minium and a car. If liquidatedyou would have at
You canre-rollone evocationroll whenusingyour least $8,000. Income of $1,200 a month.
primary lore. 0.. Upper class: You own a house or other property
You can re-roll two evocation rolls when using and have a fairly nice car. If liquidated,you would
your primary lore.
You can re-roll three evocation rolls when
using your primary lore.
.... have at least $50,000.Income of $3000 a month.
Wealthy: You own a large house and probably
more than one car (or a boat, or other vehicles). If
157

THEFALLEN
DEMON:
-
liquidated you would have at least $500,000. 0 Uncaring
Income of $9,000 a month. Normal
1 Filthy rich: You’re a multimillionaire. YOUmay
own a mansion (or several) and collect cars for a
0 0 0
0 0 0
Ethical
Righteous
hobby. If liquidated,you would have at least Saintly
$5,000,000.Income of $30,000 a month.
v m
hi
’A cO~VICTION
AllofCreationhasapurpose,
and everything happens for a rea-
Once the fallen embodied certain virtues. In fact, son. Once the fallen never
their passionate devotion to their nations of right questioned this. They understood
and wrong, their compassion for humanity, and that everythlng was a part of God’s
their belief in the righteousness of their cause is divine plan, and they took comfort in
what led them to rebel in the first place. The that certainty.Thewillignestoques-
memories and mortality of their human hosts tion God’s will, to wonder what the
t reawaken the fallen’s virtuous selves. and thev

cling to those Virtues to holc
memories of the aeons of t(
they’ve suffered.
purposeof certainthmgs is,helpedbring
lout the Fall and the rebellion. Now the
illen look for meaning in the seemingly
mdom happenings of the world again.
In Demon, a character’s \
1
Conviction is a measure of a
tues measure his dedication character’s innate understanding
those ideals. They influence hc of the order of Creation. It is a
the character reacts incertainsit combination of an almost Zen-
ations, and they affect when anc like ability to accept circumstances
how the character may be over- with ease and grace and the ability
come by torment. The fallen to keep the faith in the face of any
need their Virtues to hold on adversity. Characters with high Con-
to their sanity and resist be- 1 iction know, on the deeDestlevel,what
coming the insane creatures Lust be, and’they accept it.
they once were. 1 Cynical
COlY3CIENCE b Uncertain
Conscience is the ability Temperate
to distinguish between right Faithful
and wrong, a moral compass Unswerving
and the ability to feel re-
morse for one’s misdeeds. COUR7lGE
Conscience is what shocks Courage is the strength of one’s
the fallen out of their Tor-
ment when the first inhabit a
mortal host. It is like holding ,d
b
Conscienceandconviction,theabil-
ity toremainfirminthe faceofdanger,
fear or adversity.It includesbravery in
t
up a mirror in which the thefaceof danger,but it’smore than
fallen can see how twisted that. It’s also the ability to with-
and hideous they have be- stand pain and hardship for the
come, compared t o the greater good or even to sacrifice
shining beings they once oneself when necessary. Coura-
were. They see their deeds geous characterscan face nearly
objectively for the first time anythingwithoutflinching,and
and feel remorse at what they they have the ability to do what
have done. Conscience is a must be done, regardless of the
measure of the character’s consequences. While a high-
dedication to a personal code Conscience character might
of ethics and to doing the know that an action is right, and
right thing. a high-Conviction character

1 CHAPTER
SIX
I
knows that it is necessarv, it takes Courage to go out anddo any other trait. The Faith pool starts out equal to
it, no matter how hard it may be. permanent Faith, but demons use Faith pool to fuel their
0 Timid various supernatural abilities, allowing them to perform
Normal amazing feats. Demonic powers come in three varieties,
Brave all fueled by the power of Faith: innate abilities, the
apocalyptic form and lore. For details of these powers, see
Resolute
Chapter Seven.
Lion-Hearted
Some powers merely require the demon to have
FAITM Faith, meaning at least one die in their Faith pool. This
allows the fallen to use their innate abilities at will, for
Faith is the core of the fallen power, the ability example. Other powers, like activating the apocalyptic
r
that once let them literally move mountains. Although
form or using lore, require a Faith roll (similar to a
their power is no longer what it was, demons can still Willpowerroll) or require the expenditure of Faith points
influence Creation in various ways through their Faith.
to function.
Faith is a combination of a demon’s self-assurance,
For more details o n how Faith is used, see Chap-
insight into the nature of Creation and closeness to the
ter Nine.
divine power they once wielded. Before the Fall, de-
mons had faith in their Creator and drew their power REVELATIOR
from Him. Now the fallen place their faith only in Although they possess amazing powers, demons
themselves (and sometimes in humanity) and draw do take a risk in using their abilities too often, the
their power from their belief in themselves and mortals’ chance of Revelation. T h e more Faith a demon uses
faith in them. in a given scene, the more likely mortals are to see
Unlike most traits, Faith is rated o n a scale from 1- the fallen’s true nature through the guise of mortal
10, since it can transcend the limits of mortality. The flesh. This may be awe-inspiring or terrifying, de-
greater ademon’s Faith is, more power it wields over the pending on the demon’s Torment, but it is always a
forces of Creation. powerful experience for any mortal. T h e Revelation
also announces a demon’s presence to others able to
SPENDING
FAITM sense the disturbances that happen when one tampers
fallen characters have two Faith scores, permanent with Creation. This makes it more difficult for de-
Faith and a pool of Faith dice. Permanent Faith is like mons to conceal their activities from their enemies.
159

DEMON:
THEFALLEN 1
I
T h e intensity of the Revelation is based on how

much Faith a demon expends i n a given scene. T h e
more Faith used, the greater the effect.
For details o n how Revelation affects mortals, see
Chapter Nine.
FAITH
REGAIRING
(
Having lost faith in their Creator, the fallen can
regain Faith only by taking it from mortals. They do so
in one of two ways: reaping -taking Faith from mortal
fear or awe - and pacts, deals made with mortals to
acquire their Faith in exchange for something the
demon provides. See Chapter Nine for detailed systems
covering these two methods.
F~APIIYG demon can break it. As long as the demon upholds its
Reaping is a quick, short-term means of acquiring end, there’s nothing the mortal can do (short of de-
Faith. All it requires is a mortal to believe in the stroying the demon, which is easier said than done).
demon’s existence and power even for a moment. That The nature of the pact is entirely up to the demon.
moment is enough for the fallen to seize the mortal’s High-Tormentdemonstend toward corruptivepacts, offer-
ing mortals their secret desires, luring them with promises
t
faith, and take it for their own. Reaping can take any
form that convinces a mortal, without adoubt, that the of power and luxury. Low-Torment demons may prefer
demon is a true supernatural being. A mortal being pacts of genuine gratitude and devotion on the mortal’s
skinned alive by a creature from Hell has no doubt that part, such as fulfilling someone’sdream of becoming a great
it is real. Likewise a mortal who receives the aid of a artist, or healing a critically injured or ill person. Demons
shining guardian angel knows that a divine power has often perform favors for mortals before establishing a pact
intervened. A Revelation is not enough in and of itself, with them. If the mortal refuses the deal, the demon can
though. The demon must interact with the mortal in always revoke its favor to give the mortal something to
some direct way. The Storyteller judges whether or not think about. As they say, the first taste is free.. ..
a particular action is enough to constitute a reaping.
The fallen are cautious about reaping, simply because it
forces them to reveal themselves to mortals and in-
creases the chance of demon-hunters or other foes The fallen are all haunted by the past. The two
tracking them down. greatest things they loved, God and humanity, both
I PACTS
A more reliable way for the fallen to gain Faith is to
establishpats. Apact is a relationship between ademon
turned their backs on them and consigned them to
millennia of torture and pain, but nothing Hell could
offer was worse than the first terrible wounds inflicted
by the betrayal of their Creator and their beloved
and a mortal. The demon provides the mortal with a charges. All demons carry a measure of that pain with
service of some sort and, in return, the mortal provides them, and many are driven mad by it. A demon’s
the demon with Faith. Pacts take time to set up and Torment is a measure of the anguish and suffering it
maintain, but they offer several advantages, including a carries, and how it deals with those painful memories.
continuing supply of Faith and the fact that the mortal -
Like Faith, Torment is rated on a scale of 1 10,and
does not need to be aware of the demon’s true nature (at it has a temporary and a permanent aspect. A demon
least at first). with a permanent Torment of 1is close to forgiving and
Establishing a pact is relatively simple. The demon letting go of the sins of the past, and deals with them
offers to fulfill a wish or desire for the mortal in extraordinarily well, for the most part. A demon with
exchange for the mortal’s devotion and worship. If the a permanent Torment of 10 is consumed by his own
mortal agrees, the demon spends a point of Faith and pain and torment, incapable of doing anything except
fulfills the mortal’s wish to seal the pact. In order to be inflicting the same on others. The greater a demon’s
successful, the demon must fulfill the mortal’s desire Torment is, the less compassion and caring he is ca-
and the mortal must willingly accept the gift and the pable of feeling. A character’s permanent Torment
terms of the pact. The attempt fails if the demon varies depending on his Celestial House, detailed in
doesn’t live up to his end of the bargain or if the mortal Chapter Five. All characters begin the game with a
refuses the pact. Once a pact is established, only the temporaw Torment of 0.

TMEUAG~OP~IN and the appropriate Virtue. Use your character’s Con-
Heartlessactsof selfishnessand crueltyonly strengthen science for situations in which he makes a sacrifice or
a demon’s inner torment, hardening the soul and stoking puts the needs of another ahead of himself because he
the fires of resentment and hatred. The fallen who give in knows it’s the right thing to do. Use Conviction in
to the temptation to lash out at the world for their pain situations where the character performs an act at great
begin to wallow and drown in it. When a demon commits personal cost to himself to remain true to his beliefs.
a sin against one of his Virtues, his temporary Torment Finally, use Courage for situations where the character
may increase. The Storyteller should always warn players displays gallantry and valor for the sake of someone
when their characters are about to perform actions that else. You cannot spend Willpower on Virtue rolls.
may cause them Torment, allowing them the opportunity If Torment wins, your cynicism and emotional pain
to reconsider as the demon’s Virtue tugs at the corners of overwhelm the good deed. W h y are you even bothering?
his mind. In situations where a demon acts in a way that It’s not going to do any real good in the end. Look where
satisfieshis immediate needs at the expense of his ethics, all your good intentions got you before. They’re not
make a Conscience roll. In situations where a demon acts kiddingwhen they say the road to Hell is paved with them.
in a way that violates his personal beliefs, make a Convic- Your temporary Torment remains unchanged.
tion roll. When the demon chooses a course of action out IfVirtuewins, your act ofkindnessaffirms your divine
of fear for his safety and at the expense of others, make a nature and lifts you above your own suffering, if only for a
Courage roll. moment. In that moment,youcanseeashadow ofwhat you
When your character sins, make a roll using the once were. You lose a point of temporary Torment.
appropriateVirtue, with adifficultyof 8. You cannot spend On a tie, things remain unchanged, and you have
Willpower to get a successon the roll, nor can the roll botch. to wonder if it really is all worth it.
If the Virtue roll succeeds, the character feels
remorse and a sense of horror at how far she has fallen. BEREFITS
THE OF EAPEKIERCE
She refuses to give in to her demonic nature, and her The fallen can also use experience (p. 164) to de-
temporary Torment does not increase. crease their permanent Torment, representing lessons
If the Virtue roll fails, your character exults in the learned from existence in the material world, clothed in
rush of power, stoking the fires of her personal Hell. mortal flesh. Fallen characters can spend 10 experience
This must be what God felt like when He chose to exile points to decreasetheir permanent Torment by one point.
your character to endless torment, the power to take Whether through acts of kindness or experience,
lives into your hands and do with them as you please. permanent Torment cannot decrease below 1. How
Your character gains a point of temporary Torment. can the fallen regain the innocence they have lost?
When you have acquired 10 points of temporary How can they find it within themselves to entirely put
Torment, these points are converted to a single point of aside the pain they have suffered?
permanent Torment. Once your permanent Torment in-
creases to 10, your character is entirely consumed by it.
EFFECTS
OFTORMEIYT
Incapable of compassionor hope, the character passes into
A demon’s Torment has a number of effects on the
character’s appearance and the way his powers work, de-
the hands of the Storyteller, no longer suitable for play.
pending on its rating and its relationship to the demon’s
ACTSOF~ ~ I N D I Y ~ S other traits. In general, it reflects how much of the demon’s
Where cruel and selfish actions increase Torment, inner anguish consumes its thoughts and feelings,as well as
kindness and selflessness are a balm to the torment of the the demon’s capacity for cruelty and compassion.
fallen, those not too proud or lazy to seek it out, that is. If your Torment creates difficulty in using your lore
Acts of kindness remind demons of the divine beings they (p. 169),your pain taints what you do. When you attempt
once were, and they can help reduce one’sTorment. Such to perform an evocation, compare the successes rolled to
acts must be truly kind and compassionate, done for no your character’sTorment. If more of the successes rolled
reason other than the act itself, without expectation of show numbers that are greater than the character’s Tor-
reward. Supposed acts of kindness aimed at creating a pact ment score, then the evocation is performed normally. If a
or winning over a mortal (or for any other selfish reason) majority of the successes rolled show numbers equal to or
need not apply. The Storyteller determines whether a less than the character’sTorment, the demon’shatred and
particular act is sufficient to count toward a reduction in anguish perverts the process, causing the high-Torment
Torment. In some cases, a series of small good deeds (such effectinstead.Conversely,you mightdecidethat asituation
as volunteer work) may count as a single act of kindness. calls for a more destructive use of your power. You can
When your character performs a sufficiently self- choose to use the high-Torment effect of your lore, but you
less and kind act, make a resisted roll between Torment automaticallygainapoint oftemporaryTorment asaresult.
161

DEMO\:THEFALLE~
For example, Zaphriel is ambushed by a group of called for. You use the full rating, regardless of how
demon-hunters that rush her as she approaches her car. many temporary points you have. Temporary Will-
Knowing the character is outnumbered and possibly power points can be “spent” for various effects, mostly
outgunned, Jen turns to Zaphriel’s lore and sees that the representing sheer determination overcoming obstacles
high-Torment effect of Voice of Heaven inflicts bash- in the character’s path.
ing damage on every mortal for several yards around the Characters with no temporary Willpower left are
character. Caught in a desperate situation, Jen decides exhausted,physically, mentally and emotionally.They’ve
to use the high-Torment effect. Zaphriel opens herself used up their reserves of determination and tend to be
to her darker nature and utters a hissing shriek of listless and unmotivated. They’re also more likely to give
blasphemies that send the mortals reeling. Though she in to circumstances rather than struggling against them.
escapes, the brief taste of ageless hatred still lingers. Characters can regain Willpower in various ways, but it
Zaphriel gains a temporary Torment point. isn’t easy, so players should spend Willpower carefully.
The appearance of your apocalypticform in a Rev- 0 Spineless
elation (p. 253) varies based on your Torment rating. If it 0. Weak
is less thanor equal to halfyourWillpower,your apocalyptic
form is glorious and awe-inspiring. If your Torment is
....
0..
.....
Unassertive
Diffident
.....
greater than half your Willpower, mortals may see you as
awesome or terrifying, depending on their own point of Certain
view. IfyourTormentisgreaterthan your Willpowerrating, 0 Confident
your apocalyptic form is nightmarish and horrifying. Determined
For example, Zaphriel has a Willpower of 5 and a Controlled
Torment of 4. When she reveals her apocalyptic form, Iron-Willed
mortals see her as a radiant figure of supernatural maj- Unshakable
esty, or a sinister, seductive spirit wreathed in a nimbus
of hellish light. Later on, if Jen were to spend some hard- ~ P E F I D I R GWILLPOWER
won experience points to lower Zaphriel’s permanent Willpower represents the ability to succeed through
Torment to 2, she would have purged her character of sheer determination. It’s useful for a number of things.
her malevolent desires to the degree that anyone looking Players can spend a point of Willpower to gain an
upon her would see only the faded glory of an angel. automatic success on a single action. Only one point of
Willpower can be spent in a single turn in this manner,
but the success is guaranteed and cannot be canceled,
even by a botch. Therefore, characters can get at least
Willpower measures your character’s drive, deter- a minimal success on an action through determination
mination and self-confidence. Much like Faith, and effort. For extended rolls, extra successes from
Willpower is rated on a scale of 1-10 and has both a Willpower can speed things along.
I permanent and a temporary rating. The permanent
Willpower rating is used whenever a Willpower roll is
You must declare that you are spending Willpower
on a roll before you roll the dice. You can’t spend it
162

1 CH~PTEK
SIX
I
retroactively to make a roll more successful or to cancel Characters regain all temporary Willpower at
out the effects of a botch. The Storyteller may also the end of a story (not necessarily game session, but
declare that Willpower cannot be spent on certain rolls. story). The Storyteller may require the characters to
You can spend a point of Willpower to ignore any achieve some particular goal or objective or otherwise
penalties due to wounds or other distractions for one feel like they succeeded (even just a little) in order to A
turn, focusing your concentration for a last-ditch effort. regain Willpower. In cases where the characters were
You can spend a point of Willpower to keep a frustrated or things came to a stalemate, a partial
Faith die from being removed from your Faith pool. recovery of Willpower may be more appropriate.
This represents holding on to Faith through sheer Storyteller’s may allow characters to regain a
dedication and force of will. You can spend as many point of Willpower after a full night’s rest or equivalent
Willpower points as there are failed Faith dice, up to opportunity to recharge their batteries and come at
your remaining temporary Willpower. things refreshed. This assumes that the character is
resting or relaxing, not otherwise engaged.
REGAIIPIICIGUILLPO
WER If a character achieves a significant goal or
Characterscan recover Willpower in a few ways. Tem- performs a particularly impressive action that affirms
poraryWillpowercanneverexceedthechcter’spermanent his sense of confidence, the Storyteller may choose to
Willpower rating. The only way to increase the permanent award the character a Willpower point as a bonus.
Willpower rating is though experience (p. 164).
When a character behaves in accordance with
Recovering Willpower is usually a matter of reaf- his Nature, he affirms his sense of self and may be
firming the character’s sense of confidence and allowed to regain a point of Willpower (or more, for
wellbeing, so certain actions and situations may allow particularly appropriate actions). For example, a Direc-
a character to recover Willpower. Ultimately it’s up to tor may regain Willpower after successfully using
the Storyteller to decide when characters recover Will- organization to get a group to accomplish a task.
power during the story. Storytellers should tailor the
Characters may be able to recover Willpower if they
recovery of Willpower to suit the story, keeping in
find themselves in dire straits and have to push on in order
mind that it’s a powerful and useful trait, so characters
to succeed, for example, or if they refuse to give
shouldn’t be allowed to recover it tooquickly, up despite the odds. Awarding
or else they won’t face much of a kes
challenge in the story. :tle
163

easieron the players,while withholding Willpower makes some outside force summons it back to the mortal world,
things more difficult. Fine-tune your game’s Willpower such as a ritual of summoning.Some demons take care to
recovery to suit the tone and style you want. ensure that at least one mortal follower or worshipper is
capable of summoning them back to Earth and providing
a new mortal vessel, although doing so means trusting a
mortal with the secrets of summoningdemons, a danger-
Although they have great supernatural power, most ous proposition itself.
demons still wear stolen mottal flesh, so they are vulnerable For more information on possessing new bodies or
to the various weaknesses of the flesh. The Health trait physical objects, see Chapter Nine.
measures a character’sphysical wellbeing. Characters have
seven“healthlevels,”asshownonthecharactersheetand the
Health Levelstable.Whencharacterstake damage,they lose
one or more health levels until they can recover them
-
B -0
Even the fallen are capable of learning from their

through rest or supernatural healing. Characters also accu- experiences and mistakes. Characters grow and change
mulatepenalties to movement,actionsand dicepoolsdue to over time, going through a process of self-discovery and
the effects of their injuries. If a penalty reduces a character’s
1 dice pool to zero, the character cannot even attempt that
action. A player can spend a point of Willpower for his
development.Experiencereflectsthe effectsof this growth.
At the conclusion of each story (or chapter of a
story, for long sessions), the Storyteller awards experi-
character to ignore wound penalties for one action, though. ence points to the characters. These points can be used
See Chapter Eight for more information on dam- to improve existing traits as well as acquire entirely new
age and how it affects characters. traits for the character. Players keep track of the expe-
FAITM
HEALIIPG rience points their characters have earned, and they
spend them between stories (or during breaks in longer
Demons can repair their mortal vessels with the power
stories) to improve their characters.
of their Faith, as long as they are conscious and capable of
action. Spendinga point of Faith heals either a singlelevel of The Storyteller has final approval on any use of
lethal damage or d levels of bashing damage. Faith cannot experience to improve character traits or acquire new
healaggravateddamage.Only timeormorepowerfdabilities traits. Such improvement usually requires more than
can do so. (See Chapter Seven for details.) Injured demons
just spending experience points, it also requires the
character to undergo training or practice enough to
1 low on Faith may resort to reaping to replenish themselves.

DEMOI~~SARDDEATM
Although they wear mortal flesh, the fallen are not
warrant the increase, and the Storyteller may place
additional requirements on the character. For example,
an increase in Faith requires something that truly
mortal. Their bodies can die just like mortals’ do when affirms the demon’s sense of self and understanding of
they exceed the Incapacitated health level, but the spirit the nature of Faith. The Storyteller can use efforts to
-the immortal essence of the demon itself -lives on. improve traits as story hooks, sending characters off to
A demon who loses his mortal vessel has three find teachers or mentors, or providing them with op-
options. If there is another suitable vessel nearby - a portunities to grow and develop in different ways.
mortal body with a weak or
absent soul -the demon can
attempt to possess it. If there
is no suitable vessel nearby,
the demon may attempt to
anchor himself to a particular
place or object, becoming
Earthbound and eliminating
the need for a mortal vessel.
Finally, if one of the demon’s
thralls is nearby, the fallen
can use the pact of Faith to
automatically possess the
mortal’s body.
If these options fail, the
demon is hurled back into the
Abyss and trapped there until
164

SIX
CHAPTER
Characters’ traits generally should not improve by

more than one dot per story, unless the story takes place At the end of each game session or chapter in a
over a long period of time. It takes time to make longer story, you should award characters between one
significant improvements. and five experience points. One point is automatic.
New TRAITS Every character should get at least one simply for
experiencing the events of the story. Five points is truly
2
Improving existing traits is fairly simple. T h e extraordinary, reflecting a dramatic and nearly perfect
character practices and studies to get better at the performance on the part of the player.
trait. Acquiring entirely new traits, however, is more One Point - Automatic: Every character receives
difficult. Characters don’t simply learn to speak a new one experience point for simplyparticipating in the story.
language or pick up the basics of a new Ability
One Point -Learning Curve: Ask the player what
overnight. Learning a new Ability generally requires
the character has learned from the story. If you agree
a longer period of study and practice along with the
that it has been a learning experience for the character,
necessary experience points. It may range from read-
ing a few books or taking a night course to a award an additional experience point.
1
months-long apprenticeship with a suitable teacher. One Point - Roleplaying: If a player has por-
The Storyteller has final say on how long it takes a trayed the character well, including remaining true to
character to learn a particular Ability, though most the character’s Nature and Demeanor and providing
Abilities can be studied in the time between stories some entertaining moments for the group, the charac- ,
and other “downtime” of the chronicle. ter should get an additional experience point. Truly
New celestial powers are more involved, since one outstanding roleplaying may merit two extra experi-
cannot learn them from anyone other than another ence points.
demon. To learn a new celestial power, the demon One Point - Heroism: Characters who truly
must seek out a teacher and bargain for the knowledge, manage to transcend their normal limits, performing
anddemons are expert deal-makers. Apotential teacher acts of daring and heroism, are deserving of an extra
may ask for anything, ranging from a simple exchange experience point.
of knowledge to favors to money, or anything else the ERD
OF TMESTOKU
Storyteller can think of. Knowledge of celestial powers
is one of the most valuable things demons have, so they
At the end of a long story (covering several chapter
or game sessions), you may choose to award a few extra
don’t let it go cheaply.
experience points as a bonus if the players have done
particularly well.
Awarding experience is something of an art. Give One Point - Success: If the characters achieved
characters too much experience and they both grow the goals they set out to accomplish, overcoming ob-
too rapidly for players to appreciate their growth and stacles in order to do so, they can be awarded an extra
outstrip many of the challenges of the chronicle. Give
them too little experience and the players may be-
experience point.
One Point -Danger: The characters get an extra
t
come frustrated with the fact that their characters experience point if they survived terrible danger or
hardly seem to change despite the momentous events overcame great odds.
they’re acting out. It’s necessary to strike a balance One Point -Wisdom: If a player came up with a
between generosity and stinginess, properly reward- brilliant idea or plan that helped the characters to
ing players for their efforts and encouraging them to succeed, award the character an extra experience point
keep coming back for more. The following guidelines for the sudden insight and understanding.
should help you to give out the right amount of You may award additional bonus points, if you feel
experience, but only you can determine what is right they’re warranted, but beware of handing out too much
for your chronicle. Feel free to tinker with and adjust experience, unless you want the characters to advance
these guidelines as you see fit. more quickly.
165

0 for a voice like thunder, and a tongue
To drown the throat of war! - When the senses
Are shaken, and the soul is driven to madness,
Who can stand? When the souls of the oppressed
Fight in the troubled air that rages, who can stand?
-William Blake, (‘Enoch: The First City of Angels”
The angels took Heaven’sGrand Design and defined

its myriad potential, establishingeach concept’sexistence
by defining its relationship to the universe. Once these
relationships were described, they could be manipulated
by invoking their identity or name. As the universe
In their time, they lit the void with starlight, evolved, each House accumulated a vast store of these
shaped worlds from the primal aether and carried the conceptual relationships. They were the threads that
breath of God to man and beast. Whatever else they comprised the fabric of the universe, the fundamental
have become after the darkness of the Abyss, the fallen components of physical reality. The act of manipulating
remain avatars of creation, living manifestations of these names of power was called an evocation, and a
Heaven’s Grand Design. Before they forswore their House’s store of evocations was referred to as its lore.
covenant with God, the fallen and their peers made up Performing an evocation, no matter how great or
the boundary that separated the Creator from His small, was a cooperative effort between angel and
creation, each Celestial House charged with interpret- Creator. The Elohim provided the direction and the
ing a different facet of the design. In a sense, the angels will to achieve the desired effect, but the power that
were the lens through which the Creator’s vision was fueled the act flowed from God alone. This arrange-
subtly distorted, injecting a momentum of dynamic ment, or covenant, between the Elohim and their
change that gave the cosmos a life of its own. It was this Creator provided the necessary balance between an-
process of interpretation and conceptualization that gelic freedom and heavenly authority that made the
was the source of the beings’ power. creation of a universe apart from God possible.

I CH~ P T E RSHEN
I
what little heat remains. Where the fallen once roamed

the earth as radiant spirits, they must now anchor them-
selves in human flesh, at best a difficult and desperate
situation. Twenty-first-centurymortals are so spiritually
shallow that they make poor vessels for channeling infer-
nal energies. Instead of overwhelming a host’s identity or
t
destroying it outright, a possessing demon’s knowledge
and identity is largely suppressed in favor of the memories
and feelings resident in the mortal. The degree to which
the fallen can store Celestial energy is therefore very
limited. By the same token, however, the madness,hatred
and pain inspiredby a demon’s long imprisonment can be
equally diminished, providing a demon with a respite of
sorts from its ages-long anguish and providing an oppor-
tunity to make the most of newfound freedom.
TORMENT
Within the scopeofher accumulatedlore,ademon can
BROKEN 07YI”S bend reality to her will, but achieving a desired effect
requires intense focus and clarity of thought. Uncontrolled
When the fallen contemplated rebellion against emotions,especiallynegativeones,exert apotent influence
Heaven, they knew that they would commit a terrible on a demon’s evocations, with potentially horrific results.
act, one that (by definition) would estrange them from Demon charactershave a Torment score that reflects
God. None foresaw the full fury of the Creator’s divine the degree to which they are consumed by the madness
wrath, however. God declared the covenant with the and hate engenderedby agesof sufferingin the Abyss. The
fallen to be forever broken and denied them the power higher the Torment score is the more monstrous a char-
of His blessing, thus reducing the rebels to mere shad- acter becomes, and as the taint grows, it changes the
ows of their former selves. effects of the demon’s evocations. Each evocation has a
God’s curse rendered the fallen impotent, unable to normal effect and a high-Torment effect. When you at-
work their will upon the cosmos. Their struggle might tempt to perform an evocation, compare the successes
have ended then and there were it not for the outpouring rolled toyour character’sTorment. If more of the successes
of faith from the newly awakened human race. While rolled show numbers that are greater than the character’s
they were born in innocence, ignorant of the intricate Torment score,then the evocation is performednormally.
workings of the cosmos, the souls of mankind resonated If a majority of the successesrolled show numbers equal to
with the breath of God, and people gladly shared this or less than the character’s Torment, the demon’s hatred
divine spark with their would-be saviors. The fallen and anguish perverts the process, causing the high-Tor-
shone like angry stars once more, and the fates of man ment effect instead. Botches cancel out successes starting
and demon became forever entwined. with the highest success rolled.
PAITM Demons may intentionally inflict the malicious as-
pect of their evocations if they wish, but not without a
Charactersin Demon use Faith to fuel their evocations,
price. Each time a demon chooses the high-Torment effect
heal damage and transform their physicalbodies into potent
of an evocation, she gains a temporary point of Torment.
supernatural forms. Beginning characters start play with a
Faith score of 3. This rating may be increased by spending
freebiepointsduringcharactercreationandstillfurtherusing
I~YPERIYAL
MIGMT
Despite the limitations of demons’mortal hosts, the
experience points earned during play. If a character’sFaith
fallen are fearsome to behold, with a broad spectrum of
pool is exhausted,the only way she can continue to use her
powers and capabilities at their disposal. These powers
powersisbyravagingthemindandsoulofherthralls(seepage
can be divided into three distinct categories: innate
249 of the Systemschapter for details).
{ I FADED
powers, which all demons possess by virtue of their
GLOWI Celestial nature and that do not require a Faith roll to
use; their apocalyptic (or revelatory) form; and their lore.
The faith of mankind sustainedthe fallen throughout
a thousand years of war, but the widespread belief that IIYIYATEPOWES
suffusedhumanity in ancient times is all but forgotten in All Demon characters begin the game with a
the modem World of Darkness. The fire has faded to a few common set of powers that reflect their nature and one-
glowing embers, leaving newly freed demons to fight for time role as agents of Creation. These are fundamental
169

qualities that are always considered to be active as long when invokingher apocalypticform. (Aset of eagle’swings
as the character has at least one Faith point available in might be inconvenient in acrowdedelevator,for example.)
1 his Faith pool. Innate powers include immunity to Declare which powers you want your character to invoke
before making your Faith roll. If she wants to manifest
possession, immunity to mind control and resistance to
illusion, among others. See the section on Innate different or additional abilities later she can, but another
Powers later in this chapter (p. 171) for details. rol1isrequired.ThereisnopenaltyforfailingaFaithrol1, but
the character loses a point of Faith if the roll botches.
THE FORM
APOCALVPTIC One’s apocalyptic form persists for the remainder
During the Age of Wrath, the fallen could alter their
physical form at will. When they battled the Host of
of the scene, or it can be “turned off at any point before
then that your character wishes.
Heaven, they could be titans of living iron or horrors
wreathed in raging fire. Among humans, they often as- Lone
sumed the formsof men and women, luminous and terrible A Celestial House’s lore is nothing less than the
‘
to behold, or wore the guise of animals that best suited their collected secrets of the universe, evocations that encom-
needs. The modern World of Darknessdoes not possess the pass the foundations of reality and govern the forces that
atmosphere of Faith to allow such effortlesstransformation keep it in motion. Prior to the Fall, each House had its own
fromspiritto flesh,but the fallencanuse theirstoresofFaith specificsetsof lore that reflected its dutieswithin the angelic
to alter their host bodies temporarily and gain superhuman hierarchy. These evocations were considered the heart of
capabilities.This apocalypticor revelatory form is a reflec- each House, and they were guardedjealously as a matter of
tion of a demon’s true nature, and its capacities vary pride. Later, during the Age of Wrath, pride gave way to
depending on the character’s primary lore (see the Lore pragmatism, and many among the fallen exchanged bits of
section for details). When a character takes on her apoca- their lore with one another to gain whatever advantage
lypticform,mortal witnessessuffer the effectsofRevelation they could against their more hidebound foes.
(see page 253 of the Systems chapter for details), with Characters in Demon are assumed to have mastered
reactions ranging from terror to rapturous wonder. the lore of their parent House, but much of it lies buried
A character’s primary lore dictates which apoca- deep in the subconscious of their hosts and must be
lyptic form she can manifest. In order for the recovered laboriously. As a host body becomes more and
transformation to occur, you either roll a number of more conditioned to a demon’s control and is capable of
dice equal to your character’s current Faith pool against channeling increasing amounts of Celestial energy, one
a difficulty of 6, or spend a point of Faith to gain an of the fallen is able to regain more of its former power.
automatic success. If the roll is successful, your During character creation, players choose their de-
character’s transformation occurs instantaneously. mons’ starting lore from the three lore paths that are
When your character manifests her apocalyptic native to their characters’CelestialHouses,aswell as from
form, she gains access to a number of special capabilities the two common lore paths with which all demons are
ranging from trait increases to physical capabilities such familiar (see p. 172). You must choose one of the three
as wings and claws. Each apocalyptic form provides eight House lore paths as your character’s jyrimary lore. These
special powers, but only four are available to characters are the evocations the demon is most adept at and can
with aTorment of 6 or less. The remaining four manifest recall most easily.After selectingyour character’sprimary
when your character loses part of herself to her demonic lore path, you have three dots to allocate among her
nature. When your character’s permanent Torment available lore to determine her beginning evocations,
score reaches 7, you may select one of the form’s four with the restriction that no lore path can ever receive
high-Torment powersand add it to her apocalypticform. more dots than your character’s primary lore. Additional
When her permanent Torment reaches 8, you may add lore dots can be purchased later with freebie points.
another, and so on. If your character’s permanent Tor- Characters can gain new lore, including paths from other
ment is reduced later, her high-Torment powers are lost Houses, when you spend experience points during play
at the rate of one per point, in the reverse order in which Example: Jim’s character, a Scourge, has five lore paths
they were gained. So, the power gained most recently is awailable to choose from at character creation: the House lore
the first one lost when permanent Torment is reduced. of Awakenings, Firmamentand Winds,plus the common lore
Characters retain their low-Torment special abilities paths of Humanity and the Fundament. Jim has three dots to
regardless of their Torment score. allocate among these fiwe possible paths. First, he must choose
In times of peril, a demon can tap into her dark nature the character’sprimary lore from one ofthe three House paths.
and temporarily manifest a high-Torment power. The After some thought, Jim chooses the Lore of Awakenings,
capabilitypersistsfor the durationofasingle scene,and your allocating it one of his three dots. He then chooses to put his
character gainsa point of temporaryTorment. Finally,your remainingtwodotsintotheLoreoftheFundamentandtheLore
character doesn’thave to manifest all of her specialabilities of Humanity. Later, in thefinishingtouches stage,he p
270

I CI~APTEK
SEIEN
I
anotherdotoflore,whichhecanaddto theLoreofAwakenings and must find another anchor immediately or be drawn

or place in either the Lore of the Firmament or the Lore of the back into the Abyss. See page 258 of the Systems
Winds. He could not allocate his extra dot to the Lore of the chapter for more details on dispossessed demons.
Fundament or the Lore of Humanity, a he only has one dot
invested in his primary path, and he can’t have more dots in a
RESISTANCETO
ILLUSIOIY
path than he has in his character’s primary lore. Demons are especially adept at discerning the real
from the illusory, and they may attempt to penetrate
The number of dots allocated to a lore path determines
illusions or supernatural forms of concealment regard-
the evocations a character is allowed to perform. In the
less of the source. When confronted by an illusion or in
previous example,Jim’sScourgecan perform the first-level
the presence of a person or thing that is supernaturally
evocations for the lore of Awakenings, Fundament and
concealed, the character can see past the artifice with
Humanity. If he allocated his additional dot of lore to
a successful Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 7). If
Awakenings,his character would be able to perform both
the source of the illusion or concealment is another
the first- and second-level evocations, and so on. Each
demon, the difficulty of the roll is equal to the opposing
evocationcallsfor you to roll a relevant Attribute + Ability
demon’s Faith or Torment score, whichever is greater.
1
to determine what effects occur. The difficultyof the roll is
usually 6, but it can be modified at the Storyteller’sdiscre- LETHALDAMAGE
RESISTANCETO
tion based on the situation. You can add a number of bonus When in their apocalyptic forms, demons can use
dice to this roll equal to your character’s permanent Faith their Stamina to soak lethal damage.
score if she ravagesher thrallsfor additionalpower (seepage
249 ofthe Systemschapterfordetails).Additionally,points HEALIIPG
PMWICAL
DAMAGE
of temporary Faith can be spent to gain automaticsuccesses Demon characters may use Faith to heal bashing or
on an evocation roll, similar to the function of Willpower lethal damage. You can spend one Faith point to heal
in the case of Attribute or Ability rolls. If the evocationroll all of your character’s bashing damage, while lethal
fails, nothing happens; if the roll botches, however, the damage is healed at the rate of one health level per
characteralso loses one point of Faithfromher currentpool. point spent. Separate Faith points must be used to
Depending on the evocation, your character’sFaith pool recover from bashing and lethal damage. Aggravated
also determines the power’s range and duration. Only one damage cannot be healed in this fashion.
evocation can be performed per turn,but a character can IIPVOC
ATIONS
have multipleevocationsfunctioningsimultaneouslyequal The power of a demon’sname is such that invoking
to her permanent Faith score. it, even in conversation, is enough to draw that spirit’s
Later in this chapter, the lore available to demons attention, no matter how far away he may be. What’s
are presented by the Houses to which they are assigned, more, the subject can attempt to ascertain who is speak-
and the Houses are addressed from highest to lowest in ing about him, where that being is and even what is said. ’
the demonic order. Demons take notice whenever their Celestial or True
Names are spoken. The feeling manifests differently for
each. Someexperience a chill that races across their skin or ,
down their spine,while othersfeelan invisiblepull that tugs
All demonspossess the followinginnatepowers, regard-
at their mind. If a character concentrates, she can attempt
less of their House. These capabilities are unaffected by
to determinewho is using her name and why. Make a Faith
Torment,and they are always activeas long as a characterhas
roll (difficulty7 if the Celestial Name is invoked, difficulty
at least one point remaining in her Faith pool. If a character
has exhaustedher Faith pool, she may still take advantageof
6 if the True Name is used). The amount of detail gained
depends on the number of successesrolled.
theseinnate powers by drawingFaith from her mortal thralls
(see page 249 of the Systems chapter for details). One success: The character receives a mental
picture of the person who invokes her name.
MIIYD-CONTROL
IMMUNITUTO Two successes: The character receives a mental
Demons are immune to any form of mind-control picture of the speaker and his immediate surroundings,
and to supernaturally induced fear. including the individual( s) he addresses.
IMMUIYITCI
TO POSS~SIOIY Three or more successes: The character can hear
For obvious reasons, the fallen cannot be pos- what the speaker is saying for the duration of a single turn.
sessed, but if an attempt at possession occurs while the If she wishes, the character may continue to eavesdrop on
character is devoid of Faith, it is possible to force the the conversation, though she hears only the voice of the
demon from its mortal host. In this case, the player is individual who invokes her name. Eavesdropping on the
able to resist the attempt with a resisted Willpower roll. conversationrequiresa successfulWillpowerroll (difficulty
If the roll fails, the demon is forced out of its host body 8) in each successive turn. If the roll fails, contact is lost.
171

THEFALLEN
DEHON: 1
I
There is no distance limitation on this ability, not general vicinity. The fabric of reality distorts momentarily
even between the physical and spirit realms. when powers are used,and the fallen can feel the ripples
The capacity to establish a connection between indi- caused by this brief disturbance. Highly perceptive demons
viduals by invoking names of power also allows demons to candraw extensive dormationfrom these ripples,gaininga
communicatewith one another and their thralls no matter sense of where the Supernaturalevent took place.
how far apart they are. To communicate with another Demons can sense supernatural energies at work
demon, the characterneeds either the recipient’sCelestial within an area equal to their Faith score in miles (so a
or True Name, and must have at least one point of tempo- fallen with a Faith of 5 can sense energies within five
my Faith available. Make a Faith roll (difficulty 7 if using miles). If a character wishes to sense the energies at work
aCelestialName, 6 ifusingaTrueName), and ifsuccessful, in her area, make a successful Perception + Alertness roll
whatever the character says is heard by the recipient. Once (difficulty7). If the roll succeeds, your character detects
this connection has been made, the recipient can reply if the momentary distortion caused by these energies.
shehasat 1eastonepointofFaithavailableinherFaithpoo1. Additional successes provide further detail.
Note that the recipient doesn’thave to know the speaker’s One success: The demon knows that something
name to reply. Oncethe linkhas been established,it canbe has occurred (or is occurring) in the vicinity and a
used by both parties. Contact lasts for the duration of a general
- idea of how powerful the effect was or is.
single turn. If the speaker (or the recipient of the invoca- Two successes: The demon gains a rough idea as to
tion) wishes to continue the conversation,you must make the direction from which the distortion emanates.
a successful Willpower roll (difficulty6) in each successive Three successes: The demon knows without a
turn of communication. If the roll fails, contact is lost. doubt the direction from which the distortion ema-
This ability is not limited to one-on-one commu- nates, and he has a rough idea of the distance.
nication. A demon can direct her message to multiple Four or more successes: The demon knows pre-
recipients in different locations up to anumber equal to cisely how far away the disturbance is, and in what
her Faith rating. The player need make only one Faith direction. If she knows the area well, she can work out
roll to send a message, and the difficulty is 7 regardless exactly where the event took place or now occurs.
of the names used for the invocation. Otherwise, group While demons can gain a sense of where an event
communications use the same rules already described. occurs, it’s impossible to tell from a distance exactly
In the case of thralls, communication is automatic. what kind of power or evocation is used. If they want
The bond that already exists between mortal and more details they must investigate in person or send
demon provides the needed link, allowing a demon to their agents to learn what they can.
contact her thralls without requiring a Faith roll. Ad- While a demon’ssupernaturalawarenessusuallyfunc-
ditionally, a demon may address multiple thralls at tions only when the character actively searches for signs
once equal to her Faith score. Unless a thrall is specifi- of distortion, the Storyteller can, at her discretion, make
cally gifted with the ability to perform an invocation, a reflexive roll on the character’s behalf in the event of an
though, she cannot initiate contact with the demon. In exceptionally large flare of power in the vicinity.
most cases, thralls speak only when spoken to.
Though there is no known way for an outside party
to “tap into” this form of supernatural communication,
nearby demons can detect its use as they would any While most lore is considered proprietary to the
other use of supernatural power. Likewise, since the House that created it, two paths exist as tools that every
participants must physically say what they want to angel (or demon) needed to further their work amid the
convey, even as a whisper, it’s possible for sharp ears to wonders of Paradise. The Lore of the Fundament was the
overhear at least a part of what is said. first, encompassing the basic building blocks of the physi-
cal universe, in effect creating a set of principles that
~ U P E R F U T T U K ~AWAREIYESS
L
provided the foundation upon which the work of all the
The fallen are inherently attuned to the fabricof reality,
Houses was based. The secondset of common lore evolved
and they are sensitiveto energies and duences beyond the among the fallen during the Age of Wrath as a means of
awareness of mortals. Players can make a Perception + facilitatingcontact between humanity and the rebel host.
Awarenessrolls for demonsto get a “feel”of the supernatural
qualitiesof a given area. A hospital room might emanate a
sense of pain and loss, imprinted by the emotions of the
LOREOFTMEFUJYDAMERT
patients and doctors who’ve struggled and died within its MANIPULATEGRAVITV
walls. An otherwiseunassumingbasement might reek of the The demon can alter the way gravity affects her
foulritualsperformedtheredaysbefore.Additionally,analert body, allowing her to leap enormous distances, hang
demon can sense the use of supernaturalenergieswithin her suspendedin the air or plunge at her foes like ameteorite
I72

System: Roll Strength + Athletics. The demon can potential for disaster for the next person who tries to use
leap (or climb) up to 20 yards per success, or fall a similar them. Foraperiodofturnsequaltothecharacter’sTorment,
distance without suffering injury. Completely canceling any item that was the focusof this evocation causesa botch
the effectof gravity requires a number of successesequal to on a rolled 1,2 or 3 when used for any reason.
the character’sStamina.Characterswho defy gravity aren’t
weightless,per se -they are still affectedby outside forces
M;~~IPULATE~CCEL~~ATIOICI
as normal. The effectsof this evocationlast for a singleturn. The demon can affect the acceleration of her own
body, granting her supernatural speed and force.
Torment Monstrous demons who perform this evo-
System: Spend one Faith point and roll Dexterity +
cation leave a washof turbulence in their wake, randomly
Athletics. Each success allows your demon to walk up to
increasing or decreasing the effects of gravity on sur-
rounding objects or people who pass within a number of
10yardsper successper turn, jog 20 yardsper successor run
40 yards per successper turn. If used in combat, treat these
r
yards equal to the demon’s Torment score. The Story-
successesas automatic levels of damagefor hand-to-hand,
teller is free to use her discretion when describing the
melee or ranged attacks using thrown weapons. These
chaotic effects that occur in the monster’s passing.
damage levels can be split among multiple targets if
MANIPULATEADM~ION desired. The effects of this evocation last for a single turn.
The demon can affect her body’s adhesion to Torment: The accelerations of a monstrous demon
physical objects. She can run up walls, hang from a so disturbs the air around her that she is surrounded by
ceiling or cling to the side of a moving car like a spider. an aura of blistering heat that radiates out a number of
System: Roll Dexterity + Athletics. The difficulty yards equal to the character’s Torment score. Living
is determined by the angle of the surface relative to the beings caught within the area of effect suffer one level
earth. Running up a steep slope is difficulty 6, while a of bashing damage.
vertical surface is 7. Moving along an inverted plane
(like a ceiling) is difficulty 8. The character can move
MAIYIPULATECOM~IOIY
The demon can manipulate the state of any inani-
up to three yards along such a surface per success rolled.
mate matter she touches. She can walk on water or air or
The effects of this evocation last for a single turn.
breakdown solid objects into their component particles.
Torment: When a monstrous demon performs this
System: The demon must be able to physically
evocation, the surfaces with which she interacts are
warped by her passing, causing them to radiate waves of touch the matter she wishes to affect. Spend one Faith
t
intense heat and leave patterns of the demon’s hands point and roll Stamina + Science. The difficulty depends
and feet on the surface. Individuals coming into con- on the matter involved and the degree to which it is
tact with these surfaces in the same turn as the demon affected. Changing water to ice or steam is difficulty 6.
touched them suffer one level of lethal damage. Increasing the cohesion of water or air to the degree that
it briefly supports the demon’s weight is difficulty 7.
MAIPIPULATE~IPERTIA Vaporizing wood, cloth or other low-density material is
The demon can affect the inertia of anything she difficulty 8, while doing he same to high-density mate-
touches, stopping it dead or granting it irresistible rial such as metal or stone is difficulty 9. Each success
force. She can snatch projectiles out of the air (provid- allows the demon to affect one cubic foot of matter. The
ing she can see them), or throw an object farther than effects of this evocation last for a single turn, after which
any human could imagine. the materials affected return to normal or remain in their
System: Roll Dexterity + Athletics. The demon can current state if it’s natural for the material in question.
throw an object up to 30 yards per successrolled, regardless Living beings targeted with this effect suffer a level of
ofher Strength. Snatchingaprojectileout ofthe airrequires lethal damage for each success gained on the roll.
rolling a number of successes equal to or greater than the Torment Matter affected by a monstrous demon
projectile’s damage dice. For example, a thrown knife
remains inherently unstable for a number of turns equal
inflicts Strength + 1 damage. If the person throwing the
to the character’s Torment, changing states at random.
knife has Strength 3,you must roll four or more successesfor
The Storyteller is free to use her discretion when
your characterto catch the knife. Your demon has to be able
to see the projectile to affect it. Rocks, knives, even arrows describing the chaotic effects that occur in the wake of
are possible candidates, but bullets aren’t. If your demon the demon’s manipulation.
throws a projectile at a target, each extra successachieved
becomes an automatic level of damage. The effects of this
I,OREOPMUMARIT~I
evocation last for a single turn. TRANSLATE
Torment: Items affected by a monstrous demon be- The demon can understand (and be understood
come inherentlv unstable for a period of time, creating by) mortals, regardless of what language they speak.
173

System: Roll Manipulation + Empathy. The evoca- something to call attention to herself such as make
tion affectsanumber of people equal to the successesrolled. physical contact or speak to them directly. These
The demon can understand the speech of each affected effects persist for the remainder of the scene or until the
individual and be understood in turn, even if all of the demon wills them to cease.
individuals involved speak completelydifferent languages. Torment: Monstrous demons who perform this
The effects of this evocation last for the duration of the evocation fade from the sight of ordinary mortals, but
scene. People who speak different languagesdo not understand out like beacons for those consumed by anger or
stand each other when this power is used on them. a lust for violence.
Torment Monstrous demons must overcome the ob- COBPrnS
stacle of their own Torment, or the words they hear are
Mortals engaged in conversation with the demon
filtered through their own anger and obsessions. After the
respond to his questions with complete candor. Unless
evocationis used successfully,a Willpowerroll is made with
made aware of it later with direct questions about
a difficulty equal to your character’sTorment. If successful,
events, the mortal affected by this evocation does not
your character understands the words of those around her
remember the details of the conversation. Unless gifted
as they are intended. If the roll fails, your demon’s under-
t
with a demon’s resistance to mind-control, thralls can
standing of what is said is skewed by her own hatred and
be affected by this evocation as well.
despair. A greeting is misunderstood as a threat, or an
honest answer sounds evasive or outright deceptive. The System: Spend one Faith point and roll Manipula-
Storyteller is encouraged to make this Willpower roll on tion + Subterfuge. The target resists with a Willpower
behalf of the characterand keep the results secret, tailoring roll (difficulty 7). If your roll is successful, the demon
the information the player hears accordingly. can ask the mortal any questions she wishes, and the
mortal answers with complete honesty. The effects of
IRSIBUATE this evocation last for a number of turns equal to your
This evocation causes mortals to instinctively re- character’s Faith score.
gard the demon as a potential friend, allaying any Torment: Monstrous demons are able to draw out
initial feelings of distrust or suspicion and engaging only a mortal’s dark nature, learning her secret ani-
their interest in her. Unless gifted with a demon’s mosities, lusts and ambitions.
resistance to mind-control, thralls can be affected by
this evocation as well. ALTER MEMORCI
System:Roll Manipulation + Empathy. The evoca- The demon is able to manipulate amortal’s memory,
I
,
tion affectsanumber of individualsequal to the successes
rolled. Each person resists the evocation with a Will-
power roll. If the Willpower roll fails,affected individuals
trust the demon within reason and talk freely and openly
changing or removing any recollection of his dealings,
or planting memories where none were before. Unless
gifted with ademon’s resistance to mind-control, thralls
can be affected by this evocation.
with her, lowering the difficulty of any of the demon’s System:Spend one Faith point and roll Manipulation
subsequent Manipulation rolls by one. The effectsof this + Subterfuge. If your character attempts to alter or remove
1
evocation last for the duration of the scene. an existing memory, the difficulty is 7 . Planting a com-
Torment: Monstrous demons who perform this pletely falsememory isdifficulty8.A resistedWillpowerroll
evocation have the opposite effect on the mortals they is made for the target (difficulty 7 ) . You must achieve a
encounter. Affected individuals use the demon’s Tor- number of excess successesdetermined by the Storyteller,
ment as the difficulty for their Willpower rolls. If a roll depending on the intensity and breadth of the memory or
fails, the person is overcome with feelings of revulsion memoriesthat your charactertries to manipulate.Editingor
and anger, and treats the demon with intense appre- removing the memories of a brief encounter requires one
hension and fear. The difficulties of all Intimidation success, while planting or altering a series of memories
rolls directed at these individuals decrease by two. covering a period of days or weeks requires two or more
successes. Altered or fabricated memories are permanent.
FADE Torment: Monstrous demons who perform this
Demons using this evocation literally fade into the evocation also cause bouts of sleeplessness,anxiety and
background. Mortal eyes simply pass over them unless the despair that take days or weeks to subside. Nightmares
demons choose to call attention to themselves. Demons persist for a number of nights equal to the character’s
(and thralls who have been gifted with the demon’s resis- Torment score. Each night, make a Willpower roll for
tance to illusion)are immuneto the effectsof this evocation. the victim with a difficulty equal to the demon’s
System: Roll Presence + Manipulation. Mortals Torment. If the roll fails, the victim loses a temporary
resist with a Willpower roll (difficulty 8). If successful, Willpower point. If the victim runs out of Willpower
the demon goes unnoticed by mortals unless she does points, she gains a temporary derangement.
174

CHAPTER
SE\EN
filled a Celestial’s mind with images of majesty and

wonder. After the Fall, the Devils still made extensive
of this lore, communicating detailed orders to their
ordinates in the rebel host or smiting their foes with
System: Roll Manipulation + Expression. Devils may

Heaven to every corner of Creation and orchestr this evocation to send complex instructions to fellow
effortsof the entire Celestial Host in shapingGod’s the speed of thought. Unlike an invocation,this
Design. Central to their duties was the Lore the recipient’s mind like a n illusion or a waking
ying out whatever scene the sender wishes to
the blink of an eye. The amount of information
can convey depends on the number of successes
be one turn’s worth of action. For example, if a Devil

s to instructone ofher fellowdemons togooutside,get
a car and start the engine, the player would need three
ccesses to fully convey her instructions. These instruc-
evolved among the Devils during the
these noble leaders and champions refi
inspire and command the mortal allie ts within the sender’s line of sight. This
used on mortals and demons alike.
~IEOPTM~CEL~T Monstrous demons use this evocation to
ten their foes in battle. The sender can
LAMP
OF PAITM
character’sFaith. Demons targete
vening obstacles, allowing the demon to detect hi

rgies of other Celestials wherever necessary.
System: Roll Manipulation + Leadership.This evo-
ion allows the Devil to add her Faith to the efforts of
ther, as long as the Devil knows the demon’s Celes-
extra successes. This special sight persists for a turn. or True Name and can draw a line of sight to him.
e user of Pillar of Faith does not lose any Faith

more) appear to the demon as patches of blackness a ing” it. Repeated use of this evocation on a
t does not cause bonus dice to accumulate.
the dark background of the physical world.
t: Monstrous demons may use this evoca-
SEND VISIOIY
delivering Heaven’s commands as potent visions tha
175

DEMOY:
THEFALLEN
TME
PIREOF
HEAVEN BEL,TMEVIS~GEOFTMECEL~TI~~
This evocation allows the Devil to channel her The apocalyptic form of the Lore of the Celestials
Faith as a withering blast of pure white fire, smiting her reveals the fallen as a luminous, lordly angel, radiating
target with the wrath of a fallen angel. divine grandeur and authority. Her skin literally glows,
System: Spend one Faith point and roll Dexterity wreathing her in an aura of golden light that shifts in
+ Athletics. The character may target any individual or intensity depending on her mood. Her eyes blaze with the
object within a range in yards equal to her Faith score. cold light of the stars. Despite her actual physical appear-
Every success generated by the roll inflicts one level of ance, the fallen seems to tower over everyone around her.
aggravated damage (or lethal damage if the target does T h e Visage of the Celestials confers the follow-
not deal in aggravated damage). ing abilities.
Torment: Monstrous demons are unable to focus Wings: A pair of eagle’s wings extends from the
the fiery power of their Faith in a concentrated bolt. It character’s shoulders. At full extension, each wing is a
erupts from them in all directions as a storm of raging third again as long as the character is tall. The character
energy instead. When a high-Torment demon uses this can glide up to three times her running speed per turn.
evocation, the infernal fire strikes everything within a Lordly Mien: The character’s aura of divine
t number of yards equal to the character’s permanent

Faith score. The blast inflicts one level of aggravated
damage per success to everything in this radius.
--.MAIPDOFFAITM
authority lowers the difficulty of her Charisma and
Manipulation rolls by two.
Enhanced Senses: The character’s five senses
are heightened to superhuman levels, lowering the
The mandate of the first Celestial House was to act as difficulty of her Perception rolls by two.
the voice of the Creator and to ensure that His Grand Increased Awareness: The fallen is especially
Design was fulfilled within the bounds of angelicfree will. attuned to the fabric of reality, lowering the difficulty
If one of the Celestialsdeviated too far from the Creator’s of all Awareness rolls by two.
design in the process of Creation, the Heraldswere able to Torment As the character loses herself to her dark
manipulate the evocation as it happened, modifying the nature, her authority remains as strong as ever, but the
outcome to within acceptable limits. Although this man- glow that suffused her dims to a sullen red. Her wings
date was only rarely enforced, this evocation more than turn leathery, and her eyes become as black as the void.
any other spawned the tendency of the other Houses to Where she was once avision ofnobility, she now carries
jealously guard their prerogatives and regard the Heralds herself as a haughty tyrant.
t with no small amount of resentment.

System: Spend one Faith point and roll Manipula-
tion + Leadership. Hand of Faith allows a Devil to usurp
another Celestial’s evocation, directing its effects as she
T h e Visage of the Celestials confers the following
high-Torment abilities.
Clawspeeth: The character manifests claws
and fangs that inflict Strength +2 aggravated damage.
desires. You must generate more successes on your Faith Scales: The character’s skin is covered with
roll than the player of the demon performing the evoca- dark, lustrous scales that provide four dice of armor
tion does with his, and your character must know the protection against physical attacks.
initiator’s Celestial or True Name. If successful,the Devil Increased Size: The character’s body grows to a
can alter the evocation’starget and its effects as if she were third again its normal height, adding the following
the one using the power. If the Devil does not roll enough bonus Traits: + 1 Strength, +2 Dexterity, + 1 Stamina.
successes to seize control of the evocation, the attempt
Dread Gaze: Individuals (mortal or demon) who
fails and the evocation proceeds as originally intended.
meet the demon’s gaze and who fail a Willpower roll
When used in combat, the Devil must have a higher
(difficulty 7) must forfeit their actions for the turn. 1
initiative than the demon performing the evocation -
Hand of Faith cannot be performed as a reflexive action.
Torment Monstrous Devilsare not able to manipulate
Loneor FLAME
other demons’ evocations, but they can cause evocations FUEL
targeted at them to rebound and affect their initiators. The Devil’s command of flames allows her to fuel
Again, you must generate more successes on your roll than existing fireswith the power of her Faith, turning a simple
the demon performing the evocation in order to succeed. If source of heat into a raging inferno with a thought.
successful, apply the effects of the evocation against the System: Roll Stamina + Survival. If there is a
initiator (if the evocationhas an area effect,center it on the source of fire or heat within a number of yards equal to
initiator). The Devil must know the initiator’sCelestial or her Faith score, the Devil can increase its size by one
True Name to perform this evocation. square foot per success.
176

I CHAPTER
SE\EN
I
Torment: Monstrous Devils fuel the strength of an HOLOCAUST

existing blaze rather than its dimensions. Each success in- This evocation is the ultimate expression of the
creases the fire’slethaldamageratingby one. For more details power of fire. It consumes in order to make way for new
on fire and its effects,see page 263 of the Systemschapter. life by transforming divine energy into cleansing flames.
IGNITE System: Spend one Faith point and roll Stamina +
Survival, although your dice pool for the roll cannot exceed
A Devil’s mastery of fire as a fundamental force of
the target‘sFaithpool.Your demonmustphysically touchher
Creation allows him to inspire its existence at will.
intended target to perform this evocation. Each success
System: Roll Stamina + Survival. This evocation inflictsone levelof aggravateddamage (or lethal if the victim
allows the Devil to cause flammable objects to burst does not deal in aggravated damage) to the target and
into flame. The character may attempt to ignite any consumesonepointofthetarget’stemporaryFaith.’Thisform
object within a number of yards equal to her Faith of attack can be used on inanimate objects as well. Most
score, and you must obtain a number of successes in physicalmatter hasno more than one point of Faith suffusing
excess of the target’s resistance to combustion. Gaso- its physical being, though especiallysacredobjectsmay have
1
line, gunpowder or other explosive material might considerably more. Physical objects bumed this way are
have aresistance of 1.Dry, flammable objects like wood reduced to ashes when all their inherent Faith is consumed
or paper might have a resistance of 2. Inert metal might (objectstherefore bum much quicker than normal).
be rated 5 . Water and strictly nonflammable materials
Torment: Monstrous demons delight in feeding
cannot be ignited with this power. Fires ignited in this
the cosmos to the flames. Roll your full dice pool,
fashion are no more intense than natural flames, and
although damage levels inflicted in excess of the target’s
they inflict damage accordingly.
available Faith are taken from your character’s Faith
Torment: Monstrous Devils are too fueled by ha- pool. Additionally, if the evocation causes more dam-
tred to perform this evocation with precision. All age than the target is capable of sustaining, the remaining
flammable objects within a radius in yards equal to the aggravated levels of damage are suffered by your Devil
character’s Faith score are affected. A single evocation as she loses her focus in the ecstasy of destruction.
roll is made with some materials igniting and others
remaining unaffected, based on successes rolled. RIDETEIEPLAM~
By performing this potent evocation, a Devil does
COMMANDTMEPLAME not merely command the fire, she is the fire, transform-
The Devil’s mastery of flame allows her to direct a
fire by the force of her will -the blaze swells, shrinks,
ing her physical
.- _body
_ into flame and directing it by the 1
power of her will.
moves and consumes all that she commands. System: Spend one Faith point and roll Stamina +
System: Roll Wits + Survival and total the num- Survival. A Devil has two options when employing this
ber of successes achieved. The successes form a pool power: She can either join her essence with an existing
that you use in subsequent turns to control the progress blaze or become a pillar of fire by converting her
of the fire. Rolls to control the fire are made against a available Faith. In either case, your demon’s body
difficulty of 8, although that may increase depending literally transforms into flame, consuming her clothes
on circumstances such as active sprinklers and fire- and any possessions she carried. While becoming a
retardant materials, at the Storyteller’s discretion. pillar of fire means the flame occupies the same dimen-
Successes generated by the roll allow your character sions as the character’s physical body, your demon can
to cause the fire to grow by one square foot per success, increase this area by one square foot for each additional
shrink by the same amount or spread in a specific Faith point you spend.
direction up to a yard per success. The player may add Once transformed, your Devil is a formless mass
to this pool with subsequent Wits + Survival rolls o n that shifts size and shape according to her will. While
successive turns, if desired, but the pool can never in this state, you use the character’s Willpower pool
exceed the character’s permanent Faith rating. If at rather than her normal Attributes and Abilities to
any time you fail to roll any successes, the fire burns perform any actions, splitting this pool for multiple
out of control for that turn. If a roll botches, control actions as normal. She may effectively travel anywhere
is lost completely. air can go -under doors, through crevices. If she lashes
Torment High-Torment Devils have less facility out at an opponent in combat, roll dice equal to her
in controlling fire’s movements, but their rage in- Torment score to determine damage. The fire of your
creases the flames’ intensity. A monstrous demon’s character’s body is unaffected by water or other fire-
control pool is halved (rounded up) for all actions, with suppression technology, as it is fueled by faith instead
the remaining dice added as damage levels to the harm of a mere chemical reaction. The drawback to this
that the fire is capable of inflicting. condition is that the fire must be fed continually or it
177

DINON:TIIEFALLEN
dies out. Each turn, your character must devote some of eyes take on the color of burnished gold, and when
her Willpower pool to consuming flammable material. angered, the Nusku radiate palpable waves of heat.
One success is sufficient. Failing that, her flame shrinks An angel's hair becomes adeep red or reddish-goldand
by one square foot at the end of the turn. The fire does thickens into a leonine mane. Open flamesflarebrightly in
not spread like a normal fire; it remains a self-contained his presence, seeming to bow toward their master as the
entity, leaving only charred remains of the matter it tongues of flame are drawn to the divinity in their midst.
consumes. If the fire shrinks to less than one square foot The Visage of the Flames confers the following
or you botch a Willpower roll at any point, your capabilities.
character transforms back into her physical form. Shroud of Flames: The angel is surrounded in a
Torment: Monstrous demons are unable to fully nimbus of supernatural flame that distracts and con-
realize the transformation into flame. These fallen fuses her foes. The difficulty of all ranged or melee
become fiery, skeletal figures, instead, their blackened attacks directed at the character increases by one.
bones wreathed with flame, and howling their rage and Immunity to Fire: The character suffers no
pain with tongues of fire. High-Torment demons use damage from heat or fire.
their normal Attributes and Abilities to move, attack
and otherwise act in a given turn, but they cannot move
Extra Actions: Faith points can be spent to gain
extra actions in a turn at the rate of one point per action.
with the speed or ease of true, mutable flame. Further-
These actions occur in order of descendinginitiative, so if
more, their bodies are wracked with agony. If they do
a Devil with an initiative of 7 gains an extra action, she
not inflict at least one level of damage or combust one
take her normal action at 7 and her extra action at 6. The
square foot of material per turn (with a successful
player must decide to purchase extra actions at the begin-
Willpower roll), they suffer one level of lethal damage
ning of a turn before any other actions have been taken.
as the fire feeds upon their physical bodies.
Improved Initiative: Add two to the character's
I P u ~ H u , T M ~ V I ~ ~ G ~ O ~ T Minitiative ~ P L score.
~ME~
These demons reveal themselves in a blaze of yellow- Torment:As the fallen becomes consumed by her
orange light. Their skin glowswith the seething brilliance demonic nature, her skin turns black like smoke and
of the sun, and their image shimmers like a mirage. Their seems to seethe with patterns of sullen red that pulse
I
178

CHAPTER
SEIEN
with the demon’s beating heart. Her eyes glow like mortals to put aside their fears and steal triumph from
coals, and her thick hair writhes in a spectral wind. the jaws of defeat.
The Visage of the Flames confers the following
high-Torment capabilities.
Clawsneeth:The character manifests claws and
fangs that inflict Strength +2 aggravated damage.
System: Roll Manipulation + Leadership. Each
success is a bonus die that the target may add to a single
dice pool for that turn. The demon may affect a number
of mortals (including thralls) up to her Faith rating.
t
Lashing Tail: The character manifests a long, Each individual benefits from the full amount of bonus
reptilian tail tipped with a curved, bony spike that dice. Demons cannot be affected by this evocation.
inflicts Strength -1 aggravated damage. Torment:The sneering tone of a monstrous Devil
Increased Size: The character’s body grows to a has the opposite effect on mortals. Each success is
third again its normal height, adding the following subtracted from the mortals’ dice pools for actions
bonus traits: +2 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +1 Stamina. taken in a single turn. If a target’s dice pool is reduced
Fiery Blood: The character’s blood burns like to zero or below, the mortal may not act in that turn.
magma. Flammable objects hit with more than a few AURAOPLEGERD
1
drops burst into flame, and opponents in close combat This evocation awakens atavistic memories buried
suffer one level of lethal damage each time they suc- deep in the human subconscious, renewing the ancient
cessfully inflict damage on the character. bonds of fealty that once bound humanity and the
Loneor RADIANCE fallen in the face of Heaven’s tyranny. The ties run so
deep that when they arise, it can sometimes drive all
H~ilven
VOICEOF other thoughts from a mortal’s mind, leaving only the
This evocation allows a demon to speak with a voice urge to fulfill the ancient duty once more.
like thunder or with the clear, perfect tones of a crystalbell. System:Roll Manipulation + Leadership. The Devil
The clarity and power of the demon’s words command can affect a number of mortals equal to her Faith, as long
instant attention, forcing even the most frenzied mind to as they are within line of sight and able to hear the
pause and consider what the ancient spirit has to say. demon’s voice. If the number of successes rolled exceeds
System: Roll Manipulation + Leadership. A Devil a target’s Wits, she is immediately filled with a sense of
may use this evocation to affect everyone up to a devotion and loyalty toward the demon. She instinc-
distance of 10 yards times her Faith (difficulty 8), or tively defends the demon from attackers, and follows
t
focus on a single individual (difficulty 6). The player reasonable orders without question. If your successes are
may issue a single command to the target, who may less than the target’s Wits, the target’s player can resist
then attempt to resist the command with a Willpower the power’s effects with a successful WillDower roll
roll. If the victim scores fewer successes than the Devil, (difficulty8).Thralls of other demons targeteh with this
he must obey the demon’s command. When the Devil evocation use their demonic masters’Willpower to resist
speaks, her voice can be heard clearly regardless of the its effects. Thralls with mind-control resistance can
level of ambient noise. She could speak into a raging automatically resist the evocation’s effects by spending
typhoon and still sound as though she were speaking one Willpower point. Mortals remain loyal to the demon
directly into the recipient’s ear. This evocation has no for the duration of the scene. A person can be a target of
effect on other demons or thralls with protection from this power only once per scene.
mind-control effects. Torment Monstrous demons do not inspire loyalty.
Torment: Monstrous demons use this evocation to They fill their victims with urges of hate and violence.
mouth a furious stream of blasphemy and hatred that is Mortals affected in this way succumb to a murderous
so charged with power that it strikesthe minds of mortals frenzy, attacking the nearest living beings within reach.
and thralls like a physical blow. Each success inflicts one
level of bashing damage to targets, though they can
THE MARK OF TMECEL~TIALS
During the War of Wrath, both angels and demons
attempt to resist this damage by making a Willpower roll found ways to signify their friends and enemies, subtly
with a difficulty equal to the demon’s Torment. Demons altering auras to make subjects easier to find or as marks of
can be affected by this form of the evocation and can anger and shame so that anyone who encountered sub-
resist its effects using Willpower as well. If any damage is jects wouldknow their crimes and treat them accordingly.
suffered, they must also make a Courage roll to avoid
gaining a temporary point of Torment.
tion + Expression.The Devil must know her target’sname
(in the case of a demon, the Celestial or True Name is
The power of the demon’s commanding voice is necessary), and be able to touch him. She must then
nough to instill hope in the weakest of hearts, spurring pronounce the nature of her mark so that the subject can
179

hear it (e.g., “Let every man give him shelter no matter
where he travels.”). The number of successes achieved The apocalyptic form of the masters of Radiance is
I determinesthe potency and the effectivenessof the mark.

One success allows the mark to last for a single day. Two
successesgive it a life span of a week. Three allow it to last
an incandescent figure wreathed in a corona of jewel-
like color. Their physical features have more in common
with the smooth perfection of marble than with human
for a month. Four or more successes cause it to remain for skin. Their voices are pure as crystal, and they cut
a year. Whenever another person encounters the marked through the petty din of the mortal world like a razor.
individual, the total number of successes is compared to T h e Visage of Radiance confers the following
the person’sWits. If the successes exceed the newcomer’s capabilities.
Wits, the person behaves as directed toward the subject Wings: A pair of eagle’s wings extends from the
without hesitation. If the successes are less than the character’s shoulders. A t full extension, each wing is a
person’s Wits, she may make a Willpower roll (difficulty third again as long as the character is tall. The character
7 )to resist the imperative. Demonswith at least one Faith can glide up to three times her running speed per turn.
point and thralls with immunity to mind-control are able Inhuman Allure: The character’s voice and
to make their own judgments on a subject.
I
features are refined to inhuman perfection, adding the
Torment: Monstrous demons can create only marks following bonus traits: +2 Charisma, + 1Manipulation,
that promise violence and misfortune for the bearer, and + 1 Appearance.
a Willpower roll is made for mortals who try to resist the Radiant Aura: T h e character’s body is wreathed
L mark‘s command (difficultyequals the Devil’s Torment).
in a corona of shifting, multicolored hues that distract
REVJXATIOW and confuse her foes. The difficulties of all ranged
Although mortals and demons alike use artifice to attacks directed at the character increase by one.
conceal their true natures, this evocation allows a Sense the Hidden: The character is supernatu-
Devil to strip away a mortal’s layers of deception and rally adept at sensing mortals or demons who attempt
reveal them for who they really are. It’s a moment of to hide from her. The difficulties of all Perception rolls
truth that many do not have the heart to endure. to detect hidden individuals within the character’s line
System: Spend one Faith point and roll Perception of sight decreases by two.
+ Intuition in a resisted roll against the target’s Will- Torment: As the angel gives in to her demonic
power. If you win the roll, your character sees the nature, the colors of her aura become muted, flaring up
individual for who he really is -his Nature, attitudes
1
in angry reds and blues when she grows angry. Her
and beliefs. If questioned, the individual cannot lie or features retain their alabaster perfection, but where
be indirectly deceitful; his answers are direct and they once inspired wonder, they now radiate a n air of
, straightforward, sparing no detail. By the same token, cold menace and cruelty.
the individual himself must face the harsh, unyielding The Visage of Radiance confers the following
truth about his strengths, weaknesses, virtues and faults. high-Torment capabilities.
At the end of the scene, the target must make a second Voice of the Damned: The demon’svoice seethes
Willpower roll (difficulty 7 ) . If successful, the target
with inhuman hate and malice. The difficulties of all
gains a permanent point of Willpower, having faced
the worst aspects of her identity and accepted them. If Intimidation rolls decrease by two.
the roll fails, the target loses one permanent Will- Casts No Reflection: The demon’s image does
power. If the target botches the roll, the individual not appear in a mirror. Nor can it be captured in a
loses three permanent Willpower and acquires a tem- photograph or by a video camera.
porary derangement. Corrosive Spit: The demon’s spit sears like acid.
This power has no effect on other demons, but it A bite inflicts an additional health level of aggravated
does affect thralls. damage, or the character can spit at a target up to 10
Torment: Monstrous Devils are not interested in feet away with a successful Dexterity roll. The spittle
revealing a mortal’s personal virtue. They wish to only inflicts one die of aggravated damage, plus any extra
crush egos to render victims more malleable, or to stoke successes rolled. Targets such as mortals that do not
the fires of dark impulses. When a high-Torment deal in aggravated damage suffer lethal damage instead.
demon performs this evocation, the effect exaggerates Horns: A pair of curved ram or bull’s horns
a subject’s worst qualities, giving them greater empha- protrude from the character’s forehead. If attacked in
sis than the rest of the individual’s personality. If the close combat, the character may make a free counter-
mortal’s player fails her initial Willpower roll to resist attack at his foe. Roll Dexterity + Brawl. If successful,
the evocation, the character’s impulses override her the character inflicts aggravated damage equal to
identity for the duration of the scene. Y
-
Strength 1.

1 CH~PTER
SE\E\
I
hile a virulent disease such as tuberculosis
i
higher. The process is all or
overcomes the illness or it
mpt may be made by a single
specific instance of an
ourge must be able to touch her
breath of God to man and beast. Scourges use this evocation to
creature that received the loses one temporary Willpower

thereafter to the angel who corruption spreadsthrough
Scourge to heal even the

and mortal alike.
a + Medicine. The Scourge can
age or one health level of
1
r success. The character
touch her target to perform this evocation.
FIND
TMEPAITMPUL Monstrous Scourges use this evocation to
This evocation allows a Scourge to locate spe tim’s body. Each success lowers a target’s
orarily. If the target loses all of her Stamina,
a coma and suffers one health level of aggra-
System: Roll Perception + Awareness. The diffic e (or lethal damage if a victim is not subject to
deDends on how much information vour character amage) per hour per success remaining unless 1
concerning the subject. If she attention immediately. Stamina is lost
name, the difficulty is 8. If the subjec equal to the demon’s Faith score.
characterknows the subject’sCelestialName,the
is 7. If she knows the demon’s True Name the di This powerful evocation allows a Scourge to infuse
6. The Scourgecan detect and home on-living objects with the breath of God, giving them
to a number of miles away equal to her form of rudimentary life.
score. Demonsbeing activelysought in th System:Spend one Faith point and roll Intelligence
their supernatural awareness to detect Crafts. The total number of successes achieved forms
reflexive action (see the section on inherent 11for any actions that the animated
details). If a demon detects the search, he
in a given turn. The object is not
detection with a Willpower roll (difficulty 8) aware, it is anextensionofthe demon’s
more successes than the Scourge, he evades th animate a number of objects equal
anent Faith score at one time. The effects of
sources of spiritual decay or corruption. Th a single scene. A demon must first
this evocation to seek out individuals who er to animate it, but he can control
Willpower has been reduced to zero. ong as he can see it.
orment A monstrous Scourge is capable of animat-
as easily as her low-Torment peers, but the
lled with the taint of her anger
target, any poisons, infectionsor diseased tissue are literally ntrols them with an iron will, they
expelled from the body, emerging as a ving things they find, friend or foe.
System:Roll Stamina + Medi roll for each object per turn. The
e roll depends on the virulence
ses control of that object for the
181

duration of the turn and it goes berserk, attacking the Pass Without Trace: The difficulty of the
nearest living being it can reach. If the demon is content character’s Stealth rolls decreases by two, and her pas-
to allow an object to run amok, no roll is needed. sage does not disturb the surrounding environment in
any way. She leavesno footprints anddisturbsno foliage.
RESTORELIFE Improved Physical Capabilities. The fallen gains
This potent evocation allows a Scourge to breathe
the following bonus traits: + 1 Strength, + 1 Dexterity,
life into the bodies of the dead, restoring their vitality
if not their souls. Unless a soul is available to be
+1 Stamina.
connected to the body, the result is a mindless zombie Wings: A pair of owl’s wings extends from the
under the demon’s complete control. character’s shoulders. At full extension, each wing is a
third again as long as the character is tall. The character
System: Spend one Faith point and roll Stamina +
can glide up to three times her running speed per turn.
Medicine.The difficultydependson how long the body has
been deceased. A freshly dead corpse is difficulty 6, while Torment: As the Dagan become consumed by their
one dead for several days or as long as a week might be demonic nature, their command of life and vitality turns
difficulty 7 or higher. Older bodies cannot be restored. If in upon itself, transforming their mortal bodies into a
1
successhl, the body is returned to life, but unless the breeding ground for disease and cancerous tumors. They
Scourgeis also able to furnishthe body with a soul,the result are covered with misshapen growths and weeping sores,
is a mindless zombie that the demon can control. Disem- and their flesh is damp and spongy to the touch.
bodied fallen may possess these animated corpses with the
Scourge’spermission, or they can try to wrest control from
The
high-Torment
Visage of
special capabilities.
.
Awakenings confers the following
the demon with a resistedWillpowerroll. The effectsof this Miasma: The demon’sbreath reeks of gangrenous
evocation last for a single scene, unless you wish to spend a rot that can have a debilitating effect on her foes in close
temporaryWillpower point to make the restorationperma- quarters. The demon can affect victims up to a distance
nent. Your demon may restore a number of bodies at any in feet equal to her Faith score. Mortals and demons
given time equal to her Faith score. Subjectsmust be within caught in the path of her exhalation forfeit their actions
your character’s Faith score in yards to be affected. for the turn unless a successful Stamina roll is made
Torment: A monstrous Scourge is capable of restor- (difficulty 7). If a roll botches, a victim is also infected by
ing life as easily as her low-Torment peers, but the bodies a virus or disease at the Storyteller’s discretion.
she raises are filled with the taint of her anger and pain. Extra Health Levels: The demon gains three
Unless she controls them with an iron will, they lash out extra Bruised health levels for the purposes of sustain-
at the nearest living things they find, friend or foe. ing bashing, lethal and aggravated damage.
Make a Willpower roll for each raised body per turn. Viscous Flesh: The diseased flesh of the Dagan
The difficultyis equal to your demon’s Torment. If a roll sloughs away when pinned or trapped, leaving a would-
fails, the demon loses control for the duration of the turn, be assailant covered in rotting flesh. The difficulty of
and the body goes berserk, attacking the nearest living grappling the demon increases by two, and the charac-
being it can reach. If your character is content to allow ter can escape from bonds such as ropes or handcuffs
the body to run amok, no roll is needed. with a successful Dexterity roll.
DAGAR,TMEVISAGEOP AWAHE~YIIPGS Extra Limbs: The demon grows a second set of
The apocalyptic form of the masters of animation arms or a prehensile tail, at the player’s discretion.
infusesthe angel’smortal body with the blush of youth and Extra arms allow a character to parry or block hand-to-
vibrant health -even the oldest mortal vessel appears to hand or melee attacks without sacrificing her own
be in the prime of life and moves with inhuman grace, attack, or make up to two additional attacks of her own
speed and strength. This aura of life and vitality radiates per turn (all which are considered multiple actions). A
as a palpable sense of warmth, like a beam of sunlight, and prehensile tail is half the character’s height, uses only
every living being touched is temporarily suffusedwith its half the character’s Strength (rounding down) to lift
power. Wilted flowers return to full bloom, the injured objects and allows the character to hang suspended.
gain strength and the old forget their afflictions.
The Visage of Awakenings confers the following
L~REOFTHE
FIRMAMERT
special capabilities. REMOTEVIEWING
Aura of Vitality: Living beings (plant or animal) This evocation allows a Scourge to see through the
within a number of yards equal to your character’s Faith eyes of one of her thralls. This form of viewing is strictly
are infused with restorative energy. Individuals within passive;the demon is merely a spectator alongfor the ride.
this area heal any bashing damage at the rate of one System: Roll Perception + Empathy. The Scourge
health level per turn. may see through her thrall’s eyes for a number of turns

.
1 CHAPTER
QE\ E\
equal to the successes rolled. There is no range limita- The effects of this evocation last for a number of turnsequal
i
tion for this evocation. to your character’spermanent Faith score.
Torment:When a monstrous demon uses this evoca- Torment: Monstrous demons have few scruples
tion, it causes blood vessels to burst in the mortal’s eyes. about a thrall’s faculties; an unfortunate mortal risks
When the demon breaks contact, the mortal must make a permanent brain damage when controlled. Each turn 1
Stamina roll with a difficulty equal to the Scourge’sTor- the demon performs an action with the mortal’s body,
ment. If the roll fails, the thrall is blinded for a number of the Storyteller makes a Stamina roll for the thrall. If the
days equal to the total number of turnsthe evocationwas in roll fails, the mortal loses one point from the relevant
effect.If the roll botches, the thrall is blinded permanently. Attribute permanently. If the demon uses the thrall only
to speak, the Storyteller makes a Willpower roll instead.
$CNI
The Scourge must know one of the names of her
If the roll fails, the thrall loses one point of Intelligence.
intended subject or be able to hold one of the subject’s ‘T’OUCM PROM AFAR
possessions: car keys, an article of clothing. The demon Scourges can use this evocation to direct their
can observe the subject and her surroundings, no mat- powers at a target outside their line of sight, as long as
ter how far away.
System: Roll Perception + Empathy. The difficulty
depends on the level of connection to the subject: Using
a mortal’s name or a physical possession is difficulty 8. A
demon’s Celestial Name is difficulty 7. A True Name is
difficulty 6. The amount of detail gained depends on the
number of successes rolled. One success provides only a
they know one of the target’snames or possess an article
of great personal attachment to the target, such as a
treasured possession or a lock of hair.
System: Spend one Faith point and roll Manipulation
+ Awareness. Your demon can affect targets as far away as
10 miles times the character’s mwmt Faith pool. Then
follow the system for performing whatever evocation your
1
visual image of the immediate area around the subject. characteruses, but the difficulty of the roll is determined by
Two successes expand the visual sphere out from the the amount of informationshe has on her target. If she only
subject to a distance in yards equal to the Scourge’sFaith has the target’smundanename or apersonalpossession,the
score. Three successesadds audio; the demon can hear the difficulty is 9. If the target is a demon and she has his
subject’s voice, but no one else. Four or more successes CelestialName,thedifficultyis8;ifshehas the target’sTrue
allow the Scourge to hear everything that occurs around Name, thedifficultyis 7. Ifthedemontargetsoneofherown
the subject. This evocation lasts a number of turns equal thralls, the difficultyis reduced to 6. Area-effect evocations
to your character’spermanent Faith score, or the connec- are centered on the individual targeted.
tion can be broken voluntarily at any point. Torment The searing focus of a monstrous demon’s
Torment The weight of a monstrous demon’s at- attention fills a subject with visions of horror and madness.
tention causes a severe headache in the subject, as well When a high-Torment demon uses this evocation, the
as feelings of mounting paranoia and aggression. The Willpowerroll is made for the target with adifficultyequal to
Storyteller must make a Willpower roll (difficulty6) for the demon’s Torment. If the roll fails, the target gains a
the subject in each turn that she is observed. If a roll fails, temporaryderangement.Ifthe rollbotches,thederangement
the subject suffers a level of bashing damage and reacts is permanent. These effects are in addition to the results of
with increasing anger and aggression toward the people whatever evocation the Scourgedirects at the target.
around her, increasing the difficulty of all Social rolls by
two for the duration of the scene. If the roll botches, the
MAIP~I
PLACES
AT ORCE
This evocation is similar to Mouth of the Damned,
subject gains a temporary derangement as well.
except that the Scourge is capable of speaking and
MOUTMOPTMEDAMIPED acting through multiple thralls at the same time.
This evocation allows the Scourge to speak and act System: The demon can affect a number of thralls
through the body of one of her thralls. This is more like equal to her Wits score, though if she affectsfewertargets
aformofremote control thanoutright possession,though. than her total Wits, she can also control her own body
The demon remains firmly ensconced in her host body at the same time. Otherwise, the demon’s body falls into
and simply directs her will through the bond between a deep coma until the evocation expires. Spend one
herself and her thrall, and he may do so at any distance. Faith point and roll Manipulation + Leadership. Suc-
System:Roll Manipulation + Leadership.The number cesses achieved form a dice pool to roll for each of the
of successesdetermineshow many of the thrall’sdice you can thralls under the character’s control. In addition, the
roll for any given actionduring a turn.This dice pool cannot character may perform an evocation through one of the
begreaterthanthemaximumnumberofdicethethrallwould thralls under her control each turn, using her own dice
normallygetforanaction.Whenyourdemonspeaksthrough pool. Multiple thralls can be controlled over a number of
her thrall,voice,expressionsandmannerismsarethe Scourge’s. turns equal to your character’s permanent Faith score.
183

Torment:Each turn the demonperforms an actionwith
a thrall’s bcdy, the Storyteller makes a Stamina roll for the
mortal. If the roll fails, the subject loses one point from the ~UMMOIYWIIYD
relevant Attribute permanendy. If the demon uses the thrall This evocation allows the demon to call up a wind
only to speak, the Storytellermakesa Willpowerroll instead. seemingly from nowhere. The Scourge can control the
wind’s generaldirection and use it to gain increaseddistance
If the roll fails, the thrall loses one point of Intelligence.
Additionally, if a monstrous demon performs an evocation on a leap or hamper the effectivenessof ranged weapons.
through the body of one of her thralls, the thrall gets a System:Roll Stamina + Survival.The total number of
Staminaroll with a difficultyequal to the demon’sTorment. successes rolled determines the strength of the wind sum-
If it fails, she suffers one level of lethal damage. moned. Dependingonhowthewindisused,thisstrengthcan
be added as a number of automatic successesto an Athletics
AIYSMAR,TMEVISAGEOFTMEPIRMAMEIPT roll (to leap a long distance,for example),it can increase the
These Angels of the Firmament reveal themselves as difficultyof a ranged attack staged against your character,or
lithe, ethereal figures with pale skin and large gray eyes. it can be used as a dice pool to exert force against an object
When they speak, their voice echoes faintly, as if from a
(such as pushing open a door, knocking a person over).The
great distance, and they alternate between bouts of quiet
wind persists for only a single turn. Increased winds can be
distraction and periods of intense, disquieting scrutiny.
applied across any distance that your character can see.
The Visage of the Firmament confers the following
Torment:When monstrous demons summon up a
wind, it is tainted with the reek of a charnel house,
Enhanced Senses:The character’s five senses are stinking of death and decay. Anyone caught in this
heightened to superhuman levels, lowering the diffi- blast must make a successful Stamina roll (difficulty 7 )
culty of Perception rolls by two.
or suffer one level of bashing damage that may not be
Wings: A pair of owl’s wings extends from the soaked. If such a roll botches, the victim forfeits all
character’s shoulders. At full extension, each wing is a actions that turn due to extreme nausea.
can glide up to three times her running speed per turn. FISTOF &i
Enhanced Intuition: The character’s uncanny This evocation allows a demon to manipulate air
insight lowers the difficulty of all Intuition rolls by two. pressure, allowing her to crush objects, stun living
Enhanced Dodge: The difficulty of all Dodge beings or cause them to burst apart from within.
rolls decreases by two. System: Roll Stamina + Survival. Each success
Torment: Monstrous Anshar seem to retreat even inflicts one health level of bashing damage to living
further from the physical realm, shrouded in a disturb- beings. Ifdirected at non-living objects, successesrolled
ing mantle of shadow and mist. Their skin turns an are considered Strength points on the Feats of Strength
almost translucent gray, and their bodies become bony chart (see page 232 of the Systems chapter) to deter-
and emaciated, the skin stretched taught over their mine how much effect the blast of air has on a target.
faces until they resemble leering skulls. Your character must be able to see her target to use this
The Visage of the Firmament confers the following evocation on it, and the effects persist for one turn.
high-Torment capabilities. Torment: Monstrous demons are capable of drawing
Cloak of Shadows: The demon is shrouded in a on their hate to intensify the force of this evocation to the
pall of darkness, making her features difficult to see in degree that it inflicts lethal damage on living targets.
the best light and rendering her near-invisible at night. COMMAIPDTMEWIIPD
t
The difficulty of all Stealth rolls decreases by two When a Scourge uses this evocation, he is sur-
whenever the demon stands in shadow or moves in rounded by swirling winds that become extensions of his
darkness. If the character is attacked, the rulesfor Blind will. He can use these gusts of air to manipulate objects.
Fighting apply to the attacker. See page 240 of the System: Roll Dexterity + Survival.The total number
Systems chapter for details. of successesachieved forms adice pool that you can roll for
Multiple Eyes: The demon gains four to six extra your character to perform any action that involves mo-
eyes, sprouting from her head and/or neck. These extra ment or control of objects or targets. The difficulty of
organs give the demon 360-degree vision and lower the actions that require fine motor control (typing, putting a
difficulty of all Perception rolls by two. key in a lock) is 9. The Scourge can affect objects up to a
Improved Initiative: The character adds two to distance in yardsequal to her Faith score. The effect of this
her initiative. evocation lasts for the duration of the scene.
Claws:The character manifests claws that inflict Torment: The winds stirred by a monstrous demon
Strength +2 aggravated damage. become a foul miasma that chokes the lungs of anyone
184

a CHAPTER SE\ EN
I
touched by them. Every living being within the range of

the demon’sevocation suffersone level of bashing damage
per turn that cannot be soaked using armor. Filtration or
breathing apparatus such as gas masks provides the only
source of protection from this poisonous air.
1
WALLOP
AIR
While Scourges can stir air into an angry gale with
but a word, they can also condense it into an impen-
etrable barrier, stopping solid objects as though they’d
struck a stone wall. When this evocation is performed,
the air visibly distorts, like old, wavy glass. The stronger
the barrier is, the more opaque it becomes.
Survival. The total number of successes achieved is a
dice pool that can be used to soak all ranged attacks (as
if it were armor) or to make resisted rolls against all close-
combat attacks. The wall covers 10square feet times the
character’s Faith score, and your Scourge can make the
wall any sizeor shape desiredwithin that limit. Aresisted
Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7 ) must be made
f
versus the wall’s dice pool to push through it. The wall
can be placed anywhere within the Scourge’s line of
sight up to a distance in yards equal to her Faith score.
The wall remains in place for the duration of the scene
unless removed sooner at your character’s will. The wall
fades immediately if your character is Incapacitated.
Torment: Monstrous demons create walls of air
that resemble weaves of writhing gray mist and sear the
flesh like acid. Individuals who attempt to force their
way through the barrier suffer a number of lethal
damage dice equal to the demon’s Torment.
CKLONE
This potent evocation allows the Scourge to infuse
the air with the power of his Faith, stirring up a raging
whirlwind in the time of a heartbeat. This furious storm
affects everything it touches, but the demon can focus
it against a specific target if desired.
rolls involving leaping and tumbling decrease by two.
Immune to Falling Damage: The character does
I
System: Spend one Faith point and roll Stamina + not suffer damage of any kind incurred as the result of
Survival(difficulty7).Thetotalnumberofsuccessachieved a fall, regardless of the height.
determines the Strength of the wind that your character Torment: Ellil who succumb to their demonic
summons that turn. The storm affects everything out to a nature grow lean and hatchet-featured, their faces
distance in yards equal to your character‘sCUTTent Faith pool: dominated by their large, unblinking eyes. Their once-
Light objects are tossed about, doors are blown open, win- magnificent wings grow ragged and mangy, and their
dows are broken. Compare the Strength of the storm to the tall figures become stooped; they prefer to crouch
Featsof Strengthchart (seepage 232 of the System’schapter rather than stand. They are always restless, unable to sit
for details)to determinehow much force the wind can exert. in any one place for more than a few minutes at a time.
Ifyourcharacterwishes,hecanfocustheeffectofthecyclone
against a specific target with a successful Willpower roll The Visage of the Winds confers the following
(ddficultyequal to the cyclone’s Strength). A storm can be high-Torment special capabilities.
targeted within range of your character’sline of sight. Claws: The demon’s fingers and toes are tipped
Once per turn, roll a number of dice equal to the with thick, curved talons that inflict Strength +2
Strength of the storm. Each success inflicts one level of aggravated damage.
bashing damage to living beings caught within, or on Extra Actions: Faith points can be spent to gain 1
hom the storm is targeted. Your character can make the

185

DEMON:
THEFALLEN
These actions occur in order of descending initiative, so if Torment: Monstrous demons can sink into the soil
a demon with an initiative of 7 gains an extra action, she and move beneath the earth in any direction they wish.
takes her normal action at 7 and her extra action at 6. The The number of successes rolled determines how many
player must decide to purchase extra actions at the begin- yards the demon can cover in linear travel. Each turn
ning of a turn before any other actions have been taken. of movement requires a Strength + Athletics roll. If the
0 w s : The demon’s shoulders and upper a m are roll fails, the demon is forced back to the surface.
covered with a ruff of sharp quills that pose a hazard to foes R~~~THEeAnTH
in close combat. An attackerwho successfullyhits ademon This evocation allows a Malefactor to cause the
System:Your character determines what she seeks
t that sucks objects below the
of making the earth accessible to the li

inhabited it by laying pathways from on
another. The Loreofpaths is asubtle but potent collecti
of evocations that dictates how a physical
from one point to another. Humanity believ
shortest distance between two points is a straight line,
that’s only because the angels of the earth wis
times past. Though these potent arts were cent
existence of Paradise,their ways were slow and in
mortal standards. When the war began, the A
sought a way to make their powers more im
useful to their demon and mortal allies, which le
synthesis of demonically enhanced weapons
These methods, encompassedin the Lore of the Forge,
now considered to be the hallmarks of the Malefactors.
LOREOFTMEFARTM
EARTM
MELD
This evocation allows the demon to
physical body with the earth beneath her fee
as the evocation is in effect, she cannot be
picked up or knocked down unless she wishes it. level of lethal damage per turn of exposure.
System: Roll Strength + Survival. If successful,the EARTM STORM
Malefactor is bound to the earth and cannot be moved This evocation causes clods of earth and shards of
from that spot unless she wishes. stone or concrete to tear free of the ground and form a
186

1 SE\EN
CHAPTER
I
whirling storm of deadly projectiles surrounding the Additionally, the swirling clouds of powdered dirt and
Malefactor, providing protection from attacks and sup- stone serve to largelyconceal the demon within, increas-
plying the demon with missiles to hurl at foes. ing the difficulty of ranged attacks directed at her by one.
System: Spend one Faith point and roll Strength + EARTMQUAHE
Survival. The number of successes achieved forms a dice By focusing the power of her will, the Malefactor
pool that is rolled as armor to soak damage from any can stir the pent-up energies deep below the earth’s
attacks directed at the Malefactor. The storm itself is surface and create a brief but powerful tremor that can
centered on the fallen, and it moves as she moves. If the reverberate across an entire city.
Malefactor wishes, she can sacrifice a die from her pool System: Spend one Faith point and roll Strength +
during any given turn to hurl a fist-sized projectile of Survival, and then allocate successes rolled between the
earth or stone at a target. As with any ranged attack, roll intensity and extent of the tremor. The intensity of the
Dexterity + Athletics to hit the target, with bashing tremor is added to the difficulty of any person’s actions
damage dice pool equal to the character’s Faith score. within the area and is used as a dice pool to determine
The evocation’s radius extends for a number of yards damage to standing structures. A small wooden building
equal to the character’s Faith score. Individuals caught like a shack has one or possibly two structure points, while
within this radius are whipped by gusts of stinging grit, a brick home might have as many as three or four. The
increasingthe difficulty of any actions taken by one. The difficulty for the damage roll is 6. If a building sustains
effectsof this evocation last for the duration of the scene. more damage than it has structure points, it collapses.
Torment:The barrage invoked by a monstrousdemon The extent of the tremor determines its effective
is more akin to a sandstorm,flaying living beings alive and radius. One success causes the tremor to affect a number of
wearing inanimate objects away in moments. The high- square feet equal to the character‘s Faith score. Two suc-
Torment version of this evocation does not provide extra cesses affect anumber of squareyards. Three successesaffect
soak dice or ranged attacks, but inflicts lethal damage dice a number of square miles. Therefore, a demon can cause
equal to the character’s Torment to everything caught immense destruction on a small scale, significant destruc-
within the storm’s radius, except the demon herself. tion on a medium scaleor minor damage acrossa largescale.
187

A tremor persists for one turn for each intensity difficulty of any grapple attemptsdirected at the demon
point assigned to it. increases by two.
Torment: A high-Torment demon causes the earth
to heave and spew toxic clouds that are thick with ash L o n ~PATM~
o~
and that reek of brimstone. In addition to the previ- PIIYDPATM
ously detailed effects, the stinging air increases the This evocation permits the Malefactor to deter-
difficulty of all Perception rolls made within the af- mine if a path exists between herself and a destination
fected area by two, and victims suffer one level of that fits the criteria she requires. The path is visible to
bashing damage each turn they are exposed to the only the demon and anyone she touches, revealing
fumes. These effects continue for a number of turns itself as a faint, silver-blue line, like a ray of moonlight.
equal to the earthquake’s intensity. System: Your character sets the criteria for the
KISM~~T~EVIS~GEO~TMEE~~TM path she seeks, and you make a Perception + Survival
These angels manifest as towering figures with dark roll. T h e number of successes required depends on the
skin that ranges from a creamy brown to utter black, and criteria set and the distance covered. For example, if
their bodiesappear as though hewn fromstone,with muscle your character wants to find a path through a stretch of
and bone etched in sharp relief on a frame devoid of soft impenetrable forest or swamp, you might need only one
flesh or fat. The Kishar are hairless, and the irises of their success. If she wants a path across a n open field that
eyeshave the clarityand color of gemstones:ruby, sapphire, allows her to move unobserved, you might need two or
emerald, garnet, topaz and diamond. The air about them more successes.Apath that leads her unharmed through
smells of freshly turned earth, rich with the promise of life. a raging house fire might require three or more suc-
The Visage of the Earth confers the following cesses. If the roll fails, the path cannot be found.
special capabilities. Torment:Monstrous demons are able to seek paths
Increased Size: The character’s body grows to a just as their more humanpeers can, but the difficultyfor
third again irs own height, adding the following bonus such rolls is equal to the demon’s Torment. The more
traits: +2 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +1 Stamina. murderous the demon is, the less she is prepared to
Immune to Bashing Damage: The character is perform a concentrated search.
immune to attacks that inflict bashing damage alone. LXIPATM
Irresistible Force: The difficulty of any Feats of At this level, a Malefactor doesn’t have to look for a
t
Strength (see p. 232) performed by the character de- usefulpath. Shecanlayonetosuitherneeds, thoughit’snot
crease by two. something that can be done on the spur of the moment.
Night Vision: The character can see in total System: The demon determines the criteria of the
darkness as though it were daylight. path she wishes to lay, and the distance it is to cover. You
Torment: Monstrous Kishar are huge and mis- make a Dexterity + Survivalroll. The difficulty of the roll
1 shapen, their stone-like skin covered in sharp-edged
nodules and spikes, and fissured with deep cracks that
increases according to the complexity of the path. A
shortcut that reduces travel time, allows the user to pass
ooze a black, oily ichor. unobserved, and is wide enough to permit multiplepeople
The Visage of the Earth confers the following high- to walk it at once is very complex, and it could have a
Torment special capabilities. difficulty as high as 9 or 10. You must gain a number of
Extra Limbs: The demon grows a second set of successes equal to the length the path covers in hundreds
arms. Extra arms allow a character to parry or block of yards. These successes can be gained through an ex-
close-combat attacks without sacrificing her own at- tended action, but they must be gathered over successive
tack, or make up to two additional attacks of her own turns. Using the previous example, if your Malefactor
per turn (which are considered multiple actions). wanted to lay such a path between two points that were
Gaping Maw: The demon’s metabolism is like a 500 yards apart, you would need to gain five successes at
blast furnace,capable of consumingvirtually any material a difficulty of 9 or 10.The path, once laid, is visible to only
without harm. Metal, stone or flesh is chewed up and the Malefactor (though successful use of the Find Path
digested with ease. The difficulty of bite attacks is lowered evocation can detect it like any other path), and remains
by two,and a bite inflicts Strength +4aggravateddamage. usable for a number of days equal to your character’s
Spikes: The demon’s body is covered in sharp, permanent Faith score. The player can make the path
stony spikes, adding two dice of aggravated damage to permanent by expending a temporary Willpower point.
the Kishar’s unarmed attacks. Torment: Monstrous demons can lay paths as well
Ichor: A foul black ichor covers the demon’s but the taint that becomes worked into the fabric of a tra
body, making him difficult to grab or restrain. The makes the course unpredictable and dangerous. Rolls t
188

1 CHQPTER #E\ EN
I
traverse a path laid by a monstrous demon botch on a roll of yards, and your character can make the effort as an
of 1or 2. A botched roll causes the traveler to exit the path extended action over a period of turns. If successful,the
at a random point along its length, determined by the path collapses and is destroyed. If travelers walk the path
Storyteller - a potentially fatal mishap if the path in at the time, the consequences are dire. The Storyteller
question leads under a lake or through a mountain. rolls Dexterity + Survival for each person (difficulty 8).
If a roll is successful, that victim exits the path at a
CORCEALPATM random point along its length. If the roll fails, she is lost
Paths, once formed, can be found and followed by between the physical and spirit realms and begins to
any demon who has the eyes to look for them -unless suffocate (refer to the drowning rules on page 263 of the
they are camouflaged by the demon that made them. System’s chapter for details). The Storyteller can con-
System: Roll Perception + Survival. Any demon tinue to roll for a trapped victim each minute until she
r
who attempts to find the path later must gain more escapes or is killed. If the character dies, her body does
successes than the Malefactor when searching for the not return to the physical realm.
hidden route. This concealment lasts for a number of
days equal to the character’s permanent Faith score, or WARPPATM
it can be made permanent with the expenditure of a This evocationallowsaMalefactor to warp the nature
temporary Willpower point. of an existingpathway, altering one or many of its param-
Torment: Monstrous demons do not hide a path so eters. The path can be traveled in a shorter or longer
much as they lay a trap for the unwary. When the period of time, it can lead travelers back to their point of
evocation is performed, the successes rolled become origin, it can lead to a different destination entirely, or it
automatic levels of bashing damage that are inflicted can simply loop back upon itself without end.
on any other being that steps onto the path. This trap System: Spend one Faith point and roll Dexterity
can be detected with a supernatural awareness roll (see + Survival. If your character wishes to increase or
p. 172), but it cannot be avoided or disarmed. Unlike decrease the time to travel the path, travel time is
the more benign form of concealment, this trap cannot altered by a factor equal to the successes rolled. If she
be made permanent. It disappears after a number of wants to change the destination of the path or cause it
days equal to the demon’s Torment score. to loop back on itself, you must roll a number of
successes equal to the length of the path in hundreds of
CL~SEPATM yards. The duration of the effect is a number of days
This evocation allows a Malefactor to seal both equal to your character’s Faith score, it or can be made
ends of a path, denying its use to both friend and foe permanent by expending a single Willpower point.
until it is opened again. Paths closed in this way are
Torment: Monstrous demons create warped paths
often “locked” using special words that can then be
that prey upon the minds of travelers, as well. In addition
used as a kind of key to allow specific individuals access
to any alterationsmade to the path itself,travelerscrossing
to the path while restricting others.
it must make a Willpower roll upon reaching their desti-
System:Spend one Faith point and roll Dexterity + nation. Iftherollfails, they gaina temporaryderangement.
Survival. You must gain a number of successes equal to If the roll botches, the derangement is permanent.
the length the path covers in hundreds of yards, and the
effort can be accomplished in an extended roll over a TMEVI,SAGE
AIPTU, OFTMEPATMS
period of successiveturns. If successful,the path is closed. The angels of the pathways closely resemble mortals
If travelers walk the path at the time, they are trapped at first glance. Their skin is deeply tanned, as though
within until the demon chooses to open it again. You can they’d spent a lifetime in the sun, and the skin around
spend a temporary point of Willpower and for your their dark eyes are deeply lined, casting their orbits in
character to create a keyword that other demons (and permanent shadow. It is only on closer inspection that
thralls) can use to unlock and travel the path. the worry lines are revealed as intricate patterns that
Paths closed with this power can be forced open radiate from the angel’s eyes and continue to run across
with a successful Willpower roll. The difficulty is equal the planes of her face, disappearing into her scalp and
to the Willpower that the Malefactor had when he circling her throat in intricate tattoos. A t night these
closed the path, and the roll must net a number of lines reflect the moonlight in ghostly traceries that seem
successes equal to the closer’s Faith score at the time. to shift and realign themselves as the angel speaks.
Forcing open a path in this way can be done as an The Visage of the Paths confers the following
extended action performed over a period of turns. special capabilities.
Torment Monstrous demons do not close paths - Dead Reckoning: Your character is always aware
they collapse them. Again, you must gain a number of of where she is in relation to known landmarks, no
uccesses equal to the length the path covers in hundreds matter how far away those landmarks may be. Unless
189

affectedby spatially distorting evocations such as Warp object is constructed and the way it works; she can operate
Path, she can never lose her sense of direction. it as though she possessed a basic familiarity with its
1 Enhanced Perception: The difficulties of all

Perception rolls decrease by two.
Improved Initiative: Add two t o your
capabilities. If the object is damaged, the demon can repair
it with a single success. If she wants to improve the way it
works, each successlowers the difficultyneeded to use the
I
character’s initiative. device. This method of refinement can be done only once
Flashing Fingers: The character is capable of to any given item, and it normally lasts for the duration of
supernatural sleights of hand, seeming to conjure items the scene. The demon can make the effects permanent, if
out of thin air, only to make them vanish again with a she wishes, by expending a temporary Willpower point.
flick of the wrist. She can draw an item from a pocket Torment:Objects repaired or enhanced by a mon-
or conceal an item without detection on a successful strous demon are tainted by the demon’shatred, infusing
Dexterity + Athletics roll. them with a tendency to inflict misfortune and death.
Torment: Monstrous Antu cannot conceal the On a roll of 1or 2, such cursed items cause a botch when
path lines crisscrossing their faces -they stand out as used. Weapons affected by this evocation strike the
angry cuts of black and red against their tanned skin. user or someone close to her whena botch occurs, at the
1 The air shifts and trembles around them, waxing and

waning depending on the intensity of their emotions.
The Visage of the Paths confers the following high-
Torment special capabilities.
Storyteller’s discretion.
ACTIVATEOBJECT
With this evocation, the demon can cause me-
chanical objects to operate by simple force of will.
Pass Without Trace: The difficulties of the System: Roll Intelligence + Crafts. The difficulty
f
character’sStealth rolls decrease by two, and her passage is determined by the complexity of the object. Causing
does not disturb the surrounding environment in any a door to open is difficulty 5 , while making a pistol
way. She leaves no footprints and disturbs no foliage. chamber a round and fire is 8. This evocation works
Alter Size:The demon can alter her physical size in only on objects that operate by simple, mechanical
order to slip through narrow gaps or crawl into impossibly means. Hinges move, levers operate, but hammers
small spaces. She can reduce her size to as little as a third don’t pick themselves up and start banging away at
ofher original volume ifdesired.The difficultiesof attacks nails. An elevator button could depress or a computer’s
directed against the miniature demon increase by two. power switch could turn o n or off, but the inner
Mirage: Air warps around the demon, creating workings of the computer’s memory aren’t affected.
an optical illusion that misleads an opponent as to how The character can affect a single object within a num-
far away the being really is. The difficulties of all ranged ber of yards equal to her Faith score.
attacks against the demon are increased by two, while Torment:Amachineaffected by amonstrousdemon’s
those of close-combat attacks are increased by one. will often breaks or goes wildly out of control, damagingor
1 Other demons can resist these effects as they can any

other illusion (seep. 171).
Relentless: The demon can walk or run without
destroyingitselfin the process.Whenmaking the Stamina
+ Crafts roll to activate the object, also apply the number
of successes rolled as damage levels to the object.
need of rest, able to cover superhuman distances with- SMAPEOBJECT
0utpause.A~long asshestaysinmotionshe isunaffected This evocation allows a Malefactor to take matter
by fatigue or hunger. and work it with ease. A wooden board can be worked
LOREOFTMEFORGE into a model ship, a plate glass window can be worked
into a delicate glass crown or a steel pipe can be shaped
EIYMAECE
OBJECT by the Malefactor’s hands into a razor-edged sword.
This evocation allows a Malefactor to gain an System: Roll Dexterity + Crafts. You must gain a
innate understanding of an object and its intended number of successes depending on the complexity of the
function, simply by running her hands over it or work- item your character wishes to create. A hammer requires
ing its moving parts. What’s more, she can repair one success, while a clock could require five or more.
damaged objects or make adjustments that cause them These successes can be gained through an extended
to work better than before. action, allowing the character to work on an item, set it
System: Roll Perception + Crafts. The difficulty is down and come back to it hours or even days later. The
determined by the relative complexity of the object: A difficultyto create sophisticated machines, such as inter-
hammer is difficulty5, while a car is difficulty8. High-tech nal-combustion engines or electrical generators is 9 and
objectssuchas acomputer are difficulty10.A singlesuccess could require 10 or more successes to complete. High-
grants the demon an innate understanding of how the tech items such as computers pose a difficulty of 10 and
190

could require as many as 15 or more successes to com- destroyed. This evocation cannot be used on high-tech
plete. Items created exist permanently unless destroyed. items such as computers or other electronic hardware.
Torment: Objects created by monstrous demons are
dangerous and unpredictable, equally capable of inflicting
tragedy as they are of functioning as designed. Objects
created in this fashion botch on a 1or 2 when used, and the
Torment: Monstrous demons create cursed objects
that consume the souls of their owners and wreak misery
on those close to them. Cursed objects botch on a roll
of 1 or 2, and the consequences of such a mishap are
t
1
wielder or someone close to him suffers the consequences. always directed at either the wielder or any friends or
loved ones who happen to be nearby. Further, instead of
ENCMANT
OBJECT making adice roll to activate the object, mortals (includ-
This powerful evocation is the one most often
ing thralls) lose one point of Willpower with each use,
associated with the angels of the earth: the ability to
while demons gain one point of temporary Torment.
infuse objects with supernatural qualities that can make
ordinary mortals into heroes -or monsters. Many such IMBUE
OQJECT
objects are specifically created for that purpose, but While the ability to enchant objects made the
Malefactors are also adept at taking pre-existing items Annunaki much sought after among the fallen, this
and infusing them with frightening new capabilities.
System: Creating an enchanted object is a laborious
and expensive process, requiring substantial investments
of time and energy. If the Malefactor creates the object
intended for enchantment, the difficulty for performing
the evocation is 6. If she works with an existingobject, the
difficulty is 8. To enchant an item, the demon must first
evocation made them equally feared as well, allowing a
Malefactor to bind a soul - mortal or demon - into
a specially prepared reliquary or object.
System: Your character must prepare a suitable
vessel to hold the spirit in question. This vessel must be
made of natural materials and be shaped by hand. If the
Malefactor made the vessel herself, the difficulty to
1
possess a lore path that evokes the investiture inquestion. perform the evocation is a 6. Otherwise, it's 8. With this
For example, if the demon wants to create a magic mirror vessel in hand, your character can use this evocation on
that showsan illusionofperfectbeauty to whomeverlooks any disinterred spirit (such as a demon stripped of its host
into its depths, she needs to possess at least one dot in the body or a ghost) within a number of yards equal to her
Lore of Light,the path governingillusions. More complex Faith score. Spend one Faith and roll Stamina + Crafts
effects could conceivablyrequire a combination of perti- in a resisted roll versus the target's Willpower. If your
nent lore. If the demon wanted the mirror to sense a effort is successful, the spirit is bound into the vessel.
t
mortal's deepestdesireand present an illusiondepictingit, Mortal souls bound this way cannot interact with the
he would need some measure of the Lore of Light and the physical world. Demons, on the other hand, can still use
Lore of Humanity. The Storyteller is the final arbiter on their inherent powers and their lore paths, provided they
what lore is needed (and at what level) to create a have available Faith. (Any existing pacts with mortal '
particular object. Enchanted itemsdraw upon the wielder's thralls remain in effect). The only way to free a soul thus
inherent belief to perform their supernatural functions. bound is to destroy the vessel that contains it.
Mortals (including thralls) require a successfulWillpower Torment: Monstrous demons who bind souls with
roll (difficulty 8) to access an object's abilities, while this evocation are tainted by the Malefactor's Tor-
demons require a successfulFaith roll (difficulty 6). This ment, twisting the spirits into maddened, malevolent
roll must be made each time the item is used. If either roll entities. Mortal souls bound in this fashion suffer a
botches, the character loses one point of the relevant trait. permanent derangement, determined by the Story-
Alternatively, characters can attune an object to them teller. Fallen bound thus have theirpemunent Torment
and create apermanent link that keeps the item energized increased by the number of successes generated by the
at all times. Attuning an item thus costs one point of Stamina + Crafts roll used to anchor them.
permanent Willpower (in the case of mortals and thralls)
or 1 point of permanent Faith (in the case of demons). MUMMU, TMEPORGE
TMEVI~AGEOF
Once attuned, the character can use the device at will The angels of the forge appear as giants hammered
without requiring a dice roll to activate it. from the black iron of the earth, their powerfully
If the demon possesses the required knowledge, muscled forms lit with veins of hot magma, and their
make an extended Dexterity + Crafts roll and expend a eyes shining like disks of burnished brass. Their voices
Faith point. The number of successes required depends are deep and thunderous, like the roar of a furnace.
on the power and scope of the enchantment. A simple When in their apocalyptic form, these fallen are im-
creation such as a knife that never loses its edge requires mune to extremes of temperature and pressure. They
one success. A key that opens any lock requires five. A can handle hot coals as mortals do ice cubes.
mirror that shows a mortal attaining her deepest The Visage of the Forge confers the following
requires 10. If a creation roll botches, the item is special capabilities.

Master Artisan: The difficulties of all Crafts rolls of Portals -secrets that allowed the angels to travel the
decrease by two. length and breadth of reality in the blink of an eye. Finally,
Increased Size: The character’s body grows to a like the Annunaki, whose dutieswould normally have kept
third again its own height, adding the following bonus them far from mortal eyes,the Neberu struggled to use their
traits: +2 Strength, +1Dexterity, +1 Stamina. powers directly in the struggleagainst the Host of Heaven.
Thunderous Voice: The character’s shout shat- The Lore of Light emerged during the war as the Fiends
ters glass and makes stone tremble. Individuals within a learned touse theirknowledgeoflight-andperception-
number of yards equal to the character’s Faith suffer four to weave potent illusions.
dice of bashing damage. This ability may be used only
once per scene, and it requires an action to perform. LOREOF
PATTENY~
Immune to Fire: The character is immune to SEFGECOICIGRUEFKE
damage from fire. This evocation allows a Fiend to sense localities or
Torment: High-Torment Mummu are nightmar- people that are at the heart of a convergence of conse-
ish creatures of ironskin and serrated blades, surrounded quential forces. By reading the forces at work in the
by a haze of smoldering brimstone. Their eyes are twin great design, the Fiend can use this power to always be
t globes of roiling fire, and wherever they go, electrical

devices go berserk: lights flicker and televisions and
radios are afflicted with static.
The Visage of the Forge confers the following high-
in the right place at the right time.
System: Your character must specify what kind of
event she tries to detect (e.g., the invocation of a
summoning ritual, a car accident), and you roll Percep-
tion + Intuition. Your character can sense the pattern a
Blades: The fingers of the Mummu end in curved number of days into the future equal to her Faith score.
blades of razor-sharp iron, inflicting Strength +2 aggra- The number of successesdetermines how much informa-
vated damage. tion the Fiend receives. One shows the location where
Extra-Limbs: The demon grows a second set of the event will occur, but not when or where. Two
arms. Extra arms allow a character to parry or block successes show the location and give an idea of when it
hand-to-hand or melee attacks without sacrificing her
will happen. Three successes show where and when the
own attack, or make up to two additional attacks ofher
event will occur, as well as images of the people involved.
own per turn (which are considered multiple actions).
Torment: Monstrous demons are able to use this
Magnetic Field: The demon is surrounded by a
evocation to search only for impending events of
magnetic field intense enough to disrupt electronic de-
viceswithin aradius in yards equalto the character’sFaith. violence and destruction.
Iron Skin: The character’s iron-like skin acts as TRKCEPATTERIY
armor, providing four additional dice to soak bashing, This evocation allows the Fiend to view a particu-
lethal and aggravated damage. lar event and analyze the various forces that caused it
to occur. This insight comes in the form of vague
impressions that sharpen into detailed images as the
demon devotes her unblinking attention to them.
System: Your character must be at the location
where the event in question occurred to work this
evocation. Make a Perception + Intuition roll. The
Humanity views the universe as an impossibly vast number of successes rolled determines how detailed the
panorama of galaxies, stars and planets, each object adrift picture of a particular event is. One success depicts the
on a sea of emptiness,spreading like ripples in a pond. The immediate circumstances surrounding the event. Two
Angels of the Heavens know differently-all elementsof reveal a few minutes preceding the event. Three suc-
Creation, no matter how vast or insignificant, are depen- cesses might take the demon back a quarter of an hour to
dent on one another in a delicatebalance of power, motion give a broader idea of the forces leading up to the event.
and direction. It’s a grand mechanism that only God could Torment: Monstrous Fiends can attempt to trace
conceive, and one that the angels were ordered to monitor any pattern they wish, but they can focus on only
andmaintain inperpetuity.Central to this taskwastheLore sources of violence or injury that pertain to the event.
of Patterns, allowingthe angelsof the FourthHouse to study
the motions of the Grand Design and predict possible FORESEE
problems before they occurred. Even then, the design was
so large that even the Elohim could view only a small
portion at any one time, leading to the creation of the Lore
This potent evocation allows the Fiend to read the
tides of fate in her immediate area and predict events
and actions that are about to occur.
t
1 CH~ P T E RSE\EN
I
System:Rolls Wits + Intuition. The evocation takes and how to manipulate these risks to cause injury or
r character’s action at
evocation provides the
e distracted driver indi
on a free dodge action warns of a tragedy or
TWI,ST
TIME
intentions, she can time within a sm
lIlICldLlUI1 Lo
place or event, bani

ryteller describes the bubble simply disappears.
were an outside observer. ~ I im
K L privy
the individuals involved, and she mu
tions may be taken as normal.
ndividuals can exit the bubble (or be forced \
and meaning of relations
player listens to the St
of the character’s
lend performing the
Storyteller: Why doe
ent: Monstrous demons use this evocation to

to try to affect the outcome according to
193

’ leaves terrible scars on a person’s sanity. The evocation
affectsevery individual within a number of yards equal to
the character’sFaith score. Demonscan resist the effectsby
making a resisted roll using their Willpower, with the
difficulty equal to the Fiend’s Torment. Victims knocked
out of phase disappear for a number of turns based on how
fast or slow time passes in the bubble compared to the
close-combat attacks without sacrificing her own at-
tack, or to make up to two additional attacks of her own
per turn (which are considered multiple actions).
Sibilant Whispers: The difficulties of all Subter-
fuge rolls decrease by two.
outside world. When they return to the normal time flow,

victims lose one temporary Willpower for each turn they
OPEN/CIBSEPOR~LS
were out of phase. If this loss reducestheirWillpowerto zero, This evocation gives a Fiend complete control of
victims suffer a permanent derangement. the portals she encounters. Doors and windows unlock,
open or close at her command.
RIRSU~Y, PATTERNS
TMEVISAGEOF System: Roll Manipulation + Intuition. The num-
The angels of the great pattern have skins of ber of successesrequired is determined by the complexity
indigo. Their hairless bodies are covered with intri- of the portal and its attendant locking mechanisms. A
cate lines and patterns etched in silvery blue light simple residence requires one success, while a prison
1 that shifts and realigns depending on the angle of

light and the intensity of the angel’s mood. Their
eyes are like bright sapphires, casting the cold light
cell door might require as many as three. If successful,
the portal unlocks and opens or closes and locks at the
character’s touch.
of the stars.
Torment: Monstrous demons do not open or close
The Visage of Patterns confers the following spe- portals so much as they smash them open or jam them
cial capabilities. shut. When a high-Torment demon affects a portal
Wings: A pair of swan’s wings extends from the with this evocation, the number of successes rolled is
character’s shoulders. At full extension, each wing is a also applied as Strength points to the portal in ques-
third again as long as the character is tall. The character tion, doing damage to its materials as if performing a
can glide up to three times her running speed per turn. feat of Strength (see p. 232).
Improved Initiative: The character adds two to
her initiative. CREATE
WARD
Enhanced Intuition: The character’s uncanny This evocation allows the Fiend to seal off the
insight lowers the difficulties of all Intuition rolls by two. portals in an area, making it inviolable to outside forces.
I Enhanced Mental Acuity: The character re-

ceives the following bonus traits: + 1 Intelligence, + 1
Wits, +2 Perception.
System:The character must be inside the area she
wishes to seal with this evocation. Roll Charisma +
Intuition. If successful,all the entrances to a given area
Torment Monstrous Ninsun lose their indigo hue become impassable. Even open doorways become
I and become as black as the void. The patterns covering clouded with wisps of fog, and what feels like a solid
barrier of air prevents anything from passing through.
their bodies take on the color of quicksilver, and their
eyes are nothing but empty globes of darkness. An extra Once sealed, the area cannot be entered, even through
set of spindly arms gives these demons a distinctly the use of another lore (such as Paths or Realms). To
arachnid appearance. penetrate the ward, a n intruder must exceed the num-
The Visage of Patterns confers the following high- ber of successesyou achieved, rolling against a difficulty
Torment special capabilities. equal to your character’s Willpower. The area remains
sealed for the remainder of the scene.
Aura of Misfortune: Any individuals caught
within a distance in yards equal to the demon’s Tor- Torment: Monstrous demons are capable of creat-
ment score suffer a botch on any roll of 1 or 2. ing wards, but their energies do not restrict invaders so
Extra Actions: Faith points can be spent to gain much as they inflict pain on those who attempt to enter
extra actions in a turn at the rate of one point per a protected space. When an intruder crosses a warded
action. These actions occur in order of descending portal, he suffers a number of bashing levels of damage
initiative, so if one of the Ninsun with an initiative of equal to the successes you achieved o n your roll. This
7 gains an extra action, she take her normal action at damage may be soaked, but the difficulty of the Stamina
7 and her extra action at 6. The player must decide to roll is equal to your character’s Torment.
purchase extra actions at the beginning of a turn before TELEPORT
any other actions have been taken. This evocation allows a Fiend to use an existing
Extra Limbs: The demon grows a second set of portal to transport herself instantly to a similar portal at
arms. Extra arms allow a character to parry or block another location, potentially hundreds of miles away
194

CH 4PTER SE\ E\
System: Roll Intelligence + Intuition. The num-

ber of successes required depends on your character’s
familiarity with her destination. If it is somewhere with
which she is intimately familiar, such as a doorway in
her own home, only one success is required. If it is
somewhere she has visited frequently, two successes are
necessary. If the destination is somewhere that the
Fiend has only recently visited for the first time, three
successes are required. The demon must have visited
her destination at least once before to be able to travel
there with this evocation, and there must be a portal
there identical to the type she enters. If she steps
through a doorway, there must be a doorway at her
destination. The Fiend can travel up to 100 miles for
each point of Faith she has. Therefore, a Fiend with 10
Faith could travel up to a thousand miles away.
Torment: Monstrous demons performing this evo-
cation are severely hampered by their lack of focus. If
the evocation is successful, a Willpower roll must be
made with a difficulty equal to the Fiend’s Torment. If
the roll fails, the Fiend is transported to a random (but
familiar) location as determined by the Storyteller.
CO-LOCATE
Akin to Teleport, this evocation allows a Fiend to
use a doorway to tie two locations together for a short 4% ,
time, allowing others to pass through from one place

to another.
Intuition. The difficulty is determined by your character’s
familiarity with the location she wishes to reach. If she is
intimately familiar with the location, the difficulty is 6. If
it’s alocationshe hasvisited numerous times, the difficulty
is 7. If she’s been there only once, it’s 8. If she’snever been
there before and goes merely by the guidance of another,
the difficulty is 9. The doorway remains open for one turn
per success achieved. Like Teleport, the demon must use
an existing portal (doorway, window, manhole) to cross
between the two locations. As many others can cross
through (or back again) as may walk through the portal in
the time that is available. The Fiend can travel up to 100
miles for each point of Faith she has.
Torment: Monstrous demons can create co-loca-
tions, but those passing through are momentarily exposed
to the demon’s Torment, and risk severe psychological
trauma or madness as a result. A Willpower roll must be
made for individuals passing through the portal, the
difficulty of which equals the Fiend’s Torment. If a roll
fails, a victim gains a temporary derangement.
DOOKWNIRTO Dmmness
This powerful evocation allows a demon to create
a doorway into the shadowy space between the physical
and spirit realms - a dark, lifeless reflection of the
world. Demons can cross over into this bleak realm for
195

a short time or hide items from prying eyes and then keening of wind over jagged stones, and their touch is
retrieve them later. colder than ice.
System: Spend one Faith point and roll Stamina + The Visage of Portals confers the following high-
Awareness. The evocation requires a portal -door or Torment special capabilities.
window -to form the threshold between realms, and Cloak of Shadows: The demon is shrouded in a
the opening remains for only one turn. Individuals who pall of darkness, making her features difficult to see in
pass bodily through find themselves in a bleak, desolate the best of light and rendering her near-invisible at
mirror image of the physical world, one wracked by night. The difficulties of all Stealth rolls decrease by
howling winds that wear away at living minds. Mortals two whenever the demon stands in a pool of shadow or
who cross over into this realm lose one Willpower moves in darkness. If the character is attacked, the rules
point for each turn that they are there. Once their for Blind Fighting apply to the attacker. See page 240
Willpower is gone, they gain a temporary derangement of the Systems chapter for details.
and suffer one level of bashing damage per turn that Improved Initiative: Add two t o the
may not be soaked. Demons can remain in this shadow character’s initiative.
realm for a number of turns equal to their Faith score Enhanced Dodge: The difficulties of all Dodge
1 without ill effects. After that point, they begin to suffer

bashing damage as well. This evocation must be per-
formed again to open a doorway that allows a Fiend or
another to return to the physical realm. Such a “return”
rolls decrease by two.
Casts No Reflection: The demon’s image does
not appear in a mirror, nor can it be captured in a
photograph or by a video camera.
opening can be created on either side.
LOREOF
LIGHT
f
Torment:When a monstrous demon opens a portal
to the shadow lands, she risks losing focus and allowing
some of the energiesfrom beyond to slip into the physical
LIGMT
This simple evocation allows a demon to fill a n
realm. If the evocation succeeds, make a Willpower roll
area with pale silvery light, akin to moonlight. The
with the difficulty equal to the Fiend’sTorment. If the roll
light seems to emanate from the area’s surroundings,
fails, the winds of the cosmic storm seep through, causing
allowing individuals to move and act in the illuminated
all mortals in the immediatearea to make a Willpowerroll
area without penalty. This evocation also has a more
(difficulty8).If their rolls fail, they flee in terror. If a botch
tactical application, permitting the demon to stun or
1 results, the victims suffer a temporary derangement.

IPED~,THE v I ~ ~ GOF
E~ O m x L s
The angels of the threshold are tall, ethereal fig-
disorient opponents with intense, blinding flashes.
System: Roll Stamina + Science. The evoca-
tion illuminates one cubic yard per success rolled,
ures, their long limbs and lean bodies wreathed in a veil centered o n the character. T h e light persists for a
4
of shifting shadow. Their movements are as fluid as number of turns equal to the demon’s Faith score.
they are soundless, and their feet leave no impression to W h e n used tactically, the intense flashes of light
I mark their passing. When they pass into deep shadow, can be focused in a single direction. Any individu-
their eyes shine with a cold, blue light. als, friend or foe, who look in that direction at the
The Visage of Portals confers the following time of the flash suffer a number of levels of bashing
special capabilities. damage equal to the successes rolled. Flashes of
Pass Without Trace: The difficulties of the light appear for only a turn.
character’sStealth rolls decrease by two, and her passage Torment: Monstrous demons fill their surround-
does not disturb the surrounding environment in any ings with inky, suffocating darkness, affecting an area as
way. She leaves no footprints and disturbs no foliage. above. They can move unhindered though this dark-
Enhanced Perception: The difficulties of all ness. Other individuals within the area of effect are
Perception rolls decrease by two. effectively blind. Use the rules detailed on page 240
Increased Awareness: The fallen is especially and 243 of the Systems chapter when necessary.
attuned to the fabric of reality, lowering the difficulties BEND
LIGMT
of all Awareness rolls by two. By exerting her will and manipulating the proper-
Wings: A pair of swan’s wings extends from the ties of light, the Fiend can bend waves around her body
character’s shoulders. At full extension, each wing is a instead of reflecting them, giving her a powerful form
third again as long as the character is tall. The character of camouflage.
can glide up to three times her running speed per turn. System: Roll Stamina + Science. The number of
Torment: Monstrous Nedu are like living shad- successes gained increases the difficulties of any Per-
ows, ebon and ephemeral. Their voices are like the ceptionrolls or ranged attacks directed at the characte

ClIGPTER SE\ EK
for the rest of the scene. Melee attacks are resolved as illusion disappears. A Fiend can maintain multiple
normal. Other demons and thralls with the capability illusions at the same time equal to her Faith score, but
are able to resist the effects of these illusions thanks to the dice pool to control each illusion is reduced by one
their inherent powers (p. 171). for each extra image created after the first, to a
Torment Monstrous demons do not bend light so minimum of one die per illusion. The effects of this
much as they distort it into crazed, eye-strainingpatterns. evocation last for the duration of the scene. Other
The number of successesrolled increasesthe difficultiesof demons and thralls with the capability are able to
all attacks directed against the demon, ranged or other- resist the effects of these illusions thanks to their
wise, but do not affect others’ Perception rolls. inherent powers (p. 171).
7
Torment: A monstrous demon’s illusions are
PMANTASM overtly unsettling, reflecting the demon’s inner cor-
This evocation allows a Fiend to create ghostly
ruption in subtle but frightening ways. A Willpower
images that perform a rote set of actions as directed by
roll (difficulty 9) must be made for individuals who
the creator. witness these illusions. If a roll fails, a victim flees
System: Roll Intelligence + Performance - the from the sight of the illusion. If the roll botches, he
difficulty is determined by the complexity of the illu- gains a temporary derangement.
sory form created. A single, ghostly individual is
difficulty 6, while a whole scene with various individu- COMERENT
LIGMT
als is 8 or more. The number of successes generated The pinnacle of this lore path allows a Fiend to
determines how many actions the demon can program compress light to the degree that it assumes a degree of
the image to perform. Once the image and actions are physical solidity, allowing her constructs to interact
set, a loop is created that runs when the demon wishes, almost seamlessly with the physical world. Like Illu-
and that persists for a number of days equal to the sion, the images created by this evocation can be
character’s Faith score. Other demons and thralls with controlled directly by the demon, and its appearance
the capability are able to resist the effects of these can be altered from moment to moment.
illusions thanks to their inherent powers (p. 171). System: Spend one Faith point and roll Intelli-
Torment A monstrous demon’s phantasms, no gence + Expression. The difficulty of the roll is
matter how simple or apparently benign they are, determined by the complexity of the illusion that your
remain subtly disturbing, even on a subconscious level. character wishes to create. A table is difficulty 6, a dog
A Willpower roll (difficulty 8) is made for individuals
viewing one of these illusions. If a roll fails, the indi-
is 7, and a human is 8 or more. The successesrolled form
a dice pool that is rolled thereafter to direct the actions
of a construct or alter its appearance. Illusions created
f
vidual flees the area. If the roll botches, the individual
in this way cannot speak, and the Fiend must maintain
flees and gains a temporary derangement.
a line of sight with the image at all times or the illusion
ILLUSIOR disappears. If a construct is attacked or would otherwise
This evocation is arefinement of Phantasm, allow- suffer one health level of damage (bashing or lethal),
ing the demon to create images that seem completely the creation vanishes. A Fiend can maintain a number
real until touched. What’s more, the demon is capable of illusions equal to her Faith score at the same time,
of directing her illusions and altering their appearance but the dice pool to control each illusion is reduced by
on the fly. one for each extra image created after the first, to a
System: Spend one Faith point and roll Intelli- minimum of one die per illusion. The effects of this
gence + Expression. The difficulty of the roll is evocation last for a number of turns equal to the
determined by the complexity of the illusion the character’s Faith score. Other demons and thralls with
demon wishes to create. Creating the illusion of a the capability are able to resist the effects of these
static object such as a table is 6. A simple but more illusions thanks to their inherent powers (p. 171).
mobile object such as a thrown rock is difficulty 7. Torment: The constructs fashioned by a mon-
Living beings have a difficulty of 8 or higher depend- strous demon are shaped in part by her hatred and
ing on the level of detail. The successes rolled form a despair, and unless they are controlled carefully, the
dice pool that is rolled thereafter to direct the actions illusions act on their own, lashing out destructively at
of the illusion (e.g., to stage an “attack” o n someone, their surroundings. A Willpower roll must be made
to leap from one building to another) or alter its each turn for each construct, with the difficulty equal
appearance. If a roll to direct or alter an illusion to the Fiend’s Torment score. If a roll fails, an illusion
botches, the image disappears. Illusions created in attacks the nearest living being (save the Fiend herself)
his way cannot speak, and the Fiend must maintain using its full dice pool. Note that the Fiend doesn’t have
line of sight with a creation at all times or the to exert control over her constructs -she can simply
197

create them and turn them loose on her enemies if she
wishes, leaving her mind free for other tasks.
The mercurial angels of the deep were meant from
m moment to moment.
Light confers the following special
Mental Acuity: The character re-

bonus traits: +2 Intelligence, +1
women the faces that they wanted to see
of this effect as well.

Torment: Shamash who lose themselves to their the Defiler to draw a person’s
surface,allowingthedemonto
on a being’s mood.
The Visage of Light confers the following high- orks on only one mortal
Hypnotic Visions: The aura of light and sha
out a victim’sdark na
able to resist the effects of these illusions thank

inherent powers.
Dread Mien: The difficulties of all Le
t
and Intimidation rolls decrease by two.
ir with a co-worker sh
198

1 CILPPTER SE\ EN
I
everything she expected or dreamed of, banishing any System: To enact this evocation, the demon must
suspicion, hesitation or fear. firstknow one ofher victim’slong-held interestsor desires
System: Roll Manipulation + Empathy. If your total and be within anumber of yards of the subjectequal to her
successes equal or exceed a mortal’s Wits score, the Faith rating. Spend one Faith point and roll Manipulation
mortal reacts to your character with complete trust, + Empathy.Themortalcanattemptto resistthe evocation’s
obeying any reasonable request your character makes. effects with a Willpower roll (difficulty 8). If your roll
This evocation can be directed at only asingle individual succeeds, the mortal’s desire becomes a source of obses-
at a time. The effects last for the duration of the scene or sion. He knows no peace unless he takes reasonable steps
until your demon turns his attention to a new victim. to make his desire a reality. A Willpower roll (difficulty 7)
Torment: Monstrous demons use this evocation to is made for him to undertake any action that strays from
inspire fear instead of affection. They mold their be- his obsession, and he is not able to eat or sleep until his
havior to speak to a victim’s worst fears, becoming the desire is fulfilled. This evocation lasts for anumber of days
type of person that the mortal dreads most. If your equal to the Defiler’s Faith score, or until the mortal
successes equal or exceed the target’s Wits, the mortal succeeds in sating his obsession, whichever comes first.
is completely intimidated by your Defiler. She takes no Torment: Monstrous demons use this evocation to
action against your character, and she leaves the area if
at all possible. Any Intimidation rolls directed at the
target are resolved with a difficulty of 4.
MARIPULATE$EN,SE.S
make a victim psychoticallyobsessive, removing all inhi-
bitions and exaggeratingthe victim’s need to the point of
physical pain. The victim does anythingwithin his power
to fulfillhis desire,no matter how destructiveor dangerous
it is. Failing to do so reduces all dice pools by one until the
1
With a touch, a Defiler can manipulate a person’s subject can make a constructive effort toward his goal.
nerves, enhancing perceptions and heightening sensa-
tion. The effect can be as broad or as subtle as the IN,SPIRE
demon wishes, and the effects are often addictive This potent evocation literally expands a subject’s
unless the victim possesses a will of iron. consciousness, permitting him to achieve heights of
System: The Defiler must be able to touch her in- insight and awareness that border on the inhuman. The
tended target to use this evocation. Roll Intelligence + subject is able to draw upon the fullness of his mental
Intuition. Each success adds one bonus die to the target’s potential, but when the power fades, the return to reality
Perception rolls, but by the same token, all wound penalties can be a blow for the person’s sense of self-worth.
the target suffers are similarly increased. Demons can resist System: Spend one Faith point and roll Intelligence +
the effectsof this evocationif they wish by making a resisted Medicine.Each successallowsyou to add a point to a mortal‘s
Willpower roll (difficulty 7). The effects of this evocation Mental or SocialTraits, up to a five-pointmaximum.These
last for a number of turns equal to the Defiler’s Faith score. bonuspointspersist for a number of days equalto the Defiler’s
After the effects of the evocationwear off, a Willpowerroll Faith score. When the effects of the evocation wear off,
must be made for the target. If it fails, take the number of however, the mortal loses one p i n t of Willpower perma-
bonus dice the evocation generated and apply them as a m d y unlessa successfulWillpowerroll is made (difficulty7).
to all the mortal’s Perception rolls for the remainder Torment: Monstrous demons use this evocation in
of the scene. If the roll botches, this penalty is permanent. a similar fashion, but they push the victim over the edge
In the case of a botch, the victim is addicted to the thrill of from genius to madness,creating talented but dangerous
the evocation and can regain full use of her senses only by lunatics. The high-Torment effect of this evocation
receiving the power’s effects again. provides bonus points to Mental or Social Traits and
Torment: Monstrous demons use this evocation to causes a temporary derangement. If the subsequent Will-
inflict searing agony or to warp the awareness of their power roll fails, the mortal loses a Willpower point
victims. Subtract the total number of successesachieved permanently and the derangement becomes permanent.
from the victim’s Perception dice pools for a number of ISMM~\RA,TMEVI,S~\G~OPLO~GIIPG
turns equal to the Defiler’s Faith score. The angels of inspiration are visions of beauty, com-
ofjS€?,,3SION pared to whom even the radiant angels of the Namaru
This evocation allows a demon to take one of a pale. Their golden hair and perfectly sculpted features are
subject’sinterests or desiresand heighten its allure to the the romantic ideal spoken of in mortal poetry and prose,
point that the victim can think of nothing else. This and their honeyed voices melt even the hardest hearts.
obsession can be about a person, an idea or a project. The Visage of Longing confers the following spe-
During the War of Wrath, many Defilers used their wiles cial capabilities.
to become objects of desire to mortals, and then used this Enhanced Social Traits: The character’s physi-
evocation to create legions of fanaticallv loval followers.
I , cal appearance, poise and grace leave humans in
199

stupefied awe. The demon gains the following bonus Torment: The water that a monstrous demon sum-
traits: +2 Charisma, + 1Manipulation, +2 Appearance. mons is slimy and foul, spreading sickness and disease.
Lyrical Voice: The difficulties of all Leadership Victims exposed to this polluted water risk developing
or Subterfuge rolls decrease by two. deadly diseases that manifest within days or weeks.
Enhanced Senses:The character’s five senses are Mortals and demons exposed to this tainted water for
heightened to superhuman levels, lowering the diffi- more than one turn risk becoming infected unless a
culties of Perception rolls by two. Stamina roll is made, with the difficulty equal to the
Defiler’s Torment. Also use the Defiler’s Torment to
Enhanced Intuition: The character’s uncanny
gauge the relative virulence of any diseases. A Torment
insight lowers the difficulties of all Intuition rolls by two.
score of 7 inflicts a minor disease that might lower the
Torment: Monstrous Ishhara retain all of their character’s dice pools, while a Torment of 10 imposes a
dazzling beauty. If anything, their allure only deepens lethal (and possibly highly contagious) disease that
with the hint of shadowed malice that darkens their eyes inflicts lethal damage. For more information on diseases
and deepens their voices. What was once a source of and their effects, see page 262 of the Systems chapter.
inspiration is now a siren song that lures mortals to ruin.
The Visage of Longing confers the following high- WATERFORM
t Torment special capabilities.
Claws:The character manifests claws that inflict
Strength +2 aggravated damage.
This evocation allows the Defiler to transform her
physical body into water, either as a liquid or a mist.
System: Roll Stamina + Medicine. Once trans-
formed, the character leaves her clothes and possessions
Venom: The claws and saliva of the Ishhara are
poisonous. Targets exposed to the venom (either by a behind. She can travel anywhere water or air can reach
claw mark or a simple kiss) are subject to a dice pool of while in water or mist form, and she is immune to any
bashing damage equal to the demon’s Torment. This damage. The Defiler can remain in this form for a
damage can be soaked. number of turns equal to her Faith score.
Extra Limbs: The demon grows a second set of Torment: The water form of a monstrous demon is
arms or a set of tentacles, at the player’s discretion. polluted by its Torment, and contact with it causes chemical
Extra limbs allow a character to parry or block close- burns. For each turn that a victim is exposed to the Defiler’s
combat attacks without sacrificing her own attack, or “body,” she suffers one health level of lethal damage.
make up to two additional attacks of her own per turn MAIYIPULATE~EATBER
(which are considered multiple actions). This evocation allows the Defiler to nudge exist-
t Casts No Reflection: The demon’s image does

ing weather patterns, pushing away storm fronts or
drawing them to her with surprising speed, and alter-
ing the local temperatures.
System:Roll Intelligence + Science. The number of
LOREOP~TORM~ successesachieved determines the severityof the weather
~UMMOIYWATER pattern that the Defiler can manipulate. Affecting a
The demon can summon water from any nearby minor rainstorm requires only one success, while affect-
source, causing anything from a sudden, concealing fog ing a thunderstorm requires two. Major storms require
to a torrential flash flood. three successes to manipulate, and truly powerful phe-
System: Roll Stamina + Survival. The number of nomena such as tornadoes or hurricanes require four or
successes required depends on the amount of water the more. Alternatively, the Defiler can raise or lower the
Defiler wishes to summon. If the demon wants to call up temperature in her area by a degree per success rolled.
a thick fog (increasingthe difficulty of all Perception rolls Thisevocationaffectsanareawitharadius inmilesequal
by two), one successis sufficient. If she wants to douse the to the demon’s Faith score. Note that all weather ma-
area with a sudden shower, two successes are required. If nipulated must be present. This power cannot
she wants a torrent of water, three successesare necessary. spontaneously create new weather effects.
A raging flood demands four successes or more. Individu- Torment: Monstrous demons increase the inten-
als caught in such a torrent or flood suffer the effects of sity of local weather patterns rather than alter their
drowning (seepage 263 of the Systemschapter for details) course, turning a spring shower into a raging tornado or
unless a successfulDexterity + Athletics (difficulty8) roll a light snowfall into a blizzard.
is made. There has to be a water sourceof somekind within COMMAIYDTHE~TORM
Faith in yards, no matter how small, for this evocation to A Defiler can use this evocation to create weather
work. The effects of this evocation continue for a number patterns at will, conjuring a storm out of thin air o
of turns equal to the character’s Faith score. banishing a hurricane with a wave of her hand.
200

a CII~PTER
SE\EN
I
System: Spend one Faith and roll Intelligence + the Defiler is in. Conjuring a storm outside, with rain
Science.The difficulty is determined by the environment clouds overhead, is difficulty 6. Conjuring a storm in the
and the type of weather the Defiler wishes to create. air-conditioned environment of an office is difficulty 9.
Calling up a thunderstorm near the ocean is difficulty 6. The successes form a dice pool that you roll while your
Creating one in the middle of the Arizona desert is character directsthe effectof the storm. If she wishes to use
difficulty 9. Banishing existing weather patterns is re- wind to knock someone down or blow open doors and
solved with a difficulty of 7. The number of successes windows,roll this dice pool in lieu of Strength. If she wants
rolled determinesthe intensity of the weather pattern that to fire lightning at a target, roll the pool againstadifficulty
the Defiler can create or calm. A rain shower or a light of 9. Each successgeneratesone lightning bolt that strikes
snowfall requires only one success, while a tornado or a the target automatically and imposes a number of lethal
massive hurricane requires four or more. This evocation damage dice equal to the Defiler’s Torment score. The
affects an area with a radius in miles equal to the demon’s storm affects an area with a radius in yards equal to the
Faith score. Once summoned, the weather effect runs its character’s Faith score and lasts for an equal number of
natural course unless affected by additional evocations.
turns unless banished.
Torment: Monstrous demons can command the
Torment Monstrous Defilers raise storms that lash
weather with equal ease, but their effects are always
out indiscriminatelyat any livingbeing caught in the area,
inimical. Storms bring damaging wind, hail and light-
punishing them with fierce winds and lightning. Each
ing. Even creating clear skies can invoke extreme
temperature changes or suffocating humidity. turn, roll a single die (difficulty9) for each person within
the storm’sradius. If a roll is successful,someone is struck
IIYVOKETME~TORM with a bolt of lightning. Furthermore, the buffeting winds
The Defiler can surround herself with a raging increase the difficulties of all subjects’actions by two.
storm at will, creating wind, water and lighting in an
area as small as a room or as large as a city block. The ADAD, STORM>
THEVISAGEOF
heart of the storm is centered on the demon, and it The angels of the storm are tall, statuesque figures,
moves as she moves. It causes her no harm, though. their skins glistening like opal and their dark hair
System: Spend one Faith point and roll Stamina + tinged with the deep green of the ocean depths. Blue
urvival.The difficulty is determined by the environment flickers of ball lightning writhe and dance across their
20 1

DEMON:
THEFALLEN
bodies, forming an angry nimbus surrounding their is no illusion at work here -your character’sbody actually
head and shoulders when their fury is aroused. changes-so other demonsmay be fooled with this power.
1 The Visage of Storms confers the following special
capabilities.
Torment: Monstrous demons can mimic the voice
and mannerisms of others, but their Torment invariably
Weather Sense: The character can always intu- bleeds through the disguise and unsettles any witnesses,
itively sense changes in the weather up to a distance of inspiring feelingsof discomfort and paranoia. Roll Will-
10 miles times her Faith score. power for someone who encounters the disguiseddemon,
Immune to Electricity:The character is immune with a difficulty equal to the Defiler’sTorment. If the roll
to damage inflicted by electrocution. fails, the mortal is so unsettled by the Defiler’s presence
Improved Initiative: Add two t o t h e that she flees the demon’s presence.
character’s initiative. ALTER
APP~ARARCE
Shocking Touch: The character’s touch in- The Defiler can use this evocation to alter cos-
flicts a number of bashing levels of damage equal to metic features of herself or others. She can change eye
her Faith score. This special capability may be used color, hair color, skin color and remove scars.
only once per scene. System: Roll Charisma + Subterfuge. The Defiler
1 Torment: Angels of the storm who lose themselves
to their demonic nature develop a rough, gray hide and
can alter one cosmetic feature per success rolled. The
alterations remain for a number of turns equal to the
triple rows of razor-edged teeth. Their eyes are feature- Defiler’s Faith score, or they can be made permanent by
less black orbs, devoid of warmth or compassion. the expenditure of one Willpower point. Your charac-
ter must touch a subject if another being is changed.
t
The Visage of Storms confers the following high-
Torment special capabilities. There is no illusion at work here - your character’s
Teeth: The demon manifests fangs that inflict body or that of another actually changes - so other
Strength +2 aggravated damage. demons may be fooled with this power.
Spines: A long ruff of spines runs down the Torment: Monstrous demons can alter the features
demon’s back and along the backs of her arms. She of themselves or others almost, but unless they maintain
inflicts an additional health level of aggravateddamage strict control, their Torment can cause disturbing defor-
with every successful attack in unarmed combat. mities. When your character performs this evocation
successfully, make a Willpower roll with a difficulty
Shark Hide: The demon’s shark-like skin acts as equal to his Torment. If the roll fails, he or his subject
armor, providing four additional dice to soak bashing,
suffers a subtle but unsettling deformity. The difficulties
lethal and aggravated damage. of all Social rolls increase by two due to this deformity.
Ink Cloud: The demon can expel a cloud of
indigo ink that hangs in the air and blinds her foes. ALTEKSMAPE
11 Individuals within anumber offeet equal to the demon’s The Defiler can alter his own physical shape and
Faith score are blinded for a number of turns equal to dimensions, increasing or decreasing height, weight,
the demon’s Torment, unless a successful Stamina roll shoulder width and girth.
is made. The cloud of ink lingers for a number of turns System:Roll Charisma + Subterfuge.The Defiler can
equal to the demon’s Torment. Victims are subject to alter one physical feature per success rolled. Alterations
the Blind Fighting rules on p. 240. persist for a number of turns equal to the Defiler’s Faith
score,can be dismissedprematurelyor can be made perma-
LOREOF
TRAN~PIGURATION nent by the expenditure of one Willpower point. There is
no illusion at work here -your character’s body actually
MIMIC changes-so other demons may be fooled with this power.
This evocation allowsthe Defiler to assume the exact
mannerisms and vocal patterns of a subject, allowing her Torment: Monstrous demons are capable of per-
to disguise herself enough to fool a distant observer. forming the same evocation, but the potential exists for
deformities to warp their appearance. When your char-
System: This evocation requires the Defiler to have
acter performs this evocation successfully,roll Willpower
spent at least an hour in close companywith the individual
against a difficulty equal to his Torment. If the roll fails,
she seeks to mimic. Roll Manipulation + Performancein a
the Defiler suffers a crippling deformity and losing one
resisted roll against another person’s Perception + Alert-
point from a Physical Attribute for the duration of the
ness. If you get more successes,the target believes that the
evocation. You choose which Attribute is affected.
Defiler is the person she attempts to mimic. Encountering
someonewho has never met the mimickedsubjectsucceeds DOPPELGANGER
automatically. The effects of this evocation last for a This evocation allows the Defiler to alter h
number of turns equal to the character’sFaith score. There appearance completely, based on the expectations
202

a CHAPTER #E\ EN
I
her victim. She assumes the form of the person that the
victim expects or wants to see.
tion + Empathy.The rollisresistedbythe target’sWillpower
(difficulty8).If your roll succeeds,your character assumes
the physical form, voice and mannerisms of a person
whom the victim expects to see within the context of the
scene. If you wish, your demon can dig deeper into the
victim’s memories and assume the form of a specific
individual for whom that the victim has strong feelings,
but doing so increasesthe difficultyof your roll to 8. If your
character attempts to use this evocation on a group of
individuals,assuminga form that all of them might expect
to see in a given situation, the difficulty increasesto 9. The
effects of this evocation last for a number of turns equal to
your character’s Faith score, unless terminated prema-
turely. There is no illusionat work here- your character’s
body actually changes -so other demons may be fooled
with this power.
Torment: When monstrous Defilers perform this
evocation, the result is a dark, sinister version of the
victim’sexpectations. The difficulties of all Social rolls
to manipulate the subject demeuse by two as any inap-
propriate feelings or urges that the onlooker has toward
the demon may be indulged.
SMAPECMANGE
This evocation gives the Defiler complete mastery
over the physical features of herself or others. She can
transform herself or someone else into the apex of
human beauty. She can also condemn those who dis-
please her to a nightmare of twisted flesh.
System:Spend one Faith point and roll Intelligence
+ Medicine. Your character must touch a subject. A
resisted Willpower roll (difficulty 8) is made for a target
who refuses the change. If your roll succeeds, your
Clawsneeth:The character manifests claws and
character can alter her (or another’s) physical appear-
ance to anything she wishes. If she wants to alter another fangs that inflict Strength +2 aggravated damage.
person’s appearance to meet their own specific desires Improved Initiative: Add two to the demon’s
(asopposed to awillingsubject’s), the difficulty increases initiative.
to 7. The Appearance Attribute is increased or de- Venom: The demon’s claws and teeth are coated
creased by one per success achieved in your roll, within with venom. If the Defiler inflicts at least one health level
the limits of 5 and zero for a mortal. Your character’s or of damage (bashing, lethal or aggravated) in an unarmed
a subject’s other Attributes and Abilities remain the attack, a Stamina roll (difficulty 7) is made for the victim
same, no matter what shape is assumed. The effects of every turn thereafter for a number of turns equal to the
this evocation last for a number of turns equal to your Defiler’sTorment score. If a roll fails,the victim suffersone
Defiler’sFaith score, or they can be made permanent by additional health level of lethal damage.
expending one temporary Willpower point. There is no Extra Actions: Faith points can be spent to gain
illusion at work here -the body actually changes -so extra actions in a turn at the rate of one point per
other demons may be fooled with this power. action. These actions occur in order of descending
Torment: Monstrous demons must exercise care- initiative, so if a Defiler with an initiative of 7 gains an
ful control when performing this evocation, or they extra action, she take her normal action at 7 and her
risk creating a reflection of their Torment instead. If extra action at 6. You must decide to purchase extra
ocation is performed successfully, make a Will- actions at the beginning of a turn before any other f
roll with the difficulty equal to your character’s actions have been taken.
203

THEFGLLE~
DEMON:
the intelligence of these animals,as well. Assume that the

creatures have an effective Intelligence of 1, though
exceptionalbreedsmayhave ratingsof 2 at the Storyteller’s
discretion. The Devourer does not have to speak to the
animals to issue commands. Instead, she imparts her
ne lords wood and claw were made to the desires by placing them directly in the animals’ minds.
The effectsOf this evocation last for a sing1e day*
wild things of the world, shaping flora and fauna accord-
Torment: Monstrous demons can command only
h R E OF THE BEA3 rath, many Devourers went

SUMMOIYANIMALS acks of terrible beasts that
This evocation allows
presence of animal life in t
summon those creatur
rolled determines
swarm covers. Th
demon frees the animals.

xpires and the demon herself
s takes on the n instincts of the animals, be-
each turn with a difficulty equal to ORM

ment. If the roll fails, the animals
can take the form of any animal
human or demon, including the D
sh she has tasted. Conservation of
Devourer can attempt to regain contr
,so a 95-pound woman can become
mals with another Willpower roll in a nd tiger if the demon desires.
COMMAIYD
ANIMALS em: Spend one Faith point and roll Stamina +
This evocation extends the Devourer’s influence Animal Ken. If successfil,the transformation takesa single
over the beasts of the earth, allowing her to command turn.The effectsof this evocationlast for the durationof the
one or more animals to do her bidding. scene, unless intentionally terminated prematurely.
System: Roll Manipulation + Animal Ken. The Torment Monstrous Devourers must exercise iron
Devourer can command a number of animalsequal to the will to avoid losing themselves to the feral nature of the
successes you roll. The animals must be in her presence creatures they become. Make a Willpower roll each turn,
already for this power to work. The evocation enhances with a difficulty equal to the Devourer’s Torment. If the
204

s CHAPTEH SE\EN
I
roll fails, the demon succumbs to the feral instincts of the

animal form she has assumed, and control of the charac-
ter passes to the Storyteller until the evocation expires.
CREATECHIMERA
The Devoureris capable of manipulatingan animal's
physical body, enhancing its capabilities or mutating it
into a hideous, fantastic creature that combines char-
acteristics of numerous different animals.
System: Spend one Faith point and roll Intelligence
+ Animal Ken. Each success allows the Devourer to add
one point to a specific trait, or to alter a specific feature of
the animal's physical form. The laws of physics and the
conservation of mass do not apply, so if the Devourer
wants to make a winged tiger, she can. Too much change
too fast can put a tremendous strain on the animal's
psyche, though. Total up the number of trait points and
alterations that have been added to the animal and make
a Willpower roll for your character. If you get more
successes than the total number of modifications applied,
the animal comes through the process unharmed. If the
roll fails, the animal becomes dangerously unstable. The
Storyteller determines the specificsof the animal's altered
behavior, and in the interestsofcreating tensioncanmake
the Willpower roll on your behalf, keeping the result
secret until the animal's true nature manifests. The effects
of this evocation last for a number of days equal to your
character's Faith score, or can be made permanent with
the expenditure of one Willpower point.
Torment: Monstrousdemons invariably infuse their
creations with the taint of their own Torment, creating
pain-maddened, murderous beasts. No Willpower roll
is necessary to determine the mental state of these
creatures. They are invariably deranged, rabid beasts
that exist only to kill and maim the living.
ZISLTU,T~EVIS~GEO~TMEBE~ST
The angels of the hunt are fearsome in their strength
and majesty, stalking invisibly through the darkness
with panther-like strength and supple grace. The physi-
cal appearances of these fallen are many and varied, but
most are powerfully muscled and covered in a pelt of
fur, with large, golden eyes that glow like coals in the
moonlight. They speak in a low, liquid rumble, and
their howls chill the blood for miles when they hunt.
The Visage of the Beast confers the following
Increased Size: The character's body grows to a
third again its own height, adding the following bonus
traits: +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +1 Stamina.
Enhanced Senses: The character's five senses are
heightened to superhuman levels, lowering the diffi-
culties of her Perception rolls by two.
Clawsmeeth: The character manifests claws and
fangs that inflict Strength +2 aggravated damage.
205

DEMON:
THEFALLEY
Extra Actions: Faith points can be spent to gain radius of miles equal to her Faith score. The effects of the
extra actions in a turn at the rate of one point per evocation last for the duration of the scene.
t action. These actions occur in order of descending

initiative, so if a Devourer with an initiative of 7 gains
an extra action, she take her normal action at 7 and her
Torment: Monstrous demons who perform this
evocation transmit their murderous nature to the sur-
rounding area, causing the flora and fauna to react
extra action at 6. You must decide to purchase extra inimically to human trespassers. Any animals in the
actions at the beginning of a turn before any other area react aggressively to trespassers, attacking them if
actions have been taken. they are able. Athletics or Survival rolls must be made
Torment: Zaltu who are lost to their Torment look for intruders to avoid harm or to escape attack, using
emaciated and diseased, their fur missing in patches or the Devourer’s Torment score as the difficulty.
matted with filth or blood. Flecks of foam drip from QUICKER GROWTM
their gaping jaws, and their skin thickens into a tough The Devourer can fuel rapid and unchecked growth
hide of gristle and nerveless flesh. in the local plant life. Trees shoot skyward,vines swell,
TheVisage of the Beast confers the following high- fissures spread through any object to which they are
Torment special capabilities. rooted and briars envelop their surroundings.
t Thick Hide: The character’s iron-like skin acts

as armor, providing a n additional four dice to soak
bashing, lethal and aggravated damage.
System: Roll Stamina + Survival. The Devourer fo-
cuses on a specificplant and causes it to increase in size by
a numberof cubic yardsequal to the successes you rolled,all
within the space of a single turn. Vines or roots inflict a like
Gaping Maw: The demon can chew and digest
anything it can get its teeth on. Metal, stone and flesh number of damage points to physical structureswith which
can all be ground up and digested with ease. The they are in contact (considereach successa Strength point
difficulties of bite attacks decrease by two, and a bite and compare the results to the Feats of Strength chart on p.
itself inflicts Strength +4 aggravated damage. 232). Objects caught within the growth radius are swal-
Extra Limbs: The demon grows a second set of lowedup. The plant remains overgrownand causesdamage
arms or a prehensile tail, at the player’s discretion. for a number of turns equal to the successesyou rolled.
Extra arms allow a character to parry or block close- Torment: Monstrousdemons cause aplant to grow and
combat attacks without sacrificing her own attack, or entwine any livingbeings within reach, stranglingor ripping
to make up to two additional attacks ofher own per turn them apart. For every livingbeing within the plant’s growth
area, roll a number of dice equal to your Devourer’s Will-
(which are considered multiple actions). A prehensile
power. Treat this as a grapple attempt, which victims can
tail is half your character’s height, uses only half his
attempt toparry or dodge asnormal.If the attackis successful,
Strength (rounded down) to lift objects and allowsyour
roll a number of damage dice equal to the Devourer’s
character to hang suspended. Torment. Each success d i c t s a level of lethal damage.
Chameleon Skin: The demon’s skin allows it to
blend with its surroundings. The difficulties of all COMMNYDTMEWILD
Stealth rolls decrease by one if the demon is on the The Devourer can direct the rapid growth of local
move; two if it’s standing still. plants by force of will, affecting the environment in
specific ways according to the demon’s plan.
L~RCOPTM~WILD System: Roll Intelligence + Survival. Your charac-
ter can affect a number of plants equal to her Faithscore.
WILDERRES~EIYX Each plant grows a number of cubic yards equal to the
The Devourer gains an immediate sense of the successes you rolled, and expands in the direction and
surrounding area, building a map in her mind of the configuration specifiedby your character. Ifplant growth
region’s natural features, the plants and animals that is directed at a specific structure, take the number of
inhabit the place, as well as the location of any inter- successes rolled and compare them to the Feats of
lopers that the local fauna consider a threat. Strength chart on page 232 of the Systems chapter to
System: Roll Perception + Survival. Demons in the determine the damage inflicted on objects.
area can attempt to avoid detection through a resisted Torment: In addition to directing their growth,mon-
Willpower roll (difficulty 7). If your roll succeeds, your strousdemonscausethe affectedplants to become inimical
character gets a detailed mental map of her surroundings to flesh and blood, sprouting needle-like thorns and
to which she can refer as needed, along with the approxi- poisonous sap. The exact manifestation is determined by
mate locations of nearby animals and people. Although the Storyteller, but a successfulDexterity + Athletics (or
this evocation works best in wilderness areas, it can also Survival) roll must be made for anyone attempting to
be used in urban settings at a difficulty of 8. Your move through the area, lest they suffer a number of dice of
Devourer can gain insight into a given area within a lethal damage equal to the demon’s Torment.
206

1
I
CH4PTEK #E\ EN
POSSESSPLAIYT possess hooves instead of feet. Their bodies are power-

’
k
The demon can take over the living essence of one
or more plants, making them extensions of his will. The
plants move with supernatural speed and strength,
fully muscled, and their eyes change colors like the
seasons, ranging from pale gray to deep summer green. i
The Visage of the Wild confers the following
performing any action the Devourer desires. special capabilities.
I
Enhanced Senses:The character’sfive senses are
Survival.The Devourer cancontrol anumberof plantsequal heightened to superhuman levels, lowering the diffi-
to the successesrolled. Plants affectedby this evocationmust culties of Perception rolls by two.
remainrootedinplace,butthey canperformanyother action Chameleon Skin: The demon’s skin allows it to
within the limits of their physical composition and size. A blend with its surroundings. The difficulties of all
rose bush can entanglea victim,or ivy canpull apart the wall Stealth rolls decrease by one if the demon is on the
r
to which it’s anchored. The effects of the evocation last for move; two if it’s standing still.
the duration of the scene. Consider the plants to have a Pass Without Trace: The difficulties of the
Strengthscore equal to your demon’sWillpowerand refer to character’s Stealth rolls decrease by two, and her passage
theFeatsofStrengthchart (p.232) todeterminethedamage does not disturb the surrounding environment in any
the plants can do to items.That same number of dice is used way. She leaves no footprints and disturbs no foliage.
to make attackanddamagerolls whenthe plantsattackliving
Extra Health Levels: The character’s vitality
targets, doing bashing damage.
provides three extra Bruised health levels for the pur-
Torment Monstrous Devourers spread the taint of poses of absorbing damage.
their Torment through any plants they control, destroy-
Torment: Monstrous Ninurtu are darker of hue, and
ing them from within and reducing them to lifelesshusks
their eyes take on the color of the silver moon. They swell
within minutes. Each possessed plant suffers one health
in size, and their appearanceexudes the kind of forbidding
level of damage per turn that cannot be soaked. As a rule
menace of the deep forests or the high mountains.
of thumb, assume that a given plant has one “health
level” per cubic foot of volume. When all the plant’s The Visage of the Wild confers the following high-
health levels have been consumed, the plant dies. Torment special capabilities.
Thorns: The demon’s shoulders, chest and arms
MUTATEPLAIYT are covered with needle-sharp, black thorns that
The Devourer can manipulate a plant’s composi- inflict one level of aggravated damage to any attacker
tion and form at will, creating new, specialized breeds who successfully strikes or grapples the demon in
according to her desires. unarmed combat.
System Spend one Faith point and roll Intelligence + Increased Size: The character’s body grows to a
Survival. Your character can alter or add a new plant third again its own height, adding the following bonus
I
characteristic per success rolled. Alterations include in- traits: + I Strength, +2 Dexterity, + 1 Stamina.
creased metabolism (heightened speed of growth), thick Extra Limbs: The demon grows a prehensile tail.
bark or tough skin and thorns. These successes can be A prehensile tail is half your character’s height, uses
generated as part of an extended roll over a period of days only half his Strength (rounded down) to lift objects
(one roll per day), as the demon “tinkers”with her creation. and allows him to hang suspended.
The effects of the evocation persist for a number of days Venom: The demon’s saliva contains an intoxi-
equal to your character’sFaith score, or they can be made cating form of venom that affects a victim’s will. If a
permanent by expendingone temporary Willpowerpoint. victim is exposed to the demon’s saliva (through an
Torment Monstrous demons who use this evoca- open wound, a kiss), she loses one Willpower point per
tion create plant life with a taste for blood. Make a point of the demon’s Torment unless a successful
Willpowerroll with the difficulty equalto your character’s Stamina roll is made (difficulty 7). If the victim loses all
Torment. If the roll fails, the plant’s metabolism mutates of her Willpower in this fashion, she falls into a death-
spontaneously,developing natural weapons that allow it like coma. The effects of the venom last for a number
to kill and feed on living beings -including the demon of days equal to the character’s Torment.
herself. The plant’s attack and damage dice pools equal
your character’s Torment, and damage is lethal. L~REOFTBEPLEW
TMEVLSAGEOP
I~IRURTU, TMEUILD QODU CONTROL
The angels of the wilderness manifest as an amal- This evocation allows the Devourer to alter the
gam of the flora they command and the fauna that body chemistry of her host body and others. She can
thrive beneath their aegis. Their skin is commonly purge poisons (both natural and manmade) and in-
overed by a fine pelt similar to a deer’s, and they often crease or reduce metabolism.
207

System:Roll Intelligence + Medicine. The difficulty Compare the total number of successes to the subject’s
depends on the complexity of the metabolic change. Stamina. Any excess successes are suffered as bashing
Purging the body of fatigue poisons is difficulty 6. Forcing damage due to system shock. This damage cannot be
alcohol out of a person’s system is 7 or greater, depending soaked. To perform this evocation on another indi-
on the level of intoxication. Putting the body into a vidual, the demonmust be able to make physical contact,
deathlike coma is difficulty 9 or more. T o perform this and the individual can attempt to counteract its effects
evocation on another, the demon must be able to make -the Storyteller makes a Willpower roll (difficulty 8).
physical contact, and the individualcan attempt to coun- Torment: Monstrous demons alter flesh and bone
teract the effort with a successful resisted roll using the without regard for their subjects’frailty. If performed on
victim’s Willpower (difficulty 8). The effects of this another, a Willpower roll is made for the subject, with a
evocation last for the duration of the scene, after which difficulty equal to the demon’s Torment. If the roll fails,
poisonsremoved or normal metabolism takes effect again. the subject suffers a temporary derangement that makes
This evocation can alleviate one instance of poisoning him uncontrollably paranoid and prone to violence. If
altogether if a temporary Willpower point is spent. the roll is botched, the derangement is permanent.
Torment: Monstrous demons use a brute-force
approach when performing this evocation, putting a
WTOREPL~M
The demon is capable of restoring an animal or
terrible strain on a subject. After rolling, total successes
person’s body to its original form, no matter how torn
are compared to the subject’s Stamina. Successes that
or mutilated it has become.
exceed the target’s Stamina are suffered as bashing
damage, which may not be soaked. System: Spend one Faith point and roll Perception
+ Medicine. Each success heals one level of lethal
MAFJIPULATE
RERVES damage or all levels of bashing damage that the subject
Like Body Control, this evocation allows the de- has suffered. Lost limbs or organs are restored com-
mon to manipulate a subject’snervous system. Strength pletely, and any illness or poisons are purged from the
and reflexes can be enhanced, senses can be dulled or body. Aggravated damage cannot be healed with this
sharpened, or the person can be subjected to waves of evocation, nor can the power resurrect someone who is
intense pleasure or pain. already dead. The Devourer must be able to touch the
System: Roll Intelligence + Medicine. The diffi- subject to perform this evocation.
culty is determined by the complexity of the intended Torment: Monstrous demons are capable of per-
effect. Reducing the effects of pain is difficulty 6, while forming this evocation as well, but their ministrations
increasing the speed of a person’s reflexes (increasing are invariably tainted by hatred and pain. The Story-
his Dexterity) is 7 or 8. Sharpening a person’s senses (or teller makes a resisted Willpower roll (difficulty 7) for
dulling them) might require a difficulty of 9 or more. the subject. If successful, the subject gains a temporary
Each success increases or decreases a relevant physical derangement. If the roll fails, the derangement is per-
trait or wound penalty by one, as appropriate for the manent. If the roll botches, the subject becomes a
effort. The effects of this evocation last for the duration mindless, psychotic killing machine.
of the scene. T o perform this evocation on another
individual, the demon must be able to make physical SMADEPLESM
contact, and a resisted Willpower (difficulty 8) can be The demon is capable of transforming human flesh
made to counteract your character’s effort. into any shape desired. Mortals or fallen can become
monstrous creatures straight out of legend.
Torment: A monstrous demon risks inflicting se-
vere physical damage to a subject by crudely System: Spend one Faith point and roll Dexterity
manipulating the victim’s nervous system. After roll- + Medicine in a resisted roll against the target’s
Willpower (difficulty 7). The player decides the form
f
ing, the total successes are compared to the subject’s
Stamina. Successes that exceed the target’s Stamina she wishes to create, along with its relevant physical
are suffered as lethal damage. capabilities, and the Storyteller determines the num-
ber of successes necessary to make the form a reality.
MA~IPULATITLESM These successes can be generated as part of an ex-
This evocation allows the demon to manipulate a tended roll over a period of days (one roll per day) as
subject’s physical form (be it her own or another’s), the demon “tinkers” with her creation. As a rule of
adding muscle mass, increasing bone density or ex- thumb, assume that each success confers or removes
panding mental faculties. one Physical Attribute point or physical feature. The
System: Roll Intelligence + Medicine. Each success effects of this evocation last for a number of days equal
is a point that can be added to any of the subject’s to the character’s Faith score, or they can be made
Physical or Mental Attributes. There is a risk, however. permanent by expending one temporary Willpowe
208

1 CHAPTER SE\EN
I
point. Devourers can use this evocation o n them-

selves or others, as long as they can touch a subject.
Torment Monstrous demons’ alterations are in-
variably warped by their Torment, creating grotesque
deformities that transform victims into walking night-
mares. Such a hideous metamorphosiscauses the victim Although they are known today as the Angels of the
to gain a temporary derangement and to suffer a level SecondWorld, the Slayers were OriginallY mere agents Of
of lethal damage each day as a result of the intolerable change, eliminating Plants and anirfds that had outlived
strain placed on his body. Mortals who witness these their Purpose to make for new, better generations*
creatures suffer the effects of Revelation (see page 253 The Lore of Death granted them the power to end life
of the Systems chapter for details). quickly and painlessly, then render the bodies of the dead
back into their constituent particles for the earth to absorb
PLE~M
& m u , TMEVI..SWEOP and begin anew. Ofall the Houses, the Halakuwere forced
The angels of the flesh, who can alter their forms to evolve the most in the wake of the Fall. With the loss
unknown fate. The
Charisma, + 1 Manip
utside the physical cosmos, leading to
Immune to Poisons: The charao
Improved Initiative: Add two to the

initiative.
Casts No Reflection: The demon’s image does This evocation allows the demon to look into the eyes
not appear in a mirror, nor can it be captured in dead body and see the manner in which he or she died.
photograph or by a video camera. System:Roll Perception + Awareness. The number
uccesses achieved determines the amount of detail
character can determine about the mortal’s fate.
success provides a picture of the moment of death.
additional success goes further back in time, from
without the demon’s conscious control. minutes at two successesrhours at three and days at four.
The Visage of Flesh confers the following high- It also provides a broader context for the circumstances
Torment special capabilities. behind the person’s passing.
Extra Health Levels: The demon gains three extra Torment: Monstrous demons are able to discern a
Bruised health levels for the purposes of absorbingdamage. subject’s fate only if that person died as a result of
Armor: The demon’s undulating mass of gristle violence, whether accidental or intentional.
and flesh provides four levels of armor for the purposes Decnr~
of soaking bashing, lethal and aggravated damage. One of the Reaper’s primary powers, this evocation
Gaping Maw: The demon can chew and digest accelerates the process of decay, reducing living and
almost anything -metal, stone or flesh. The difficul- non-living matter to its component particles.
ties of bite attacks decrease by two, and a bite itself System:Your Slayermust be able to touchhis intended
inflicts Strength +4 aggravated damage. target to perform this evocation. Roll Stamina + Medicine.
Regeneration:The demon regenerates one health Each success inflictsone health level of aggravated damage
1 of bashing or lethal damage per turn, automati- (lethal damage to a mortal). If performed on a dead body,
as a reflexive action. each success removes a point from the body’s Stamina.
209

DEW: THEF~LLEN
When all the dots have been eliminated, the body is radiates from them in all directions, stilling the hearts
1 reduced to dust. The process works in a similar fashion on

inanimate objects,but the difficultyvaries depending on an
object’scomposition. Decaying an article of wood or cloth,
of living beings. T h e high-Torment version of this
evocation affects every living being within a number of
yards equal to your character’s Faith score.
for example, is difficulty 7, while decaying a piece of plastic
is difficulty 8. Decaying metal is difficulty 9, and stone is 10.
UIYLIPE
Each success decays one cubic foot of material. This powerful evocation allows a living body to func-
tionwithout thepresenceofasoulorvitalspirit,creatingan
Torment: Monstrous demons affect people and
unliving creature completely under the Slayer’s control.
objects in an area as opposed to single targets. Every-
thing within a radius of yards equal to the character’s
Medicine. A walking-dead creature has only one point in
Faith score is affected.
each of its Physical Attributes upon creation, though each
VISIOICIOF MORTALITV extra success can be used to add additional points in any
This evocation saw frequent use in the War of Physical Attributes, at your discretion. These creaturesdo
Wrath, permitting Slayers to fill the minds of their foes not suffer wound penalties in combat, using their full dice
withvisions of impending death. Even battle-hardened pools at all times. They must suffer no less than 10health
1 angels found their mettle sorely tested by these bone- levels of damage before being destroyed. Undead minions
chilling sights, throwing down their arms and fleeing are mindless automatons, acting solely according to your
before the Halaku’s remorseless advance. demon’s will. Each time your character wants one of her
System: Roll Manipulation + Intuition. The target minions to perform a n action, make a Willpower roll
resists the evocation with a Willpower roll, using the Slayer’s (difficulty 7). If your character controls more than one
Faith as the difficulty.If you succeed,the target abandonsher creature at a time, you must divide your Willpower pool
action and flees from your demon’s presence. If the target’s among them per turn. A failed roll causes a zombie to
Willpower roll botches, he flees and suffers a temporary continue the last action it was commanded to perform.
derangement. This evocation can target individuals up to a Alternatively, a Slayer can program a minion to per-
number of yards away equal to your character’s Faith rating. form a rote set of instructions;one action per point of Wits
A target who wins the resisted roll cannotbe subjected to this that your character has, all by spending a temporary Will-
evocation again for the remainder of the scene. power point. Since these instructions are transmitted
Torment: Monstrous demons affect every living mentally, it’spossible to create a detailed set of commands,
being around them as opposed to a specific target. The including complicated travel routes and detailed physical
I demon affects targets within a number of yards equal to

their Faith score, and resisted Willpower rolls are made
for each potential victim.
descriptions. Once programmed, however, a minion can-
not be given further commands. If the demon uses her
Willpower to command the minion to perform an action
outside the realm of its instructions, its programmingis lost.
EXTIIYGUI~M
LIFE Slayers can raise and control a number of minions
The Reaper’s touch means death. By placing a hand equal to their Faith at one time. The bodies must be
on a living body and exerting her will, a demon can sever within Faith in yards to be affected. The effects of the
a victim’s soul from his body, killing him instantly. This evocation last for the duration of the scene. If your
capability can be used on the fallen as well, but rather character wishes, the effects can be made permanent by
than cause instant death, the evocation produces an icy the expenditure of a temporary Willpower point per
chill that saps the vitality from a demon’sbody. body. A permanent minion remains until destroyed,
System: The Slayer must be able to physically touch and it cannot be raised again thereafter.
her intended target to perform this evocation. Spend one Disembodied fallen may possess animated corpses
Faith point and roll Strength + Awareness. Compareyour with the Slayer’s permission, or they can try to wrest
successes to the target’s Stamina. If your successes exceed control of programmed corpses from the demon with a
the target’sStamina,he is killed instantly. If your successes resisted Willpower roll. Unless transformed by use of
are less than the target’s Stamina, each one inflicts a level other lore, the demon’s host remains a dead body with
of bashing damage as the Slayer’s icy touch saps the all due appearances, smell and physical limitations.
strength from the mortal’s body. If this evocation is Torment: Monstrous demons cannot prevent their
employed against another demon and the successes ex- Torment from infusing creations with an unnatural
ceed the targer’s Stamina, each success inflicts a level of craving for violence, raising flesh-eatingmonsters that
aggravated damage. If the successes are less than the must be held in check constantly or they attack any
demon’sStamina, apply them as levels of bashing damage. living thing they can reach, including the Slayer her-
Torment: Monstrous demons do not need to touch self. If not programmed with a rote set of instruction
their victims to employ this evocation. Their icy hatred these creatures go into a violent frenzy unless the
210

CHAPTER #E\ EN
r;:
creator makes a successful Willpower roll (difficulty 8) Damage Resistance: The demon is capable of
each turn. This Willpower roll is in addition to any to shrugging off damage that would cripple a normal human.
impose commandments from action to action. She may ignore any wound penalties for the duration of
the scene. Penalties for injuries incurred while in apoca-
IPAMTAR,TH~VI~AGEOF
DEATM lyptic form apply again once human form is resumed. 1
These angels manifest as shadowy figures wreathed
in tendrils of ghostly mist that shift and writhe from
moment to moment, occasionally reflecting the angels’
LOREOPTBE$DIRIT
thoughts in strange, symbolic forms. A pall of silence SPEAK
WITMTMED~AD
surrounds these figures, and their feet never seem to This evocation allows the Slayer to communicate with
touch the ground. Their skin is as pale as alabaster, and spiritsroaming the physical or spiritworld. Spirits addressed
their faces are constantly hidden in deep shadow. in this way are compelled to respond, and they must answer
The Visage of Death confers the following special the demon’s questions to the best of their ability.
capabilities. System:Roll Manipulation + Awareness. The spirit
Wings: A pair of raven’s wings extends from the can attempt to avoid the evocation’s compulsion with a
character’s shoulders. At full extension, each wing is a
can glide up to three times her running speed per turn.
ImprovedInitiative:Addtwotocharacter’sinitiative.
Pass Without Trace: The difficulties of the
character’sStealth rolls decrease by two, and her passage
does not disturb the surrounding environment in any
resisted Willpower roll (difficulty 9). If the evocation is
successful, the spirit must answer the Slayer’s questions
truthfully. The Slayercan affect any spirit within reach of
her voice, and the effects of the evocation persist for a
number of turns equal to the character’s Faith score.
Torment: Monstrous demons can perform this
evocation as well, but the spirits they contact become
1
way -she leaves no footprints and disturbs no foliage. warped by the demon’s Torment and grow inimical to
living beings for days afterward. Spirits affected by this
Casts No Reflection: The demon’s image does
evocation become restless and hostile to the living for
a number of days equal to the demon’s Torment score
if a Willpower roll (difficulty 9) fails.
Torment:Monstrous Namtar exude the cold aura of
death, indiscriminately draining the life of every living ~UMMONTMEDEAD
thing around them. Flowers wilt in their passing, children Slayers can use this evocation to summon spirits to
grow glassy-eyed,and the old feel mortality grip their heart. their presence, their influence reaching across entire
The Visage of Death confers the following high- city blocks. Spirits summoned in this fashion must
Torment special capabilities. come to the demon whether they wish to or not, and
Cloak of Shadows:The demon is shrouded in a they remain until dismissed.
pall of darkness, making her features difficult to see in System:Roll Manipulation + Leadership. The Slayer
the best of light, and rendering her near-invisible at can summon one spirit per successrolled, if any are present
night. The difficulties ofall Stealth rolls are lowered by in the area. The evocationaffects 10squareyards times the
two whenever the demon stands in a pool of shadow or character’sFaith score,and spiritswithin the affected area
moves indarkness. If thecharacter is attacked, the rules are drawn to the Slayer’s presence immediately. They
for Blind Fighting apply to the attacker; see page 240 of remain until the effects of the evocation expire or the
the Systems chapter for details. demon dismisses them. The effects of this evocation last
Deathgrip: The demon’s spirit can cling to life for the duration of the scene. At the Storyteller’sdiscre-
past the point of human endurance. If the demon’s host tion, aparticularlypotent or willful spirit could try to break
body suffers eight levels of lethal or aggravated damage, the demon’s control with a resisted Willpower roll (diffi-
she can still hold onto life with a successful Willpower culty equal to the demon’s Faith score) made against your
Manipulation + Leadership successes.
roll. If successful, the character falls into a coma until
the following dawn, at which point she rises with one Torment: Monstrous demons can summon spirits,
health level and one less temporary Faith. but the effects of their Torment cause the beings to
Aura of Entropy: Plants wilt in the demon’s become inherently hostile to the living for a number of
presence, and living beings are suffused with an icy chill days equal to the character’s Torment score if a Will-
that saps their strength. Mortals and other demons power roll (difficulty 9) is failed.
within a number of yards equal to the demon’s Faith COMMANDTHEDEAD
lose one die from their dice pools unless a successful A Slayer may command a spirit of the dead to do her
amina roll (difficulty 6) is made. The effects of this bidding, forcing the ghost to perform any actions that 1
pability persist for the duration of the scene. the demon desires if her will proves greater than its. 4
211

DEMON:
THEFALLEN
’ System:Roll Manipulation + Leadership. The Slayer

may command any single spirit that can hear her voice.
The spirit may attempt to counteract the effect with a
resisted Willpower roll (difficulty 8). If the spirit’s roll
fails, it must obey the demon’s commands to the best of
its ability. The effects of this evocation last for a number
of turns equal to the character’s Faith score.
and attempt to locate another host body or physical
anchor (see page 259 of the Systems chapter for details).
Torment: Monstrous demons bind spirits with a
shroud ofsuffocatingdarkness,imposing the slightesttaste
of the agony suffered in the Abyss. These trapped souls are
so frenzied by their hardship that their despair leaks into
the physical realm,surrounding their anchorswith an aura
Torment: Monstrous demons can command spirits as of ill fortune. Individuals touching or carryingsuch a spirit
well, but they warp any beings by the force of their Torment, anchor botch their actions on a roll of 1 or 2.
causing ghosts to become maddened, violent entities that
lash out at the living at the first opportunity. Once the
REWORETMEDEAD
evocation’seffectsexpire, the Storyrellermakes a Willpower This evocation allows a Slayer to anchor a spirit
roll (difficulty 8) for an affected spirit. The roll requires a into any soulless physical body. This effort returns the
number of successes equal to or greater than the number of ghost to the land of the living, at least for a short time.
tums that the ghost spent under the demon’scontrol. If the System: Spend one Faith point and roll Stamina +
roll fails, the spirit becomes malevolent and hostile toward Awareness. The Slayer must have the soul she wishes to
the livingfor a number of daysequalto the demon’sTorment restore in her immediate vicinity and be able to touch the
score. If the roll botches, the change is permanent. body shewantsit topossess.The body inquestionmusthave
died only recently (i.e., within the last 48 hours). Ifsuccess-
~CMORTME~OUL ful, the soul is anchoredto the body, healing any injuriesthe
This powerful evocation allows a Slayer to anchor body may have had and returning the spirit to the land of
a disinterred mortal soul (or a demon’s spirit) to a the living.Thenew person has the samePhysicalAttributes
physical object, creating a haunted artifact that traps that the body had in its former life, and the Mental and
the spirit in the physical world. In the darker days of the Social Attributes and Abilities of the new soul. The effects
War of Wrath, Slayers used this evocation to bind the of this evocation last for a number of days equal to your
souls of mortals and angels to fuel powerful weapons character’s Faith score, or it can be made permanent by
and tools crafted by the Annunaki. expending one point of p m m t Willpower.
System: Spend one Faith point and roll Stamina + Demon spirits without hosts can be placed into
Awareness. The difficultyis determined by the nature of bodies through this evocation.
the object being used as an anchor. Binding a soul to
t
Torment Monstrous demons who perform this evoca-
somethingthat was close to the person in life (difficulty 6) tion invariably taint the spirit with their own Torment,
is the most effective kind of anchor, while foreign objects leaving the soul twisted by hate and pain. Once the soulhas
prove more challenging dependingon their composition. been restored, the Storytellermakes a Willpower roll for it
Crystal, gems or precious metals are useful (difficulty 7 ) , with a difficulty equal to your character’s Torment. If the
while natural objects such as wood, glass or bone are less roll is successhl, the restored person suffers a temporary
so (difficulty 8). Synthetic objects such as plastic or high- derangement. If the roll fails, the derangement is perma-
tech items such as computers are challenging to use nent. If the roll botches, the restored person becomes a
(difficulty 9). Your character must be within a number of frenzied monster, attacking the living until it is destroyed.
yards of the spirit equal to his [your character’s] Faith
rating in order to affect it, and he must hold the intended
If a disembodieddemon spirit is put into a body with
the high-Torment version of this evocation, a Will-
anchor. The spirit can resist imprisonment with a resisted
power roll is made for it, too. If the roll is successful, the
Willpower roll (difficulty 8).If you get more successes, the
possessing demon has a Torment score that’s one point
spirit is trapped within the anchor and cannot interact
with the outside world unless the object has been properly less than your character’s. If the Willpowerroll fails, the
attuned (see the Lore of the Forge, p. 190). possessingdemon’sTorment scoreequals your character’s.
And, if the Willpower roll botches, the possessingdemon’s
Demons bound to an attuned item can still access
Torment score exceeds your character’s by one point.
their inherent powers (including their lore paths), pro-
vided they have Faith available. (Any existing pacts with THE
RERGKL, VI~AGEOPTME~DIRIT
mortal thralls remain in effect).This evocation persists for The angels of the spirit world appear as pale, serene
a number of days equal to your character’s Faith score, or figures reminiscent of the images of human saints,
it can be made permanent by expending a temporary beautiful, silent and remote. Like others of their House,
Willpower point. If an anchor is ever destroyed,the spirit the Nergal move without noise or effort, seeming to
is freed immediately. Freed mortal souls disappear forever glide along the ground as they move. Only their eyes,
or become ghosts haunting a locale, at the Storyteller’s colored in shifting patterns of gray and black, hint at
discretion. Freed demons must resist the pull of the Abyss the bleak world beyond the mortal realm.
21 2

The Visage of the Spirit confers the following as large as a city block, allowing the demon to home in on
special capabilities. regions where the boundary is exceptionally thick or thin.
Ghost Sight The angel can see the spirits of the System: Roll Perception + Awareness. If your roll
dead that linger in the mortal realm, whether the is successful, your Slayer can zero in on any regions of
ghosts wish to reveal themselves or not, with a success- unusual strength or weakness in the barrier between
ful Perception roll (difficulty 6). the realms. As a rule of thumb, the barrier between
Enhanced Social Traits: The angel’s beatific realms tends to be strongest in areas where the influ-
appearance provides the following bonus traits: +2 ence of human faith is weakest. Therefore, a science lab
Charisma, + 1 Manipulation, + 1 Appearance. that promotes cold intellect over intuition might have
Pass Without Trace: The difficulties of the a strong barrier, while a graveyard or a church might
have a weak barrier. Your demon can read a n area that’s
r
character’sStealth rolls decrease by two, and her passage
does not disturb the surrounding environment in any 10 square yards multiplied by his Faith score.
way. She leaves no footprints and disturbs no foliage. Torment: Monstrous demons can sense only areas
Wings: A pair of raven’s wings extends from the where the barrier is weak, drawn by the call of the spirit
character’s shoulders. At full extension, each wing is a storm raging just beyond.
third again as long as the character is tall. The character $TEP BE~ORDTMEVEIL
can glide up to three times her running speed per turn. This evocation allows the Slayer to physically cross the
Torment Monstrous Nergal are stained with the barrier into the shadow world, a lifeless mirror image of the
blood of the dead, their alabaster skin streaked with lines mortal world. Doing so allows the demon to travel vast
of crimson and black. Their eyes are orbs of clotted distances in the shadow realm at the speed of thought and
blood, and when they speak, their voices howl like the return to the physical world at a corresponding location.
spirits of the damned. Crossing over also allows a demon to interact with
The Visage of the Spirit confers the following the spirits of the dead that linger on the other side.
high-Torment special capabilities. System: Roll Dexterity + Awareness. The difficulty is
Cloak of Shadows: The demon is shrouded in a determined by the relativestrength of the barrier in the area
pall of darkness, making her features difficult to see in where your Slayer tries to cross. Doing so at a weak point (a
the best of light and rendering her near-invisible at church or graveyard) is difficulty 6. Crossing over in an old
night. The difficulties of all Stealth rolls decrease by house or apartment building that has seen generations of
two whenever the demon stands in a pool of shadow or occupants is difficulty 7. Crossingfrom a shopping mall is 8.
moves in darkness. If the character is attacked, the rules Once in the shadow land, your character can fly across the
for Blind Fighting apply to the attacker; see page 240 of bleak landscape with the speed of thought. Roll Dexterity
the Systems chapter for details. + Athletics (difficulty 8), allowing the demon to cover a
Howl of the Damned: The difficulties of all mile each turn per success rolled. The roads and buildings
Intimidation rolls decrease by two. intheshadowrealmare just asrealtoyourdemonasaretheir
Aura of Dread: The demon is surrounded by an aura physical-worldcounterparts. She must traverse any physi-
of fear that saps the will of her foes. Targets within a number cal obstacles and find her way to her destination just as she
of yards equal to the character’s Faith lose their normal would in the mortal world. Upon reaching her destination,
initiative unless a successfulWillpower roll is made against a the demon can return automatically to the corresponding
difficulty equal to the demon’s Torment. Affected individu- place in the physical realm, appearing as if from nowhere.
als act last within a given turn.The Willpower roll is made All other actions are performed as normal in the spirit
every turn in which a person or another demon is in the realm, but the furious storm raging there increases difficul-
Nergal’s apocalypticpresence. Normal initiativeresumesfor ties to 8, at the least. Furthermore,your Slayer loses a point
a victim as soon as a successful Willpower roll is made. of temporary Willpower each time a roll botches. If the
Damage Resistance: The demon is capable of demon loses all her Willpower, she is tom from her mortal
shrugging off damage that would cripple a normal host. The body is returned to the physical realm and the
human. She may ignore any wound penalties for the disembodied soul must fight the pull of the Abyss while
duration of the scene, although penalties return and searchingfor another anchor (see page 259 of the Systems
apply normally when human form is resumed. chapter for details).
Your character cannot take passengers with her to
or from the spirit or living realms.
5 SEFGETMEBARRIER
The Slayer is able to sense the relative strength of the
barrier between the physical and the spirit realms in an area
Encounteringand communicatingwith spirits in the
dead lands is similar to meetingpeople in the living world.
Spirits have their own identities and agendas and may be
213

3 DEMON:
THEFALLEN
willing or unwilling to interact with visitors. Demons can

use Lore of the Spirit to encourage such interaction.
Torment: Monstrous demons that cross into the
spirit world create a “seam” in the barrier that draws
restless spirits into the physical world, resulting in tempo-
I
rary but intense hauntings. This seam remains in the area
for a number of days equal to the demon’sTorment score.
GMOSTWALH
This evocation allows the demon to exist simulta-
neously in both the physical and spirit realms. She can
interact with both mortals and spirits, and pass through
objects in both places.
System: Roll Stamina + Awareness. The difficulty
is determined by the relative strength of the barrier in
t
the area where the Slayer performs the evocation.
Doing so at a weak point (a church or graveyard) is
difficulty 6. Crossing over in an old house or apartment
building that has seen generations of occupants is
difficulty 7. Crossing from a shopping mall is 8.
If your roll is successful,your demon becomes a hazy,
f
insubstantial form, able to see and be seen by individuals
I
on both sides of the barrier. She passes through objects
II without harm, and vice versa, though she can interact
with one realm or the other in a given turn with a
Willpower roll (difficulty 8). If the roll succeeds, the
Slayer can speak to individuals, handle objects, attackor
be attacked in the realm to which she has attuned
herself, just as if she were solid. The effects of this
evocation last for anumber of turn equal to the character’s
Faith rating. Your character cannot take any other
beings with her to this “middle ground” between realms.
Torment: When monstrous demons perform this
evocation, it causes the energies of the spirit storm to
1 leak into the physical realm around her, causing wild

and unpredictable spirit manifestations and hauntings.
~ A C ACROXSM TME BARKIER
The Slayer can peer into and reach across into the
spirit realm the same way a mortal retrieves something
from a cupboard, placing or retrieving items between the
realms at will. During the War of Wrath, this evocation
t
was used extensively to place powerful weapons or other
items beyond the reach of the Slayers’ enemies. Many
still remain there to this day, waiting to be found.
System: Spend one Faith point and roll Dexterity +
Awareness. The difficulty is determined by the relative
strength of the barrier in the area where the Slayerperforms
the evocation. Doing so at a weak point (a church or
graveyard) is difficulty 6. Crossing over in an old house or
apartment building that has seen generationsof occupants
is difficulty 7. Crossing from a shopping mall is 8.
If your roll is successful, your character can see into
and “reach” acrossthe barrier between realms -her hand
and arm literally vanishes from mortal eyes until she
214

I CHAPTER
SE\EN
I
withdraws it again. She can place or remove any item that doorway, drawing spirits and causing horrifying mani-
can be easily lifted with one or two hands. Mortals or festations to linger for a number of days equal to your
demons cannot be forced across the barrier using this character’s Torment.
evocation. Itemscan be hidden away from the spirit world,
however, placing them in the material world, out of reach
ERESMKIGAL,
VI,SAG~OPTMEREALM>
Angels of the Second World manifest as shadowy
from dead-land inhabitants. (But, of course, that might
figures whose features are hidden in perpetual darkness.
mean that real-world beings could find the items.)
The air itself seems to wrap about them like a robe of
Torment: Monstrous demons who perform this night, conjuring the image of the cowled ferryman of
evocation risk allowing traces of the spirit storm to leak human myth. Their hands are white and bony, like a
through into the physical world, causing surreal and skeleton’s, and they move without effort or sound.
terrifying side effects. If the evocation succeeds, the The Visage of the Realms confers the following
Storyteller makes a Willpower roll with the difficulty special capabilities.
equal to your Slayer’s Torment. If the roll fails, the
Dead Reckoning: The character always knows
winds of the storm seep through, subjecting all mortals
where she is in relation to known landmarks, no matter
in the immediate area to Willpower rolls (difficulty 8).
If their rolls fail, they flee in terror. If their rolls botch,
how far awav those landmarks mav be. Unless affected 1
they also suffer a temporary derangement.
PIERCETME~ARKIER
This evocation enables the Slayer to create a
temporarydoorway between the living and dead realms,
by spatially distorting evocations’such as Warp Path,
she can never lose her sense of direction.
Pass Without Trace: The difficulties of the
character’s Stealth rolls decrease by two, and her passage
does not disturb the surrounding environment in any
1
allowing other demons to cross into the shadow lands way. She leaves no footprints and disturbs no foliage.
if the portal’s creator wishes. Increased Awareness: The fallen is especially
System: Spend one Faith point and roll Stamina + attuned to the fabric of reality, lowering the difficulties
Awareness. The difficulty is determined by the relative of all Awareness rolls by two.
strengthof the barrier in the area where the Slayer performs Conjure from Nothing:The character is capable
the evocation. Doing so at a weak point (a church or of supernatural sleight of hand, seeming to conjure
graveyard) is difficulty 6. Crossing over in an old house or items out of thin air only to make them vanish again
apartment building that has seen generations of occupants with a flick of the wrist. She can draw an item from a
t
is difficulty 7. Crossing from a shopping mall is 8. pocket or conceal an item without detection on a
If your roll succeeds, your Slayer creates a portal that successful Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty 6).
other demons may bodily pass through into the shadow Torment Angels of the Realms who surrender them-
realm, allowing them to interact with the spirits of the selves to their Torment are walking portals to the land of
dead and to travel through the dead lands. As many other the dead, exuding an aura of loss and despair that chills
demons may enter as you get successeson your roll. Living mortal hearts. Their voices are bleak and sepulchral, and
mortals and thralls cannot pass. Non-Slayers who make their eyeless stare gives the boldest heart pause.
the transition are at a considerable disadvantage com- The Visage of the Realms confers the following
pared to the Halaku, being more susceptibleto the ravages high-Torment special capabilities.
of the Maelstrom than those of the Seventh House. Cloak of Shadows: The demon is shrouded in a
Furthermore, they cannot travel as quickly across the pall of darkness, making her features difficult to see in
shadow realm as the Slayers can. They cover distances the best of light, and rendering her near-invisible at
only as fast as they could in the physical realm. The dice night. The difficulties of all Stealth rolls decrease by
pools for all actions taken by uninitiated demons are two whenever the demon stands in a pool of shadow or
halved (rounded up), and these fallen lose one temporary moves indarkness. If the character is attacked, the rules
Willpower point each day that they remain in the spirit for Blind Fighting apply to the attacker; see page 240 of
realm. When their Willpower is exhausted, the demons the Systems chapter for details.
become catatonic. Their bodies lose one point of Stamina Relentless: The demon can walk or run without
each day thereafter. When a demon’s Stamina is ex- need of rest, able to cover superhuman distances with-
hausted, her mortal body dies and her spirit is drawn back out pause. As long as she stays in motion, she is
into the Abyss. The doorway created by this evocation unaffected by fatigue or hunger.
lasts for only a single turn, and it is one-way. Spirits from Voice of the Grave: The difficulties of all
beyond cannot normally use it to enter the living world. Intimidation rolls decrease by two.
Torment Monstrous demons who perform this Dread Gaze: Individuals (mortal or demon) who
ocation cause the effects of the spirit storm to rage in meet the demon’s gaze and who fail a Willpower roll
e physical world in the immediate vicinity of the (difficulty 7) must forfeit their actions for that turn.
215

Farewell happy Fields
Where Joy for ever dwells : Hail horrors, h i l
Infernal world, and thou profoundest Hell
Receive thy new Possessor: One who brings
A mind not to be chang’d by Place or Time.
The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n.
-John Milton, Paradise Lost
All games have rules. Rules take a back seat to the story in mind. Some Storytellers use the rules to the
story in a storytelling game such as this one, but they letter, with strict and regular application. Others forgo
still have a very important role. Rules give structure to the rules entirely and guide the story intuitively. Both
your game and provide your Storyteller an unbiased methods are valid, but most storytelling approaches fall
method of determining the outcome of character ac- somewhere between these two extremes. The game is
tions in those situations where fairness is a factor. Your yours to do with as you please.
Storyteller can also fall back on the rules and have you
and your fellow players roll dice to add randomness to
your story’s events. The dice, in such cases, represent
fate and the harsh reality that things don’t always work
out as planned. TIME
The Demon: The Fallen rules presented in this How you control the passage of time in the game
chapter help you coordinate any number of situations affects the smoothness of play. You and your players
that might occur in your game, from combat scenes to imagine events as they transpire, talking them out and
social interactions. Offered as guidelines only, they’re rolling results. Therefore, real time and your game’s
as flexible as you want to make them. In the end, your imaginary time differ. When your characters enter
Storyteller has the final say in all things. He uses the combat, it may take real-time minutes to roleplay mere
rules as tools, keeping the progression and benefit of the seconds of game time. Alternatively, you may wish to

1
EIGHT
CHAPTER
I
cover weeks of game time in just a few real-time min- chapters into a coherent whole. As your game
utes, assuming that nothing worthy of attention occurs progresses, you and your fellow players write your
during that period. You and your players can gloss over chronicle, linking parts and pieces together and
intervals between important events or slow the pro- developing a full-blown epic.
gression to a crawl when detailing critical moments. Downtime - When your Storyteller decides
The following six basic units describe the passage to fast-forward and skim over a period of time, he
of game time in Demon: invokes “downtime.” You may summarize events
Turn -The smallest increment, and often the that transpire during downtime, but you do not
most important, a turn is the amount of time it takes a actually have to play them out. Your Storyteller may
character to perform one action. This interval ranges say something like, ‘(Youwatch the church all night,
anywhere from three seconds to three minutes, de- but n o one comes out. In the morning, a police
pending on the pace of events. When your Storyteller cruiser pulls up beside your car.” Nothing happened
announces that play is measured in turns, he deter- while your characters watched, so there’s no reason
mines the length of time that passes during those turns, to play it out. Your Storyteller leaps ahead to the
and it’s crucial that he hold everyone to the same next interesting event. A
standard. The length of a turn can vary between events,
but it must remain constant for all players at any one SIMPLE
ACTION^
particular moment. You play your character by describing the things
Scene - A scene in a roleplaying game re- he does as actions he performs. These actions may be
sembles a scene in a theatrical play. Your Storyteller as simple as looking at something or as complex as
sets the stage, and the players take their roles. The flying a helicopter. Depending on the challenge of the
scene evolves in one location and usually encom- action, your Storyteller may request that you roll dice
passes a single, specific event. The flow of time within to determine whether your character succeeds. In
a scene can vary greatly. It might be played out in Demon, a single action that occurs in one turn is
turns or run parallel to real time, or your Storyteller called a simple action. (Other types of actions are
and fellow players may choose to fast-forward through described later.) In most instances, your character’s
parts of it, while keeping the location and the general actions succeed automatically by virtue of their ease.
events the same. For example, speaking is not normally challenging. If
For example, a scene may begin in real-time, as another character intimidates yours into silence, how-
your characters break into an office building. It then ever, a die roll may decide whether your character
may move into turns as your characters become in- perseveres to speak his mind.
volved in a shoot-out with the thralls of an Earthbound.
You might then fast-forward through disposing of the
bodies and investigating the area, then move back into
real-time as your characters argue over the meaning of
the evidence they uncovered.
Chapter - For the most part, a chapter repre-
sents one game session during which the Storyteller has
set up specific challenges to overcome. From the mo-
ment you sit down and assume your role to the moment
you pack up your dice, you’re playing out a chapter in
the story. The end of each chapter should leave you
wanting more and asking questions, yet still feeling a
sense of completion.
Story -A story tells one entire tale, whether
it comprises several chapters or is completed in a
single session. It has an introduction, a plot arc that
involves rising conflict and a climax that brings ROLLING
DICE
events to a conclusion. Your Storyteller has two options when deciding
Chronicle - In the big picture, the term the outcome of your character’s proposed action. First,
“chronicle” refers to a saga or a collection of stories. he can simply make the call himself, announcing the
Your Storyteller has a goal in mind for the chronicle, outcome that he feels enriches the game. Otherwise, he
possible destination for your characters and a can request that you roll dice to determine the course
erne or overarching plot line that connects all of events randomly.
219

Demon uses 10-sideddice that you can purchase in offers you a chance to succeed, albeit a small one.
any game store. Each player needs about 10 of these T h e Storyteller determines which Attribute trait
dice, while the Storyteller needs more. applies to a specific action, and he may increase the
difficulty number (see Difficulties, p. 220) by one to
rm-rImGS represent the increased challenge. Your Storyteller
As explained in Chapter Six, you begin to de- is not obligated to let you roll a n Attribute score
scribe your character by distributing points to his alone, however, if doing so doesn’t make sense in
traits. These point values represent your character’s the situation.
innate abilities, learned aptitudes and life experi- Some traits, such as Willpower, have maximum
ence. Your character has certain strengths and ratings of 10, which is higher than Ability or At-
weaknesses, just like a real person. Your character tribute traits can be. Your Storyteller should not
may be a crack shot with a rifle or he may not know usually combine these special traits with others to
one end of a gun from the other. You assign a point produce your dice pools. For the most part, these high-
value from 0 to 5 to each of your character’s traits, rated traits stand alone.
based on the following scale: Other traits, such as certain Backgrounds (see
X Abysmal Chapter Six) replace Abilities in a dice pool to add
0 Poor variety to trait use. Your Storyteller always decides
Average when you roll and which traits form such a dice pool.
0
Good
Exceptional
DIFFICULTIES
When you roll your dice pool, you need a target
Superb
number, a difficulty that you have to meet or beat. This
Using Abilities as an example, having no points number ranges from 2 to 10, as determined by your
(dots) in a trait means that your character has never Storyteller. Once you know your difficulty number,
learned that particular Skill, Talent or Knowledge. you roll your dice pool and each die that matches or
One dot represents a basic understanding of it. Having exceeds the difficulty number gives you one success.
two means that your character falls into the average The number of successes you roll tells you how well
human range in his grasp of the Ability. With three to your character completes the attempted action. You
five dots, your character surpasses the average human need only one success to pull off a task minimally. The
being and is said to have honed the Ability to good, more successes you roll, the more easily and com-
exceptional or superb degrees. pletely your character triumphs.
Your character’s trait ratings determine how many The default difficulty of any task is 6. Obviously,
dice you roll when your character attempts actions lesser difficulties make a task easier, and higher ones
related to those traits. The Storyteller decides which make a task harder. Any time this rulebook or your
traits apply to a proposed action. He announces these Storyteller fails to give you a difficulty number, assume
traits and you roll one 10-sided die for each dot you that it is the average, 6.
have assigned to those traits. The number of dice you
roll is called your dice pool. The number of dice in your
pool varies based on the nature of the action and the DIP PI CULT IF^?
applicable traits. 3 Easy - running on flat pavement
A dice pool typically consists of a number of dice 4 Routine -finding a number in the phone book
equal to your character’s relevant Attribute rating (a 5 Straightforwan
measure ofstrength, intelligence or charm), plus that of
an appropriate Ability. That is, you use both your
character’s innate Attributes and learned Abilities to
determine how well she succeeds at the attempted
action. For simplicity and game balance, your Story-
teller should never allow you to combine more than
one Attribute or Ability in a dice pool.
If your character has no dots in a n applicable
Ability (Talents, Skills or Knowledges), your Sto-
ryteller may allow you a dice pool equal to your
score in the Attribute relevant to the action at-
tempted. Your character’s innate Attribute still
2 20

CHAPTER EIGHT
r;:
Your Storyteller has the final say o n difficulty FAILURES
numbers. He determines whether the attempted ac- It’s a shame when it happens, but it does happen.
tion is nearly impossible or impossibly easy, based on You either roll no successes or you roll more 1s than
the situation. A difficulty number of 10 represents successes. If either occurs, your character fails his
an almost insurmountable challenge - one you attempted action. His shot misses, h e can’t figure out
have an equal chance of botching as you do of what is wrong with the car engine, or he turns onto
succeeding. On the other hand, a difficulty of 2 adead-end street and screws up his attempt to outrun
represents a task so easy that your character barely the cops. Whatever the case, a failure may disap-
has to think about it to accomplish it, and it isn’t point, but it doesn’t hold the same catastrophic
even worth rolling. These extremes should be rare, potential as a botch.
though. Difficulty numbers fall in the 3 to 9 range
most of the time. Many modifiers and situational
BOTCM~
factors may play into this decision. Normally, dice that show 1s o n a roll cancel out
successes on a one-for-one basis. If you’ve rolled no
Ultimately, a roll of 10 is always a success, regard-
successes for those 1s to cancel out, though, what
less of the difficulty number.
you’ve got is called a botch. Where a failure hurts, a
botch tortures, because a botch takes failure one step
further. Not only does your character fail his attempted
action, his life gets a lot more complicated.
One catch to counting your successes in Demon is Your Storyteller decides what results from a
that you might not get to keep them all. Any 1s that you botch. T h e possibilities are endless, but i n most
roll must be subtracted from your total number of situations, a catastrophe occurs. If you botch while
successes.It doesn’t matter how many successesyou roll your character attempts to shoot a gun, the weapon
- if you roll enough 1s to cancel them out, your may jam. If you botch while your character jumps
character fails the attempted action. Rolling more 1s from one roof to another, he may fall. Simply
than successes doesn’t penalize you especially, but failing these rolls might mean that your character
rolling 1s and no successes is a very bad thing. misses the shot or barely latches onto the far roof by
221

THEFALLEN
DEMON:
his fingertips. Degree of danger differentiates be-

tween a failure and a botch. A failure usually results
$~ccmsm
AUTOMATIC
W h o wants to spend the entire game rolling
in a mild threat, whereas a botch lands your char-
dice? Doing so detracts from the game’s flow and
acter in deep trouble.
f Botches also allow the Storyteller to create
turns player attention from story to rules. Demon,
therefore, offers a quick and easy method for deter-
odd but interesting consequences for your abysmal mining success without rolling dice. In situations
failure. Instead of making your gun jam, the Sto- where your dice pool exceeds the difficulty number
ryteller may decide that the bullet ricochets off a of the attempted action, the feat succeeds automati-
brick wall and hits a n innocent bystander. Instead cally. You succeed only marginally, though, the
of leaving your character dangling precariously equivalent of rolling one success. You can roll if you
from the roof, the Storyteller might let him make want greater success, but you risk failing or even
it across - only to find himself in the middle of a botching. You cannot get automatic successes dur-
Mafia execution! ing combat or stressful scenes; you have to roll.
Botches don’t necessarily mean your character has Automatic successes apply primarily to situations
to die, only that fate has thrown a gigantic monkey where the attempted action could be accomplished
wrench into the works. A clever Storyteller uses a easily, without resistance.
botch to raise tension a notch and introduce new There’s also another way to get an automatic
opponents or provide impetus for character develop- success on a roll: Simply spend a Willpower point (p.
ment. How would your character come to terms with 162). You can do so only once per turn, and since you
shooting an innocent child accidentally?Botches make have a limited supply of Willpower you can’t do it too
for good drama. often, but it can certainly help when you’re under
pressure to succeed.
TNIIPG
ITAGAIN
Persistence often pays off, but prolonged failure
can result in frustration, fatigue and diminished
self-confidence. W h e n your character fails a n at-
tempted action, the Storyteller may choose to let
her try again.
In most situations, the task gets more difficult with
each successive attempt after a failure. To represent
these diminishing returns, the Storyteller increases the
difficulty number for each subsequent attempt by one,
cumulatively. The more your character fails and keeps
trying, the more difficult the task becomes. Barring in-
game time constraints, your character may keep trying
for as long as the Storyteller allows.
Continued failure eventually renders the task im-
possible, however. The difficulty number gets so high
that the chance of success is eliminated, and your
character ends up beating his head against the prover-
bial wall. If you botch, the Storyteller might not allow
your character to continue trying, and he may even rule
that the character ruins his tools, loses the evidence or
destroys the object completely.
T h e nature of the action determines whether
this rule applies. It might if your character attempts
to pick a lock, persuade someone of something,
parallel park, research a topic at the library or
wriggle free of ropes that bind her. It does not apply
if your character fails a n attempt to shoot someone,
to detect a n ambush, to catch a baseball, to notice
a clue or to do anything else at which she has only
one chance to succeed.
222

CHAPTER EIGHT
rI:
way, a simple dice-pool roll doesn’t represent the situ-
ation adequately. Called a resisted action, this type of
The basic rules described thus far are all you need
to begin play. Everything hereafter clarifies and ex-
pands on those rules by offering more in-depth methods
conflict pits the traits of two characters against each
other, as each attempts to overpower the other. (As a
simplified example, people in a tug-of-war are engaging
in a resisted action.) You and your opponent roll your
I
of dealing with specific situations. The following three
sections describe general approaches to complex situa- dice pools against a common difficulty number, or
tions that might arise. For plenty of situation-specific sometimes against a difficulty equal to an appropriate
complications, see Chapter Nine. trait (or traits) belonging to the other. The opponent
who garners the most successes wins.
When totaling the final result, each of your
A t some point, your character will attempt an opponent’s successes cancels out one of your own, just
action that requires prolonged success, such as climb- as Is do. If, for example, you score four successes and
ing a cliff or tracking a feral creature through the woods, your opponent scores three, then you’ve succeeded but
1
and a single die roll won’t do the task justice. Even with only one success, indicating a marginal accom-
though your character may succeed partially, that plishment. Although your opponent can’t stop you this
doesn’t mean he’s able to reach his ultimate goal in one way, he can still stifle your efforts and slow you down.
turn. That’s where the extended actions rules come in. Gaining an outstanding success on a resisted action
Compared to a simple action, which requires only one rarely occurs.
success, an extended action requires multiple successes A t times, a combination of resisted and extended
for even a marginal victory. It may require you to roll rolls may suit the situation. Certain resisted actions -
multiple times, as well. car chases, debates, drinking contests or kick-boxing
When your character attempts a n extended ac- matches -extend over a period of time and require a
tion, the Storyteller decides how many successes must series of rolls to determine success. In these cases, you
be rolled for marginal success. You then roll once for and your opponent both roll several times according to
each applicable period of time that passes, as deter- the resisted action rule, but you add your successes over
mined by the Storyteller, until you have accumulated the course of a number of rolls. The first to reach the
enough successes to accomplish the task. This method total set by the Storyteller prevails.
not only determines whether your character succeeds, Sometimes, the Storyteller may forgo multiple
it establishes how long it takes to complete the at-
tempted action. Your Storyteller may call for a roll for
each in-game turn, hour or even day that passes. The
time factor depends upon the nature of the task. It is
discretionary, based o n how long the task might take
rolls on what might seem like an extended action if
rolling dice threatens to overshadow roleplaying. A
single, resisted roll often suffices to determine the
final outcome.
1
under normal circumstances. TEAMWORK
In most cases, your character keeps trying for as In certain situations, it makes sense for people to ,
long as you like, though you may play a harried game of work together to improve ,their chances of success.
beat-the-clock. Time may be short; the sun may set in Teamwork can apply when characters try to lift some-
only a few hours. If your character takes a break from his thing heavy, research a particular subject, break down
task to accomplish something else, the Storyteller may a door, intimidate someone or figure out a puzzle. All
decide that some of the successes gained are lost be- players roll their own dice pools and add their successes.
cause your character has to reorient herself. You may You do not, however, add your dice pools together and
even have to start counting from scratch again. make one big roll. Each player must roll separately,
The more times you have to roll, the greater the then you combine all the results. If anyone botches, the
chance is that you might botch and your character entire attempt may fail utterly.
might bungle the attempt completely. On a botch, the
Storyteller may decide that you cannot start again. Tne GOLDEN
RULE
Your character simply fails, he destroys his equipment, The most important Demon rule to remember is
or catastrophe strikes. that you control your own game. If a rule doesn’t work
for you, change it to suit your needs or don’t use it. The
Storyteller has final say o n house rules. Just remember
Sometimes, your character’s actions are resisted by that rules consistency enhances players’ enjoyment.
someone who wants to keep him from accomplishing Consider the rules laid out in this book to be I
his goals. When two characters go head-to-head in this flexible guidelines. Every Demon game is different.
223

DEMON:
THEFALLEN I .
m y
Some focus entirely on consent, in which all actions You’ve managed to break into an office building,
and their success or failure are determined by player but the guard will make his rounds any minute. Now
decision, with the ultimate goal being the richness of where is that file?Roll Wits + Computer once per turn
the story. Others follow astrict regimen of randomness, (difficulty 8). You have five turns before the guard
withdice used extensively to introduce excitement and shows up, and you have to gain a total of 12 successes.
tension to the story. You decide which method to use, The Earthbound’s thrall is patrolling the exit,
or whether you walk a path somewhere between. but you might be able to slip past when her back is
Our Golden Rule is simple: “Above all else, play turned. Roll Dexterity + Stealth, resisted by the thrall’s
and have fun.” Perception + Alertness (difficulties equal opposing
dice pools). If you succeed, you get out undetected.
The cult members are confused after the death of
their leader, and you have a chance to make them
As your game unfolds, characters will attempt all follow you instead. It all hinges on this one sermon.
kinds of actions. The rules systems try to account for Roll Manipulation + Expression (difficulty 7).
most things and are designed to be flexible for your You know that crack house is around here some-
needs. More than 270 combinations of Abilities and where, but it’ll be tough to find. Make an extended
Attributes give you an incredible range of options Perception + Streetwise roll (difficulty 7) every five
when determining which of them applies to a given minutes with a target of 10 total successes.
situation. You may even want to make up your own Twelve more hours to go on this cross-country
Talents, Skills and Knowledges to fit more specific drive, and you’re the only one who can handle the
character capabilities. The following examples illus- eighteen-wheeler. Roll Stamina + Drive (difficulty
trate the diversity of actions you may encounter in 7 ) for every hour. You need 12 successes to arrive
your game. safely at your destination without having to make a
You have to remove a fallen tree limb from the lengthy stop.
road before a pursuing.car arrives. Roll Strength + You have to distract the crowd while your allies
Athletics (difficulty 8). sneak out the back. You get up on the club’s stage and
The director of an art gallery invites you to a proceed to hurl profanities at the mob. Roll Appear-
reception. You have to impress him with your style and ance + Performance (difficulty 6).
grace to win his trust. Roll Manipulation + Etiquette How did an idiot like this get hold of expensive
(difficulty of the director’s Perception + Etiquette). government armaments? Time to work out which
224

CH 4 PTER EJCHT
senator is bankrolling these assassins. Roll Wits + You dropped your cell phone and it fell
Politics (difficulty 6). apart. C a n you fix it?Roll Dexterity + Technology
The time for talkinghaspassed. It’s time to shoot. (difficulty 8).
1
Roll Dexterity + Firearms (difficulty 6). Street people are disappearing, but none of the I
This deranged occultist has the information you witnesses want to talk. Can you convince one of them
need. Can you trick him into telling you what you that you want to help? Roll Charisma + Streetwise
want? Roll Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 8). (difficulty 7).
You know the answer lies somewhere inside this You’ve managed to get a pass into a high-security
mutilated body. Question is, do you have the will to building. Can you determine what kinds of security
perform a full autopsy before it’s too late?Roll Stamina systems are used in anticipation of returning uninvited?
+ Investigation once every hour (difficulty 7) until you Roll Perception + Security (difficulty of the security
gain a total of 15 successes. company’s Intelligence + Security).
That cop just pulled you over, but you can’t
let him find the body in the trunk. C a n you sweet-
talk him into believing you’re just a college student
on her way back to school? Roll Appearance + Words, words, words. This list defines some of the
Subterfuge (difficulty of the cop’s Perception + terms used in this book, especially in the rules.
Subterfuge). Ability: A type of trait to which you assign point
Someone has infected your computer with a values when creating your character, and which deter-
virus. It’s slowly eating away all the information you’ve mines how many dice you roll. Ability traits represent
stored. Can you track the virus before it destroys things for which your character has a natural Talent, as
everything? Roll Intelligence or Wits + Computer well as Skills and Knowledges he’s acquired. Examples
once every five minutes (difficulty 6) until you gain a include Empathy, Firearms and Medicine.
total of 10 successes. The longer it takes, the more action: An action is any single activity or feat
information you lose. your character undertakes, including loading a gun,
225

- __
DEVON:
THEFALLEN
driving to the gas station or scrutinizing something. represent training, study and honing of capabilities.
When you describe something your character does or See p. 164 for more on experience points.
1 wishes to attempt, that’s an action. The length of time
it takes to perform different actions varies.
extended action: This type of action requires
that you accumulate a certain number of successesover
Advantages: This catch-all category includes a series of rolls and a period of time.
Backgrounds as well as the more mystical capabilities failure: If you roll no successes and no Is, or
that the fallen possess. enough 1s to cancel out all your successes, your charac-
Attributes: A type of trait to which you assign ter fails his attempted action. A failure, unlike a botch,
point values when creating your character, and which simply means your character has not succeeded and
determines the dice you roll. Attribute traits represent nothing extremely catastrophic occurs.
your character’s innate characteristics, such as how Faith: This special trait, exclusive to demons, is
strong (Strength), personable (Charisma) or smart a measure of the strength of their spiritual energy. Faith
(Intelligence) she is. has both a permanent rating and temporary points. For
Background: A type of trait chosen at character more about Faith, see p. 159.
creation that defines aspects of your character’s life not Health: This indicator, which represents how
1 directly related to his Attributes or Abilities. Examples
of Backgrounds include who your character knows
wounded your character is, modifies your dice pools.
points: Certain traits, such as Willpower, rise
(Contacts, Allies), how much money he has (Re- and fall temporarily throughout the course of play. In
sources) or how famous he is (Fame). order to differentiate between your character’s perma-
botch: When you roll absolutely no successes nent score and his current level in a trait, we call the
and at least one 1 shows up in the roll, you botch and permanent value the trait rating, and the current value
your character catastrophically fails the attempted ac- the points or pool. Mark permanent rating in the round
tion. If there are any successes -even those canceled dots on your character sheet and mark current level of
by 1s in the roll -it is merely a failure, not a botch. A points in the boxes.
botch is much worse than a simple failure. rating: Whereas points represent the temporary
character: In order to play Demon, you write up score of certain traits, the term “rating” refers to the
a character, a fictional person you then control in the permanent value of those traits. This designation ap-
game. Your character has statistics that represent his plies to traits such as Willpower.
capabilities, history and personality. Storytellers like- reflexive: A situation i n which dice might
wise create fictional characters to populate the setting be rolled, but that does n o t count as a n action for
and interact with your character. the purposes of calculating dice pools. Examples
chronicle: T h e grand scheme of your game, of reflexive rolls include soak rolls and Will-
its overall picture, a chronicle is any story you power rolls.
build from start to finish with a central element of resisted action: When another character op-
one city, one set of characters or one main, under- poses your character’s attempted action, he creates a
lying plot. situation called a resisted action. Both players roll and
dice pool: The number of dice you roll to deter- compare the number of successes gained. The one with
mine the success or failure of your character’s action. more successes wins.
Relevant traits dictate this number, plus or minus any scene: A period of action usually set in one
modifiers. Your Storyteller tells you which traits apply. location and a particular time frame. A scene is often
difficulty number: A value, assigned by the broken up into turns, though not always.
Storyteller, that a player must equal or beat o n simple action: An action that requires only one
each die rolled to achieve successes toward a n success to accomplish and that usually involves only
action. Certain modifiers may affect a n action’s one player. More successes indicate a higher level of
difficulty number. achievement.
downtime: An imaginary period during the story: The combination of several intercon-
course of the game when nothing of significance hap- nected scenes. A story is usually characterized by an
pens. Players can skim over the events that occur introduction, conflict, climax and resolution.
during downtime and fast-forward to the next impor- Storyteller: One of the players in a roleplaying
tant event. game takes the responsibility for creating the fictional
experience points: Through the course of the environment and guiding the story. The Storyteller
game, your character earns experience points, which describes the setting, makes decisions regarding rules
you spend to increase his traits. Experience points and assumes the roles of the main characters’ friends
226

1 CHAPTEREIGHT
I
and enemies. He oversees the game and is the final qualities, called traits, define your character’s learned
judge on all rules calls. Abilities, innate Attributes and worldly Backgrounds.
success: Any die roll that equals or exceeds the troupe: Your group of players, including
stated difficulty number. your Storyteller.
system: Any specific set of rules used in a certain turn: An increment of time from three sec-
situation for guiding the roll of dice to simulate dra- onds to three minutes in duration used to resolve
matic actions. complex actions and events. A turn is roughly the
Torment: This trait describes how conflicted time it takes your character t o perform one action,
and anguished a demon’s soul is - how far he has and it should be kept consistent for all characters in
strayed from a state of grace. A character’s Torment the scene.
rating rises and falls over the course of the chronicle. Willpower: A measure of your character’s self-
See p. 160 for more information on Torment. confidence and internal control. Willpower works
trait: During character creation, you assign differently than most traits, as it is often spent rather
point values to varying descriptive elements. These than rolled.
227

There are only two kinds ofpeople in the end: those who say
to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the
end, “Thy will be done.” All that are in Hell, choose it. Without
that self-choice there could be no Hell.
Demon: The Fallen focuses on roleplaying and story include keeping events organized, guiding the charac- 1
development. Although dice take us out of the story and ters’ actions so that they remain logical in both order
remind us it’s just a game, they can also help develop the and time, and describing the imaginary consequences
1story. Rolling dice brings chance into the mix and repre-
sents the effects of character strengths and weaknesses.
of those actions. The Storyteller determines the diffi-
culty of actions and oversees dice rolls to make sure that
While many Storytellerschooseto minimizedice-rollingas they represent events accurately.
much as possible, certain situations may call for it. This Many factors modify dice rolls. Difficulty numbers
chapter coversanumber of specificdice mechanics, includ- can change based on the situation. Perhaps your action is
ing general dramaticsystems,combat, injury and recovery. opposed directly or your character’s mental and physical
The systems here provide a foundation for covering condition is impaired or heightened. The Attributes and
some of the possible situations that might arise in your Abilities that form your dice pool may alsochange accord-
game. Written for ease of play, they allow you to return ing to situational factors. The Storytellermakes anumber
to the story as quickly as possible. If you have alternatives of decisions when requestingrolls. These decisions might
for these systems that work better, use them instead. seem overwhelmingat first,but the systemsprovided here
Furthermore, if a player attempts a particularly clever or help, and they canbe masteredquickly.When all elsefails,
inspired approach to a problem, the Storyteller may rely on common sense to resolve situations, and have fun.
award an automatic success rather than roll dice. Even after the dice have tumbled, players whose charac-
ters have a specialty (p. 136) in a particular Ability may
DRAMATICSUYIXM~ roll extra dice if any 10s turn up.
Your story unfolds through the actions and interac- Attributes and Abilities are typically combined to
tions of the characters. Some of the Storyteller’s jobs determine dice pools in the followingsystems.A character

might not have an Ability he needs for the action, requiring a dice roll. When people are stressed or hurry-
though. The player can either use another Ability that ing, keys get dropped or won’t go into the ignition. A
could also be applied to the situation, or he could Wits + Drive roll (difficulty 4) may come into play.
decide to forge ahead using only the Attribute. Doing Common sense determines whether a roll is called for.
so makes the task harder (or even impossible), though, Yielding: The initiative rules determine who
as shown on p. 220 of Chapter Eight. goes first in a situation (p. 237). You may, however,
Many of these systems involve more than just choose to yield your turn to a player or players following
simple actions; some activities can demand a lot of time you in the order established. Basically, your character
and effort. You may try a number of them again if the holds off to let another character go first. He may still
first attempt is unsuccessful, although subsequent at- act later, but you reserve your character’s action until
tempts might impose a difficulty penalty at the then. If everyone, including your Storyteller’s charac-
Storyteller’s discretion (see Trying it Again, p. 222). ters, yields during a turn, no one does anything, and
time moves forward to the next turn.
FEATS
AUTOMATIC
Unlike reflexives, automatic feats use up your FEATS
PWISICAL
character’s actions, but they don’t require dice rolls. The following systems present options related to the
They take time and your character’s attention, but threePhysicalAttributes(Strength,DexterityandStamina).
because of their general ease, rolling dice would be Actions involving these Attributes usually require dice
superfluous.Your character has no trouble accomplish- rolls. Difficulty numbers vary based on the situation.
ing the following actions under normal circumstances. Climbing [Dexterity + Athletics]: Your charac-
Getting to Feet:Your character may rise to his feet ter may attempt to climb any number of things such as
from the ground or from a seated position without a roll as rocky cliffs, steel fences,building faGades or trees. In most
long as he’s not hindered from doing so. In situations where cases, climbing is best dealt with as an extended action.
it matters, rising takes one turn and is considered one full If the object has available handholds and presents few
action. If your character attemptsanother action at the same complications, your character moves 10 feet for every
time (such as firing a weapon), the multiple-action rule success. Therefore, your character could climb into or
applies (seeMultipleActions,p. 222). Dexterity + Athletics over a Dumpster with only a marginal success. It may,
(dlfficulty4) is the roll to stand successfully in such a case. however, take severalrolls to scale acliff or climb a fence.
Movement: Your character may choose to walk, Your Storyteller may adjust this rate based on the
jog or run. Simply walking, she moves seven yards in difficulty of the climb. For example, she may decide
one turn. When jogging, she moves (12 + Dexterity) that climbing a ladder allowsyour character to move 15
yards per turn. When running at full speed, she moves feet per success,whereas a more difficult climb (such as
(20 + [3 x Dexterity]) yards per turn. a coconut tree) might allow your character to move
Your character may move up to half his maximum only one foot per success. Many factors can affect rate
(running) distance and then take another action that turn. of travel, including the number of handholds, the
Althoughdoing so is not considereda multiple action, the smoothness of the surface or even the weather. Your
Storytellermay impose a penalty to the action’s difficulty Storyteller has final say in determining all these factors.
number or to your dice pool. If your character moves whik As with any extended action, you roll until you have
attempting a second action, though, such as crossing a accumulated enough successes. Botching on a climbing
room while shooting his shotgun, each yard covered roll can prove disastrous,though your character need not
subtracts one from the other action’s dice pool. necessarily fall to her death. She could get stuck halfway
Ofcourse, injured characters cannot move at maxi- up or she may slip and lose altitude that she has to recover.
mum speed, as per the limitations listed on p. 245. Or she might indeed fall, causing serious injury or death.
Readying a Weapon: Whether your character Driving [Dexterity/ Wits + Drive]: A single dot
draws a knife or reloads his gun, he must spend a turn in the Drive Skill gives your character the ability to
arminghimself. Doing so usually requiresno roll, although drive a basic, manual-transmission car. (All characters
your Storyteller may request one under certain stressful are assumed to be able to drive an automatic.) Under
circumstances. If your character readies his weapon in normal circumstances, you don’t have to roll to deter-
conjunction with another action, your Storyteller may mine successful driving. Bad weather, the vehicle’s
ask you to reduce your dice pool for the other action (see speed, obstacles and complex maneuvers, however, can
Multiple Actions, p. 222) and roll Dexterity + Melee or challenge even the most competent drivers.
Firearms (difficulty4) for the readying attempt. The difficulty number of a driving roll increases as
Starting a Car: It takes a turn to start a car, and conditions become more hazardous. The Storytellermay,
certain situations may make doing so more difficult, thus for example, increase the difficulty number by one if your
23 1

DEIION:
THEF~LLEN
character attempts todrive inheavy rainor icy conditions. Jumping [Strength, or Strength + Athletics for
Speedingin an attempt to lose pursuers might increase the a running jump]: You make simple jump rolls versus a
I difficulty by two. Factors add up, as well. If your character

maneuvers in heavy traffic she faces a + 1 difficulty,but if
your character’s car also has a broken windshield, the
difficulty of 3. Your character manages to jump two feet
vertically or four feet horizontally for every success you
achieve. If your successes do not add up to at least the
Storyteller may make it +2, for a total of +3 difficulty. distance between your character and her destination,
Ifyoufailadrivingroll,your character is introuble.You your character fails the attempt and lands short. This
must make another roll to determinewhether your charac- could be dangerous if, for example, she attempts to leap
ter crashes or loses control. A botch usually indicates a a chasm. On a failure, however, you may make a Dexter-
major malfunction, a skid out of control or a disastrous ity + Athletics roll (typically difficulty 6) for your
collision.Your charactermay stillattempt to drive if she has character to grab onto a ledge or other protuberance. A
no Drive rating, but you have to roll based on Dexterity or botch has far worse repercussions. Your character could
Wits alone at an increased difficulty for every change in be injured seriously, or she might even fall to her death.
course, procedure or speed. Furthermore, if your character You may attempt a Perception + Athletics roll
t
has only one dot in Drive, she may still attempt to drive a (difficulty 6) prior to a jump to determine whether your
largetruckorevenaracecar, butthestorytellermay ask you character can gauge the distance. If successful, you
to make repeated rolls, as in an extended action, to deter- learn how many successes you need for the leap. This
mine whether she maintains control of the vehicle. way, you know in advance if the jump seems impos-
Encumbrance [Strength]: Your character can real- sible, and you can change plans before it’s too late.
istically carry 25 pounds per point of Strength without Lifting/ Breaking [Strength]: There’s a limit to
penalty. If she attempts to carry more, every action what your character can lift or break, as shown on the
involvingphysical exertion incurs an automatic + 1 diffi- following chart. She may, however, manage to exceed
culty. Furthermore, every 25 pounds she piles on beyond her normal ability in extraordinary circumstances. To
what she can carry easily reduces her base movement by attempt to lift more than your character’s normal
half. If your character tries to carry double her Strength capacity, roll a dice pool equal to your Willpower
allocation, she can’t move at all. Your Storyteller makes (difficulty 9). Each success temporarily adds one dot to
the final call on what a character may realistically carry. your character’s Strength and moves your character up
Intrusion [Dexterity/ Perception + Security]: the chart for the duration of that single action.
Intrusion covers both sides of security-related actions: If your character fails the action, nothing happens.
t preventing others from breaching established defenses

or actually breaching others’ defenses. Sample actions
include evading or installing security cameras, lock-
picking (or making a lock pick-proof) and avoiding or
designing laser movement-detectors.
She simply cannot lift or break the object. If you botch
the roll, though, your character might strain a muscle,
break bones or drop the item on herself. A botched
attempt to lift an object off someone else could end up
inflicting further damage.
When breaching security set by another, your roll
must succeed on the first attempt if an active security
system is present. Failure to do so may activate alarms or
set off internal defensesystems. If no alarm is present, such
as when your character simply attempts to pick a lock to
an apartment, your character may continue trying. The
difficulty number of an intrusion roll ranges from 5 to 9,
depending on whether your character assaults a standard
lock or Fort b o x . Certain tasks require that he have at
least one dot in the Security Skill, and possibly more, to
have any chance of succeeding.Furthermore,many intru-
sion attempts require special tools such as lock picks or
electronic monitoring devices.On a botch, your character
bungles the attempt and is in hot water.
When your character attempts to install a security
system, roll only once as a simple action. The more
successes you get, the better your character’s security
system is and the more trouble others have in overcom-
ing it. The Storyteller may add your successes to the base
difficulty of any future attempts to breach your system.

I
C H 4PTEK h [NE
1
multiple times until it breaks. Any resistance makes

this a resisted action, too, and it pits characters
against each other. A botch might cause a health
level of bashing damage to your character’sshoul-
der or sendher flyingas the door suddenlyopens
-and she stumbles right out the window on
the opposite side of the room.
As with most actions, teamworkmakes
it easier. Particularly solid doors might
require a minimum Strength score even to
dent. This system also applies to opening or
closing other objects such as locked cabi-
nets or boarded windows.
Pursuit [Dexterity + Athletics/
Drive]: Chase scenes are a staple of both
horror and action stories, and they’re bound
to occur often in your chronicle. In many
cases, the formulasfor calculating movement
speed determine the outcome of the chase
(see Movement, p. 23 1). If your character clearly moves
faster, though, she eventually catches up with or escapes
the other. Sometimes, situational factors tip the scales.
For example, your character might reach safety before
being caught, she might know the territory better or find
a shortcut, or she might even lose a pursuer.
A basic pursuit is an extended action. Both players
roll over the course of several turns to see who reaches a
target total of successes first. That person either gets away
or catches up. The pursuedreceives anumber offree extra
successes based on her distance from the pursuer when
the action begins. On foot, your character receives one
free success for every two yards head start she has on her
pursuer. In a vehicle, she receives one free success for
every 10 yards head start.
As you accumulate successes,your fleeing character
outdistances her pursuer and increases her chances of
losing him. Your opponent may have to make a Percep-
tion roll if your character extends her lead far enough to
lose her nursuer. This PerceDtionroll is modified based on
233

THEFALLEN
DEMON: 1
the pursuit rolls you’ve made. Add one to the Perception botch, such as a cramp or a boatload of enemies attempt-
difficultyfor each successyou have gathered beyond your ing to shoot her in mid-stroke.
opponent’s pursuit total. If your opponent fails this roll, Throwing [Dexterity + Athletics]: When your
he loses your character in a crowd, on a side street or in character throws something (be it a knife, an ax or an
amaze ofhallways and doors. On a Perception botch, the ashtray), distance and accuracy determine whether it
pursuer has no chance of finding your character again. If, hits the target. Your character can throw anything that
you botch any of your rolls, though, your character may weighs three pounds or less up to a distance of (Strength
wind up in a dead end or trip and fall. x 5) yards. Each additional two pounds decreases the
Shadowing [Dexterity + Stealth/ Drive]: When total possible distance by five yards. If your character
your character follows, stakes out or otherwise seeks to can pick up an object, but its potential throwing
keep tabs on someone without being detected, she distance drops to zero or below, the best she can do is
shadows that person. hurl it to one side, approximately one yard. Obviously,
Many factorsplay into how this system is handled. The if your character can’t lift an object, she can’t throw it.
Storytellercancall it aresistedaction(seeResistedActions, T h e Storyteller may reduce throwing distances if
p. 223) and ask you to roll versus a difficultynumber based the object is particularly awkward, or increase them if
on the target’sPerception + Alertness (to avoidbeing seen) it is aerodynamic. T o throw a n object, roll Dexterity +
or based on his Dexterity + Stealth or Drive (if the target is Athletics versus difficulty 6 if target is closer than half
actively evasive). You roll with those same traits, then you the maximum range or difficulty 7 if the target is
and your opponent compare successes to determine the located between half and maximum range. The Story-
outcome. A tie means that the stalkerremains undetected. teller may adjust the difficultybased on wind conditions,
The Storyteller may also call shadowing both a obstacles or whether the target is moving. On a botch,
resisted and an extended action (see Extended Ac- your character may release too late and hit herself or
tions, p. 223). Or, to make the roll fast and easy, you put her weapon in the hands of her enemy.
could both roll the appropriate dice pool versus a
difficulty of 6 (modified based o n the environment). In
this last case, your opponent must get at least one more This section covers tasks involving the three So-
success to spot your character. Shadowers who have cial Attributes (Charisma, Manipulation and
trained together can combine their separate rolls into Appearance). Many social situations progress best
one success total through teamwork. through roleplaying, so you’re encouraged to avoid
Sneaking[Dexterity + Stealth]: When your charac- rolling dice if you can. Act them out instead.
ter sneaks, attempts to pass unseen or hides, roll Dexterity Carousing[Charisma +Empathy]: Someofthe most
+ Stealthas aresistedactionagainstPerception + Alertness secret mformation can come from the mouths of drrnking
rolls from anyone in the area who has a chance of detecting buddies and loose-lippedfriends. The ability to carouse and
him. The difficulty on all rolls is usually 6, but certain show others a good time comes in handy. If your character
situations may modify it in favor of either the sneak or wishes to win someone over by carousing, roll Charisma +
anyone who might notice him. Unstable footing or lack of Empathy (ddiculty 6). The Storyteller may modify this
cover can modify Stealth difficulty,just as high-tech secu- difficulty if your character faces a particularly surly crowd or
rity devices or superior vantage points can add dice to the resistant individual. The target’s Nature (Bon Vivant or
Perception + Alertness rolls of potential spotters. If your Curmudgeon, for example) may also affect the difficulty
sneakingcharacterfails,he isn’tnecessarily discovered,but number. On a botched roll, your character says or does the
he may make a noise that causes guards to become more completely wrong thing and manages to pis everyone off.
t
alert for the next roll. On a botch, your sneakingcharacter Credibility mnipulation/ Perception + Subter-
runs right into the people he is trying to avoid. fuge]: The Subterfuge Talent covers attempts both to
Swimming [Stamina + Athletics]: Your charac- deceive and to see through a deception. When your char-
ter must have at least one dot in Athletics to know how acter perpetratesa scam,roll Manipulation + Subterfuge-
to swim. Short swims require no roll, but long-duration whether he tries to impersonate someone trustworthy,
or long-distance swims do. Your Storyteller may ap- propagatea lie or groom a potential thrall. If your character
proacha long swimasanextendedactionwith adifficulty attempts to detect a lie, roll Perception + Subterfuge.Both
based on your character’s attempted speed, the weather parties roll versus a difficulty of 7 and, as with any resisted
conditions and the body of water itself. You may have to roll, the one who achievesmore successesprevails. On a tie,
roll several times to achieve enough successes to meet the lie remains undetected. Particularly expertly forged
the target. If you fail a roll, your character might lose documents or other props may increase the difficulty for a
some of her total successes, or you might have to make character to perceive a scam, although teamwork increases
extra rolls. Your character runs into serious trouble on a the chance that someone sees through it.
234

The Storyteller may call for hacking or intrusion character’s Intimidation trait, the more people try to
rolls during the preparation of the scam, depending on avoid annoying him. No roll is required.
how it’s set up. If you botch, the plan falls to pieces and, Your character can also use Intimidation to actively
chances are, your scheming character is found out. coerce someone into doing something - or not doing
Interrogation [Manipulation+ Empathy/ Intimi- something. This effort can be a glare, a snarled threat or a 1
dation]: Askingquestionsiseasy.Gettingtheright answers gesture,but the threat is evident. In this case, roll Manipu-
takes talent. When your character interrogates someone lation + Intimidationas inaresistedaction. Your opponent
gently (Manipulation + Empathy), he asks strategicques- rollsherwillpowerrating. J3othrollagainstdifficulty6.The
tions that lead the target totrusthimandreveal information targetplayer must achieve more successesthan you do orher
without realizing she’s doing it. This requires a resisted character bends to your character’swill. If you botch, your
action. Roll Manipulation + Empathy,whereas the target character only embarrasses himself or seems full of hot air.
gets a dice pool equal to his Willpower, both versus a A character could forgo threats and physically
difficulty of 6. The one with more successes prevails. The manhandle the target to intimidate her. Roll for a
Storytellermay also request multiple rolls throughout the physical attack according to the combat rules, then roll
course of an interrogation, or he may simply have oppo- Strength + Intimidation.
nents roll once at the beginning or end of it all. +
Oration [Charisma Leadership]: Many situa-
Not all interrogation is gentle and manipulative, tions call for a character to make a speech, from
though. Sometimes, interrogators use violent methods convincing a cult to accept you as its master to convinc-
to force information from their subjects. This approach ing the public that a politician is corrupt. Whatever the
involves a resisted roll as well. Whether his character reason for your character’s speech, roll Charisma +
uses torture of the body or the mind, the interrogator’s Leadership, usually versus a difficulty of 6. The Story-
player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation, and the sub- teller may increase or decrease the difficulty based on
ject rolls a dice pool equal to her Stamina + 3 or how receptive the audience is to the ideas expressed. If
Willpower (whichever is higher). Difficulty is 6 for both. you fail your roll, the crowd rejects the character’s ideas.
Torture may also be treated as a combination of resisted If you botch, your character may damage her reputation
and extended actions. In-game time between rolls may severely, or the crowd may even decide to swarm her.
vary, depending on the nature of the interrogation. The In the event that your character has time to prepare
Storyteller determines how much time passes. a speech in advance, the Storyteller may roll the
character’s Intelligence + Expression (difficulty 7) on
The victim suffers one health level, bashing or
your behalf. Success on this roll reduces the difficulty of
lethal, for every roll the interrogator’s player makes
the upcoming Charisma + Leadership roll by one.
during serious physical torture (whether the interroga-
Failure changes nothing; a botch indicates the material
tor is successful in gaining information or not), or he
is inappropriate or offensive to the listeners.
loses one Willpower per roll of mental torture. Com-
bining mental and physical torture has devastating Performance [Charisma + Performance]: A
surprising number of the Fallen have strong performing
effects on a victim. A botched roll can destroy her
or stage skills. Before the Fall, many Celestials devoted
mind, cripple her for life or even kill her.
themselves to the arts, and those skills stayed with them
For every success, an interrogator (gentle or violent) even after their internment in Hell. When a character
gains above his subject’s total, he drags out additional performs live before an audience, roll Charisma + Perfor-
information.If the interrogator’sextra successesexceed the mance (difficulty 7). As with oration, the audience’s
victim’s permanent Willpower at any point, the subject mood can increase or decrease this difficulty, as can the
folds completely and divulges everything she knows. Your show’scomplexity. One success indicates an enjoyable if
Storytellerdeterminesthe relevancyand extent of informa- uninspired effort, while additional successes make the
tion gleaned through interrogation, as a victim often gives performance a truly memorable event for even the
a skewed account based on her own perceptions and on surliest crowd. On a botch, your character forgets lines,
what she thinksher interrogator wants to hear. hits the wrong chord or otherwise flubs.
If two or more interrogators combine efforts, they
add their successes. This rule applies even if they are
playing “good cop/ bad cop,” with one player rolling The following systems cover tasks involving the
based on Empathy and the other on Intimidation. three Mental Attributes (Perception, Intelligence and
Intimidation [Strength/ Manipulation + In. Wits). Occasionally, dice rolls related to the Attributes
timidation]: Intimidation has a passive and active side. also involve Willpower. Difficulties may vary based on
Passive intimidation is used when vour character’s situational factors.
resence alone causes people to give him a wide berth Hacking [Intelligence/ Wits + Computer]: In
r provide whatever he requests. The higher your order for your character to hack into a computer, roll
235

Intelligence or Wits (depending on the urgency of the she finds basic information, whereas multiple successes
job) + Computer versus a variable difficultybased on the provide more details.The Storytellermay vary the difficulty
complexity and security of the target system. Standard based on the obscurity of the information sought. If you
computer systems call for a difficulty of 6, whereas the botch a research attempt, your characterdiscoversnothing
difficulty could go as high as 10for military or corporate at all-or worse, finds completelymisleadinginformation.
mainframes. The number of successes you achieve is the Tracking [perception+ Survival]: Traclungis ddfer-
It
number of dice (up to your normal dice pool) that you ent from shadowingin that your character attempts to pick
can roll thereafter to interact with the computer. up the trail of someone or something, following physical
Ifsomeone (or the system) itself actively attempts to evidencesuch as footprints,blood trails or tire marks. Track-
block your hack, a resisted action is called for. The ing may be treated as an extended action with the possibility
contender who gets the most successeswins. On a botch, that the tracker could lose the trail at somepoint. The action
your character may be traced and may face repercussions. might also be treated as a single roll with the number of
Investigation [Perception + Investigation]: Inves- successesdeterminingthe amountof informationthe tracker
tigating a crime scene, rifling an occult library for clues or garners. In the latter case, multiple successes earn your
performing an autopsy all fall under the general system of character an understandingof the target’s speed, shoe size,
Investigation. The Storyteller may call for an extended type of tire or even whether the target is alone.
action when only one clue exists to be found. When The quarry may attempt to cover her trail with a
multiple clues await the investigator,a simple action may Wits + Survival roll. Each success on this roll adds one
be appropriate.In the latter case, the number of successes to the difficulty of tracking her. Other factors may also
rolled determines how much the character finds. One affect tracking difficulty, such as weather, ground con-
success reveals small details, whereas multiple successes ditions or available light. If you botch, your character
provide major clues or even allow your character to make not only loses the trail but destroys it as well.
deductions based on physical evidence. Teamwork cer-
tainly helps in investigations. On a botch, your character
interpretsclueserroneouslyor destroys them accidentally.
Repair [Dexterity/ Perception + Crafts/ Tech- Combat is an inescapable part of Demon: The
nology]: Depending on your character’s specialty, the Fallen. There is a war being fought -between the fallen
Crafts and Technology Skills cover repairs as well as and their former masters, between the horrors of the
creations - everything from pottery to VCRs. Before Earthbound and the protectors of humanity -and wars
t your character can repair something, she may need to have battles and casualties. This is not a time for sitting
determine what’s wrong with it. Obviously, a cracked on the sidelines -clashes and combats are inevitable.
vase is cracked, but it’s much more difficult to determine Combat doesn’t have to rule your game, however,
why a car won’t start. Use a standard research roll (see nor should it. There are many methods of waging war.
1 the following) to analyze the problem. Once your char- Some of the characters’ enemies have bank accounts
acterknowswhat’swrong, the Storytellersetsthe difficulty that can be disrupted, leaving them without resources.
of the repair. This rating depends on the severity of the Some rely on the faith of their followers-cultists who
problem, the complexity of the broken item, the avail- can be deprogrammed or persuaded away, leaving their
ability of tools, the quality of replacement parts and master powerless. Thinking is always an option that can
whether adverse conditions exist. An exceptional re- be considered alongside opening up a can of whup-ass.
search roll may reduce the difficulty, if appropriate. Combat ultimately plays an undeniable role in
As a general rule, changing a tire has a difficulty of 4, your stories, though. The following section details a
whereas rebuilding a car’sengine may have a ddficulty of 9. combat system true to the dynamics, limitations and
The amount of time it takes to repair something also varies, brutality of real battle, while still leaving enough room
and your Storyteller may treat the repair as an extended
action. On a botch, your character may injure herself or
for high drama and creativity.
Feel free to ignore or change any of these systems,
A
irrevocablydamage the object she’s trying to repair. especially ones that create conflict among players or that
Research [Intelligence + Occult/ Researcw Sci- interrupt the game’s progress. The Storyteller can main-
ence]: Your character may do research through computer tain realism in combat through event descriptionwithout
databases, at a library, by studying a particular object or by resorting to tedious rolls for every little move. Use the
talking to people. This effort takes time and a good deal of automatic-success rule (p. 222) where appropriate, and
energy, though you typically make only one roll. The always strive for an outcome that’s best for your story.
Storytellerdetermines how long research takes. The num- Despite their powers and abilities, demons still have
berofsuccesesontherolldetermineshowmuchinformation many human frailties, and their host bodies can still be
your character manages to dig up. One success means that killed. When a character might die, the dice keep things
236

N I?~E
CH~PTER
S:
‘
suggest the following instead. A t the beginning of each
turn, all players roll one die and add the result to their
characters’ initiative ratings [Dexterity + Wits]. Your
Storyteller rolls for any characters she controls in the
scene. The player with the highest result acts first,
followed by the others in descending order of result. If
two characters tie, the one with the higher initiative
rating goes first. If both have the same initiative rating,
they act simultaneously.Your character’s wound penal-
ties (p. 245) subtract directly from his initiative rating.
Next, all players announce their characters’ in-
tended actions. Declare these proposed actions in reverse
order of initiative, so that faster characters can decide
their actions based on what they hear. A fast character
t
has the opportunity to react to a slower character’s
actions. During this stage, players announce any mul-
tiple actions, teamwork, use of powers or Willpower, or
even a delay of action to see what other events unfold.
T h e Storyteller may ask for clarification of your
character’s action to paint a complete picture.
Three possible exceptions can change the initia-
fair and prevent accusations of favoritism or bulldozing. tive order. If you choose to delay your character’s
Although no one wants her character to die, the dice action, you may act at any point after your designated
ensure that events transpire without hard feelings. place in the initiative queue. Called yielding, this
option allows your character to pause and wait, so
TVPE,3 Or“ COMBAT others can act first. You can even interrupt another,
Two basic types of combat occur, and both use the slower character’s action. If two players both yield and
same fundamental system, with minor differences. finally decide to act at the same time, the one with the
Close Combat: Up closeand personal, this includes higher original initiative placement goes first.
unarmed combat (Dexterity + Brawl) and melee (Dexter- Defensive actions may also interrupt the normal
ity + Melee). Unarmed combat includes something as stream of initiative (see Aborting Actions on p.240 and
raucous as a barroom fight or as organized as a boxing Defensive Maneuvers on p. 240). You can have your
match. Opposing characters use their bodies to fight, and character defend herself at any time as long as you have an
<
they must be within reach of each other (one yard). action left and either make a successful reflexive Will-
During melee, opponents use hand-held weapons, which power roll or spend a Willpowerpoint. Adefensive action
may include knives, swords or broken bottles. Maximum takes place at the same time in the turn as the attack
fighting distance ranges from one to two yards. against which your character defends. You trade your
Ranged Combat:This type of armedcombat involves normal action for the chance to protect againstthe attack.
projectile weapons (Dexterity + Firearms) such as guns, or Your character may defend herself only (block, dodge,
thrown objects (Dexterity + Athletics).Range varies based parry), though the Storyteller may decide that your
on the weapon, though the target must be in sight. character’s defensive action does damage to the attacker.
Finally, any extra actions occur after everyone else has
t
gone, no matter where your character falls in the initiative
Combat scenes can sometimes be extremely con- queue. Ifboth you and another player take multiple actions,
fusing because so much goes on at one time. Keeping all you go in order of your initiativeratings.Multiple defensive
the actions and repercussions straight is challenging. actions-those taken todefend againstmultiple attacks-
Combat almost always progresses through a series of occur at the time that the attacks take place, though.
three-second turns. The system for handling combat
turns is further divided into three stages: initiative, STAGETWO:
ATTACK
attack and resolution. This division helps the Story- Initiative establishes order, and players announce
teller track characters’ actions and their results. their characters’ intentions prior to the attack stage.
The attack stage determines the outcome. Players roll
STAGE
ONE:INITIATIVE for success one at a time, in order. The Storyteller
Who goes first? You don’t have to resort to going guides you through this process, decides difficulties,
clockwise around the table, unless it works for you. We chooses which Attribute-Ability combinations apply
237

THEFALLEN
DEMON:
and approves the use of Willpower. If your character

doesn’t have a n appropriate Ability, she can still attempt
the attack, but the dice pool is modified as per p. 220.
Most combat falls under one of two categories: close
or ranged. For close combat, roll either Dexterity + Brawl
(unarmed) or Dexterity + Melee (armed). In the case of
ranged combat, roll either Dexterity + Firearms (guns) or
Dexterity + Athletics (thrown weapons). Any weapon
used may modify your dice pool or difficulty, depending
on its special or inhibiting aspects such as a targeting
scope, antiquity or rate of fire.
Most attacks call for a default difficultyof6. Situational
modifiers (weather, lighting, range or cramped quarters)
may adjust this number. If you fail the roll, your character
misses and does no damage. If you botch, your character not
only misses, but misery strikes. Perhaps the weapon jams or
explodes, the blade breaks, or your character punches a
brick wall instead of her opponent.
‘8
a ETHREE:
Rmourr~on
Once youdetermine that the attack hits, calculate
the damage your character inflicts on his opponent.
The type and amount of damage done depends on
the method of attack. All attacks have specific
damage ratings that indicate the number of dice
(the damage dice pool) you roll to determine how
much pain and injury your character causes.
The weapon used influences your damage dice
pool, as do other situational factors. Any additional
successes (i.e., all beyond the first one) gained on
--
-. . _.- -Jan attack roll, add an additional die to the
’amagedice pool. Your character not only hits
his opponent, but he lands the blow with
greater accuracyor power. If it’syour character
who’s wounded, you may attempt to soak
amage,rolling to determine whether her natu-
.a1 constitution offsets any harm. The rest of
this chapter offers more detailed information
on determining damage.
After you determine the damage your
character inflicts upon her target, the Story-
teller portrays that damage in descriptive
terms, narrating the outcome of the attack.
Rather than simply say, “Okay, the guy loses
three health levels,” the Storyteller makes
events interesting.He might announce,“You
pump three rounds into the guy’s chest. He
staggers and falls to the ground.. . and then
getsback tohisfeet. Steamslowlyrisesfrom
his wounds, and he grins at you as he raises
his shotgun.” By being evocative, your Sto-
[teller creates atmosphere, entertaining vou
238
and lending a sense of narrative continuity to what
would otherwise be a series of dice rolls.
” ’ k
A CHOTERNINE
I
Aggravated: Some supernatural attacks are excep-

tionallydangerousto the fallen,and are consideredsources
of aggravated damage. Aggravated damage may not be
soaked at d, except in rare circumstanceswhere a power
or enhancement may offer some protection. Aggravated 4
damage heals at the same rate as lethal damage.

Your damage dice pool, of whatever type, must
always have at least one die, regardless of the modifiers.
Even the weakest attack has a chance of inflicting a
minor amount of damage. Furthermore, you cannot
botch a damage roll. If you roll a botch on a damage roll,
it simply indicates that your character gives her victim
a weak slap that does no real harm.
$OAK
Your character’s natural resilience aids her in re-
sisting damage under certain circumstances so that she
can “soak” damage. Your soak dice pool equals your
character’s Stamina rating. Normal humans can resist
only bashing damage, unless they have some form of
special protection such as armor. The fallen can protect
themselves from lethal damage as well, bolstering their
resilience with the strength of their Faith.
During the resolution stage of combat, you may roll
your soak dice pool to resist damage that your character
incurs from attacks. As a reflexive action, this does not
cost an action; it occurs automatically. Soak rolls use a
difficulty number of 6 unless modified by your Storyteller.
Each success you roll removes one from the total
damage inflicted. As with damage rolls, you cannot
botch a soak roll.
DAMAGETCIP~
Different types of attacks have different damage ARMOR
ratings that indicate the number of dice you roll to While demons can protect themselves from lethal
determine how much pain and sufferingyour character damage, armor is still auseful tool. It also comes in handy
inflicts. Called the damage dice pool, it takes many for protecting your thralls from danger. Add armor’s
factors into consideration, including the attacker’s rating to your character’s Stamina (or Faith) score when
Strength or the nature of any weapon used. determining your soak pool. Armor can help protect
Damage rolls are rnade against a base difficulty of 6. against bashing, lethal and aggravated damage.
Each success inflicts one health level of damage to the Attackers may make targeting rolls to hit unpro-
victim. The victim may attempt to resist this damage by tected portions of a defender and thus ignore armor.
making a soak roll (see Soak). Based on the nature of The Storyteller modifies the attack’s difficulty as per
the attack, three different types of damage may result: Targeting on p. 240.
Bashing: Your character punches, hits with a blunt No armor is indestructible. If the damage rolled in
instrument or otherwise pummels her victim. This type of a single attack equals or exceeds double the armor’s
damage probably doesn’t kill the target instantly, but re- rating, the equipment is destroyed.
peated damage could certainly do so. Use your character’s Armor may hinder mobility, too. It subtracts a num-
Staminaratingtoresist bashingeffects.Bashingdamageheals ber of dice from dice pools related to bodily coordination
fairly quickly (see Bashing Damage, p. 247 for more detail). and agility (most Dexterity-based dice pools). Dice pool
Lethal: Gunshots, blades and even falling dam- penalties are provided on the Armor chart (p. 244).
age might prove instantly fatal to your character. Normal
humans may not use Stamina to resist lethal effects, but COMBAT
MA~UVEM
the fallen and other supernaturally enhanced beings The following systems are options that characters
able to do so. Lethal injuries take quite a while to may use during combat. If you visualize your character’s
1 by normal means. moves- rather than just roll dice for a generic “attack”
239

DEMOV:
Tile FALLEU
.
1
- the story becomes more interesting and the drama as your character has not yet acted in this turn, she may
more intense. Most of these maneuvers take one action attempt to dodge, parry or block an incoming attack. To
to accomplish. attempt a defensive maneuver, you must either make a
successfulWillpower roll versus a difficulty of 6 or spend
GEIPERAL
MAIP~UVERS a Willpower point (see Aborting Actions). If your Will-
Aborting Actions: At any time duringa turn,you can power roll fails, your character must follow through with
abandon your stated action to block, dodge or parry an her originally declared action on your initiative.
incoming attack. You must either make a successful Will-
Your character can defend against almost any type
power roll (a reflexive action) using Willpower rating as a
dice pool (difficulty6), or you can spend a Willpower point of attack by using a dodge, block or parry maneuver.
Not all of these options work in all situations, though.
to be allowedto defend automatically.If your Willpowerroll
fails, your character may not defend, and she must follow Dodging may prove impossible in a confined area. Your
throughwith heroriginallydeclaredactiononyour initiative. character doesn’t know to block or parry if she’s sur-
prised. The Storyteller decides whether your character
You enact your defense at the moment the attack may realistically attempt a defensive maneuver.
occurs, even if the attack occurs before your place in
initiative comes around. If your character has already
All defensive maneuvers use the same basic system.
t acted this turn, she may not defend against the attack.
(See Defensive Maneuvers, see below, for descriptions
of blocking, dodging and parrying.)
Each is treated as aresisted action, and your defense roll
is compared to the opponent’s attack roll. If the at-
tacker rolls equal or fewer successes, he misses. If the
attacker rolls more successes than the defender, he
Ambush: To have your character sneak up on or
subtracts the defender’s successes from his own. Any
secretlylieinwaitforherquarryandgetasurpriseattack,roll leftovers are added to his damage dice. In this way, even
Dexterity + Stealth as a resisted roll against the target’s
though the defender does not prevent the attack, he
Perception + Alertness.Ifyouscoremore successesthan the
reduces the amount of damage he takes from the hit.
victim, your character may stage one free attack against
him, and you add any extra successesbeyond the first in the Block [Dexterity + Brawl]: Your character uses
her own body to deflect a hand-to-hand bashing attack.
ambushrolltoyourattackdicepool.Onatie, yourcharacter
Lethal attacks cannot normally be blocked unless the
still attacks first, but the target may defend with a block,
dodge or parry. If the target gets more successes,he seesyour defender can soak lethal damage for some reason.
character coming and both parties roll initiative normally. Ranged attacks cannot be blocked.
Targets already involved in combat cannot be ambushed. Dodge [Dexterity + Dodge]: Your character
Blind FightindFire: Situational factors-pitch
bobs, weaves, ducks or dives to avoid an attack. It’s
darkness, blindness or physical damage - inhibit vi- assumed that she has the room to maneuver. If not, the
Storyteller may disallow a dodge. In melee or brawl
sion during combat. Attacking while blinded incurs a
+2 difficulty to the roll, and ranged attacks cannot be combat, the successfuldefender ducks out of the way of
made accurately at all. the attack. During aranged attack, suchas inafirefight,
the successful defender moves at least one yard and
Flank and Rear Attacks: If your character
ends up behind cover or prone on the ground. (For
attacks from the flank of his target, add a single attack advice on what might happen next, see Cover, p. 243.)
die to your dice pool. If your character attacks from the
Parry [Dexterity + Melee]: Your character uses a
rear, add two extra attack dice to your pool.
melee weapon to deflect either an unarmed or armed close-
Targeting: If you want your character to attempt
combat attack. When your characterparrieswith a weapon
acalledshotortoaimforaspecificlocationon the target, that can cause lethal damage, the attacker may actually be
the difficulty of the attack roll increases. Your character injured.If you roll more successeson the resisted action, add
can bypass armor or cover by doing so, however, or he the weapon’sbase damage to the number of extra successes
can inflict extra damage by calling a shot. A successful you earn on the defenseroll. This total forms your damage
targeted shot, punch or stab can have dramatic results dice pool, which you roll to determinehow muchinjurythe
beyond simply inflicting damage, such as destroying an
defender inflicts on the attacker.
object, blinding an enemy or disarming an opponent.
Target Size Difficulty Damage DEFEIPSECOMPLICATIONS
Medium (leg, arm, briefcase) + 1 No modifier Although characters’ actions in a turn follow a
particular order based on initiative rolls, it’s important
Small (hand, head, weapon) +2 +1
to remember that all the combat in one turn occurs
Precise (eye, heart, padlock) +3 +2 over a period of only three seconds, which makes
DEFERSIVE
MAREWERS events nearly simultaneous. As a result, your character
When under attack, your character may defend rather may defend against attacks that occur later in the
than following through on her intended action. As long initiative queue ifyou announce that she intends to us
240

1 CHAPTER NINE
I
a multiple action to either take both an offensive manner, do not use the multiple-actionsystem.Rather, you
action and a defensive one or to just defend for the have a full dice pool for the first defensive action and lose 4
t
entire turn. This differs from what would happen if you one die from it for each subsequent defensive action made
wanted to abort your regularly scheduled action to have in the same turn. When you runout of dice, your character
your character defend against an earlier attack. In the may no longer defend against attacks. It’s tough to avoid
case of aborting, you give up your regular action and several incoming attacks.
cannot defend against subsequent attacks.
If you perform a multiple action involving both offen-
sive and defensive actions, your character attacks when
your place in the initiative queue comes up, then also
defendsagainst any attacksthrown at her by characterswho
follow her in the queue. The multiple-action system ap-
plies,though,andeachsubsequentdefensiveactionbecomes
more dlfficult (see Multiple Actions, p. 222).
Note that naming multiple opponents to defend against
complicates matters further and adds to defense rolls’
difficulty numbers (see Multiple Opponents, p. 242).
Rather than attack and defend in the same turn,your
character can choose to do nothing but defend against
attacks.As with the preceding system,doing so differs from
aborting your turn to defend against an attack that occurs
prior to your regularlyscheduledaction. Instead,youdefend
againstonly those attacksthat occursimultaneouslywith or
followingyou in the initiative queue. Your character may
not defend against attacks that happen prior to her regular
action. If your character does nothing but defend in this
23 1

DEMO\:
THEFALLE~
CLD~ECOMMT
MAIYEUVERS Kick: A simple knock to the shins imposes a + 1
This is simply a list of the common maneuvers used
1 in close combat. Your character can create his own; the
Storyteller determines the appropriate traits, difficulty,
modifier to difficulty and inflicts the attacker’s Strength
+1 in damage. The Storyteller may increase these
numbers if your character attempts a spinning martial-
accuracy and damage involved. arts kick to the head or something equally complex.
All brawling combat inflicts bashing damage unless Traits: Dexterity + Brawl Difficulty: + 1
stated otherwise. Weapon type determines the damage Accuracy: Normal Damage: Strength + 1
inflicted in melee (see the Melee Weapons chart, p. Multiple Opponents: When fighting multiple
244). Damage inflicted using a weapon is typically opponents, your character suffers attack and defense
considered lethal, though blunt objects such as clubs or difficulties of +I, cumulative for each opponent after
bats inflict bashing damage. Weapons never cause aggra- the first, to a maximum of +4.
vated damage, unless they have some supernatural
Strike: Your character simply punches. The base
enhancement. Physical enhancements such as horns or
attack is a simple action that inflicts your character’s
claws might cause any of the three types of damage.
Strength in damage. The Storyteller may wish to in-
The Storyteller may modify the difficulties and crease the difficulty and/ or damage dice if the attack is
damages of the maneuvers described in this section,
t depending on the combat style your character uses.
more complex or targeted at a specific location. Most
attacks using physical enhancements (claws, fangs,
Always remember that what works best for drama and etc.) are simply variations on a strike.
the story takes precedence over rules.
Traits: Dexterity + Brawl Difficulty: Normal
Clinch: Your character grapples her target. She
Accuracy: Normal Damage: Strength
applies a clinch with a successfulattack roll. Roll Strength
Sweep: Your character attempts to knock her oppo-
damage in the first turn. In subsequentturns,your character
nent off his feet with a sweep of the leg or use of a weapon
and his opponent act in order of placement in the initiative
such as a staff or chain. If your roll proves successful,your
queue. The attacker can attempt to inflict damage auto-
character’sopponent takes Strength damage and must roll
matically by squeezing (Strength); no further attack roll is
required. The victim can try to escape the clinch with his Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty 8) to avoid a knockdown
action. Neither may perform any other type of action until (see Maneuver Complications, p. 243).
the victim breaksfree or is released. Make resisted Strength Traits: Dexterity + Brawl/ Melee Difficulty: + 1
+ Brawlrollsforthevictimtoescapeaclinch. Iftheescaping Accuracy: Normal Damage:Strength,knockdown
character gets more successes,he breaksfree. Otherwise the Tackle: Your character rushes her opponent in
I two continue to grapple.
Traits: Strength + Brawl Difficulty: Normal
an attempt to tackle him to the ground. Your attack roll
suffersa + 1difficulty modifier. If successful, Strength +
1 damage is inflicted. Both players must roll Dexterity
Accuracy: Normal Damage: Strength
Disarm: A character can knock a weapon out of an
+ Athletics (difficulty 7), however, lest their charac-
I opponent’shand by making an attack roll at + 1 difficulty
ters suffer a knockdown (see Maneuver Complications,
p. 243 ). Even if your character’s target succeeds at his
(usually for a total of 7). If successful, roll damage dice. If
damage successesexceed your opponent’s Strength score, Athletics roll, he is still unbalanced and suffers a + I
difficulty to his actions in the next turn.
your character knocks the weapon free. Your opponent
takes no damage, though, since the attack focuses on the Traits: Strength + Brawl Difficulty: +1
weapon rather thanthe wielder. If you botch, your charac- Accuracy: Normal Damage: Strength + 1
ter may dropher weapon or get in the way of a blow instead. Weapon Strike: Your character uses a weapon to
Traits: Dexterity + Brawl/ Melee Difficulty: + 1 slash, thrust or jab in melee. See the Melee Weapons
Accuracy: Normal Damage: Special chart, p. 244, for particulars.
Hold: This maneuver resembles a clinch, but Traits: Dexterity + Melee Difficulty: Normal
without intent to do damage. Your character immobi- Accuracy: Normal Damage: Per weapon type
lizes but does not injure the target. If your roll succeeds, COM~AT
RAEGED MAIYEUVEFI~
your character manages to hold her target until the A number of strategies affect ranged-combat maneu-
target’snext action. Both players roll resisted Strength + vers. Many physical conflicts involve ranged weapons, and
Brawl at that time. If your opponent gets more successes, the followingsystemsofferways to dealwith them. Feel free
he is free. If he does not, the victim remains immobilized to create your own maneuvers. The Ranged Weapons
until his next action- at which point he may try again. chart, p. 245, provides more specific information.
Traits: Strength + Brawl Difficulty: Normal Aiming: For each turn that your character aims at
Accuracy: Normal Damage: None her target. add one die to vour attackDoo1.The maximum
“ I
242

CHAPTER
NI\E
number of dice that can be gained this way equals your Range: The Ranged Weapons chart, p. 245, lists
character’s Perception, and your character must have at each weapon’sshort range. All attacks at short range call
least one dot in Firearms to perform this maneuver. If the for a difficulty of 6. A weapon’smaximum range is double
weapon has a scope, add two more dice when your its short range. Attacks from a range greater than short,
character aims. Your character must focus on aiming but less than maximum, have a difficulty of 8. A target
duringthis time and can perform no other actions. Taking within two meters ofthe attacker is at point-blank range.
an action before shooting, even to defend, cancels the Roll point-blank shots versus a difficulty of 4.
benefits of time spent aiming. Furthermore, your charac- Reloading: Your character must spend one full
ter cannot aim at a target moving faster than a walk. turn to reload her gun. She may reload while doing
Automatic Fire: A weapon unloads its entire something else as a part of a multiple action at the
ammunition clip in one attack against a single target. Storyteller’s discretion.
r
You make one roll, adding 10 dice to the weapon’s Strafing: Firing a full-automatic weapon across
accuracy. The difficulty increases by two, however, due a n area rather than at a specific target adds 10 dice to
to recoil. Extra successes beyond the first add to your astandard attack roll and empties the clip. This maneu-
damage dice pool, which is still treated as equivalent to ver, called strafing, covers a maximum of three yards.
that of one bullet. When using automatic fire, your Make one attack roll and, if successful, divide your
character may not target a particular part of the body or successes evenly among all targets in the designated area.
object, and she may attempt the maneuver only if her The successes assigned to a particular target are added to
weapon’s clip is at least half-full when she fires. your damage dice pool for that specific target, as well. If
Traits: Dexterity + FirearmsDifficulty: +2 there is only one target within range or area of effect, only
Accuracy: + 10 Damage: Special half the successes affect him. If you roll fewer successes
Cover: Your character may duck behind a wall, than there are targets, you or the Storytellerassign one per
lie flat on the ground or use another character as a target until all have been allocated. (Your Storytellermay
shield. All these maneuvers constitute cover. It makes prefer to allocatesuccessesrandomly; other targets remain
your character more difficult to hit, but it may also unaffected).Dodge rollsversusstrafing are at + 1difficulty.
make it awkward for your character to attempt other Traits: Dexterity + FirearmsDifficulty: + 2
actions. The difficulty to hit a character behind cover Accuracy: + 10 Damage: Special
increases according to the following chart. Three-Round Burst: Your characterfires three shots
By the same token, the difficultyto fire back from the from the weapon’s clip at a single target, and you gain two
safety of cover increases,since your charactermust pop up, additional dice on your attack roll. Only certain weapons
fire,then duck down again. If your character firesback from have the capacity to fire this way (see the Ranged Weapons
shelter,the difficultymodifierto your roll is one less than the chart).Recoil addsone to the difficultyof your attackroll. As
modifierlistedonthechart.Therefore,ifthe listeddifficulty withautomaticfire,yourdamagedicepoolisformedasifonly
is + 1,you suffer no increase to your difficultyfor firing back. one bullet had been fired from the weapon.
If both combatants take cover, difficultymodifiers are Traits: Dexterity + FirearmsDifficulty: + 1
cumulative. If your character hides behind a car and her Accuracy: +2 Damage: Weapon type
target hits the dirt - prone - your attack difficulty is Two Weapons: Your character gains a distinct
modified by +2 (+1 for firing at a prone target, and +1for advantage by firing two weapons at once, although this
firing from behind a car). Your opponent’sdifficulty is also maneuver has its share of complications. Considered a
modified by +2( +2 for firing at a target behind acar, though multiple action, the maneuver imposes the standard re-
he takes no modifier for firing from a prone position). duced dice pools for total shots fired. Recoil modifiersapply
Cover Type Difficulty Increase aswell. Additionally,your attack rollssuffer + 1difficultyfor
L Light (lying prone, behind streetlight) + 1 her offhand,unlessshe’sambidextrous.Your charactermay
I Good (behind car) +2 fire a number of shots equal to the weapons’rates of fire.
Traits: Dexterity + FirearmsDifficulty: + 1/ off-
3 Superior (around a corner) +3
Multiple Shots: Your character can take more than
one shot in a turn as amultiple action. The first shot’sdice
hand penalty
Accuracy: Special Damage: Weapon type
pool decreasesby the total number of shots fired, and each ~ I C I E U V COMPLICATIONS
ER
subsequent shot’spool drops by an additional die, cumu- Combat can be complicated by numerous events,
latively. The weapon’s rate of fire limits how many shots several of which are listed here. Your Storyteller should
your character can get off in a turn. feel free to come up with others as a situation warrants.
Traits: Dexterity + FirearmsDifficulty: Normal Blinded: If your character acts against a blind
Accuracy: Special Damage: Weapon type opponent, you gain two extra dice on any attack rolls.
243

THEFALLEN
DEMON: 1
I
On the other hand, blind characters receive a +2

modifier to the difficulty of all actions.
MELEI-,
Wc:;1\porn.s
Weapon Damage Conceal
Dazed: If, on any single attack, your damage
successes exceed the target’s Stamina (for humans) or Sap Str +1 P
Stamina +2 (for demons), the victim is dazed. Only Club Str +2 T
successes left over after the defender’s soak attempt Knife Str +1 J
apply and are compared to the defender’s Stamina. A Sword Str +2 T
dazed victim loses his next action, and he can neither Small Ax Str +2 T
act nor defend during that time. Large Ax Str +3 N
Immobilization: When your character attacks
Weapon: Your Character may use m a w other items as
an immobilized victim who can still struggle (held by
someone, for example), add two dice to your attack roll.
All attacks hit automatically if the victim is completely
immobilized (tied up or somehow paralyzed). n De hldUeiI in pocket; J = L a
Knockdown:Your character fallsor is forced off his
t feet. Make a Dexterity + Athletics roll to determine

whether he can stand immediately. His initiative de-
creases by two in the next turn, however. If the roll fails,
your character’s next action can be to rise. In case of a
botch, your character falls hard or at an odd angle and
suffers one bashing health level of damage automatically.
Your character may use certain maneuvers such as
sweep or tackle to knock an opponent down. Other
particularly powerful attacks - a solid punch or a hit
with a bashing weapon -may also knock a target flat.
Your Storyteller decides if a knockdown occurs in these
instances. They happen only when they are cinematic
or appropriate to the story.
244

I h e
CHAPTER
w
HEALTM injuries, his health declines, his actions become more

difficult and he may eventually fall unconscious or die.
Your character’s Health trait represents how healthy
or wounded she is. When your character suffers damage, Every character has seven health levels ranging
every success removes one level of Health from her. As from Bruised to Incapacitated. If he has no injuries at all
-no levels checked off on the sheet -your character
your character becomes progressively more injured, her
wounds affect her ability toperform actions (modifiersare is in perfect health. If he falls below Incapacitated, he’s
dead. Whenever your character’s attacker scores a suc-
applied to the dice pools of certain tasks). If she’s hurt
cess on a damage roll, mark off one health level on your
badly enough, she may become incapacitated, need hos-
character’s Health chart. Multiple successes deliver
pitalization or even die. And if she lives, months may pass
multiple levelsofdamage.For example, ifyourcharacter’s
before she heals fully, unless she benefits from supernatu-
attacker achieves one success on a damage roll (after
ral aid. The following section explains Health in detail.
your soak roll) and your character is currently in perfect
CMART
TMEMEALTM health, that damage success reduces him to Bruised. You
Track your character’scurrent physical condition on mark off the first box on your character sheet (Bruised).
theHealthchartlocatedonyourcharactersheet.Thischart The number to the left of the lowest box marked
indicates the penalties imposed to your dice pools for each indicates your current dice-pool penalty. The more dam-
level of injury your character sustains. As he suffers more age your character takes, the more difficult it becomes for
f
245
6
DEMOU:
THEFALLE$
him to act at full capacity. Subtract the penalty listed sources.Alltypesofinjuriesarecumulative,and the resulting
beside your character’scurrent health level from your dice totaldeterminesyour character’scurrenthealth level.Specif-
pool for every action your character performs (including ics on each type of damage are provided here.
initiative rolls, but excludingreflexives such as soak rolls) When marking your character’s damage on his
until the wound heals. These penalties also affect move- character sheet, record a slash “/” for bashing damage,
ment, impairing it based on the level of injury. an “X’ for lethal damage and an asterisk “*” for aggra-
vated damage. These marks go in the boxes beside the
INCA~CITATED different health levels on the Health chart. Mark the
When your character’sHealth drops to Incapacitated,
top square first and work your way down, filling them in
your character may or may not be conscious, at the
as your character becomes more wounded.
Storyteller’sdiscretion. He may request that you make a
Stamina roll to determine whether your characterremains When your character acquires a mixture of damage
awake. If she’s unconscious, she may not perform any types, mark the aggravated damage at the top; it pushes
reflexivesrelatedto her Faithor Willpower,thoughshemay any lethal or bashing damage down. Lethal damage is
still attempt to soak any further damage. If your character marked next; it pushes any bashing damage down. For
example, if you mark that your character has taken a level
t manages to remain conscious,she may continue to perform

all reflexives, though she has fallen and can’t get up -at
least not until some of her wounds have healed. She may
also speak , but even that may prove difficult. The Story-
teller may request a Willpower roll or expenditurefor your
of bashing damage in the Bruised box, and she then takes
a level of lethal damage, mark the Bruised box with an “ X
for the lethal damage and move the bashing damage down
by putting a “/” in the Hurt box. Any further bashing
damage goes in the Injured box and beyond. Any further
conscious character to say anything at all.
f rl
lethal damage pushes the entire thing down again until all
APPL~IING
DAMAGE the boxes are marked with either (‘/”,“ X or “*”.
Your charactercan sustainthree differenttypesof dam- Once all the boxes are marked, any further damage,
age:bashing,lethal and aggravated.Bashing damageincludes of whatever type, causes existing bashing damage to
any wounds inflictedby blunt instruments,punches, kicksor turn into lethal damage on a one-to-one basis. Once all
other similar trauma. Lethal damage comes from knives, the boxes are marked, it isn’t necessary to continue
bulletsor any typeof attack that actuallypierces or cutsflesh. pushing bashing damage downward. Any further lethal
Aggravated damage is caused by fire or by supernatural
le
246

N I \E
CIIAPTER
r‘:
Example:Rebeccais captured by two Earthboundcultists character may not usually soak lethal damage at all, but
atthe templecompound. Oneofthemhitsherwithanightstick, demons may soak lethal damage through the use of
causingone level ofbashingdamage. Adam, herplayer, marks their special powers. Mark lethal damage on your
that onRebecca’scharactersheetbyputtinga “I” in the boxnext character sheet with a n “X.” Once your character
to Bruised. Rebeccamanagesto knock theguarddown, but the becomes Incapacitated lethally, meaning that you have
other me shoots her at close range, doing two levels of lethal marked a n “X” in the box next to Incapacitated, any
damage. Adam marks this damage with an “ X in the boxes hrther bashing or lethal damage kills your character.
next to Bruised and Hurt, then moves the original bashing Lethal wounds require medical attention to prevent
damage down by marking a “/,’ in the box next to Injured. serious bleeding. If you mark an “X” next to Wounded or
Staggered by her wounds, Rebecca still has enough vigm to beyond on your character’s sheet, your character suffers
draw her shotgunandfire blindly at the guards. TheyfaU back, one extra lethal level of damage automatically for each
r
allowing her the chance to get into her car and driue off. hour that passes without medical attention. One success
on an Intelligence/ Wits + Medicine/ Survival roll by a
BASMIIYG
DAMAGE rescuer -or by the character, if she’s not Incapacitated
Any kind of damage that does not pierce the body, - stops the bleeding. Demons also have the ability to
but that batters against it, is considered bashing damage. stop their bleeding by sheer force of will. Demon charac-
This includes most damage from hand-to-hand combat, ters may spend a point of Faith and make a Willpower
punches, kicks, beatings with a blunt instrument and roll in this situation. If it succeeds, the bleeding stops.
even falling or being thrown into a brick wall. Use a “1’
Ifyou markan “X’nextto Crippledor Incapacitated on
when marking bashing damage on your character sheet.
the damage track, your character must seek more complete
Once your character falls to Incapacitated, mark any medical care, or she will not recover at all. If your character
further bashing damage over your existing bashing levels has an “x”next: to Incapacitated, he is comatose at worst
(using“Xs” this time). Skip any boxes already marked with and delirious at best, and he could still die even if all attacks
lethal damage and move down to the first that is bashing have stopped. Again, demons are hardier than mortals -
only. Each level that goes from I‘/” to “X” due to ongoing they can use their Faith to heal their most grievous injuries.
bashing trauma is now considered lethal. Once your char- Example: Rebecca lies stunned in the crashed car, as
acter goes one levelbelow Incapacitatedwith lethaldamage the cultistsget downfrom their truck. The mortals open fire,
(“X), she dies. Your character may therefore die from riddling the car with bullets. Most of the gunfire misses
prolonged bashing attacks,but not nearly as quickly as from Rebecca, but she is hit once.
lethal damage alone (see Heallng Bashing Damage).
If bashing damage injures your character to the
She already has three lethal wounds and is Incapaci-
tated from her bashing wounds. The bullet does just one
4
level of Incapacitated, she may neither act nor move as level oflethaldamage (it doesn’thit any vital organs). Adam
dictated by the Incapacitated rules, above. marks the Wounded box with an “X. ” Because the chart is
Example: Rebecca drives back toward town, pursued already full with bashing damage to the level of Incapaci-
by a truckload of cultists. The truck hits the back of her car, tated (as shown in the previous example) , he doesn’t need
slammingher into the steering wheel. She suffers two levels to push down the bashing damage.
of bashing damage. Adam marks these on her character Weakened by the barrage, the car collapses in on itself,
sheet as slashes next to Wounded and Mauled. The new and Rebecca is pinned down by the wreckage. The impact
wounds add to the ones Rebecca has already sustained. of the collapse inflicts another bashing level on Rebecca.
Seriously injured, Rebecca speeds desperately toward Adam marks through the bashing damage next to the
town, hopingtoescapeherpursuers. Adamfails a d D r i v e Mauled box, makingit lethal. He does so because Rebecca’s
roll, however, and Rebecca crashes her car into a tree. The chart is full, and any further bashing damage marks over
crash inflicts another three levels of bashing damage. Adam what bashing damage is already there.
marks two of them on Rebecca’s Health chart as a “I” in the Rebecca is helpless, badly injured and trapped in the
boxes next to Crippled and Incapacitated.He then marks the wrecked car. Things look grim - until her fallen allies
last me as an “X”next to Injured. Because the chart is full, he suddenly appear next to the truck. They use their powers
must turn the uppennost bashing damage he’s already marked and weapons to quickly eliminate the surprised cultists,
into lethal damage. Any further bashing damage slowly turns before rescuing Rebecca and getting her medical attention.
those “I” marks into “X” marks. Rebecca lies unconscious in
the wreck car, defenseless as the truck pulls up nearby. . . .
AGGRAVATED
DAMAGE
Attacks from supernaturalsources, such as a demon’s
LIZTMALDAMAGE claws, enchanted or imbued objects and certain evoca-
Attacks made with piercing or cutting weapons - tions deliver aggravated damage. Aggravated damage is
such as knives or guns - deliver lethal damage. Fire even harder to soak than lethal damage. Demons may not
and electricity also cause lethal damage. A mortal soak aggravated damage at all, unless they have a power or
247

THEFALLE~
DEMON:
.
I
MEALIWGLETMAL
AFIDAGGRAVATED
DAMAGE
Lethal wounds can kill characters quickly, as being
disemboweled, shot or dismembered has disastrous
implications. Aggravated damage is even worse. Both
types of damage heal at the same rate.
enhancement that allows them to do so. Aggravated

damage is also much harder to heal than other damage
types. Demons may not use Faith or powers to heal
aggravated wounds, but must instead heal naturally over
time. Mark aggravated damage on your character sheet
with a n asterisk “*”. Apart from these factors, though, month:
aggravated damage is the same as lethal damage. onths
Humanbeingsheal slowly, and while demonsare some-

DEMONIC
HEALINGPOWIYLS
The power of faith transcends the weakness of the
thing other than human, they still retain some of the hilties flesh. The supernatural vigor of a demon allows him to
of their hosts.Althoughdemonicpowers can repair damage, ignore many of his host’s vulnerabilities. All demons
demons heal at the same rate as humans, and an injury can have the ability to rebuild their damaged bodies or to
remove a Character from action for months. Healing may cleanse their systems of pain and fatigue, simply by
occur duringdowntime (seep. 2 19),but only if nothing else filling their mortal shell with the breath of life.
of importance occurs during that period.
For a demon to instantly heal his wounds, he needs
The following sections explain how characters a moment’s concentration to touch the fabric of reality
heal. Every level of damage (whether bashing or lethal) and draw upon its energy. In game terms, this means he
must be recovered individually. Therefore, a character needs an entire turn to heal wounds. During this turn,
reduced to Incapacitated by bashing damage must the demon cannot make any other actions - he
spend a full 12 hours at that level before he can even cannot attack, defend himself or even move. Doing so
hope to be only Crippled. Once he has healed from leaves him sorely vulnerable, so while it is possible to do
Incapacitated to Crippled, he must spend another six this in the midst of combat, it’s a dangerous tactic
hours at Crippled before he heals to Mauled, and so on. indeed. It’s often something best done when a battle is
MEALIIYG~ASMIIYGDAMAGE over, or if the demon is safely behind cover.
Bashing damage involves injuries that simply bruise Once the demon finds that moment of calm, he
the body through a blunt attack such as brawling combat can spend one point of Faith. Doing so instantly heals
or a fall. Bashing damage does not require medical one level of lethal damage, or all levels of bashing
attention. The wounds eventually heal on their own. damage. Only one point of Faith can be spent thus each
Seriousinjuries,however,may have greater consequences. turn - if the demon needs to repair multiple levels of
Your character’s vision or hearing may suffer due to lethal damage, it takes multiple turns of concentration.
concussion. She might also experience excruciating If the demon is attacked and takes damage while
pain from internal bruising or even lose muscle control trying to heal himself, the attack breaks his concentra-
in a limb. Appropriate medical attention can negate tion and ruins his effort to heal himself. The attempt is
some of these effects, and injuries healed with Faith or unsuccessful and the demon suffers further damage,
powers never leave any lingering consequences or scars. although he does not lose any Faith.
248

CH 4PTER NINE
Unable to feel the Faith they require, demonsmust turn

to humans for their belief. By opening a mortal’s eyes to the
wondersandhorrorsofthecosmos,ademoncandrawout the
The powersof the Fallen are many and varied, and the
preciousbreath of Faith fromwithin that person and use it for
impact they have on the running of Demon chronicles is
their own ends. This isn’tan easy task,sincemost inhabitants
considerable. Chapter Seven deals with the details and
of the World of Darkness live a life in which faith and piety
mechanics of Celestial powers. This chapter looks at
are irrelevant fossils. Gaining Faith from a human requires
systems and methods for implementing those powers and
hard work and dedication,but the rewards justlfy the effort.
defining how demons interact with the normal world.
There are two ways in which a demon can collect
These systems are less mechanicallystrict than many of
Faith from a mortal. Faith can be reaped from a human by
the other systems in this chapter. Demonic powers have a
forcing him to acknowledge the existence of the demon
huge impact on a chronicle’sprogress and feel, so they can’t
deep within his soul. A willing mortal can alsoojfer Faith
be determinedsimply with dice and tables.Much of the work
in return for promises of wealth, influence or power.
lieswith the Storyteller,who shouldmake decisionsbased on
what she feels is best for her story and her chronicle. PAITM
REAPIIPG
In the World of Darkness, God is considered almost
FAITH as much a folk legend as Santa Claus. People may pay lip
Faith is the energy of the cosmos, the breath of the service to a religion, but it’s a hollow, meaningless habit
Creator and the lifebloodof the damned. Demons use Faith for most. Going to church has as much emotional mean-
to enhance themselves, or to alter reality using the tools ing for most people as picking up their dry cleaning. But
given them by their former Lord. it’s possible to show a human the truth about the cosmos
The irony is that demons cannot generate Faith and the Creator, to reawaken his desiccated soul and let
themselves. Faith is about belief, not knowledge, and the breath of God flow from him. All it takes is an act of
demons know the truth about the Creator and His grand transcendent holiness -or mind-blasting depravity.
experiment. For a demon, simply believing in God is as If a demon can show a human the truth about the
world, can show him her Celestial nature, she may be
able to harvest some slight power from the mortal’s brief
249

DEMON:
THEFALLER I
exhalation of Faith. But how do you convince an unbe- just a single point - reaping is too crude a method, and
lieving human that you are a fallen angel? Revealing people’s belief is too weak, to gain any real power. The
-
your infernal anima isn’t enough, because that doesn’t Storyteller may decide, however, that a particular reaping
impart meaning to the observer. They have to believe attempt is more effective thanusual. If the demon’sactions
that the demon truly is a messenger of God or a horror resonate strongly with the mortal‘s personality, beliefs or
straight from Hell, which requires the demon to act. personalhistory, it may draw more Faith out of him. In such
Once a demon has decided to target a particular a situation, the Storyteller may rule that the demon gains
mortal (which could be a spur-of-the-momentdecision two points of Faith. Demons who rely on reaping for Faith
or part of a slow and intricate plan), she needs to often spend time researching their targets, because if they
convince him that she truly is a being apart. For low- can tailor the reaping attempt to the mortal’s psyche, they
Torment demons, this might mean an act of kindness or have a good chance of better results.
heroism -such as saving a family from a serial killer by Example: Rebecca, Adam’s character, is reaping Faith
appearing as a luminous angelic being. For high-Tor- from the homeless man. Adam makes a Willpower roll at
ment demons, it might be a vicious act of torture -such difficulty 7-Rebecca’s Willpoweris 6, so Adamrollssixdice.
as appearing as a monstrous creature and slowly flaying The homeless man has a Willpower rating of 3, so the
I
1
a victim with terrible claws. What matters is that the
mortal truly believes that he is interacting with an angel
or a demon. The Storyteller has final say on whether a
given person will respond appropriately to a particular
act - some Storyteller characters may react in unex-
Storyteller rolls three dice at difficulty 7. Adam gets a total of
three successes. Normally, a successfulreapinggains a demon
just a single Faith point. In this case, though, the StgrteUer
rules that Rebecca’sapproach touches a longlostcore of belief
in her subject, and Rebecca gains two points of Faith.
f
pected ways. If the person does respond, the demon has It’s possible to reap Faith from the same mortal more
a chance to reap some of his newly found Faith. than once, but each new attempt requires a new displayof
Example: Rebecca decides to attempt to reap some divine or blasphemouspower, aseparate act of love or hate
Faith from a homeless man. Summoninga display of lights (and possibly a new Ability used in the reaping process).
withanevocation, sheappearsto themanas aradiant being. It’s difficult to gain much Faith through reaping -
Having caught his attention and planted the suggestion that mortals are slow to believe, and few have the strength
she may be a divine being, she then spends a few hours with ofpersonality to really commit to their belief. Afar more
the man -buying him a hot meal and talking to him about reliable source of Faith is to collect it from someone
the love of the Creator and the possibility of divine forgive- who offers it freely.
t ness. The Storyteller decides that this is an appropriate

reaping attempt - it establishes a relationship between
mortal and demon, and it fills the mortal with hope.
Example: Ishmael, on the other hand,targets a localfence
PAITM
OPP~FED
When a mortal comes to believe completely in the
true nature of a demon and feels an ongoing respect for (or
terror of) that demon, then he may become a continuing
and drug dealer as a prospect for reaping. Rather than try a source of Faith. This is a far more reliable source of Faith
positive approach, he’dratherplay hardball. After all, the drug than reaping, and demons who want to further their goals
dealer’san asshole, and Ishmael’s tormented urges are becom- need to establishrelationships (whether positive or nega-
inghardtoresist.Ishmaelkidnapsthemanandkeepshimbound tive) with humans who can offer them Faith.
and gagged in a dark closet for a week, torturing him until the
While the systems and mechanics of offered Faith
man is driven to madness. When he pulls the man’s blindfold
are simple, it is not a simple thing to groom someone as
offandshows him his demonicvisage, the dealerredly believes
a source. Entering into a bargain is a momentous and
lshmael is a demon sent to collect his soul.
dangerous act, and demons must work hard to find
t
Reaping Faith from amortal requires a resisted roll. mortals who have the potential for being worth the
The player decides just how the demon will attempt to trouble and effort. This is something that can only be
reap the mortal’s Faith- aconversation about love, an done through roleplaying, not through rules. Respon-
amputation without anesthetic or anything else the sibility for choosing a worthy mortal and offering him
player thinks might be appropriate. a pact rests with the character (and her player).
The player makes a Willpower roll, with a difficulty To become a source of Faith, a mortal must enter into
of 7 . The Storyteller also makes a Willpower roll for the a voluntary agreement with a demon. The demon gives the
mortal (difficulty7 ) .Willpower is the trait that measures mortal whatever he desires; in return, the mortal offersher
a character’s resistance to stress and suggestion, so a his Faith. Exactly what the mortal gains will vary from
character with a high Willpower is unlikely to have her person to person,of course. It cannot be something mun-
whole worldview turned around by the demon’s acts. dane, because that lacksthe meaning required.The demon
If the demon gains more successesthan the mortal,she must share her power with him in some way, which often
reaps a small amount of Faith points. In most cases, this is means gifting him with one of her evocations or abilities.

CHAPTER
NINE
When a thrall is empowered through a demonicpact,

the exact abilities and gift impartedto the mortal depends
upon the strength of her Faith and belief in the demon.
The mortal’s Faith rating is manipulated by the demon
TAKING
TOO
MUCM
Another advantageof offered Faith over reaped Faith
is that the relationship can be abused by the demon, who
can draw more and more Faith from their source in a time i >
and shaped into a gift. Full details on this process can be of crisis. This is not something to enter into lightly, for it I
1
found in the section on Empowering Thralls, p. 252. causes great mental and physical distress to the source -
When shaping the Faith of an appropriate thrall- it can drive the mortal mad or even kill him.
one the Storytellerhas ruled could be a source of offered In orderfor a demon to ravage a sourceof Faith for more
Faith -the demon can divert some (but not all) of the power, she need merely reach out with her will. The mortal
thrall’s Faith toward himself. Only a small amount of doesn’t have to be nearby - the demon can draw upon
Faith can be diverted in this way - but the demon their Faith from the other side of the planet. The source
receives this gift of Faith daily. need not be willing either. He need not even be conscious.
AsshowninEmpoweringThralls (p.252), thrallshave The demon is the instigator here, strip-miningthe mortal’s
aFaithpotentialof 1-5.Thedemoncanclaimnomorethan soul and lifeforce for power, and the source is helpless to
1
half of this Faith (roundup)for himself,while the remaining resist. The mortal can try to runaway or fight the demonoff,
Faith points may be spent on empowering the thrall. but the demon can still draw upon his Faith even while the
The Storytellercan rule that a particular thrall is not a mortal is hitting her with a baseball bat. The demon can
SuitablesourceofFaith,andthatthedemoncanonlyusethe draw upon multiple thralls for Faith simultaneously,allow-
mortal’s Faith to bestow gifts ofpower. Alternatively, some ing her to spread the risks of failureamong severalfollowers.
mortals are suitable sources, but not perfect sources. While When ravaging a source thus, the demon may add
f
some of their Faith can be offered to their dark master, it’s additional dice to her evocation roll up to her permanent
a smaller amount than the demon might prefer. This Faith score. A demon with a Faith of 4 could add up four
decision depends stronglyon the nature of the relationship extra dice by ravaging sources,but he could not add a fifth
between demon and mortal, and on the mortal’s own die even iffurther sourceswere available. The player is not
spirituality. It doesn’t really matter if the mortal loves and restricted by the number ofsources the demon has, or how
worships the demon or fears and hates her. What’s impor- powerful these sources are. The player can add as many
tant is how close the bond is between them. If the mortal dice as she likes to her pool, up to her limit, as long as the
rarely thinks of the demon or of the gifts she’s given him, demon has at least one source to ravage.
then he might not be as strong a source as a mortal with the Once the demon has added as many extra dice as
same Faith rating, who thtnks of the demon constantly and desired, the player makes her evocation roll. A botched
relies heavily on her tnfernal gifts. roll results in the loss ofa Faith point fiom the character’s
Example: Ishmaelhasfoundanew thrdl,asocialworker current Faith pool.
and former nun whose strong beliefs huve been worn down by For each bonus die used in this fashion, the ravaged
years ofthankless labor. The Sturytelkr has ruled that the nun
would be an appopnute source of offered Faith, so Ishmael‘s
player decides to divert some of the nun’s Faith to Ishmael.
The nun has a Faith potential of 3. Half this potential,
rounded up, is 2, so the nun could offer Ishmael two points of
thrall loses a point of Willpower, whether the evocation
is successfulor not. This loss takes the form of racking pain,
hallucinations, waves of terror or other mental trauma. If
the source loses all his availablepoints of Willpower in this
fashion, he loses his grip on his sanity and gains a mental
I
Faith per day , leavingone point of Faith to use for empower- instability or derangement of some kind. This madness is
ing the thrall. That’s not much to work with, though, so permanent, unless treated with psychiatric help.
Ishmael’splayer decides to keep only one point of Faith as& If the demon draws more bonus dice from a thrall
for offering, spending the other 2 on gifts for the new thrall. than the thrall has Willpower,each die inflicts one level
Now Ishmael receives apoint of Faithfrom his thrall at of lethal damage (this damage cannot be soaked). This
the start of every day, for us long as the agreement between trauma takes the form of internal injuries, nosebleeds,
them holds. If Ishmael breaks the pact, or if the nun dies, stigmata or even scarring and bums (if many levels are
then the daily offering of Faith will end. lost). If he takes enough damage, the thrall will die.
OfferedFaith isharvestedfrom the sourceonceper day. If the source survives this ravaging, he might still
This occurs at dawn -the breaking of a new morning, the never be the same. The demon has violated his soul, left
time when the Creator first looked down upon His world. it bleeding. His mind may be shattered,and his body may
Physical distances are meaningless to Faith, so in the event be wracked with pain from internal injuries. The Story-
that the demon and mortal are in different time zones, the teller may decide that the mortal becomes a poorer
still comes to the demon. It is generated when dawn source of Faith for the demon and generates fewer points
s to the d, however (which could make all the of Faith each day (perhaps even to the point of no longer
rence in an early-morning crisis). generating Faith at all). Similarly, the Storyteller may
25 1

DEMOY:
THEFALLW 1
rule that the demon’sTorment rating increases as a result thrall’s Attributes cannot rise above 5 , however. Mun-
of her heinous misuse of her follower. dane abilities only go so far.
1 Example: Ishmael needs to perfom a powerful evoca-
tion, but his odds ofsuccess are slim. He decides to draw more
Enhancements: The demon can impart one of the
eight enhancements of his apocalyptic form to a thrall,
Faith from his sources to increase his chance for a spectacular giving her the ability to grow fangs, soak lethal damage
result. He has three sources to rely upon, so his player can and more. Low-Torment demons can impart one of
increase his pool by severaldice. Ishmael has a Faith rating of their high-Torment special abilities if desired at the
5, so he can draw as many as fiveextra dice from his sources cost of a temporary Torment point.
-theplayer does so, and rolls a total of eight dice. His thralls Evocations: The demon can even imbue a thrall
must now pay the price for Ishmael’s rapaciousness, losing with a weaker version of one of his evocations. The
fivepoints of Willpower between them. The player may take demon must decide on a specific evocation to bestow
all five points from a single hapless mortal or spread the debt upon his servant.
over all three sources to mitigate the damage. Other Abilities: Demons enjoy many special abili-
DEALINGWITMM O R T A ~ ties, such as their immunity to possession. The demon
can impart one of these advantages to a thrall. Simi-
Many demonsexpectedto return to a world where they
1 could easily control and rule over humans. They didn’t plan
for a world where faith was all but dead, where six billion
larly, the demon can bestow a gift of a more general
nature, such as the ability to see or walk again.
Once thedemonhasdecidedonwhatabilitiestobestow
people teemed over a haggard planet and where they would upon the thrall, the two enter into apact. The demon agrees
have to work in secret to achieve their goals. The demons to imbue the thrall with power, while the mortal agrees to
expectedhumans to be weakandeasilymanipulated- and serveinwhateverwaythetwoagreeupon.AttheStorytel1er’s
they are -but they are also the key to achieving the plans discretion,the mortalmightqualifyasasourceofofferedFaith
and schemes of the Celestials. For demons to reach their (see Offered Faith, p. 250),but there are many other ways in
goals, they need humans -as sources of Faith, as tools, as which a mortal can help her master.
agents.
- As for the fallen, they have remembered something- With the pact finalized, the deal is sealed with the
even more terrible - the urge to protect and even love
demon’s gift. Imparting a gift to a mortal requires nothing
humanity as they once did long ago. more than a turn’s concentration. Many demons, however,
EMPO
WERIIYGTMRALLS like to add ritual and ceremony to the procedure in order to
Demonsneed servants,and servantsneed tools in order impress their new thralls. After concentrating,the demon
to do their masters’bidding. It’s often very useful to gift a mentally reshapes the thrall’s soul, using the mortal’s Faith
thrall with a portion of your own spiritual power, so that as a tool. The stronger the thrall’s Faith is, the greater the
they may better serve you. It’s also an excellent bargaining changes the demon can make to her essence, and the more
chip-easy to winsomeone’sloyaltywhen you canpromise nnweAll the (lifts the demon can bestow u w n her.
her eternal beauty or immense power. The biggest limita-
tion on blessing a thrall comes not from the demon, but
from the mortal herself. The demon reshapes the mortal’s
faith and belief into anew configuration,ashape that draws
power from the cosmos.The demoncanbestow only a weak
blessing if the mortal’s faith isweak, but ifher belief is strong,
the demon can fill her with awesome power.
Withii certainboundaries,demons can empower their
thrallswith their own abilities, gifting them with supematu-
ral powers.The systemfor doing so is fairly simple,but it’snot
somethingto enter into lightly.Charactersshouldneverrush
into empowering their followers or offering pacts to all and
sundry. Choosing when to do so is an important moment in
the chronicle, and it should be treated as such.
Demons can only impart abilities that they them-
selvespossess-to grant the gift of invisibility,the demon
must be able to become invisiblehimself. The demon can
give four kinds of gifts -Attributes, innate abilities, the
enhancements of his apocalyptic form and evocations.
Attribute: The demon can increase the thrall’s
Attribute ratings, making her stronger or smarter. A
252

CHAPTER NINE
r;:
No rolls are needed to reshape the mortal’s soul. alter a thrall, the mortal’s Faith potential must increase -
The mortal’s Faith rating is used as a “pool” of points for which only occurs if his belief and dedicationto the demon
buying effects and gifts that benefit the thrall, accord- becomes significantly stronger. The Storyteller is the sole
ing to the following guidelines: judge as to whether a thrall’s Faith potential increases. If a
A point of Faith can be used to repair chronic injuries thrall’s belief grows, the demon can spend the extra point
or impairments-allowing aparalyzedcharacter to walk or of Faith on new improvements -but doing so requires a
giving sight to a blind thrall. If the mortal is missing lethal new Faustian bargain between demon and thrall.
healthlevelsasaneffectofhiscondition,they areconverted
into bashing levels, which can then heal normally.
CELESTIALP O W E R ~
IIYVOKIIYG
To reveal one’s true nature to another is risky for
A point of Faith can be converted into 10freebie anyone, but far more so for a demon revealing his
points (see Character Creation, p. 122). These points
Celestial self to mortals. For demons, Faith is like air -
can be used to buy or improve traits such as Attributes,
they need it to survive. Yet modern mortals are cynical
Abilities or Willpower. They cannot be used for im-
and bereft of faith, and exposure to high levels of
proving Backgrounds . disbelief makes life very difficult for the fallen. The
1
One point of Faith can be used to impart one of the presence of unbelievers can even disrupt the use of Faith.
demon’s inherent powers, such as immunity to mind-
It’s often more difficult (and expensive) for ademon
control. The thrall permanently benefits from this power,
rolling Willpower (difficulty 7) to activate its effects. to invoke her powers around skeptical mortals. Whether
a mortal is skeptical enough to disrupt the use of Faith is
One or more points of Faith can be used to give the
up to the Storyteller to decide. As a rule of thumb, the
mortal a limited evocation from the demon’s lore. This
“average”mortal doesn’tbelieve in the supernatural, but
gift costs one to five Faith points, depending on the level
her disbelief isn’t forceful enough to affect the demon.
of the evocation in question (i.e., a three-dot evocation
More strongwilled people, or those who have a major
would cost the mortal three of her Faith points.) To
problem with the notion of the supernatural (such as a
perform the evocation, the thrall must make a Will-
power roll (difficulty 8), with the number of successes pragmatic scientist) can cause the demon problems.
determining the scope and effect of the evocation. One observer might cause a problem, but a group
One point of Faith bestows one of the enhance- almost certainly will. Mortals are pack animals, and
ments of the demon’s apocalyptic form on the thrall. they draw courage from the presence of their fellows.
To benefit from the enhancement, the thrall must When a group of mortals witnesses a demon’s use of
make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6). Success allows the Faith, their resistance is stronger; they back each other
thrall to use the enhancement for a scene. The demon up on a n unconscious level to reject the outsider. Even
can bestow more than one enhancement, but he must if the mortals would not interfere with the demon on
spend a point of Faith on each. their own, they will interfere as a group. Only among 4
Up to half of the thrall’s Faith potential can be true believers and worshippers will demons be able to
used to make the mortal a source of offered Faith, if the evoke their spiritual powers without interference.
Storyteller approves (see Offered Faith, p. 250). If a demon uses an evocation in the presence of a
Example: Rebecca has found a thrall, a local police resisting mortal or wishes to assume her apocalypticform,
detective named James Wong. Rebecca agrees to improve the Storyteller makes a Willpower roll for the observer at
Wong’s health and vitality in return for his service. Most difficulty 8. Each successon this roll raises the difficulty of
mortals have a Faith potential of just two, but Wong is also the demon’s roll by one. For a group of observers, the
achurchdeacon withastrongcore ofreligious belief, so he has Storytellerdecideson the averageWillpowerrating of the
three points of Faith potential.After a short ritual designed to group’smembers (usually 3 or 4) and makes the same roll.
impress Wong, Rebecca concentrates, reaches out with her She adds another die to the roll for every five members of
soul and uses Wong’s belief to reshape his essence. the group, (so for a group of 20 members with Willpower
Adam, Rebecca’s player, can spend the three points of 3, the Storyteller rolls seven dice).
Wong‘s Faith potential to modify the character. The firstpoint The presence of unbelievers makes life increas-
is converted into 10 freebie points, and Adam uses them to ingly difficult for demons, which is a good reason for
improve Wong’sStamina and Dexterity by one dot each. The them to work in secret or surround themselves with
seconddotisusedtogive WongtheImeasedSize enhancement thralls and worshippers.
of Rebecca’s apocalyptic form, which he can assume with a
successful Willpower roU. With the final Faith point, Adam VELAT TI OR
gives Wong Rebecca’s immunity to mind-control, ensuring Each time a demon uses her Faith, mortal observers
that her servant cannot be c m p t e d by her enemies. can make a Perception + Awareness roll to sense the
to a thrall you’ve already demon’strue nature. The difficulty of the roll is 10minus
d,but it’svery difficultto do so. In order to further the total number of Faith points the character spent (or
253

DEMON:
THEFALLEN 1
I
lost) in the scene. Therefore, a small expenditure of requires the demon to form a relationship with a mortal,
Faith is likely to go unnoticed by all but the most even if only for a short time -not just to flash his horns
’ perceptive of mortals. A great expenditure of Faith, or and forked tongue. While revealingone’s revelatory form
repeated small uses of Faith over a short period of time, may certainly aid in reapingFaith, it’s never enough in and
make it more likely someone will notice. If the difficulty of itself to gather power for a demon.
reaches 0,all mortals automatically perceive the demon’s
true nature. Demons can also allow mortals to perceive
their true nature without spending Faith, whenever they Hundredsofym in the past,whenreligionwasacentral
wish. Finally, if a character invokes her apocalyptic form part of the lives of the everyday person and faith as a whole
(see Chapter Seven for details), mortal witnesses auto- was strongerand more prevalent, it was possible for religious
matically suffer the effects of Revelation. leadersand their followers to defyand evendefeatthe legions
The mortal’s reaction depends on two factors: the of Hell with powerful prayers, blessed items and potent
character’s Torment and the mortal’s Willpower. Fallen exorcisms. Demons in the modern world have little to fear
with a low Torment (less than half their Willpower) are fromthe localdrive-inchurchorapoplectictelevangelist,but
glorious and awesome, shadows of the divine beings they it is still possible to encounterpeople, places or artifactsthat
,once were. Fallen with high Torment (greater than their are capable of giving even the mightiest demons pause.
Willpower) are living nightmares who are terrible to be- MOW GROUIYD
hold. Those in between may be either or both, depending Historically, churches and other holy sites were
on the mortal’s preconceptions (and the judgment of the blessed when their foundations were laid, in order to
Storyteller).Mortalswith low Willpowerscoresare likely to render them inviolate to the forces of evil. The practice
be overwhelmed by the demon’s true nature, while those continues today, but the underlying faith that gave the
with greaterWillpower can overcomethe initialshock and blessing power is no more. Churches, graveyards and
deal with the Revelation(although it still comesas ashock, other sites constructed within the last 200 years are not
even to the most jaded and confident of mortals). considered holy ground per se, but older structures -
When a mortal has a Revelation, roll the mortal’s and even a rare few new ones where the worshippers
Willpower against a difficulty of the demon’s perma- truly believe - can potentially hold a demon at bay.
nent Faith. Mortals whose players fail the roll are so Like mortals, any place of worship, be it a church,
awed or horrified by what they see that they are inca- graveyard or roadside shrine, can have a Faith potential
pable of doing anything but standing and staring raptly. based upon the amount of real faith investedby generations
If the demon directly threatens them, they flee as
I quickly as possible and later rationalize what happened
to them. They believe it was a dream or hallucination,
of worshippers.Sitescan have a Faithpotential of 1-5,with
the highest potential reserved for truly ancient and vener-
ated sites, such as Manger Square in Bethlehem or the
or they simply forget about it altogether. Temple of the Rock in Jerusalem. Demons with a Torment
Mortals whose players succeed in the roll are still of 4 or more who try to enter such a site suffer a number of
I impressed, but they remain capable of taking rational levels of lethal damage equal to the site’s faith potential
action (which may still involve fleeing as quickly as each turn they remain.This damage is manifestedby seared
possible). They also remember some or all of what hap- flesh or stigmata-like wounds to the hands and face. A
pened, although they’re not likely to be believed. One successfulWillpowerroll is required each turnto remain on
success is enough to recall that something extraordinary holy ground. If the roll fails, the demon flees the area.
happened, twosuccessesprovide basicdetails,and three or Fallen with aTorment of3 or less have rejected their
more successes mean that the mortal recalls exactly what demonic nature in favor of their angelic and human
happened (and will probably never forget it). essence, and they may enter a holy site without injury.
A botch on the Willpower roll means that the mortal The few demons who have successfully accomplished
suffers a complete collapse, either fainting dead away or this are at a loss to explain why they were not burned, but
turning into agibbering mass, overcomewith awe or terror. they point to it as proof that redemption is still possible.
Thosewith a particularlyweak constitutionmay evensuffer
aheartattack,strokeorothercomplicationatthe Storyteller’s
whim. Upon recovering, the mortal recalls nothing of the Similar to holy ground, it is possible for the truly
experience,but may still exhibit afiereffects,such as recur- faithful to infuse an item with holy power sufficient to
ring nightmares or hair gone permanently white. cause harm to one of the fallen. Such holy items are very
One effect a Revelation does not have is to reap Faith rare and are often highly prized artifacts guarded zeal-
from those who witness it. While the witnesses are filled ously by their worshippers, though it is possible for
with a momentary awareness of the character’snature, it’s persons of great faith to bless common items and create
an unfocused and impersonal awareness. Reaping Faith powerful weapons, such as holy water. Like holy ground,
254

asacredobject CanhaveaFaithpotentialof 1-5,with the Exorcism:The prayer of exorcism is an ordeal of faith
highest potential reserved for truly venerated and unique intended to drive a demon from its mortal host. To success-
objects. These items inflict a number of levels of lethal fully perform this prayer, the mortal must win a number of
damage to a demon equal to their Faith potential each resisted rolls greater than the demon’s permanent Faith
turn they are held against the demon’s skin. Fallen with rating. One roll may be performed per hour of game time,
a Torment of 3 or less are unaffected by these items. so an exorcism performed against a demon with a perma-
Blessed items are more potent examples of these nent Faith rating of 5 would require a minimum of 5 hours
objects,having been venerated with a specificpurpose in to complete. If successful, the demon is forced from his
mind. A mortal with a Faith potential of at least 3 is mortal host and may not reenter it, forcing him to find
required to successfully bless an item, and such objects another suitable vessel or risk being pulled back into the
can possess a Faith potential of 1-5 depending on the Abyss. Ofcourse, the demon isn’t compelled to remain in
amount of time and effort spent infusing it. As a rule of the area and be exorcised, so unless the fallen is physically
thumb, a blessed item gains one point of Faith potential incapacitated, the exorcism is usually performed simulta-
per day of prayer. At the time of creation, the item is neously with a prayer of binding.
blessed to perform the function of a banishment, abjura-
tion or binding prayer. Blessed items only function when DEALINGWITHTMEDAMNED
usedbyamortalwithaFaithpotentialofat least 1.When In the harsh new mortal world, the only things demons
used, add the Faith potential of the item and the mortal are familiar with are other demons. It’s a shame, then, that
wielder to determine the total dice pool for the resisted thedamned are at eachother’sthroatsconstantly-faction
roll. Fallen with a Torment of 3 or less are unaffected by against faction, fallen against their former masters, the
these items or the prayers associated with them. Earthbound against these new invaders.
Conflict and interaction between demons is a
PR;SrIERS
pivotal part of any Demon chronicle, and these systems
Prayersare similar to ademon’sevocations,in that they
examine the ways in which demons interact -be it in
are focused uses of Faith that effect a change in reality - person or through the use of agents and followers.
specifically to banish, forbid, bind or exorcise the fallen.
Prayers are performed as a resisted roll between mortal TRUENAMES
and demon. The mortal’s player rolls a number of dice equal Names are important, both to the thing being named
to his Faith potential against the demon’sWillpower. If the and those interacting with it. Names give us identity;
mortal is successful, the effects of the prayer are applied names give us the tools we need to interact with others.
immediately. More than one mortal can combine their For demons, names are more than simply labels -they
Faith potential to add power to a prayer. Four types of are intrinsic parts of the demons’ very nature. While a
prayers can be used against the fallen, and they can be demon may have many names -his original Celestial
targetedagainstany demonwithinthemortal’s line ofsight: Name, the name of his human host, titles and nicknames
Banishment:Asuccessfulprayer ofbanishmentforces -he has only one True Name. Originally, this was the
the demon to flee the area. The demon may not return to the name given to him by the Creator; after the Fall, the
site for a number of hours equal to her Torment score. True Names of all demons altered and mutated to fit
Abjuration: The prayer of abjuration can be used their fundamentally changed nature. For the demons
to bar a demon from entering a given area. The prayer can now incarnate in human hosts, the potential exists for
cover an area in yards equal to the mortal’s faith potential their True Names to change once more if they can
(multiple mortals can combine their faith potential to radically redefine themselves and their diabolic nature.
increase this area), and if successful, the demon may not To know a demon’s True Name is to have power
enter for a number of hours equal to her Torment score. over her. When a demon’s True Name is used as a part
Binding: The prayer of binding roots the demon of a ritual (see Summoning and Binding, p. 256), the
to the ground, trapping him as long as the mortal demon falls under the control of the person performing
continues her prayer. The demon cannot move from the ritual. She retains her will and sense of self but is
the spot by physical or supernatural means of any kind, compelled to follow the orders of her controller,
but he can still perform other evocations, throw things Even without such a ritual, knowing a demon’s True
or take other such actions. The demon remains trapped Name is useful. By speaking a demon’s True Name, you
as long as the mortal is able to continue her prayer, and instantly gain her attention, no matter where in the world
no further rolls are required. Stamina or Willpower she may be, and you can communicate verbally with her.
rolls may be required if the mortal intends to keep up The Name can also be used as a goad to intimidate or
the prayer for hours, though. Blessed items empowered manipulate thedemon. Ifacharacterknowsademon’sTrue
work only as long as the Name, he gains a number of dice (equal to the demon’s
efore the demon. Faith rating) to use in Mental and Social rolls against that
255

demon. Actions that would be affected include Intimida- would be a story in itself, though, as tomes of true occult
tion or Subterfuge rolls to control the demon, as well as knowledge are rare and jealously guarded by their owners.
Research or Investigation rolls to determine her plans or Investigating a crime scene, looking for the
whereabouts. The Storyteller has final say on whether a subtle touches that betray the criminal’s personality.
given action would receive a benefit for knowing a demon’s (Perception + Investigation)
True Name. Physicalactions or combat are not affectedby Interrogating the demon’s followers, finding out
knowing an enemy’s True Name. (Knowing someone’s how they address her in their blasphemous rituals.
nature will not protect you from her claws.) (Manipulation + Intimidation)
Obviously, learning someone’s True Name is an Ransacking the demon’s sanctum, finding her
incredibly useful tool against them, and the search to personal belongings and seeing what they say about
learn True Names plays an important part in Demon her. (Perception + Empathy)
chronicles. The following systems focus on how to Observing the demon’s handiwork. Every time a
piece together a True Name, as well as what won’t help demon performs an invocation, she leaves a n imprint
in the quest for knowledge. in the fabric of reality, similar to a psychic fingerprint.
A True Name is more than simply a collection of (Perception + Occult)
letters. It’s a configuration of supernatural energy, a foot- Players are bound to come up with other ideas for
print on reality itself. In many ways, a demon is her True learning fragments of True Names, and Storytellers
Name, so while that Name has a reflection in the world as should decide if an idea is valid and what traits are
aconstruction of language,it also has a meaning. For a True involved. The difficulty of these rolls is always high -
Name to be used, the wielder must understand the meaning usually 8, possibly 9 if the action is particularly unusual.
of it. Furthermore,the name can onlybe used if it is spoken,
The Storyteller should always make the roll, and note
as the user channels the breath of the Creator through his down in secret how many successes (if any) have been
own breath. Therefore, a Name has no power if it is just
gathered toward the total. The character never truly knows
written down or simply pulled together by accident. You
ifhehaslearnedthefullTrueName,though.Eventually,he
can’tset acomputer to juggle permutations of letters and try just has to use what he’s learned and hope it’s enough.
to affect a demon, because the computer has no breath or
Incomplete True Names have no power to command
soul. Only a living (or once-living)being can use a Name,
or bind a demon - like a password, it either works
and only if he understands what it is that he is speaking.
completely or it doesn’t. For game purposes, it isn’t neces-
This also means, however, that if you can piece sary to actually spell out a character’s True Name, though
together ademon’spersonality and purpose, you can piece playersarewelcometo do so if they want. What is important
together her True Name. Knowing why a demon does is the progressthe investigatorsmake towarddecipheringits
something,you can gain an insight to the meaning of her meaning, reflected in their accumulationof successes.
acts-whichgains insight into the meaningofherName.
True Names can be collected slowly - a letter here, a AIPDBIIYDIIPG
SUMMOIYIIYG
glimpseof meaning there-until the character knows the Occult history is fullof storiesof sorcererssummoning
I full Name (or at least, what he hopes is the full Name). demons to them and binding them to their will-or being
If a character knows what he is looking for, his player destroyed by forces they cannot control. There’s a lot of
can attempt to make a series of extended rolls to work out truth to some of these stories. Some of those demons
a demon’s True Name. Through research and investiga- pulled from Hell still exist today as the Earthbound.
tion, the character must try to amass a number of successes Armed with the correct summoning rituals, a sorcerer
with various rolls (determined by the Storyteller);once he -whether mortal or demon -can summon a demon into
has those successes,he knows the TrueName. The amount his presence. A second ritual can then bind the demon to
of successes required depends on the power of the demon, the summoner’swill, forcing her to become his servant.
as strongerdemons have more complexNames. Demons of Ofcourse, doing so isn’t easy. In fact, it’s very difficult
low rank (such as the player’s characters) would require 10 and incredibly dangerous. If the rituals are not followed
successes to establish their True Name; middle-rank de- exuctly, and if the summoner lacks certain vital data, the
mons such as lords or overlords would require as many as summoneddemon is free to do whatever she likes-such
15-20successes,andthemightybaronsordukesdemand30 as punishing the fool who dared try to subjugate her.
successes or more at the Storyteller’sdiscretion. In order to summon a demon, the sorcerer needs the
What kinds of activities can yield clues to a True correct ritual. There are literally thousands of summon-
Name? Here are some examples: ingritualsdescribed in various occult tomes, and the vast
Looking through occult texts to find names of majority do nothing at all. The remaining few have
demons and matching them up with your subject’s acts power, but only if applied to the right demon. A ritu
(Intelligence + Occult). Just finding the right books designed to bind an Earthbound will likely have no effec
256

KINE
CHAPTER
4:
against a modern fallen. A t the very least, the ritual must

address the correct demonic House. To summon a De-
vourer, for instance, you must have a ritual designed to
summon an Devourer and not a Malefactor.
Finding the correctritual is a long and arduousprocess
that could take months (or even years) of occult research.
Storytellers can represent this search with an extended
Intelligence + Occult roll (difficulty 7), where the sum-
moner needs to accumulate 20 successes. Before the player
can even attempt the roll, though, the character needs to
know somethingabout the demon he means to summon-
her name (preferablyher True Name) and her House. Most
rituals includemethods for both summoningand binding a
demon (although some only do one or the other).
Once the occultist has the ritual, he can then

attempt to perform it, which is a long process that takes
hours, not turns. The Storyteller may require the charac-
ter to have specificprops, cast the ritual at a specificplace
and time or abide by other restrictions on the casting.
Once the ritual is performed, the summoner’splayer
rolls Wits + Occult to summon the demon. The difficulty
of this roll is usually 6, but the Storyteller may decide to
adjust it upward (if the ritual isn’t entirely suitable or the
summoner doesn’t have the right props) or downward (if
the summoner has extra props, such as items associated
with the demon). If the roll fails, the ritual doesn’t work.
On a botch, the mystic energies might backfire in an
explosion or summon an unbindable monster.
If the roll is successful, the demon is transported
instantly to the site of the ritual, where she appears in her
apocalypticform. For demons incarnate in a human host,
such as the fallen, this leaves their mortal bodies in a
deathlike coma (possibly leading to complications if she
was talking to someone at the time.. .). Earthbound de-
mons are pulled from their physical vessels. Demons still in
Hell are instantly transported to this plane of existence.
space for the demon to
circle, square or diagram.
257

DEMON:
THEFALLEN
.
1
Common wisdom has it that the circle protects the to her Faith rating. If the summoner knows the demon’s
summoner -but the truth is that it protects the demon. True Name, binding the demon is easy. The summoner
1 Demons without physical hosts are normally pulled back
into Hell (see Finding a New Host, p. 259), and they
receives a number of automatic successes on the Will-
power roll equal to the demon’s Torment rating. True
cannot speak or interact with living beings. The mystic Names are potent weapons, and few demons can stand
space within the circle, though, protects the demon from against someone armed with knowledge of their soul.
Hell’s spiritualgravityand allowsher to speak and interact If the demon gains more successes than the sum-
with the summoner. The circle is a shield,not a cage.The moner, the binding fails and the demon escapes. If the
demon can move out of it whenever she wishes, but if she summoner gains more successes, though, he is able to
does so, she will be caught by the terriblepull of the Abyss, bind the demon to his will for a limited time.
and be far from her host. It behooves most demons, then, Each success the summoner gains equates to a com-
to stay within the circle. When the ritual ends or the mand he can give the demon. These commands must be
summoner dismissesthe demon, the demon is returned to fairly specific and revolve around a particular action.
her body- or, depending on the agreement reached with “Protect me from all my enemies” is too wide-ranging a
the summoner, possibly into a new vessel. command. “Kill Gideon Wallace” is more appropriate.
Once the demon is summoned, the summoner can The summoner could also command the demon to
interact with her, assuming he is not panicked and over- vacate a host, to grant the summoner powers or any other
whelmed by witnessingthe demon’sapocalypticform (see action that can easily be summed up in a few words.
Revelation,p. 253). He can converse or attempt to make If a demon is bound to follow commands, she must
a voluntarypact with the demon. The demon can choose do so to the best of her ability and make the attempt as
to listenor simplyfume insilence. Most occultists,though, soon as possible. She cannot act directly against the
are not summoningdemons just for conversation -they summoner while bound to even a single command. She
instead attempt to bind the demon to their will. Binding can attack him once she completes all the commands,
a demon requires further use of the ritual. It is essential to but not until all her tasks are done. She can, however, act
know the demon’sname at this point. At the very least, indirectly against him -perhaps by persuading some-
the summoner must know the demon’s Celestial Name, one else to attack him- and she can work to subvert her
but it’s far preferable to know the demon’s True Name. commands as much as possible. Wise summoners struc-
The players of the summoner and the demon make ture their commands to leave few gray areas and protect
contestedWillpower rolls. The summonerhas one advan- themselves from their anger of their servants; foolish
tage in this contest - if he has assistants or acolytes summoners lie in unmarked graves or worse.
participating in the summoningritual, they can add their Once the commands expire, the summonermay try to
will to his. The Storyteller makes a Willpower roll (diffi- reworkthe ritual to bind the demon to his will at a later date.
culty 8) for every extra participant in the ritual, and each Doing so requires subtle modifications to the ritual and is
success adds a die to the summoner’sWillpower pool. very risky. The Storyteller makes an Intelligence + Occult
If the summoner knows only the demon’s Celestial roll (difficulty 8) on the character’sbehalf, and must gain
Name, the demon receives bonus dice to this roll equal more successesthan the number of previous binding rituals
the summoner has performed with the demon in question
(so if the summoner has bound the demon twice before,
three successes are required). If the roll is successful, the
summoner and demon go through the same summoning
and binding process as before. If the roll fails, the binding
ritual is ineffective-although the summonerwon’t know
this until he attempts to use it. On a botch, the demon
becomes awarethat the ritual is now ineffective,and he can
feel free to wreak bloody vengeance on the summoner. f
In the beginning, Celestials knew nothing of death
or the dangers of a physical existence. Theirs was a
spiritual nature, untouched by mortality. The War
changed all that, proving that these beings could still
be destroyed. In this new era, the fallen are learning
that their mortal forms can be killed and that they still
risk final dissolution at the hands of their enemies.
258

CHAPTER N I ~ E
S:
FIIPDIIYG
A NEWMOST character and applying an experience bonus equal to the
i
Death is not the end -not for demons, anyway. In demon character’s earned experience. Most of the time,
fact, “death” is a concept hard to apply to Celestials. though, the demon will be hard-pressed to find a suitable
Their mortal shells can be damaged, killed or destroyed, host in the short time it has left before dissipating.
but what does that matter to the immortal spirit inside? There is one other option. It’s an unpleasant one, but 1
A demon can easily survive the death of his host, and it beats Hell. A desperate demon may inhabit an inani-
travel to anew one, but they must do so quickly.Celestial mate object, becoming one of the Earthbound. Few
beings cannot exist long in the physical world, since the objectshave the right properties to host ademon, though.
rigors of being caught between two worlds weakens the The Celestial cannot simply inhabit the first elevator or
spirit and eventually drags it back screaming into Hell. fountain pen it comes across. The object must be discrete
When a demon character is reduced below Inca- notpart ofanotherobject-and it musthave acertain
pacitated by lethal or aggravated damage, the host body amount of “resonance” with humanity. This resonance
is killed. In the next turn, the demon manifests in his could come from the fact that the object looks human -
apocalyptic form, hovering above his former body. In such as a statue - or because it is used constantly by
this form, the demon cannot be affected in any way (with humans who pay attention to it. No one pays attention to
a few exceptions - see Final Destruction, p. 260). In an elevator, even though thev use it constantly, but a
turn, the demon cannot physically affect anything or computer used by a struggling‘writer to write the Great
evoke the powers of his lore. His perceptions are altered AmericanNovel would be a suitablehost. The Storyteller
in this state -he can see living beings by their souls, but has final say on whether an object is appropriate.
can perceive inanimate objects only dimly. His form is Whatever vessel the demon chooses, he must try to
unaffected by gravity, walls or obstacles - it can move reconfigure his energies to inhabit it, which requires a
in any direction, flying Willpower + 5 miles each turn. Willpower roll (difficulty9). The difficulty drops to just 6
While the demon is unaffected by the physical if the vessel has a close affinity with the demon’s person-
world, it is hardly in a good position. The moment the ality or House, or has been properly attuned to house a
demon is severed from its physical host, it immediately disembodiedsoul. A Defiler would find it easier to inhabit
suffers the terrible pull of the Abyss trying to draw it back a boat, given her affinity with the water, while a Malefac-
into its eternal prison. Each turn the demon exists in the tor would find it easier to inhabit a finely made watch. If
physical world without a host, the player must make a the roll succeeds, the demon can take permanent resi-
Willpower roll (difficulty 6). If he fails this roll, the dence in his new vessel. If it fails, he must keep searching
demon is sucked back into Hell. Willpower points may for a new body, and he cannot attempt to occupy this one
be spent for automatic successes for this roll as normal. again. On a botch, the demon loses a point of permanent
Example: Ishmael’ssearchfor the Earthboundcult comes Willpower. If a possessed object is destroyed, the demon
to a terrible end when he encounters Atoth-Nagan - a is cast adrift once more and must repeat the process of
monstrous, powerjul Devourer in the cult’s service. The two finding a new host or returning to the Pit.
demons clash in a deserted museum, but Ishmael is tom apart Example: Ishmaelmustfindanewbody inorder toescape
by the Devourer’s mighty claws. In the next turn, Ishmael Hell. No thralls or other suitable mortals are nearby, so he is
materializesabove the body in his apocalypticform, expelledby forced to attempt to inhabit an object. The Storyteller decides
its dying breath. The Abyss begins to pull at him straightaway, that thereisanappropate objectinthescene-agranitestatue
so his player must make a Willpower roll every turn so that of a Greek hero, which has been the subject of attention for
Ishmaelcan stay on this plane. Even with thecharacter’sstrong hundreds of museum patrons. As a Fiend, Ishmael has no
Willpower rating of 7, his player will eventually fail the roll. connection with such an item - he’d have better luck with
Desperate to stay out of Hell, Ishmaelmustfindanew vessel. somethinglike an old telescopeor a statue ofa Greek oracle -
To survive, the demon must find a new host. Yet but beggars can’t be choosers. Ishmael‘s player rolls against a
doing so is difficult because the same restrictions apply difiulty of 9 toreconfigureIshmael’senergies, but the rollfails .
that were imposed on the demon when it escaped from Ishmael cannotoccupy the statue, and must keep searchingfor
Hell. It must possess a living body, one whose mind or a new vessel. Atoth-Nagan, though, has other plans.. .
soul is so diminished that they are barely human. If a Even safe in a new host, the demon is still battered
suitablehost body is nearby, the act of possessionrequires by the experience of being discorporate. The character
a Willpower roll against a difficulty of 8, though this loses a point from his Faith rating and gains a point of
number drops to 6 if the victim is also one of the demon’s permanent Torment. If he was inhabiting a human
thralls. If one of the demon’s thralls willingly accepts the body, the demon must also come to terms with the new
demon, no roll is required; possession is automatic. The memories and personalities left inside the human shell.
player and the Storyteller should work together to deter- He must somehow incorporate them into its own
mine the demon’s new traits, possibly re-designing the psyche. The hours and days after inhabiting a new body
259

4 can be very disconcerting, so Storytellers and players
DEMON:
THEFALLES
Each point of Faith can be “converted” into a

.
B
will find plenty of potential for stories in this period. memory or item of knowledge - the location of a
FINAL
DESTRUCTIOIP temple, the hiding place of a relic, the True Name of a
Nothing is truly immortal. Demons have lived rival -as long as that information was known to the
since the very creation of the universe, but even they demon who was devoured. The Storyteller is the final
can be killed. Their energies can be dissipated, canni- arbiter on what a character might have known and how
balized by their enemies. A light that has shone from much information can be gained thus.
the beginning of time finally winks out. The demoncan choose to increase his Faith rating
When a demon is in his apocalypticform,having been by one by spending two Faith points. This increase in
expelled from his vessel in some way, he is unaffected by Faith allows a corresponding increase in lore -and the
almost all physical or supernatural entities. Yet all demons demon can actually gain the lore known by the con-
possess the ability to destroy a discorporate Celestial and sumed demon. Only the lore of the victim’s House may
consume his energies to make themselves stronger. be learned thus. Even if the devoured demon knew other
1
To consume acelestial, the demonneeds to breathe evocations, those powers are not central to its essence.
in the energies from a victim’s revelatory form. Doing Example: Atoth-Nagan has destroyed Ishmael, and the
so doesn’t necessarily require bodily contact, but the fallen’ssoulisdevouredlikeasweecmeat thedemon.Ishmaelhad
two must be within arm’s reach. The Celestial can a Faith ratingof5, so theStorytelkrrollsfivediceat d
w
i 6 and
attempt to flee, being unaffected by gravity or ob- gets three successes. Atoth-Nagan m gain three points of Faith
stacles, so the demon must act quickly. fromhis foe. The Storytelkr decides thatAtoth-Nagan converts
Once the demon is close enough to inhale the one Faith point into plundered memories -the demon hrns the
Celestial’s energies, his player makes a Faith roll. The location and identities of Ishmael‘s thr& and faUen allies. The
f
victim resists with his Faith or Torment rating -which- player uses the other two points to increase the Devourer’sFaith
ever is higher. If the demon knows his victim’sTrue Name, ratingbyone,thusulbwinganincreae in lore. Atoth-Nagangains
he adds the victim’s Faith rating to his own dice pool. adot in the Lore of Portals, one of Ishmael‘s House lorepaths.
If the victim wins the contest, he steals a number Rumors persist that there may be rituals that permit
of Faith points equal to his successesfrom the aggressor, mortals to destroy discorporate demons and perhaps even
and he can continue looking for a new vessel. If the store their energies to use for sorcery or to gain power. Such
aggressor earns more successes than the victim, he rituals are rare to the point of being mythical, and demons
consumes the victim and gains strength from its ener- would move mountains to deny humanity such weapons.
gies. The victim in this case is permanently destroyed.
Example: Ishmael’s host bodv is destroved. and he
desperatelyflailsabout for a new bo&. Atoth-hagan is too
fast, though,andhemovesintocmumelshmael‘sdiscorporate For the fallen, reintroduction to the mortal world
1 form. Ishmael’sFaith rating is 5, and his Torment is 6 -so

his player rolls a pool of six dice. Atoth-Nagan has a Faith
rating ofonly 4 -but he knows Ishmael’s True Name. The
Storyteller addsIshmael’sFaith ratingof 5 to Atoth-Nagan’s
comes as a shock. Formerly celestial beings unaffected
by the hazards of nature and physics, they are now
partially mortal beings, with almost all the frailties and
vulnerabilities of their hosts.
pool, for a total of nine dice. The Storyteller and player both The following systems present a variety of ways in
roll. The player rolls three successes for Ishmael, while the which characters can suffer physical or mental harm.
Storyteller rolls five for Atoth-Nagan. Ishmael’s soul is
devoured by the monster, and he is lost forever.
When a Celestial is devoured, the Storyteller makes Derangements are behaviors that occur when the
a roll using its Faith rating (difficulty6). For each success mind is forced to confront intolerable or conflicting feel-
t
on this roll, a portion of the Celestial’s energies is con- ings, such as overwhelmingterror or profound guilt. When
verted into a Faith point. Much like using a mortal’s Faith the mind is faced with impressions or emotions that it
potential in an infernal pact (see EmpoweringThralls, p. cannot reconcile, it attempts to ease the inner turmoil by
252), the conqueringdemoncanuse these Faith points to stimulating behavior such as megalomania,schizophrenia
empower itself,spendingthe points in the followingways: orhysteriatoprovideanoutlet forthe tensionandstressthat
A Faith point can be converted into five freebie the conflict generates.Mortalsand especiallythrallscaught
points, and the demon can use those points to improve in the gripsof the fallenand their Earthboundfoes areforced
its traits (see Chapter Six, p. 128). Only Abilities, to participate in activities and wimess sights that would
Attributes and Willpower can be improved in this way, strain the sanity of the strongest person.
and the demon cannot increase his traits to a level It must be noted that people who are “crazy” are
greater than that possessed by the consumed Celestial. neither funny nor arbitrary in their actions. Insanity is
260

0 6
CHADTERRINE
q:
frightening to people who watch someone rage against willstrike.Wheneverthecharacterfailsatask,thestoryteller
unseen presences or hoard rotten meat to feed to mon- hastheoptionofmakingast Willpowerroll (difficulty8).
sters. Even something as harmless-soundingas talking to Ifthe rollfails,thecharacterlapsesintodepression.Addition-
an invisible rabbit can be disturbing to observers. ally, the character goes into depressionwhenever one of her
The insane, however, respond to apattern only they rollsbotchesorifherWillpowereverdropsbelow2.Rolladie 1
know, stimuli that they perceive in their own minds. To to determine how many scenes the character remains de-
their skewed perceptions, what happens to them is pressed, keeping the number a secret.
perfectly normal. The character’s derangement is there A mortal or fallen in a depressive state loses a point of
for a reason, whether she saw her own children devoured Faith (to a minimum of 1) for the duration of the mental
alive or she begins to believe that humanity must be episode. Upon emerging from the depressive state, the
culled to diminish monsters’feeding stock. What stimuli character is energetic,relentlesslyupbeat and active (obses-
does her insanity inflict upon her, and how does she react sively so) for a number of scenes proportional to the time
to what happens?Work with the Storyteller to create a spent in depression. When the character is in this manic
pattern of provocations for your character’s derange- state, the difficulty of all Willpower rolls decreases by one.
ment, then decide how she reacts to such provocation.
MEGALOMKRIA
FUGUE Individuals with this derangement are obsessed with
Victims suffering from fugue experience “blackouts” accumulating power and wealth, hoping to salve their
and loss of memory. When subjected to a particular variety insecurities by becoming the most potent individuals in
ofstress,the character begins aspecific,rigid set ofbehaviors their environment. The character is invariably arrogant
to remove the stressful symptoms. This syndrome differs and supremely sure of her abilities, convinced of her own
from multiple personalities in that an individual in the grip inherent superiority. The means of achieving such status
of a fugue has no separate personality. Instead, he is on a can take many forms, from devious conspiracies to out-
form of “autopilot”similar to sleepwalking. Decide on the right brutality. Any individual of equal or higher status
kind of circumstance or exposure that triggers this state, be than such a character is perceived to be “competition.”
it the death of a defenseless human, confrontation with a Mortals or fallen with this derangement struggle
specific sort of creature, confinement or something worse. constantly to rise to the height of power and influence,
Make a Willpower roll when the character is sub- by any means necessary. In a megalomaniac’sview, there
jected to the appropriate extreme stress or pressure are only two classes of people: those who are weaker and
(difficulty 8). If the roll fails, roleplay the character’s those who do not deserve the power they have and must
trancelike state. Otherwise, control of your character be made weaker. This belief extends to everyone, includ-
passes to the Storyteller for a number of scenes equal to ing the character’s immediate allies. This derangement
the roll of a die. During this period, the Storyteller may lends an extra die to all of the victim’s Willpower rolls,
have the character act as she seesfit to remove the source due to her towering sense of superiority.
of the stress. At the end of the fugue, your character
“regains consciousness” with no memory of her actions.
MULTIPLE
PIX~ORALITI~
The trauma that spawns this derangement fractures
MCI~TERIA the character’s personality into one or more additional
A person in the grip of hysteria is unable to control personas, allowingher to deny her trauma or any actions the
her emotions, suffering severe mood swings and violent trauma causes by placing the blame on “someone else.”
fits when subjected to stress or anxiety. Decide on a Each personality is created to respond to certain emotional
particular circumstance that triggers the character’s epi- stimuli. For instance, an abused person might develop a
sode: the presence ofchildren,encounteringa monstrous tough-as-nails survivor personality, create a “protector”or
demon or evens something as simple as an open flame. even become a murderer to deny the abuse she suffers. In
Make a Willpower roll whenever the character is most cases,none of these personalities is awareof the others,
subjected to this form of stress or pressure. The diffi- and they come and go through the character’s mind in
culty of the roll is usually 6, increasing to 8 if the stress response to specific situations or conditions.
is sudden or especially severe. Mortals or fallen with multiple personalities can
manifest different Abilities or perhaps increased or di-
MAIYIC-DEPRESSIOR minishedFaithforeach identity, but it is the Storyteller’s
Manic-depressivessuffer from severe mood swings,
responsibility to determine the specific details.
sometimes resulting from severe trauma or anxiety.
Victims may be upbeat and confident one moment, OBS~~SIV~/COMPULSIVE
then uncontrollably lethargic and pessimistic the next. The trauma, guilt or inner conflict that causes this
Mortals or fallen with this derangement are constantly derangementforces the character to focus nearly all of his
n the next mood swing attention and energy on a single repetitive behavior or
26 1

-
DEMON:
THEFALLE~
action. Obsession relates to an individual’s desire to

control his environment - keeping clean, keeping an
Most mortals rarely fear death from a gunshot or a
1area quiet and peacefulor keepingundesirable individuals
car bomb or the claws of a monster. The biggest fear for
from a place. A compulsion is an action or set of actions most human beings is disease - be it a contagious
that an individual is driven to perform to soothe his disease such as AIDS or cholera, or non-contagious
anxieties-placing objects in an exact order, constantly illnesses such as cancer and leukemia.
checking to make sure a weapon is loaded, praying every
For the fallen, disease is rarely an issue as their
few hours to give thanks for surviving that long.
supernatural energies keep their host healthy almost
If a character has an obsessive or compulsive de- constantly. As long as a demon has even one point of
rangement, determine aset ofspecificactionsor behaviors Faith remaining, he is completely immune to any and
that the character follows to the exclusion of all else all diseases. He also does not age as long as he has at
(even if doing so interferes with his current agenda or least one point of Faith in reserve.
endangers his life or others’ lives). The effects of obses- If the demon does run out of Faith, his body loses its
sive/compulsive behavior can be negated for the course immunity. It does not suddenlycrumble to dust from old age
of one scene by spending a temporary Willpower point. or instantly contract the diseases it “should have” caught
,If the character is forciblyprevented from adhering to his before, though. It simply means the character is now just a
derangement, he may lose control among enemies or normal person until he can recoup another point of Faith.
allies and attack either (or both) indiscriminately. In the rare event that a demon without Faith is
PARAiYOIA exposed to a disease, the Storyteller should allow the
The character believes that her misery and insecurity character a Stamina roll to resist the contagion (diffi-
stem from external persecution and hostility. Paranoids culty anywhere from 4 for a minor flu bug to 10 for
obsess about their persecution complexes, often creating Ebola). Minor diseases inflict penalties to dice pools;
vast and intricate conspiracy theories to explain who more serious diseases inflict bashing or lethal damage
torments them and why. Anyone or anything perceived and may even reduce a character’s Attributes.
to be “one of them” might be subjected to violence. If an infected character regains Faith, the disease is
A demon or mortal who suffers from paranoia has instantly purged from his system. Any penalties vanish,
difficulty with social interaction, and the difficulties of and any damage taken heals back at the normal rate (or
all such dice rolls increase by one. The character is faster with supernatural assistance).
distrustful and wary of everyone, even close friends and
family.The slightesthint of suspiciousbehavior is enough DROWNING
to provoke a Willpower roll to retain control, with the Unless aided by supernatural powers, the fallen still
difficulty relative to the degree of the behavior. need to breathe. Your character can drown if he is
submerged completely or held underwater, or if aswim-
~CMIZOPMREIPI A ming roll botches and the Storyteller is cruel (see
Conflicting sets of feelings and impulses that he Swimming, p. 234). A character can hold her breath as
cannot resolve can cause your character to develop indicated on the following chart:
schizophrenia, which manifests as a withdrawal from Willpower
reality, violent changes in behavior and hallucina- can also be spent
tions. This derangement is the classic sort, causing tocontinuehold-
victims to talk to walls, imagine themselves to be the ing one’s breath.
King of Siam or receive murderous instructions from Eachpointgrants
t
their pets. Mortals who turn to conventional medicine another 30 sec-
for help are typically diagnosed as schizophrenic. onds if Stamina
Roleplayingthis derangementrequirescarefulthought, is 3 or lower or
and the Storyteller must determine a general set of behav- another full minute if Stamina is 4 or higher.
iors relevant to the trauma that causes the condition. When your character can no longer hold his breath,
Hallucinations, bizarre behavior and disembodied voices he begins to drown or suffocate. A drowning character
stem from a terrible inner conflict that the individual suffers one lethal health level each turn. When your
cannot resolve.Establisha firm idea of what that conflict is, character reaches Incapacitated, he dies in one minute
then rationalize what kind of behavior it causes. per point of Stamina.
Mortalsor fallen with this derangementare unpredict-
ableanddangerous-evenmoreso thanusual. Insituations
that trigger a victim’s inner conflict, a point of Willpower
ELECTROCUTION
Electricity does nasty things to humans and their
n
canbe spent to avoid its effectsforthe durationof the scene. demonic possessors. An electric shock is consideredlethal

NNE
CHAPT~R
q:
damage. If your charactercomes in contact with a sourceof successes had been rolled. Some demons may be pro-
electricity without appropriate insulation, she takes dam- tected from fire by their apocalyptic form. ,
age. The Storytellermay ask you to roll Strength (difficulty
9) to determinewhether your charactercan pull away from
the current. Armor does not protect from electricity, al-
though an evocation or apocalypticform may.
The following chart shows the amount of damage
delivered based on the source of the electrical shock.
Normal humans may suffer permanent damage or At-
tribute loss if they fall to Incapacitated as a result of
electrical shock, but demons do not. Their enhanced
constitutions urotect them from long-term impairment. POISONS
AND DRUGS
Just as the fallen are immune to the rigors of age and
disease, so too are they protected from the effects ofdrugs
and poisons. While such substances can still affect them,
their superior nature shields them from the worst effects.
There are three types of drug in Demon:
Depressants: Drugs that calm, soothe or dull the
mind and senses. Alcohol, marijuana and heroin are all
depressants. When a character is affected by these drugs,
PALLIIYG he usually loses a number of dice from his pools due to
Characters who leap from rooftop to rooftop must be distraction and lethargy.A mild depressant might remove
prepared for the consequences.Your character might walk one die, while a very powerful one might remove three.
away from a short fall or never walk again after a long one. Stimulants: Drugs that wake you up and give you
The followingchart lists the number of damage dice your energy. Caffeine and cocaine are both stimulants. Most
Storyteller rolls. If your character falls 30 feet or less, stimulants are too mild to have much game effect, except
damage can be diminished by grabbing outcroppings or possibly for adding a die to some Stamina-related pools.
tumbling upon impact. Make a Dexterity + Athletics roll Very powerful stimulants might add a die to Strength or
against the difficulty listed on the chart. Each successon Dexterity pools as well. In all cases, there’s an inevitable
this roll reduces the damage dice pool of the fall by one. comedown after the boost. Fatigue and lethargy usually
Any remaining damage successesare bashing. If your take one to three dice from all pools after the rush is over.
character falls more than 30 feet, no amount of acrobatics Poison: Poisons work like an attack and can be
helps, and the damage is lethal. Modifiers may also apply soaked with a Stamina roll. As a general rule, your
based on where your character lands -concrete hurts a character takes from one to three levelsof bashing damage
lot more than water, depending on the altitude of the fall. per scene or even turn (depending on the intensity of the
The numbers on the chart assume a hard surface awaits. poison). The effects last and damage continues to accrue
until the poison wears off or an antidote is provided.
When a character takes a drug or is poisoned, the
player makes a Stamina roll (difficulty 7 for most sub-
stances). Fallen characters add their Faith rating to this
pool as long as they have at least one point of Faith
remaining. If the roll is successful, the character is unaf-
fected by the drug or the damage of the poison is reduced.
EXTREM~
TEMPERATURE
Extreme heat or cold has an adverse effect on your
character. It may reduce his Dexterity, Strength or even
The nature, extent and temperature of a fire all affecthis mental acuity by reducingWits. Under the worst
affect how destructive it is to your character’s body. The conditions,it deals damage. Frostbite, hypothermiaor heat
greatest danger arises when his clothes ignite and he exhaustion have dire consequences. The Storyteller can
continues to take damage even after the initial exposure represent extreme weather conditions through reduced
to flame. Your character takes damage automatically in dice pools, increased difficultiesor lost health levels.
every turn that he remains in contact with the fire, until Some fallen characters may be able to weather such
escapes or extinguishes the blaze. No damage dice are conditions without problems if evocations or the en-
led for fire. Lethal health levels are simply lost as if hancements of their apocalyptic forms protect them.
263

When, in our whole lives, did we honestly face, in solitude,
the one question on which all turned: whether after all the
Supernatural might not in fact occur? When did we put up one
moment’s real resistance to the loss of our faith?
I In previous chapters, you’ve been introduced to

the world of the fallen - their origins, the failed war
beliefs of their faction over the ancient ties of House and
lord? Will they reject their past entirely, renounce old
against Heaven and their mysterious release from what loyalties and chart their own path to glory? Can they
was believed to be eternal damnation. You’ve learned stand by and watch the corruption of mankind continue,
I about their Houses, factions and powers, as well as the or will they revel in it, hastening the human race to its
mechanics of creating interesting and evocative char- doom? Do they dare resist the tyranny of the Earth-
acters. Now comes the real challenge: bringing the bound, or will they search the world for the lost
apocalyptic world of Demon to life. Morningstar and raise the banner of rebellion once
Demon is about faith, temptation and the heroic more?Above all, do they resist the corrupting influence
struggle for redemption in the face of over&&ning of their Torment or trade their nascent humanity for
odds. The fallen have returned to a cynical, faithless power and become truly demonic?The Storyteller must
world teetering on the brink of destruction. They are draw on the characters’ backgrounds, hopes and ambi-
mere shadows oftheir former glory, clothing themselves tions to create stories that challenge their - and their
in the bodies of men and women, but the untapped faith players’-convictions and beliefs. ASa result, taking on
of six billion souls lies at their fingertips, and they can the role of a Storyteller in a Demon game is very
walk the earth as gods once more ifthey wish. Power and demanding. It requires careful thought and background
freedom beckon for the first time in eons. The question work to build character-driven chronicles and stories.
is: What will they do with it?Willthe fallenheed the call You must create a world that is a nightmare reflection of
of their infernal masters and pave the way for their our OW^, enticing and repellent, exhilarating and horri-
return, laying the foundations for hell on earth? Will fying. You must evoke the thrill of inhuman power and
they turn their backs on the old ways and promote the the temptations that go with it. There is nothing that the

fallen cannot accomplish with enough Faith, but are against the ravages of truly monstrous fallen and creating
i
they willing to pay the price in human misery and the a haven for other demons in search of redemption. This
corruption of their souls? kind of chronicle suggests stories of heroism and sacrifice
Storytelling sounds like a lot to manage all at once, as the characters fight against their former comrades and
and it is at first. Fortunately, the Storyteller doesn’t have face tough decisionson the price they are willing to pay for I
to do it all herself. The secret to successful storytelling is, the sake of their human charges.
ironically, the work of the players. Fulfilling the expec- But what if one player has her heart set on playing a
tations and interests of a chronicle’s players is the first member of the nihilistic Ravener faction and another
trick to creating the game’s setting. Then - if the wishes to be a ruthless, manipulative Faustian, neither of
chronicle and its overall story have been carefully devel- which is compatible with your premise? It’s never a good
oped- the actions of the characters, both good and bad, idea to force character choices on a player, because you
will have consequencesthat spawnfurther stories. Never want eachplayer to feel as ifhe is contributing to the game
forget that the more the players are involved with what and playing a character in whom he is really interested. At
happens in a chronicle, the less work you, the Story- this point comes some amount of negotiation and com-
teller, must take upon yourself. You aren’t supposed to do promise. Perhaps you can interest him in your vision of
it all alone. A Storyteller should have as much fun with heroismandredemptionbutshift the focusofthechronicle
the game as the players, and this chapter details how. to center instead on the characters’ struggles against the
This chapter illustrates the process of creating and menace of the Earthbound, something that every faction
running a Demon chronicle and offers advice for making can rally against.The important point is to make sure that
themostoutoftheindividualstoriesthatcarrythechronicle your ideas and the players’ expectations are in synch
along. Building a detailed and cohesive background, a before you even begin to develop the chronicle, so that
world for your players to redeem (or destroy), begins with everyone’s choices contribute to the concept as a whole
input from your players and your own ideas for what kind of instead of trying to pull it in a dozen different directions.
overall story you would like to tell. Once you have decided Once everyone agrees on the general direction of
on the details of the setting, the next step is creating the chronicle, the players can begin to create their
characters to fill it, again keeping in mind the kind of characters while you shape the world they will live in.
chronicleyou want to tell. After the charactersare in place, It’s worthwhile to do this simultaneously, because it
you can then get to writing the chronicle in earnest, allows your ideas and theirs to play off one another, and
working out the intrigues and events that move the overall it might point you in directions that you could have
story along and draw on each character’sgoals and motiva- missed otherwise. Suppose, for example, that a player
tions. Each step builds upon the next, giving you more and wants to create a character who is fairly young but has
more background to make each story enjoyable and easy to some political connections and moderate wealth. Tak-
manage. If you have never run a roleplaying game before, ing these considerations into account, you could suggest
don’t be intimidated by the big picture. Take it a step at a that the character is the daughter of a prominent local
time, do it for fun, and let your imagination run wild. politician. She’s grown up around the movers and
shakers of the city, which provides her with useful
connections and insight into the city’s politics.
Chroniclesdon’tspringfully formedfromaStoryteller’s This allows you to pose more questions for the
head. They usually start from a single idea or a handful of player. What is the relationship like between father and
impressions. Reading through the rulebook an image daughter?Does she agree-withhis politics? Is he corrupt
leaps out at you: Demons from disparate Houses and or a dedicated public servant?Does his constant struggle
factions unite to protect their hometown against their for reelection strain his relationships with her and other
more monstrouskin, for example, or vow to atone for their family members? Does she have siblings, and are they
past sins by making Earth a paradise once more. The following in their father’s footsteps?Ask questions and
central premise can be grandly epic or gritty and visceral prompt the player to fill in the blanks. Doing so allows
depending on the kinds of stories you want to tell. The him to further expand and enrich his character back-
question is, how do you turn these nebulous ideas into a ground and provide you with a wealth of story suggestions
well-rounded foundation to build your stories upon? for your chronicle. How does the demon reconcile the
The first step begins with the players. Before you can feelings of his host against the desire to enthrall her
really develop the foundation for your chronicle, you must father?What if another demon tries to enthrall him or
have a strong grasp on what sorts of characters they want one of her siblings?How can she use her father’s political
to play and how their concepts relate to your ideas. connections to further her own agenda in the city, and
Suppose you are considering a chronicle where the char- will that bring her into conflict with other fallen or
acters are humanity’sprotectors, guarding their hometown worse, the servants of the Earthbound?Get your players
267

1)EION: THEF.4LLEN
to go into a lot of detail when creating their characters. acter establishthis relationship?Thecontact might be the
i
Sit in with them during the creation process and brain- character’s uncle, a veteran homicide detective who has
storm about their backgrounds, then make the most of a habit of asking pointed questions about the character’s
the information they come up with. They can provide lifestyleand activities (particularly ifhe catches her at the
I
you with a whole host of characters, situations and scene of a recent murder!).
It
conflicts that will be of use to you later. Each Background is an added dimension to the
A character’schoice of Backgrounds providesfurther character concept, containing a wealth of ideas to in-
opportunities to add depth to your chronicle and enrich spire a Storyteller. How does a demon reconcile his
your stories. Encourage the purchase of thralls, contacts, ancient memorieswith the real and immediate ties of his
influence and the like, then brainstormwith the player to host’s family and friends? Does the character embrace
flesh them out. Where do a character’s resources come these relationships wholeheartedly, or does he regard
from?Is she an heiress? Did she win the lottery? Did she them as useful sources of Faith and nothing more?These
stumble onto a drug deal gone sour and steal the blood- situations are some of the first dilemmas that the charac-
stained cash?What effect do these circumstanceshave on ters must face, and they can influence his actions in
who the character is and her place in the chronicle? many subtle ways. While it is always tempting to just
Likewise, thralls or contacts are more than just dots on the gloss over the particulars of each character’sprelude and
character sheet -they are people with their own needs, get on with “being a demon,” doing so leaves out a vital
goals and viewpoints.For instance, suppose a player wants dimension in the character’s struggle against her Tor-
her character to have a midlevel contact in the police ment. Payingattention to thisaspect ofcharacter creation
department. Who is this contact, and how did the char- provides you with a fertile field from which to draw ideas
f
and supporting characters.
Once you have determined a general direction for
your chronicle and incorporated elements of the play-
ers’ characters, you can then move on to establishing
the details of your setting.
A setting is more than just a physical location

where your stories take place. It’s an environment that
reflects the themes of the chronicle and supports the
1 kind of stories you want to tell. Consider the bleak

urban landscape of The Crow and the way it lends
strength to the movie’s themes of death, love and hope.
Would the story have been as powerful if it had been set
amid the clean streets of a sunny Colorado town?
Faith No More: The world of Demon is a darker,
bleaker reflection of our own. As you envision the details
of the setting there are some crucial elements to keep in
mind: The fallen have returned to a world that has
forgotten them. The relentless march of technology and
reason has made a mockery offaith, equating belief in the
divine with childlike ignorance or the delusions of the
mad. People still attend church or pray in the direction
of Mecca, but it’s only lip service to institutions that let
them justify their excesses and vilify those with whom
they disagree. Modern churches are made of glass and
steel, with high-tech sound systems in place of a choir
and their ownTV studios to get the call for contributions
out to the masses. Centuries of greed, violence and fear
have alienated humanity from the divine. Prayers go
unanswered, innocents continue to suffer, and acts of
268

TE~
CIIAPTER
r;:
generosity and compassion are invitations to be victim- cannot shake the dread that humanity is in its final
ized. God, as the famous line once read, is dead in the days. As wars and rumors of wars sweep the globe, and
hearts and minds of humanity. the earth writhes and seethes with heat, even the fallen
Shades of Gray: Coupled with the poisoning of believe that the end of the world is soon at hand.
human faith is a pervasive cynicismin human nature and These points illustrate the essence of the World of
the decay of the fabric of society. Violence and despair Darkness, and they are important because they heighten
are endemic. The rich get richer, the poorget poorer, and the dilemmas that your characters face as they fight
no one believes that things are going to get any better. against their demonic nature. Despair and resignation
Humanity is rotting from within, continuing a sad, slow are all around them; violence and death are common.
decline, and symbols of its decay are everywhere in the What is one more killing, one more lie? How much
weathered fasades of great Gothic churches and granite difference can one person, even an angel, make?Virtues
office buildings. Amid soulless towers of steel and glass such as courage and compassion are hard to find and
might sit an abandoned cathedral whose stained glass is even harder to maintain, but it is the struggle for them
rich with color and beauty from a time now lost. Such a that is important. This struggle is the source ofthe game’s
place serves as a haunting reminder of what might have triumph and tragedy, and the decisions you make in
been or could be again. The world has lost its heroes.
They were caught in sex scandals or taking bribes, or
perhaps they fell victim to urban violence. There is no
strong leadership, no faith in politicians or belief in
building a better tomorrow. People know better.
developingyour setting should take this into account. It
is important to point out that you don’t have to adhere
religiously to these concepts, and the degree to which
you emphasize them is strictly a matter of personal taste.
The only truly important thing to remember is that your
environment should be one in which doing the right and
1
1
The End is Nigh: The sky is thick with pollut-

ants, and the seas are burial grounds for uncounted tons honorable thing is difficult and daunting.
of chemicals and other wastes. The climate is growing There is, of course, no limit to the possible physical
steadily hotter, unleashing brutal droughts and terrible locations you can choose for your chronicle. Future
storms, and rising waters threaten coastal cities and Demon sourcebooks will focus on the city of Los Angeles
islands. The newspapers are full of stories predicting as the game’s signature setting, but details about its
that a terrible catastrophe is looming, and many people infernal inhabitants and their

THEFALLEN
DEMON:
intrigues will be adaptable to almost any setting you backseat to bold, dynamic stories in which fallen angels
choose. If you want to set your chronicle in a large city stride the earth like titans and whole nations are prey to
that you are unfamiliar with, your local library can their schemes of glory, domination and revenge. Operatic
provide useful information and maps, which you can chronicles focus much more on the superior nature of the
then reinterpret to suit yourpurposes.Remember, though, character instead of her mundane, human aspect. Thralls
that you aren’t constrained to be faithful in every detail. are merely pawns to be seduced, used and abandoned.
This is the World of Darkness, and you can shape it any Human relationshipsare few and far between, but they are
way you choose. Consider the preceding guidelines, and intense and passionate when they occur. Cities are back-
adapt the details in favor of your own ideas to build the drops for the characters’ancient feuds,forbiddenromances
proper mood. Many Storytellers prefer to set their and frightening schemes. When they triumph, they save
chronicles in dark reflections of their own hometowns. entire cities from ancient evil; when they fail, the world
Drawing on familiar details helps paint a vibrant picture burns around them and their loved ones lie amid the ashes
for the players and gives the setting avisceral realism that -often slainby the character’sown hand. Operatic stories
is difficult to achieve otherwise. arepure melodrama,but they free the Storytellerto concen-
As you map out the length and breadth of your trate ontelling exciting,action-filledtalesthatdon’t require
locale, draw ideas from important city features, combin- tons of subtletyor attention to mundane details like paying
ing function withsymbolism to make interesting images. the electric bill.
For instance, an abandoned train station in the center of Cinematic:Cinematic storiesfill the middle ground
the city might make an ideal site for a pack of feral between opera and the visceral. The characters are super-
Devourers,contrasting their bestial natures with the old natural creatures with human cares and relationships. In
structure’sfaded grandeur. An abandoned cathedral in a a sense, they exist in two worlds, and their toughest
decayingsection of the city might come to be a haven of strugglesoften revolve around keeping them from collid-
sorts to the fallen, its stained glass and graffiti-stained ing. Cinematic stories contrast the mundane against the
walls providing a poignant reflection of their tragic Supernatural.The fallen fight dynamic, desperate battles
existence and their search for redemption. A grand old beneath the noses of mankind, retreating to the solace of
apartment building in the center of the city might appeal family and friends to nurse their physical and spiritual
to a haughty Devil, holding court in a spacious, gloomy wounds. The struggle to balance the two aspects of the
penthouse rich with the styleof older, happier times long character’s existence provides a wealth of possibilities for
forgotten. Demons are territorial creatures, and the powedul stories that combine realism with wonder.
L places they claim invariably mirror their individual Visceral: Visceral stories are about human char-
character and attitudes. Consider the details of your acters with demons lurking beneath their skins. Rather
setting carefully, and create locations that suggest a than a world-spanning epic or a chronicle of competing
certain mood or contrast the natures of the people who desires, the visceral chronicle is about holding onto the
live there. You don’t have to spend hours exhaustively mundane against the pull of the supernatural. The
detailing every nook and cranny, though. Instead, con- characters may have little to no memory of their time
centrate on two or three cool, evocative details that in the Abyss. Indeed, they might not realize that they
create a memorable image in your mind. are demons at all, as they struggle to explain the
STCILD
OF PLN
miraculous yet vaguely sinister events that surround
them. These chronicles are less heroic and more hor-
An important aspect to consider as the details of rific, and they work best with a very tight focus and a
your chronicle come together is the scope and style of small scale, centering on the characters’ human lives
the stories you want to tell. Will the chronicle follow and the effect their true nature has on everyone and
the lofty ambitions of a band of demon lords and span everything around them. This mundane focus does not
entire continents, or will it focus on the gritty, everyday mean that you can’t have fun with angelic power and
struggles of a handful of fallen who wrestle with their the strugglesbetween ancient, immortal spirits, but the
darker natures as they try to redeem a single, troubled power of the chronicle comes from the characters’
neighborhood? Demon supports a broad spectrum of struggle to uncover the mystery of their true nature.
playing styles,from the operatic to the visceral, and it’s
helpful to determine at the outset what style best
complements the scale of your chronicle.
Operatic:Operatic chroniclesare epic tales that deal
with themes on a grand scale.The actions and ambitionsof
the charactersare larger-than-life,and the consequencesof The chronicle is the overall story that you want to tell.
their decisions are momentous. Gritty realism takes a It is made up of a series of smaller stories in which the
270

TEN
CHAPTER
q:
players’ characters are the central figures. Think of a stand in stark contrast to the rest. Upon their return,
chronicle as a collection of books that tells a long, compli- these factions gain new vigor, aggressivelypursuing their
cated tale. Each book is a story unto itself, which is further agendas far from the oppressive hand of their overlords.
broken up into chapters and then into scenes. What Naturally, this theme works best when all the characters
happens in each individual story greatly depends on the espouse the ideals of the same faction, and such a 1
course of the chronicle as a whole. It’s this stage of chronicle provides a great blend of action and intrigue as
development that is the most demanding and time- they fight, ally, conspire and betray their former compa-
consuming for the Storyteller. Demon chronicles work triots. The potential for passionate ideals, forsaken oaths
best when they have adefinite beginning,middle and end, and grand tragedy makes this kind of chronicle idea for
providing a structure that will increase the power and operatic or cinematic styles of play.
complexity of your stories.Accordingly,youneed to detail The Greater Evil: Every one of the fallen has a
this structurein advance,in orderto organizeyour thoughts, demon lurking in his heart, but his potential for evil is
indicate when to pick up the pace and provide tension nothing compared to that of the Earthbound, monstrous
over the course of individual stories. A chronicle loses its demons who never benefited from the counterweight of a
focus and energy if there is no real end in sight. After all
f
mortal host. They are like dark gods, so alien in their
this work, you want to close things off with a bang, not a madness as to resemble neither angel nor man. Now that
whimper, right? Get a journal or disk and set it aside to these monstrosities have awakened from their long slum-
hold notes and ideas as you outline the course of events in ber, only the fallen stand between them and their vision
your chronicle. Don’t try to keep it all in your head. for humanity’s future. Although the Earthbound them-
At this point, you have a pretty large amount of selves are too powerful for the players’ characters to face
informationtohelp guideyour developmentofthechronicle. directly, their demonic and mortal servants are another
Now you have to flesh out the course the stories will take matter. The Earthbound seek to enslave,banish or destroy
and blend all of the details into a workable whole. The first the newly arrived fallen and complete their nightmarish
step is to choose a governingtheme. A theme is the central plans for dominating mankind. This theme places the
idea that describesthe basic plot of the overall story. Some characters in a situation where they are fighting an
suitable themes for Demon chronicles include: undisputed evil but must decide to what lengths they are
Divided Loyalties: Although they are free at last willing to surrender their humanity in order to stem the
from their prison, the fallen are still bound to the service tide. Is it worth becoming amonster to save innocent lives
of their infernal masters, who have commanded the from an evil that is greater still? This theme works best
characters to prepare the way for their release. Do the with an operatic or cinematic style of play, but it can also
charactersheed the call of their imprisoned overlords and work in an intense, visceral chronicle as well.
effectively create hell on earth, or do they risk the wrath Return to Eden: The world slouches toward
of the Princes of Hell by fightingagainst their release?The oblivion. Everywhere the characters turn, the indica-
risks are terrible indeed, for if the fallen are torn from their tions are clear that the end of this world is at hand. But
mortal shells and returned to the Pit, they will undoubt- for beings who witnessed the creation of the universe
edly suffer for their disobedience. What is more, for every itself, a n end is nothing more than an invitation to
fallen angel that struggles to keep the monstrous demons begin anew. Do the characters fight to pull mankind
in the Abyss, there are ten more who seek just the back from the brink and restore the world to the
opposite, sowing corruption and horror at every turn and paradise it once was, or do they hasten its end in fire and
seeking innocent souls that will make fine vessels for their blood, preserving what they must in order to begin a
overlords. This is a classicheroic struggle against fearsome new age, free from the mistakes of the old?Who gets to
odds that works well with any style of play. decide what that new world will be?Thistheme is ideal
The Search for Lucifer: The disappearance of the for an operatic style of play, but it works equally well
Morningstar threw everything the fallen believed into with a more humanistic, cinematic style as well.
doubt and sowed the seeds of despair that made them into Themes are important because they let you focus the
the monsters they are now. What was his fate, and what events and actions along a central idea. They give your
does it say about the fallen and the future of humanity? chronicle consistency and emotional resonance that you
Further, what happens when and if Lucifer is found?Will can build to a climactic finale. It is entirely possible to
it mean a resumption of the war against Heaven? Is that have more than one theme and style of play. You might
really even something the characters want?This theme is want to create a chronicle that begins viscerally, with
ideal for chronicles that focus on conspiracy and intrigue, characters seeking answers to explain the strange events
and it works best with a cinematic style of play. in their lives. Then, as they learn more and uncover their
A War of Ideals:The fallen are no longer a single, true nature as fallen angels, they are confronted with the
unified host -they are split into factions whose ideals impending end of the world, which leads the characters
27 1

into conflict with other demons and invokes a more You now have a basic outline of the overall events
cinematic or operatic style of play. Multiple themes can in your chronicle. In addition to these major points,
build a rich chronicle for a troupe as a whole, or each smaller plot lines will be spawned by the characters’
character can embody a theme all her own, distinct from personal goals and backgrounds. These subplots can be
her fellows. The only limit is how much effort you, as the tied to the overall plot, or they may be entirely uncon-
Storyteller, wish to devote in developing and smoothly nected, contributing to the whole through character
integrating the multiple threads. development and added conflict. Some ideas for sub-
Once you have chosen a theme, you can begin to plots suggest themselves at the beginning of your
develop the course of events that your chronicle will chronicle, provided by the characters’ backgrounds and
take, from beginning to end. Like any good story, a personalities. Others arise over the course of the game, as
chronicle must have a conclusion to be truly effective, relationships and important decisions influence the
and if you know where the chronicle is going, you will course of events. Incorporate as many of these subplots
have much more confidence in, and control over, your into your chronicle as you feel comfortablewith, because
stories. Consider your initial ideas, the characters and they provide alternative stories that add dimension to
the themes you have chosen, then flesh out the details the characters and the chronicle as a whole.
t
’
of your chronicle as a rough outline of events.
For example, let’s consider the mixed-theme
chronicle provided earlier. The characters begin with
little or no knowledge of their Celestial nature. They
have all experienced strange, even miraculous events,
Once you have created your central themes and
such as awakening from a lengthy coma or surviving a
suicide attempt, yet their otherwise normal lives have detailed the course of the chronicle, you are ready to get
taken nightmarish turns. It begins with intense and down to specifics about your setting and the Storyteller
disturbing nightmares of dark, empty landscapes and characters who exist there. The outline you have devel-
insistent voices commanding them ina terrible language oped should give you a guideline as to which characters
that they can’t understand. Then their lives are plagued you need and when they will come into play. For
by mysterious, even miraculous events. A loved one is instance, in the previous example, the Storyteller would
diagnosed with a terrible disease, then is completely initially develop the mortal friends, family and loved
cured after a visit from the character. A would-be rob- ones of each character, devoting time and energy to
bery goes awry when the attackers are set upon by a pack developing their personalities and relationships. As play
of wild dogs. A longtime rival threatens-to force the progresses, the Storyteller can fill in details of the rest of
character out of her job but suffers a freak accident that the city’sdemons, from sympathetic fallen to monstrous
leaves him dead or injured. Before long, the characters demons with their own agenda for the city, as well as
begin to wonder if they are the cause of these strange other mortals who might play roles in the chronicle. The
events, and they ultimately question their sanity. Their point is that you, as the Storyteller, should not feel like
quest for answersleadsthem to searchnewspapers, books you have to generate a whole world in asingle day. Figure
and even the Internet for signs that they aren’t alone. out what you will need for the immediate point in the
Eventually, they discover (or come to the attention chronicle, develop those elements in detail, then work
of) other demons lurking in the city. These demons try ahead to address your future needs.
to take advantage of the characters’ innocence, using Demon demands well-crafted Storyteller charac-
them as pawns in their own schemes, but the characters ters to make the chronicle vivid and emotionally
piece together the truth about themselves over time. Of powerful. This is especially true of the characters’
course, the truth is hardly comforting -in fact, it only thralls, who are both the source of their power and a
makes the characters’ lives that much more difficult, as potent storytelling tool to reinforce the price of power
they cannot go back to their “mortal” routine knowing and the peril of the demons’ monstrous nature. Thralls
the peril that is growing in humanity’s midst. They must have to be well-realized, multi-dimensional characters
drive the demons from the city (or, if you want a more in their own right, complete with strengths, weak-
operatic scale, the world), while clinging to the life and nesses, goals and ambitions. Each time a demon seeks
love they’d claimed as their own. The stakes grow ever out a human to forge a pact of faith, a relationship is
higher as the plot evolves, placing increasing risk on the forged as well, and unless you make the players work to
characters’ loved ones, until the final showdown. They create and maintain that bond, they won’t think twice
must then decide whether to sacrifice their mortal lives before their characters ravage those thralls for power.
and fully embrace the power of their angelic side or cling Paint them in vivid detail and act through them to
to their humanity and risk death or worse. evoke emotions and ideas in your players.
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The first Storyteller characters you are likely to for character creation, then expand your repertoire of
t
create will be those generated by your players’ character Archetypes as you become more experienced. To make
histories. This is a good place to start, because the interestingcharacters,considerchoosingpersonality types
players will help you brainstorm their affiliates’ lives that seem to run counter to the “role” that you intend
and characteristics. When creating your first Story- them to play in your chronicle. For example, if you are 1
teller characters, work along the following guidelines: envisioning a master villain who will haunt the players’
Envision the role: Each character performs a role characters at every turn, you could challenge the players’
in your chronicle, even down to the accountant who expectations and make the character friendly, outgoing,
crosses a dark parking lot and falls prey to a character’s even compassionate. Make him someone who believes
hunger. Establishwhat role the character is to play, then that destroying the characters is a regretful necessity that
determine what qualities are necessary for the character will benefit everyone in the long run. If the character
to fulfill the role effectively. A potential thrall might you’re creating is one of the fallen, your task is com-
embody qualities of innocence, ambition, terror or de- pounded by the fact you are essentially dealing with a
spair. An antagonist, on the other hand, evokes qualities demonic personality infused with some of the traits of its
mortal host. When you’re creating a fallen character, start
1
of ruthlessness or cleverness or even brute belligerence.
If you are creating a demon character, consider what by definingthe demon’spersonality. How did she view her
House the demon is from and how she views her role in role in the process of Creation? What motivated her to
the grand scheme of Creation. Is she a Devourer who rebel -love for humanity, resentment of God or loyalty
to Lucifer?How did the long war affect her convictions
views herself as a monarch of the animal world, or is she
a feral hunter who lives for the thrill of the chase?Is she
and her perspective on humanity?How did she feel about
their defeat and Heaven’s eternal punishment? Is she a
a Slayer who takes life with regret, or is she a remorseless
low-Torment demon or a monstrous one? If she is mon-
killer who plucks human souls like weeds?What faction
strous, how does her Torment manifest itself?If she is a
is the character aligned with, and what happened during
low-Torment demon, what about her mortal host
the war to cause her to make that choice?What are her
reawakened her sense of compassion and morality?Once
goals now that she has escaped the Abyss?Does she want
you’ve answeredthese questions,then you can move on to
to build a petty kingdom on Earth and sate her appetites, what sort of host your demon chose. The temptation is to
or does she want to find a way to storm the ramparts of go with a personality that mirrors that of the demon, and
Heaven and gain justice for her fellow demons? in some cases, that will be the sort of character that would
Paint a picture: Envision what the character best serve your story, but you can create more strikingand
looks like, taking into account the qualities you have memorablecharactersby creatingcontrastsbetweenmortal
chosen. Pick out one or two characteristics that make and demon. A Devil who possessesa slick and charismatic
the character interesting to you. If you are envisioning politician is effectivebut somewhatstereotypical,whereas
one of the characters’ thralls, for instance, the image of a Devil in the body of a middle-aged soccer mom creates
a tall, broad-shouldered man with a prominently bro- an interesting contrast that accentuates the strengths and
ken nose offers a memorable picture and suggests both limitations of both personalities.
strengths and vulnerabilities that provide hooks for his Personal History: Every significant character in
relationship with the demon in question. your chronicle benefits from some amount of personal
Choose a name: This sounds obvious, but care- history. What conflicts has the character faced?Who has
fully chosen names enhance characters, while poor she loved or hated?Are there enemies or former lovers out
ones detract from the character image and can even there who might cross paths with the players’ characters
lessen the overall mood of the scenes in which the at some point?Did the character have a mentor, and how
character appears. If we took the brawler from the last did the relationship affect the character? Establish a
example and named him Poindexter, the players would character’shistory in as much detail as you deem relevant
have a hard time getting past the name, much less to the chronicle. For a demon character, this history is
appreciating the character and his plight. essential. What were her exploits during the war? With
Age: How old is the character, and how do those whom did she serve?Was she renowned for her heroism
years of life experience affect the way the character or infamous for her mercilessness?Did she commit deeds
looks at the world? Is he young and idealistic, easily that she now regrets?Did she make any enemies among
swayed by promises of power, or is he the sort of man the fallen during the struggle?Who is her infernal master,
who’s suffered years of success and defeat and has and is she still loyal to him after her escape?
enough fatalism to spare for two grown people? Quirks: Everyone is a n individual, and every-
Personality:Choose one or two words that embody one, mortal or fallen, has quirky habits accumulated
the character’s personality. In the beginning, you may over time. Whether it’s drinking milk right out of the
wish to fall back on the Natures and Demeanors provided carton or brooding from the top of the highest building
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in the city, individual quirks further define characters socialitepossessed by a ravening Devourer,or a Devil in the
and make them memorable. form of a truck driving, beer-belly redneck. Sometimes
Flaws/Weaknesses:Nobody is perfect. All people stereotypes have value (especiallyto mislead the players),
have weaknesses or character flaws against which they but for the most part, they should be avoided.
struggle.This is especially important with regards to major
adversaries. Villains who do nothing wrong, make no IRTOTMEFIRE
mistakes and are afraid of nothing are not only discourag- You’ve spent time outlining the chronicle you want
ing but boring as well. Blind spots or flaws provide chinks to tell, as well as building the world and detailing the
in a villain’sarmor that the characters can exploit, or give characters who inhabit it. You have watched your players
an extra level of pathos to a heroic character who must create their characters, and you’ve enmeshed their ideas
battle not only external demons, but internal ones as well. with your own to give the players their own stake in your
Statistics/Skills:Do this last. They’rejust numbers. creation. Now it’s time to begin the tale. Here is where all
Storyteller characters do not have to be constructed along that background work pays off and lets you concentrate on
the careful lines of a player’s character. You can assign a telling your stories in the best way you can.
Storytellercharacter whatever levels and skills you wish. If With your chosen themes and the outline of your
the characters aren’t unique and interesting, the best set of chronicle in mind, you need to establish the events that
numbers in the world won’t do any good for your chronicle. surround the character’s prelude, detailing the event
The key element to makingcharactersmemorable is to that brought about the character’s possession and then
avoid stereotypes. It is easy to get lazy and just describe a eventually led him into contact with the other players’
roving character as a “bestialDevourer,” in which case the characters. This is by no means mandatory, though. In
players fall back on a single well-worn image and set of fact, many Storytellers prefer simply to talk over these
mannerisms to describe what they encounter. Pretty soon details, make some assumptions with the players, then
every“bestia1Devourer”the charactersencounter looksthe get right to the action. Unfortunately doing so means
same,soundsthe same,and acts the same.Defy your players’ losing an opportunity for some powerful storytelling, as
expectations.Withalittle thought,youcangiveacharacter well as a way for both player and Storyteller to explore
a quirky spin that makes her unique and engages your what might be one of the most significant events in a
players’ imaginations.Consider the image of a prim, proper character’s development.
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The circumstances of a character’s prelude can go a agree that this is the young man’s breakingpoint. His spirit
long way toward establishing the often uneasy relation- is broken, and into the void rushes Lharael, Fell Knight of
ship between the demon’s identity and the vicissitudesof the Ebon Legion. Considering the circumstances of the
her newfound mortal existence. Did the character pos- character’sprelude, Fred establishes that Lharael is strongly
sess her mortal host in the crushing moment of being laid affected by his host’s love for his wife and a burning hatred 4
off or slip through the narrow veins of a strung-out for criminals of any kind, but particularly muggers or
heroin junkie?Who are the mortals she first encounters, thieves. As screams echo down the stairwell,Lharael climbs
and how does she react?How do these experiences affect purposefully to his feet, his body already shrouded with the
her perspective on this new and terrible world she has cloak of mists as the fallen knight rises to take vengeance.
awakened in?Working through each character’sprelude After the characters have stepped into their mortal
provides you and your players with a wealth of insights lives, it remains to be seenhow they are all brought together
that you might not otherwise gain. into a group. Introducing the characters to one another and
The best way to explore the fusion of mortal and watching their relationshipsformoverthe courseof the first
demon is by first concentrating on the mortal host’s life story can give the players greater insight into the chemistry
in the hours or even days before possession. Present the
player with his character’s mortal trials and tribulations,
developing his dreams, fears, hopes and needs. Then
comes the day when it all falls apart -the sequence of
events that strips the mortal of his last vestiges of will.
Does he lose his battle against alcoholism, leave his
spouse or lose control of his temper for one brutal,
irretrievable moment? By building the mortal’s past and
bringing him to the moment of truth, you and the player
can gain a better sense of the emotions and relationships
that were paramount in the host’s mind at the moment
he succumbed to the demon. Thus you can establish the
perspectives and feelings that would have the greatest
influence in the demon’s epiphany.
Example: Fred creates a character concept around a
Slayer who possesses the body of a youngman in his early 20s,
freshfrom college and strugglingto make ends meet in the real
world. He is maamied, and his wife has a baby on the way.
Money is very tight, and Fred decides the young family lives
in a bad section of town because it’s the only place with
affordablerent. Fred decides that the man works twojobs and
rides the bus toget to work, takinghimawayfrom homefrom
before dawn until very late at night. He’s sleepless, hungry
and constantly on edge, worried about how to get through the
next month on what little he and his wife bnng home. Susan,
Fred’s Stmyteller, picks up the thread from there. She de-
scribes acoldnightin early winter. Snow andsleet are starting
to fall as Fred’sfamily man lurches off the bus and makes his
way wearily homeward. Today was payday, and with his
wife’s birthday comingup, he splurged and bought her a pair
of earrings she’d been admiring at the mall. He’s so tired and
cold that he fails to notice the five figures that step from the
shadows of a nearby alley and stalk along in his wake.
The thieves jump him as he opens the door to his
apartment building. Before he knows it, they throw him to
the lobby floor and kick him nearly to death. Helpless, he
watches the men tear through his pockets, ripping away his
money, his wife’s present and his keys. Grinning like feral
dogs, the thieves climb the stairs to his apartment. The rage,
frustration and shame overwhelm him, and Susan and Fred
275

of the group and set the stagefor possibleconflicts.The way unconnected stories that may or may not have any-
in which a group of characters can be brought together thing to do with the chronicle, but which provide
1 depends in part on the type of group that they are to form. entertaining diversions. The best way to run a chronicle
The following are some examples: is to intersperse secondary plots in between your main
Harbingers of Hell: The characters are all bound plots to give you some breathing room between major
to the same infernal lord, and their return to Earth was events and to allow you to try out interesting ideas
coordinated to ensure that they would arrive in the without jeopardizing the integrity of your main story.
same general time and place. From there, they were to For your main plots, refer back to your chronicle
go about the tasks directed by their lord, though the outline and use it to suggest the next step that your story
characters may have other plans once they are free from needs to take. The outline that you created for the
his iron control. This approach is the default method chronicle is there to give you guideposts in creating and
for assembling a group of demons, because they can be directing the flow of your main plots.
of different Houses and factions but still share a com- With secondary plots, anything goes. If your players
mon background and history that allows the players to have been sweating through a series of grim and difficult
jump right into the chronicle. main plots, maybe it’s time to throw in something darkly
True Believers: Similar to the previous method, funny to break the tension. Perhaps they encounter a
1 the characters are all from the same faction and are sent band of demon-hunters who make up for skill and
to the same general area by the faction’s elders to knowledge with a little reckless enthusiasm and a lot of
further the group’s agenda. homemade weapons? If the characters are becoming a
Hounds and the Hunter: This method thrusts the little cavalier about their infernal existence, you can
characters w o n one another for mutual survival in a citv create a story involving a mortal family member or lover
that is ove&un with the Earthbound’s demonic and who has become enthralled by a monstrous demon.
mortal servants. Either the characters are newly arrived Secondary plots are good for experimentation and as
and immediately captured, bringing them together and transition pieces between major plots.
giving them an immediate reason to work together on an Any plot should be able to have its central idea
escape, or they find one another more or less by accident summed up in a few short sentences. The following are
as their paths cross while being hotly pursued. a few examples:
Return to the Ruins: The characters are drawn to A monstrous demon arrives in the city and starts
the site of their former home during the war, and they a reign of terror, requiring the characters to take action.
crosspathswithone another insodoing.This setting can The characters are approached by a Malefactor
be as specific as the ruins of a concealed infernal bastion who seeks their help in locating a lost artifact of the
or as expansive as a broad river valley that in ancient Age of Wrath.
times was part of an undersea trench. This option allows
for characters of different Houses and €actions, but it The character’s city is invaded by a group of
provides the opportunity for shared histories that create Earthbound servants who seek to enslave or destroy any
ready made relationships and rivalries. demons they find.
T h e Outcasts: The characters find themselves in If you cannot explain the main idea of the story in
a city controlled by a powerful group of monstrous a couple of sentences, you are probably trying to do too
demons, which throws them together in the interests of much at one time. Focus your ideas into one or two
mutual survival. central actions, thendevelop the course of these events.
It is entirely possible to have a plot within a plot, a
CREATI~GSTORIES side story that runs parallel to the main story you are
There are several key elements to the storytelling telling and concerns one or more of the characters.
process that you should consider when developing your These subplots are good for character development,
stories. They are: plot, conflict, setting and mood. providing extra conflicts or obstacles that complicate
The plot is the sequence of events and actions that the resolution of the main story. Subplots might include
the characters follow from beginning to end. The first the appearance of a character’s former lover, who is in
question you should ask yourself when sitting down to enthralled by the group’s main antagonist, or a member
design a story is what the plot will be. Like your of the group might be called upon to act againstmembers
chronicle, you need to have a clear idea of where the of his own House or faction, then must decide where his
story will go and how you will build the action to a loyalties lie. If enough detail has been devoted to the
satisfying end. There are two types of plots. Main plots creation of the players’ characters, many of the stories
are stories that are integral parts of your chronicle and you create can have additional complications for indi-
that move the overall story along. Secondary plots are vidual members of the group. Make use of these subplots
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whenever possible, as long as they do not detract from belongings. Others sit on the cots or against the walls,
the main story as a whole. By working a character’s staring into space, their expressions lost, as if struggling to
background (or current relationships) into your stories,
you further enmesh the player’s ideas into the chronicle
and actively involve that player in telling the story.
After determining the plot for your story, you then
remember who they were and how they came to this
cheerless existence. Across the room, past the cold and
empty pots of the soup line, lies adark doorway and the stairs
that lead down into the demon’s chambers.
I
must concentrate on the central conflict. Conflict repre- Creating the mood for the story goes hand-in-hand
sents obstacles or opposing forces that the characters must with choosing your setting, because it relates again to
overcome to resolve the plot. Conflict can stem from the kind of atmosphere you want to convey to the
many sources, both within and beyond the player group. players. If the setting consists of evocative surround-
Suppose the characters are confronted by a monstrous ings for the story, the mood is the way in which you
demon who is terrorizing their hometown. They could try choose to describe the surroundings and the actions of
to face him directly, or better yet, they could undermine the characters in them. The secret to evoking a proper
his power by striking at his thralls. Characters with low mood is to emphasizedetails that paint the picture you
1
Torment could object to what is essentiallya series of cold- want to convey, while minimizing others. For example:
blooded assassinations, thus creating conflict within the Fear: T o evoke a mood of fear, emphasize images
character group. Whenever possible, Storytellers should of helplessness, vulnerability and horror. The children
encourage this kind of internal dilemma. More than any stare at you with eyes that are glassy and round from shock.
other kind of conflict, moral conflict presents the charac- They scamper away as you approach, whimpering as they
ters with an obstacle that they can’t simply overcomewith retreat into the shadows. All of them avoid the iron door
brute force. It makes them think, and that is the best kind looming at the other end of the cellar.
of challenge there is. Anger: To evoke anger, emphasize details of vio-
Conflict can be created in any number of combina- lence,frustrationandoutrage.Someoneinthecrowdscream,
tions. Some obvious sources include: a sound of pure rage, then a bottle smashes against the side of
The Clash of Angels: Fallen and more monstrous acar. Astorefr-ontwindowshatters,andthesoundsoffistsand
demons battle for control over a city, town or region. clubs thudding into flesh begin to echo down the street.
Factional Strife: Competing factions struggle to Loneliness: Loneliness is evoked by images of
further their agendas at the cost of their rivals. abandonment and solitude. The theater has m e seen days
Ancient Feuds: Two demon lords pit their of glory; now its grandmarqueeis dark, and the ouindowpanes
servants against one another to settle the score of a feud in the ticket booth are long since broken. Alona one wall,
dating back to the War of Wrath. yellowedposters lingeru&grimyghspanes, cecbratingth;.
Against the Dark Gods: The characters embark premiere of blockbusters and sultry starlets now lost to time.
on a campaign to foil the schemes of one of the Despair: Despair and angst spring from images of
Earthbound and its minions. helplessness, dashed hopes and loss of innocence. They
The Church Militant: The characters are stalked built the boardwalk at the turn of the century for lovers and
by a group of demon-hunters who seek to exorcise children, with brightly painted carnival rides and seaside
them, or worse, entrap them for future study. stands selling candy and confections, or offering prizes to
With the plot and itsconflictsfirmlyinmind,youcan tempt an eager suitor. Now the rides are rusted and dull,
consider the elements of the setting and mood for your their skeletons creak in the cold sea air, and the only souls
story. Setting is as important aconsiderationforeachstory haunting the graffiti-stainedshacks are the derelicts, caring
as it is for the chronicle as a whole. Well-chosen details for nothing more than a little shelter and a place to drink.
can evoke images and impressions that enhance the A carefully chosen setting and details hit the
impact of the tale you want to tell. Try to make the setting players in the gut, getting under their skin and giving
echo the feelings you find to be appropriate to the story. them memorable images that make the gaming experi-
For instance, suppose you wish to have the characters ence more tangible and immediate.
enter the lair of a powerful demon. The way you envision Once you have a strong grasp of these elements, you
the lair and the creature who lives there, you want the have to put them together into individual scenes that
players to feel a sense of helplessness and despair: hook the players, set the stage for the action, build the
The steps of the shelter are crowded, even at midnight. action to a climax, then resolve the story in a way that
Homeless derelictssit singly or in smallgroups, muttering to ties up any loose ends and sets the stage for the next story.
one another and watching the street with furtive, glassy The Hook: The first step in any story is to involve
es . Past the weathered wooden doors is a wide hall filled the characters and pique their curiosity and interest. The
th silent, still forms. Some sleep wrapped in layers of hook can be a stranger appealing to the charactersforhelp,
my clothes, clutching trash bags filled with their worldly a sudden summons to the court of a prince or witnessing
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a sudden and startlingevent. You should create your story fine in books, but not when a group of people have put
hooks to appealdirectly to the characters’personality and in hours of effort to reach a goal. The more the players
backgrounds.For instance, a character who has possessed and their characters have to endure, the more dramatic
the body of a detective might be drawn into a story by a the climax has to be, lest they come away disappointed.
baffling murder or theft that sets the events of the story in An operatic climax should be the stuff of legends- the
motion. If a character has political ambitions, she would characters defeat their foes, fighting against overwhelm-
be drawn into a story that hints at opportunities for ing odds and triumphing through a mixture of skill and
advancement or leverage against her competition. personal sacrifice: when all is said and done, they have
Setting the Stage: Once you have the characters changed the world. A cinematic climax is less broad in
interested, you have to draw them into the story and set scope but no less intense. The chronicle’s events build
out the challenges that lie ahead. Don’t lay all your cards to a grand, action-packed finale -the characters wrest
on the table at once, though. The best way to keep control of a city from the grip of a usurper or defeat an
players curious is to give them only a piece of the puzzle Earthbound demon and its minions once and for all. A
at a time. Let them have a sense of what they need to climax to a more visceral chronicle is usually very
accomplish, an immediate objective toward achieving immediate and personal. The characters face their
I
1
their goal, and give them hints of what might lie beyond.
If the players are smart, they will try to look ahead and
figure out where their characters’ actions will lead them.
If not, they will be open to all sorts of plot twists and
complications to make the story interesting.
Torment and overcome it or watch their lives go up in
flames. It’s more about the decisions the characters
make and how their existence is changed as a result.
Resolution: Also known as cause and effect, this
is the point in the story where the characters see the
f1
For example, suppose the characters learn of a effects of their actions and resolve any loose ends or
child who has been kidnapped by a monstrous demon. questions that came up along the way. This is a step in
The characters might be drawn to save the child for the storytelling process where it is easy to put aside any
diverse personal reasons. One character might just feel real roleplaying and just have a question-and-answer
strongly about protecting children. Another might be session with the players. If possible, try to play out the
obsessed with feeding on the child. Still another might aftermath of a story, letting the players see the effects of
want to rescue the child simply to thwart the plans of their characters’ work. If they wrest aschool or a church
the kidnapper. In the beginning, all the information from the grip of a monstrous demon, look for a way to
they have is the child’s identity and accounts describ- revisit the place later and experience how the charac-
ing the kidnapping. From there, they must learn the ters’ actions have changed it for the better -or worse.
identity of the kidnapper and the kidnapper’s motives, This denouement helps build the sense of a bigger
which can add whole new implications to the story. picture while sustaining players’ interest and curiosity.
What if the kidnapper is a powerful fallen whose favor ~AMPLESTORI~
41 the characters have been courting for some time? Do
they thwart his plans and forfeit their previous efforts?
Building the Action: As the players progress, the
challengesthe characters face should become increasingly
The following are a number of story suggestions
that illustrate different combinations of conflict, plots
and subplots you can use in your chronicles:
Lost Souls: Runaway children are disappearing
difficult,with perhaps a few surprisesthrown in to compli- from the streets around the local bus station, and the
cate things. When you designa story,throw in somehidden police are powerless to catch the perpetrators. Some-
complicationsthat the players don’t know anything about times the bodies of the children are found, clearly
and can be learned only with a little initiative and fore- victims of ritual mutilation and murder; other times,
thought. For example, the demon the characters want to the victim is never seen again. The perpetrators can be
confront might have recently invested in several highly monstrous demons, Earthbound servants seeking a
paid bodyguards,or the mortal contact who is supposed to suitable vessel to contain the essence of their master or
be providing the characters with information and assis- even a band of misguided demon-hunters attempting
tance might be enthralled to one of their adversaries.Try to to “save” the children of the street from evil.
pull the rug out from under the characters at least once Hail to the Chief: It’s election time, and the
during the story, but allow them the chance to head off the media is abuzz with the meteoric rise of a grassroots
problem if they use their brains and are resourceful. As the candidate who has taken the city by storm. Her cha-
difficultiesincrease and the tensions mount, you can build risma and charm sway even her staunchest opponents,
the action to a dramatic finale. and her views on even the most controversial issues
The Climax: Your ultimate finale must be worth only serve to increase her standing among the public.
the effort the characters went through to get there. Somehow she has remained free from the taint of
This is a golden rule of storytelling. Anticlimaxes work scandal, though there are rumors that two journalists
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investigating her past abruptly abandoned their efforts. nurture and protect the patients there. Do thecharacters
(One joined her campaign staff, while the other retired carry out their orders (the master can’t force them to
from the media entirely.) Is she a demon, or a mortal in obey while still locked in Hell), or do they find some
service to one? Should she be stopped before she gains other way of fulfilling their master’s wishes?
power? If she is exactly what she seems, a natural Relics from a Bygone Age: The characters are
politician with enormous leadership potential, can the approached by a Malefactor who begs for their help in
characters protect her from being enthralled? recovering a relic from the estate of a local collector.
Knocking on Heaven’s Door:There is a church in According to the Malefactor, the relic dates from the
the worst part of the city that has stood as a bastion offaith War of Wrath and is a powerful device in the hands of
inaseaofviolence,degradationanddespair for years. Now someone who knows how to use it, but the demon is
the local priest’s campaign against drugs and prostitution evasive on exactly what the device is and what it can
has earned the ire of one or more of the local gangs, who do. T o make matters more complicated, the collector is
have taken a perverse interest in terrorizing the church himself a thrall in the service of another Malefactor,
and its congregation. Such coordination is very unusual and he has recently acquired the relic illegally from an
1
among a group of seeming enemies - unless they are archaeological dig in India.
being directed by a greater power. Which side do the The Last Bastion: Local folklore tells tales of
characters take in the struggle?Do they act to protect the mysterious happenings amid a series of foothills outside
priest from the mysterious demon and his seemingly town. Strange lights in the dead of night, mysterious
endless supply of gangbangers, or do they side with the apparitionsand unexplained disappearances have been 1
demon and pit themselves against the church? As an recorded in the area for years. Are the stories a collec-
interesting twist, what if the priest is in fact the villain of tion of simple legends, or do the occurrences point to
the piece, using his influence to sow discord and cormp- the existence of an ancient rebel stronghold hidden in
tion among the community, and the demon is fighting the hills? If true, what ancient relics - and timeless
against him with the only tools he has available? dangers -might wait for those bold enough to find the
Bell, Book and Candle: One or more of the concealed fortress? This story is a good beginning to
characters is contacted via invocation by a former your chronicle if you want the players to have a safe
comrade in arms, ademonwho has just recently arrived haven they can take refuge in between stories.
on Earth and has fallen into the clutches of a group of Ipew CHARACTEM
IICITRODUCIIYG
demon-hunters. The demon is being subjected to rites Over the course of any chronicle, the cast of
of exorcism, and is desperate for help, but he can central characters often changes. Demons lose their
provide only vague clues as to his location. Can the mortal hosts and are hurled back into the Abyss,
characters track down the demon-hunters and free become lost to Torment and pass out of the control of ,
their comrade before it’s too late? the players, or the players themselves sometimes have
Oath of Fealty: A group of powerful demons has to drop out of the game and are replaced by newcomers.
arrived in the city with the aim of subjugatingor banishing Introducing new characters into an already established
any fallen they encounter and claiming the city for their group can be difficult from a story standpoint. How do
own. Do the characters marshal their forces and declare they find the other characters?What motivation would
war on the interlopers, or do they choose a more diplo- the other characters have to accept a stranger into their
matic course and try to forge advantageous alliances with midst?What reason would the group have for trusting
the invaders?This story can easily be the beginning of a this newcomer with their secrets, and vice versa?
mini-chronicle, as the charactersascertain the strength of One of the easiest ways to bring the new character
their opponents and explore various avenues of diplo- into the group is to have her literally sent to them via one
macy, intrigue and combat to resolve the situation. of the lords still trapped in the Abyss. One way to create
Blood Feud:The characters’ infernal masters may a relationship between the newcomer and the group is if
still be locked in the Abyss, but they can still reach into the lord in question is also the master of one or more of
the minds of their minions and give them ominous tasks the established characters. The newcomer is directed to
to perform. In this case, one or more of the players’ the same locale as the group and given enough informa-
characters (if they share the same master) are contacted tion to allow the character to locate the others relatively
and commanded to seek out the vassal of another infer- easily. You can have the character bear a message from
nal lord, with whom their master has a long-running her lord to the group by way of introduction, thus
feud. They are to sabotage the minion’s efforts,whatever creating a convenient basis for acceptance.
they may be, and banish the unfortunate demon back Another possibility is a chance encounter brought
into the Pit. The fallen inquestion has taken the body of about by the use of Celestial powers. With their super-
nurse at a local hospital and is using her powers to natural awareness, the fallen can detect the use of lore or
279

THEFALLEN
DEMON:
the expenditure of Faith from a long way away. When a and a little bit ofcourage if you are self-conscious.Don’t
situation arises that causes one or more members of the get stressed - you’re playing a game with friends.
I group to dramatically employ their powers, you can then Encourage the players to participate, even give an extra
have the newcomer detect the flare of Faith and use it to experience point at the end of each session for good
track them down, even if it’s only for curiosity’ssake. If interplay if you want. Conversation is an art and a skill,
the newcomer arrives in time to contribute to the group’s and it gets better with practice.
efforts, say by helping turn the tide against a gang of Action: Make your action scenes dynamic and
demon-hunters, this creates a reason for the group to explosive -bones crunch, blood sprays,guns thunder,
look kindly upon the new arrival. and objects blow apart under a hail of bullets. Keep the
If the chronicle is set in a locale that the characters dice rolling in combat scenes to a minimum, interpret
fought in during the war, it’s also possible that the new the results quickly and then launch into pulse-pound-
characterwas a former comrade in arms who was drawn to ing description. (“The Slayer rises like an ill wind,
the area by the same lure of familiarity as the rest of the shrouded in mist and darkness, and fastens its pale
group.Past relationshipsprovideexcellentways to smoothly hands on Azrael‘s face. The Devil writhes in pain as the
integrate new characters and inspire new stories revolving Slayer’s touch sucks the life from his mortal form.”)
r around past friendships, rivalries or debts of honor. The key element is the intensity of the experience.
TELLING
TMETALE
Don’t be afraid to fudge results sometimes to keep the
action and pace at a fever pitch.
It is not enough todesigna g d s t o r y-it must be well Mystery: Keep the players guessing. Never show
told, presented with detail and energy. When you tell your them the full picture of what is going on. Nothing in
story, strive to make the most of the following qualities: the World of Darkness is quite what it appears to be,
Description: Make each scene vivid with detail. and it is good to emphasize this point with plot twists,
The quality of your descriptions affectseverything from betrayals and hidden complications to your stories.
the mood you want to convey to the action of a brutal Influencing Events: Demon is about telling a
firefight. Describe people, places and activities in a way good story, which requires careful planning and an
that engages all of your players’ senses. The more detail idea of where the events of your chronicle are leading.
you can give, the easier the scene is to envision, and the The problem is that sometimes the players will throw
more alive it becomes. you a curve. Perhaps they will miss the obvious clue
Characterization: Make your Storyteller charac- that will expose the central mystery of the chronicle,
ters individuals. This is ten times harder for you than for or maybe they will go in a totally unexpected direc-
the players, because they only have one character to tion and stumble onto a part of the story that they
concentrate on, while you have an entire world. The weren’t supposed to deal with yet. Worse yet, one of
amount of attention you can give to each character them gets a lucky hit in battle and kills off the major
depends, naturally, on how important she is to your villain whom you had planned to be their major
1 chronicle. Major characters should be treated with all adversary for the next 12 stories. There are no easy
the depth and detail of a player’s character. Get inside solutions to these situations, but basically you have
your characters’ heads, use their histories to determine
two courses of action to choose from. You can either
what kind of personality that they might have. Give
roll with the punches and adapt to the changes, or you
them hates, fears and hobbies. For minor characters,
can use your godlike powers to avoid the problem
single out a few distinguishing characteristics. Make
entirely. The best rule of thumb is to fudge events
them absent-minded or abrasive or neurotic or what-
directly only if it enhances the game as a whole. If the
t
ever. Don’t be afraid to use little quirks that you might
characters miss a vital piece of data, steer them back
observe about people in everyday life.
toward it. If you would rather see your major villain
Dialogue: This goes hand in hand with charac- killed off in a more dramatic way, fudge his soak rolls
terization, and it is possibly the most important skill a
and let him limp away. Use this sparingly. It is your
Storyteller must master. When characters talk to one
privilege as the Storyteller, but if you abuse it, you will
another in the game, whether within the group or with
convince the players that their characters can’t really
Storyteller characters, act out the conversation. You
succeed at anything, which ruins the game.
can bring out more depth to your characters and make
the experience more immediate with dialogue, expres- COMMAIYDMERT~
TME
sion and body language. Give each character a The art of storytelling is a process, like any artistic
distinctive voice and mannerisms appropriate to her endeavor, and it might seem like an overwhelming task
personality. Acting out dialogue doesn’t come easily- at first. The main elements to remember, though, can
it takes a quick mind and some improvisational skills, be broken down into five “musts” and five “must-nots.”
280

CHAPTER TEN
1:
You Must ...
Involve the Players Whenever Possible: In-
corporate their ideas and backgrounds into your city
and chronicle. Doing so will take some of the burden
of world-building off your shoulders and give the
players more of a stake in the story you are telling.
Ultimately, the players should be the most important
-though not necessarily the most powerful -deni-
zens of your chronicle.
Accommodate the Players’ Expectations: Re-
member, it’s their game, too. You need to have some
idea of what kind of game the players want to play
before developing your chronicle.
Work Things Out in Advance: The more
information you have worked out before game time,
the more attention you will be able to devote to telling
the story. If you’ve taken the time to think through the
story’s various twists and turns, you will be better able
to cope with the inevitable player curve ball.
Keep the Story First and the Rules Second: Do
not let the tale you want to tell get held back by the
rules. You can make them or break them as you see fit,
as long as doing so enhances the story and makes it
more enjoyable for the players.
Use Description, Dialogue and Action: Make
your world come alive with vibrant description, in-
volving sights, smells, taste and touch. Encourage
roleplaying by acting out conversations and using dif-
ferent voices to individualize your characters. Keep the
pace and intensity high with dynamic action.
Conversely, You Must Not ...
Rely on Stereotypes: Nothing drains the life out
of your chronicle faster than an endless parade of
identical, cardboard characters.
Forget the Payoff: If the players work hard and
make smart decisions, their characters’ success must be
in proportion to the challenges they have faced. 0th-
erwise, they will feel cheated.
Tell T h e Players Everything: Much of the
challenge in a game is in the mystery, the parts of the
story that you hold back for the players and their
characters to discover on their own.
Abuse Your Power: You are the final arbiter
of events, and your word is law, but you cannot use
this authority to beat the characters into doing what
you want them to do. It is a game, it’s for fun, and
everyone should have a good time, whether it fol-
lows the script or not.
Panic: If the players pull the rug out from under
you, don’t be afraid to call a break and take some time
to collect your thoughts. I t will happen a lot at first, but
after a while, you will be able to handle anything they
throw at you.
28 1

To do aught good never will be our task,
But ever to do ill our sole delight,
As being the contrary to his high will
Whom we resist. If then his Providence
Out of our evil seek to bnng forth good,
Our labor must be to pervert that end,
And out of good still find means of evil.
-John Milton, Paradise Lost
For all their power, the fallen do not lack for man or a woman that, for all their miseriesand faults, still
enemies. Monstrous demons, mortal demon-hunters possessed qualities of compassion and humanity that
and the twisted servants of the Earthbound are three of shook the demons from their all-encompassing Tor-
the most common types of antagonists that threaten a ment. Thevast majorityofthe fallenremainas the Abyss
fallen angel’s freedom, not to mention the lives of those made them: anguished, malevolent monsters, eager to
mortals who are bound to them. reclaim their lost glory and revenge themselves against
Storytellers are encouraged to use the following God and man. Monstrous demons are the primary foes
profiles as sources of inspiration to create their own the players’ characters will face, whether as predators
colorful and challenging antagonists. These profiles are stalking the souls of a city, rivals for power or the primary
only general guidelines, though. You are encouraged to agents and shock troops of the Earthbound.
embellish, alter or dismiss any of the details provided to
better match the needs of your story. DEVILS
State Senator Edward Carson ghred at the man
across the wide expanse of his antique desk. “What are you
trying to pull?”
Of all the multitudes of fallen who have returned to William Zobel smiled. “I’mnot trying to pull anything.”
the world in the wake of the Maelstrom, only a few have “But this is politlcal s d ! ” Carson said. “Iftheairport is
had the good fortune to find themselves in the body of a expanded, hundreds of people will lose their homes. Elkwood

1 CII4M’ER ELEI.EN
I
Village would lose a third ofits tax base because of theexpansion. Backgrounds: Followers (1-3), Influence (1-3),
Ifmy name is attached to th;s bill, I’ll lose the next election!” Resources (1-5)
Zobel shook his head. “You need to relax.”
ZOWL
WILLIAM
Nature: Director
“Listen,” Zobel repli
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2,
Charisma 3, Manipulation 4, Appearance 3, Percep-
tion 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 4
Abilities: Alertness 2, Bureaucracy3, Computer 1,
Drive 2, Empathy 2, Etiquette 4, Expression 3, Fi-
nance 4, Intimidation 4, Law 3, Leadership 4,
r
Performance 2, Politics 5, Stealth 1, Subterfuge 5
Backgrounds: Followers 3, Influence 3,Resources 4
Willpower: 7
Faith: 6
Torment: 8
Apocalyptic Form: The Visage of Radiance
Lore: Radiance 3, Celestials 2, Humanity 3
SCOURGE3
Billy was coughing again, dragging Jessica again from
a deep, drug-induced sleep. She winced at the pain in her
abdomen as she tried to raise her head. The doctors had cut
Zobel’s cold stare was
dirty work, whether it’s a corporate takeover or the

assassination of a potential rival. They collect powerful
mortals like a craftsman assembles a set of tools, selecting
individuals with specific applications in mind, using and
expending them as needed. They are corporate tyrants, utton down. Please
crime lords, corrupt politicians or radical revolutionaries.
Personality: High-Torment Devils exude an aura
of self-confidence and authority, and thus present the
image of a natural leader. They are brilliant, suave and
extremely charming, but the polished veneer hides a scream. How did it
monster who delights in subverting powerful leaders ooice said, movingcloser.
and crushing the spirit of those who defy them. Archi-
tect, Autocrat, Curmudgeon, Director, Fanatic,
Traditionalist and Visionary are common Natures. going to be a bad girl,
Attributes: Devils have strong Social Attribute
ratings, especially in Charisma and Manipulation. nightmares, monstrous res that exist to in-
Mental Attributes, especiallyWits and Intelligence are
also useful in the art of the dark deal.
Abilities: Devils usually have high Subterfuge,
Expression and Intuition ratings. Many also find uses
for Etiquette and Performance.
285

,
DEVON:
THEFALLEN L
I
Personality: Monstrous Scourges are often spiteful

and quick to anger, and they take an almost feline
Chris noticed Greg admiring his new sculpture, called
delight in tormenting their victims over a long period
Iron Christ.
of time. Bravos and Autocrats are common Natures
(‘Sowhat do you think?” Chris asked.
among these Scourges
Greg continued to stare. It was a ten-foot-high cross,
r Attributes: These Scourges tend to have very low made of rust-colored iron beams. The Christ figure was
Social Attributes, though some try to develop their d e of black iron rods.
Manipulation. They favor Wits and Perception.
1
i
Abilities: High-Torment Scourges tend to possess
Empathy, Intimidation, Stealth and Medicine at me-
Finally he replied. “It’s... very moving.”
“Thanks.”
“Ican’t explain it.” He wagged his finger. “It’salmost
dium to high levels. as if you’ve captured Christ’s transcendence from the
Backgrounds: Pacts (1-3), Paragon (1-2) human to the divine.”
ROBERT b W E “Most people just see a statue of Christ,” Chris said as
Nature: Bravo he finished his drink. “Yousee the deeper meaning.”
Gregnodded. “I look at it, and I see the empowement
of the cross.”
tion 5, Intelligence 4, Wits 5 “One of the most powerful symbols in the world,’’
Chris added.
Abilities: Alertness 4, Awareness 3, Brawl 2,
“Thisis thebest depictionof the&fixion I bve ewerseen.”
Dodge 4, Intimidation 5, Medicine 3, Security 3,
“Now, now,” Chris replied.
Stealth 3, Subterfuge 3
“No, this is it!” Greg insisted.
Backgrounds: Pacts 2, Paragon 1 Chris shrugged.
Willpower: 5 Greg finally turned toward Chris. “I never thought
Faith: 5 you’d have it in you. Your early work was so.. .’,
Torment: 8 “Modern?”
Apocalyptic Form: The Visage of Awakenings “Well that, too, I guess,” Greglaughed. “Chris, what
Lore: Awakening 3, Winds 2, Fundament 3 inspired you?”

I CH4PTER ELEI EN
I
Chris set down his glass and looked at his work.

“One day I woke up, and the truth was clear to me. I Even as she sobbed, Professor Emily Habenstein heard
knew that I had to show the world the truth about God.” the footsteps entering her study.
Greg smiled. “I think you succeeded. Let me tell you “Get it out of my mind!” she bawled.
something. I’m so sick of artists making Piss Christs then “Butyou’reso close,”afnghwrzinglyfamiliar voice replied.
claiming they’re actually being reverent to God.”
Chrisshookhishead.“Theydon‘tknew how to treatmidol.”
Greg nodded. “I want to buy this for my church.”
Chris pointed toward a woman stunding nearby but
affecting disinterest. ((Youneed to speak to Mary .”
They talkedfor afew m e minutes, befme Gregkfc. Chris
grabbed a drinkfrom a waiter, and raised a toast to his work.
“The best is yet to come,” he said.
Concept: High-Torment Malefactors delight in
1
making objects of wonder and desire that ultimately
enslave or destroy their owners. Many see this as a
source of poetic justice -the earth poisoning mankind
for a change. These demons frequently ensnare large
numbers of thralls with their creations, consuming
them slowly as they siphon off their Faith to create still
f
more cursed items.
Personality: Malefactors revel in their dark works
of art. For some, corrupting humans is merely an
afterthought to their greater vision. Architects, Bon
Vivants, Perfectionists and Visionaries are common
Natures among these Malefactors.
Attributes: Malefactors tend to have high Mental
Attributes, especially Intelligence and Perception. someone else do it for you?”
strong Social Attributes, especially “Fuck you! ”
Suddenly, Emily screamed. She fell of her chair and
s, all Malefactors have started rolling on the floor, screaming, “No! No!”
gs. Alertness, Aware- “Letmet e R y o u s d , Emily ,”Joerepkd,s h h g h head.
“OnceIwdkedamongstthestars.ButGodtmkthutueuayfimme.”
Emily stopped rolling.
“I sufseredfor aeons because of you. Now it’s your turn.”
Concept: Fiends with highTorment weave tangled
webs of madness and fate that ensnare both mortal and
I
demon alike. Where once they tried to maintain the
balance of the Grand Design, now they try to manipu-
late it to serve their own vision of the future.
Personality: Many Fiends tend to be highly ma-
nipulative and very condescending toward humanity.
Awareness 4, Brawl 1, They know full well that humans, and even some
fallen, can’t even begin to understand the Truth.
Occult 3, Performance 2, Res Architect, Bravo, Conniver, Curmudgeon, Director,
Subterfuge 3 Perfectionist and Visionary are common Natures.
Attributes: Most Fiends have high Mental ratings,
Resources 2 especially Perception. Many also have strong Manipu-
Willpower: 8 lation scores.
Abilities: Alertness, Awareness, Empathy and In-
Faith: 8
tuition are usually high, reflecting the Fiends’powers of
Torment: 9 observation. Some may learn Science (Psychology) to
Apocalyptic Form: The Visage of the Forge better understand the frail minds of humans.
Lore: Earth 3, Forge 3, Humanity 2 Backgrounds: Pacts (1-2), Paragon (1-2)
287

DEMOY:
THEF.AI,LEV
.
L
JoeVoss Y o u like that, don’t you, slave?”

Nature: Director NO! he thought, but to his horror he found his head
1 Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2,
nodding eagerly for more.
“There’sso much more you and I can do,” she hissed.
tion 5, Intelligence 4, Wits 4 With a pacticedflick of her wrist, the whip snaked out and
Abilities: Academics (Theology) 2, Alertness 5, clipped offhisearlobe. Michael screamed,pleasure and pain
Awareness 4, Brawl 1, Computer 2, Dodge 3, Empathy entwined, and Helen savored it like wine.
4, Etiquette 2, Firearms 1, Intimidation 2, Intuition 4, Helen walked in front of Michael. Her brown eyes
Investigation 2, Medicine 1, Science (Psychology) 3, looked into his.
Stealth 3, Subterfuge 3 “Won’t you help me build my dog house?”
Backgrounds: Pacts 2, Paragon 1 Concept: While some Devourers use violence to
Willpower: 9 strike back at humanity, the deeply anguished Defilersuse
Faith: 7 a more subtletactic. Industrialsocietyhas isolated people.
Torment: 7 The mass media makes them ashamed of their bodies.
Humans want lovers. They want to look beautiful. Defil-
Apocalyptic Form: The Visage of Patterns
ers play on these desires to enslave humanity, and many
1 Lore: Light 2, Patterns 3, Portals 3 desperate people are all too willing to fall into their trap.
DIYILEM Personality: Defilers can have almost any De-
meanor, and it’s usually quite the opposite of their true
Michael moaned as Helen pulled the straps tighter.
Helen walkedinfrontofMichael,hergreeneyes showing Natures. High-Torment Defilers tend to have Con-
through her leather mask. She caressed her black whip. niver, Gallant and Trickster Natures.
“The word on the street is that you’re starting to slip,” Attributes: Charisma and Manipulation Attributes
tend to be high. These characters also tend to have
good Dexterity and Stamina scores.
his chest. “You’relosing Abilities: These Defilers usually have good Alert-
spered. “Your competi- ness, Empathy, Expression, and Intuition Abilities.
” she pinched one of his Etiquette and Performance are secondary in impor-
tance, but also valuable.
Backgrounds: Allies (1-3), Contacts (1-2), Fol-
lowers (1-3), Pacts (1-3)
E I ~ L TISDALE
~N
Nature: Director
Charisma 4, Manipulation 5 , Appearance 4, Percep-
tion 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3
Abilities: Alertness 4, Athletics 3, Brawl 2, Dodge 3,
Empathy 3, Etiquette 2, Expression 3, Firearms 1,Intimi-
dation 4, Intuition 3, Law 3, Leadership 3, Linguistics 2
(Spanish, Portuguese), Melee 2, Occult 2, Performance4,
Politics 2, Stealth 3, Streetwise 4, Subterfuge 4
Backgrounds: Contacts 2, Followers 3, Pacts 3
Willpower: 7
Faith: 7
“Yourwomen are us Torment: 9
Michael. You can unload
Apocalyptic Form: The Visage of Longing
“But mistress, I can’t
The whip cracked besi Lore: Longing 3, Storms 2, Humanity 3
through the flesh of his ear
“Youdon’twant to be known as a dog keeper, do you?”
D~vou~xmz
“Fuck!” Michael felt warm blood run down his neck. Tiptakzjsniffed the forest air, and a growl rumbledfrom
He writhed in the chair, but the straps held him fast. his throat. Humans, he thought. And close. Very close.
The whip raked across his back, splitting the skin and The demon slipped silently through the trees, rage fuel
scoring into the flesh beneath. Michael howled. his lean, powerful limbs. The scent grew stronger, and n
288

CHAPTEK ELEIEN
<:
Tiptakd could hear the sounds of hammering. ‘Thedemon Faith: 8
bared his fangs. This mountain was his. He’d given enough Torment: 9
of his blood for humanity duringthe war, lost enoughfriends Apocalyptic Form: The Visage of the Beast
and seen enough of the world ruined in vain. No more. Lore: Beast 3, Flesh 3, Wild 2
A few more leaps, and he could see the humans.
Dressed in camouflage jackets, they were hammering metal SLA!m33
spikes into trees and marking them with flags. Apil-Sin caressed the water-stained casket. He could
feel the invisible tethers against his fingertips.
“I’m waiting.” He whispered. The tethers vibrated.
Apil-Sin extended his senses into the shadow lands. Dur-
ingthe war, he helped build theshadow lands toprotect the souls
ofhumanityfiomannihilation(orwhatever Godintended todo
with them). It was supposedto be their separate Eden. Now an
endless storm ravaged the Slayers’ creation. Over the roaring
winds,he could hear the screams of countless souls.
There was one in particular who interested him now.
The Slayerfocused his will and called out the specter’s name.
In the living world, the lights flickered. In the shadow
lands, an apparitioncoalescedout of the storm. Its body was
formless, but its eyes glowed a fiery yellow.
“WHOSUMMONS ME?” the wraith howled.
Hundred of mouths appeared across the spirit’scorpus,
each filled with sharp fangs. It leapt at the demon with a
deafening roar. Apil-Sin held up his right hand. The wraith
stopped as if it had slammed into a brick wall.
susceptible to influence from monstrous demons of the “I don’t have time for this, Marvin,” Apil-Sin said.
higher-status Houses. Therefore, these demons are rou- “We have work to do.”
tinely seen as enforcers, hunters and raiders in the service The wraith struggled vainly against the Slayer’s will.
of monstrous demon lords or the Earthbound. llvclho are you?”
Personality: Autocrat, Bravo, Curmudgeon, Loner Apil-Sin smiled. “I would have thought that was obvi-
and Rebel are common Natures among these Abomi- ous by now, Marvin. I am your master.’’
nations. Usually their Demeanor matches their Nature.
They have no need for deception or artifice.
Attributes: Abominations always have highPhysi-
cal Attributes, even if their original hosts weren’t
physically fit. Many have high Wits and Perception,
Attributes that are useful in the wild. They also tend to
have low Appearance and Charisma.
Abilities: All have Alertness, Brawl, Dodge, Intimi-
dation, Stealth, Survivaland Animal Ken. Those call the
cities their home may also have Streetwise and Melee. will all belong to them.
Knowledges tend to be limited to what their host knew.
Backgrounds: Pacts (1-3), Paragon (1-2)
they usually direct toward ghosts.
TIPTAKZI Humanity’s attitude toward the afterlife amuses
Nature: Loner many of these Slayers. How can they be so sure about
Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5, their fate when even the fallen don’t know the truth?
Charisma 1, Manipulation 5, Appearance 1, Percep- Attributes: Like all Slayers, they tend to have high
tion 5, Intelligence 2, Wits 5 Mental Attributes, especially Perception. They also
Abilities: Alertness 5, Animal Ken 4, Brawl 4, have high Manipulation scores. Many also have high
Dodge 4, Intimidation 4, Investigation 3, Medicine 1, Stamina ratings.
Stealth 4, Survival 4 Abilities: Alertness, Awareness, Intimidation,
Backgrounds: Pacts 1, Paragon 3 Intuition, Stealth and Subterfuge are common Abili-
Willpower: 6 ties among these Slayers. Many also have good
289

~~
DEMON:
THEFALLEN
Investigation skills. Those involved with death cults “Davidclaimed he could sense aliens,” saidlill Gilman,
may also gain access to Occult Knowledge. another co-worker. “He said he’d get a tingling feeling
Backgrounds: Followers ( 1-2), Influence (1-2), whenever they were near him.”
Pacts (1-3) Gilman later added, “Davidbelieved that the aliens had
to feed off of us. That’s why they didn’t try to take over all
APIL-SIFI of humanity. They need us for food. I think he said that each
Nature: Conniver alien needed at least 100 people to sustain it.”
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 1, Stamina 4, A neighbor, who would only identify himself as Jack,
Charisma 3, Manipulation 5, Appearance 2, Percep- c h m s that G i l m n wasn’t always obsessed with aliens.
tion 5, Intelligence 3, Wits 4 “He used to be a normal guy. He wasn’t very social,
Abilities: Alertness 3, Awareness4, Brawl 1,Com- but then again who is?”
puter 2, Dodge 4, Etiquette 2, Firearms 2, Intimidation That changed a few months ago, according to Jack.
4, Intuition 3, Medicine 4, Occult 3, Politics 1, Re- “Isaw him runningintohis room, and he didn’treply when
search 3, Subterfuge 3, Stealth 3 I asked him what was up? I don’t know, maybe he was running
Backgrounds: Contacts 2, Influence 1, Fol- away from someone. The next day, I saw him throwingout his
lowers 2, Pacts 2 stereo and TV. I asked him what was up, and he replied that
Willpower: 6 they were bugged. Istoppedtalkingto himafter that. Occasion-
Faith: 8 ally, I’dhearhim yell, ‘Stopspyingonme,’or‘You’lEnevereat
Torment: 8 my bruin!’ 1was surprised he wasn’t locked up.”
Witnesses to the shootingalsoreport hearing Carpenter
Apocalyptic Form: The Visage of the Spirit
making comments about aliens.
Lore: Death 3, Spirit 3, Realms 2 “I was just eatingmy sandwich when I heard someone
-B Centuries of cynicism and despair have blinded

yell, ‘Stopfeeding him! He’s an alien brain-sucker,’” said
Julie Hoffman. “I was about to laugh, then I heard the gun
shots. It seemed like he was shooting at the staff. All the
while he kept yelling, ‘Stopfeeding him! Stopfeeding him! ”’
much of humanity to the existence of the divine, but
among the world’s six billion souls, there are a few who Concept: Not every mortal reacts to the fallen in
still keep the faith -or learn to accept the truth when the same way. Most are overcome with hysteria, even-
there is no other alternative. Of the handful of men and tually blocking out the experience or rationalizing it
into something their minds can handle. An unlucky
t women who witness a demon and see the being for what
it truly is, only a fraction of those are courageous (or
desperate) enough to fight back against the legions of
Hell. These would-be demon-hunters,or exorcists, fight
few, however, cannot let go of the things they have
seen, and they become obsessed with the knowledge
that something walks the earth beneath mankind’s very
lonely, brutal battles against the fallen, little differenti- nose, and if they don’t try to stop it, who will?
ating between the monstrous or the repentant. These zealots, as the Cryptics call them, each have
their own interpretation of the revelations they have
seen. Some think that the fallen are space aliens
Iowa City Shooter May Have Been Delusional disguised as humans. Others believe that the fallen are
(Iowa City, IA) The Boat House Club shooter, who clones sent by the so-called New World Order to
killed 5 and injured 15, may have believed that his victims replace ordinary people. A handful believe that they
were “feeding” an alien. are witnessing the arrival of the Antichrist and his false
Sources close to the investigation claim that the shooter, prophets, and that the end of the world is at hand. None
David Lynn Carpenter, was obsessed with aliens. Investi- have arrived at the truth behind the fallen. If the facts
gators found hundreds of UFO books, magazines and don’t fit their pet theories, they tend to ignore them.
photographs in the room he rented. They alsofoundpictures As ordinary humans, the zealots pose no physical
of an unidentified individual that Carpenter appeared to be threat to the average fallen, nor do they possess any
stalking. Police are attempting to contact the person Car- special resistance to a demon’s power. They can, how-
penter allegedly followed. ever, be a serious threat to mortals and thralls close to
Carpenter’sco-workers at Chicago BBQ also confirm a demon, stalking and killing individuals thought to be
Carpenter’s obsession with UFOs. “infected” or “under alien influence.”
“Every day it was aliens this, aliens that,” William Personality:Many sufferedfiommental illnessbefore
Osborne said. “He was convinced they were taking over encountering the fallen. Others seemed perfectly sane
people’s bodies. I told him he was nuts, but that just set him before their fateful encounter. Zealots tend to be loners,
off on a tirade. ” but charismatic individuals can and do form groups of
290

CIIAPTER
ELE~EN
“Please answer my question,” the priest tersely replied.

“Maybe I should come back another-”
“Father Phillips cannot be here today,” Forbin replied. “I
assureyou thatyourwor& wiuonly be heardby Godandmyself.”
“I don’tdoubt your word, Father,’’the woman contin-
ued. “It’sjust that I really needed to talk to him.”
“I can relay your message to him if you like.”
The woman said nothing.
“How long has it been since your last confession?”the
west asked, this time in a mme friendly tone.
“I don’t know, ” she replied.
r
“What do you wish to confess?”
Silence.
“You can tell me anything.”
“Father, hawe you ever loved anyone?”
“Of course.”
“I mean really loved someone,” she replied, this time
asserting herself. ‘‘Loved them as if your only reason for
existence was to love that person?”
“It sounds more like an obsession than love.”
“You don’t understand,” she sighed.
“disciples” that support their activities. Addict, Fanatic
and Loner are common Natures among the zealots.
“And Father Phillips did?”
“No one can understand, but he tried. He’s always
Attributes: Attributes vary among zealots, though tried to help eweryone in this parish.”
many tend to have low Social scores. Their obsession The west reached inside his robes. “Even if it meant
has made them withdraw from other people. violating the laws of God?”
Abilities: Abilities can vary wildly among Zealots. The woman said nothing.
Most have some Stealth and Firearms Ability. Forbin continued. “And would he consort with the
Backgrounds: Zealots tend to have very low Back- forces of darkness-)’
ground scores. Rarely do they have more than two dots “How dare you!” the woman replied. This time her
in Resources. voice was lower, and almost masculine in tone. “How dare
Faith Potential: 1 you judge Father Phillips! He-”
Powers:Zealots are not subjectto the effects of demonic “Made deals with the agents of evil?”
Revelation. (See page 253 of Chapter Nine for details.) Silence.
“Father,” a hissing voice said this time. “How do you
DAVIDLCINN CARPENTER know God isn’t evil?”
Nature: Loner The priest pulled an ornate dagger from his robe. “I
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, have read--”
Charisma 1, Manipulation 2, Appearance 1, Percep- “HOW do you know?” the voice hissed again.
tion 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3 “I hawe faith,” he replied.
Abilities: Alertness 3, Brawl 1, Dodge 2, Fire- “Youmust have a lot offaith if can lookat the worldand
arms 2, Intimidation 3, Melee 1 still believe in the goodness of God.”
Backgrounds: Contacts 2, Resources 2 Suddenly the wall shattered, and two arms, covered in
fish-like scales, reached for Forbin
Powers: Immunity to Revelation. “Maybe God will thank you when you see him,”
the monster hissed as its clawed hands closed about
GAB RIEL'^ SWORD Forbin’s throat.
Forbin thrust the daggerinto the creature’sam. It let out
Father Dennis Forbin sat straight as the door to the
confessional closed. He prayed that his suspicions about an inhuman wail, then it was gone in a shower of splintered
Father Phillips were wrong. wood. Forbin staggered to his feet and nied to give chase.
“Bless me, father, for I have sinned,” said a woman’s Concept: Since the early days of the Catholic
nerwous voice. Church, there have been holy orders dedicated to
“How long has it been since your last confession?” ridding the world of Satan’s minions. These orders
“Where’s Father Phillips?” the woman asked, reached the zenith of their influence and power in
medieval times. They campaigned against the obscene
29 1

THEFALLEN
DEVON:
.
L
Abilities: Academics (Theology) 4, Alertness 2,

Awareness 1, Dodge 2, Intimidation 2, Leadership 3,
Performance 2, Occult 2, Research 4, Subterfuge 3
Backgrounds: Allies 2, Contacts 2, Followers 3
Willpower: 6
Faith Potential: 3
Powers: Immunity to Revelation, Prayers of Bind-
ing, Abjuration and Exorcism, Blessed Daggkr
(Abjuration)
Folsom Maximum Security Prison had strict rules

regarding prisoner interviews. The warden allowed Chris
only two hours a day to tape, but by the time he and the
cameramun got through the searches and the daily paper-
work the available time had been cut in half. There wasn’t
much time for small talk once the guards brought Lance
Carter to the interview room.
Chris motioned to the cameraman to start recording.
“Lance, I have to ask you this. How did you become
cults of the Earthbound across the breadth of the
involved in the death of Rich Burdett?”
known world, stamping out the demons’ sources of
“We saved Rich from the everlastingfiresof Hell! I’ve
Faith and driving them into hiding.
told everyone that from the beginning. He’d let the Devil
After the Middle Ages, these holy orders began to into his soul, and we had no other choice if he was to find his
wane as infernalism declined in Europe and elsewhere. way to Heaven. I just wish I could have stopped him before
Many of these orders disbanded as belief in the super- he killed Joe.”
natural faded. A few survived as secret orders, though, Chris and the cameraman glanced at each other.
unknown to the Church hierarchy. “You mean Joe Burdett!”
With the arrival of the fallen, these orders are “Yeah.” Lance sighed. “LittleJoe. ” He buried his face
experiencing a revival. Although their groups tend to in his hands.
be small, the knowledge, holy rituals and weapons they Chris shook his head. “Lance,Joe isn’t dead. ”
possess make them some of the most dangerous enemies Lance looked up.
of the fallen. “He’s very much alive. In fact, he’s been instrumentalin
Personality: Members of these orders tend to have muking this documentary possible. I’ve even got some audio
forceful personalities. Autocrat, Bravo, Fanatic, Survi- tapes of our interviews here if you’d like to listen to them.”
1 vor and Traditionalist are common Natures, though Lance slammed his fist on the table.
there are Caregiver and Penitent members as well. “You’re a damned liar! I saw the demon tear Joe’s
Attributes: Members have various Attributes, throat out! He’s dead!”
though most have high Mental Attributes. Those in “Lance, listen to me.”
the field may have good physical scores. “No,you listen to me. For years Reverend Steward
Abilities: All have strong Knowledges. They also was right. The Devil is walking among us!”
possess Alertness, Awareness, and Intuition “Did he tell you that Rich was-”
“joe suspected it and told me. He said his brother was
t
Backgrounds: Allies (1-3), Contacts, (1-2), In-
fluence (l),Followers (1-2), Resources (1-2) questioningGod. ”
Faith Potential: 1-2 (Group leaders may have as “College students do that sometimes,” replied Chris.
high as 3) “Damn it! Rich wouldn’t do that. So I went to Rever-
end Steward. He knows about these things.”
Powers: Immunity to Revelation, Blessed Items,
“Lance, I know about his group. Anything they don’t
Holy Prayers
like is the work of the Devil.”
DENFIISP O R ~ I R
FATMER “Why don’t you talk to Rich’s college friends? They’ll
Nature: Fanatic tell you he was trying to buy their souls.”
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, “Rich offered to help, but-”
Charisma 3, Manipulation 4, Appearance 2, Percep- “I saw it myself!”
tion 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 4 “Then tell me. ”
292

Lance stood up. “At the last meeting, Reverend Stew- Many of these members have above-average levels
ard told us to wait and pray for Rich’s soul. But some of the of Faith, which can make them dangerous for the Fallen
students wouldn’t listen. Said they had a plan to beat the to confront. Many of these individuals know very little
Devil out of Rich. Just like the Bible says. I helped them. I about demons, however, other than what they’ve read
told them to take Joe along. Maybe Joe would give Rich the in the Bible or heard from a sermon. They may also
strength to fight the Devil.” have wildly inaccurate information gathered from vari-
“What happened then?” ous religious books.
“We went to his place , and... well, we tried talking to As a result, these demon-hunters can be fooled by
him at first. We sat down with him and tried to get him to a clever fallen. Worse, they may attack idealist types,
pray with us, but he called us fools and worse. That’s when thinking that they’re under demonic control.
Joe got in his face and rebuked him in the name of Christ, Personality: Believers come from various back-
and.. .” Lance’s face went pale. “That’s when the demon grounds. Some found God after fighting addiction.
showed himself. He tore Joe’s throat out with his claws, and Others grew up in religious homes and never lost their
we knew we didn’t have a choice. Like Reverend Stewart faith. All are motivated by the desire to serve God.
says, we’re warriors of the Lord, and sometimes we’ve got Architect, Autocrat, Fanatic and Traditionalist are
to spill the blood ofsinners so that the righteous will prevail.” common Natures. There are also Penitent and Con-
“And that’s when you tied Richard up with electrical formist believers as well.
cord and beat him to death. Because he was a demon. Not Attributes: Attributes vary greatly among the be-
because he’d decided to leave your church.” lievers. The more successful demon-hunters have high
“I don’t remember how it all happened. The last thing Stamina, and high Manipulation ratings.
I saw was Joe falling down, holding his throat, and the
Abilities: Due to their diverse backgrounds,
blood.. . dear God.. .” Lance’sface twisted with pain.
Chris shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Lance,Joe’s Abilities vary greatly, though most have a dot or
throat was badly torn, but the cuts missed the major blood two in Academics.
vessels. It took a lot of stitches, but he’s okay. He says that Backgrounds: Allies (1-2), Contacts (1-2), Fol-
Rich had nothing to do with what happened to him. Instead, lowers (1-3), Resources (1-3)
he says that once you’d finished killing Rich, you turned on Faith Potential: 1-2
him, slashinghis neckrepeatedlywithakitchen knife. So tell Powers: Immunity to Revelation, Holy Prayers
me the truth. What happened?”
“I’m telling you the truth!” Lance cried. “The demon
REVEREIYD
~~RIAIY~TEWART
Nature: Architect
tore his throat out! Unless.. .” his eyes widened in horror.
“Unless he never meant to kill Joe at all. Oh God. God Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3,
preserve us. Joe didn’t die. The Devil left Rich and took him Charisma 3, Manipulation 4, Appearance 3, Percep-
instead. What have I done?” tion 2, Intelligence 4, Wits 4
Concept:For years, many ministers have claimed Abilities: Academics (Bible-Study) 3, Alertness 2,
that the Devil is walking the Earth spreading evil Awareness 1, Dodge 2, Intimidation 2, Leadership 4,
and that true believers must rally together to save Performance 3, Research 1, Subterfuge 3
mankind before it’s too late. These ministers and Backgrounds: Contacts 2, Followers3, Resources 2
their followers didn’t have a true foe to pit them- Willpower: 6
selves against before, but as the exploits of the fallen Faith Potential: 2
find their way into the news, these believers see Powers: Holy Prayers of Binding, Abjuration and
through the bizarre headlines to grasp the “truth” Exorcism, Sacred Object (crucifix)
that lies beneath. They know nothing about the true
nature of the fallen, but after a lifetime of fire-and- TRIIO
TP~D A R K J Y ~ ~
brimstone sermons, these true believers figure they Shu-Durulstruggled inside the binding circle. Whoever
have all the facts they need. had laid it knew him well. He could just barely feel the
Some of these erstwhile holy warriors are in- spiritualgravity ofthe Abyss beyond its edges, daringhim to
volved in traveling revival shows, going city to city cross that fateful threshold.
looking for demons. Others may be part of Internet He could see 20 robed figures staring at him from
chat groups, sharing information about sightings and outside the circle. Even despite his demonic nature, they
coordinating “crusades” against known locations of remained unmoved.
demonic activity. Some may be members of college He’d learnedabout the secretsociety through one of his
religious groups who suspect that the Devil is taking thralls. At the time it sounded like fertilegroundfor a demon
over their universities. such as himself and a way to acquire more powerful
293

THEFALLEA
DEMOV: I
servants. Now he was trapped in a boardroom filled with

occult paraphernalia. n
1 “Release me at once!” Shu-Durul shouted.
He thought he heard a chuckle.
Shu-Durul spat a stream of curses that crackled in the
hA I
air like lightning.
“Silence,”spoke a stern voice.
A hooded figure stepped forward.
“Who dares-”
The figure tossed salt toward Shu-Durul,and every nerwe
in the demon’s mortal shell erupted in pain. He howled.
“I dare to do this to you, Mr. Ryan,” the leader said.
“But I know that isn’t your real name. For now, you can
know me as the leader of this society. An ancient society
dedicated to studying the servants of the Morningstar.”
t Shu-Durul fell to the ground, convulsing in pain.

“Our scholars speak of epic struggles with others like
you. It has beena while since we tried to capture one of your
kind. I expected a challenge.” He chuckled. “You disap-
pointed us. Perhaps you are just a minor being. A mere
servant of a true demon, perhaps?”
Personality: Exploiting demons is the ultimate
The pain vanished. “Why are doing this when I can give
power trip. Many Autocrats, Bravos and Directors are
you anything you want?”
attracted to these societies. Addicts who are addicted
The leader laughed. “NoI don’tthink you wouldgiveme to the danger and excitement are also represented, as
what I want. ” The leader snapped his fingers. One person
are Bon Vivants and Fanatics.
began to chant. “We don’t want any gifts from you. Gifts
from your kindalways have stringsattached.” He snappedhis Attributes: Most have high Mental ratings, usu-
fingers.Anotherperson began tochant. “We want the source ally with three or more dots in Intelligence and
of your gifts. ” Another snap. Another person chanting. “We Perception. Many also have high Manipulation scores.
want your essence, Mr. Ryan. We want your power.” Abilities: All members have 3 or higher in Occult
I Another snap. Another chant. “We want to become divine.”

Shu-Durul charged at the leader. The barrier pushed
him to theground. Shu-Durullaughedas heslowly stoodup.
“Your prison is weakening, ” laughed Shu-Durul.
and Research Knowledges. Many also have high Aca-
demics, Science, Politics or Finance Knowledges,
depending o n their ‘‘normal”profession.
Backgrounds: Contacts (1-2), Influence (1-2),
1I “When I get out-”

“We’llbe done with you long before the shell breaks.”
He snapped his fingers. Shu-Durul screamed.
Followers (1-3), Resources (1-2)
Faith Potential: 1(Groupleaderscanhave as high as 2)
Powers: Immunity to Revelation, Summoning
Concept:Not all demon-hunters fight on behalf of and Binding Rituals, Blessed Items
God. Some seek out demons to steal their power. Why
bargain with a demon for a few measly favors when you
WILLIAM I~MERSOIY
can become as powerful as a demon yourself?
(PIR,ST OF TME$TAR CATCMEK~)
PRECEPTOR
Nature: Bon Vivant
Since ancient times, magical societies sought to
exploit the demons they summoned. Some wished to Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2,
enslave them. Others sought to drain them of their Charisma 4, Manipulation 4, Appearance 2, Percep-
essence to fuel their rituals. tion 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 4
As superstitious belief faded in the world, these Abilities: Alertness 4, Awareness 5, Computer 2,
societies declined as it became harder to summon Dodge 3, Empathy 3, Etiquette 3, Expression,3, Finance 4,
demons. The few that survived did so by seeking out the Intimidation 4, Investigation 3, Leadership 4, Occult 5 ,
Earthbound, or they dedicated themselves to preserv- Politics 2, Research 4, Subterfuge 3, Technology 2
ing their arcane arts. Backgrounds: Contacts 2, Followers 3, Resources 2
The arrival of the fallen has revived these societies. Willpower: 8
They now seek out all demons, fallen and Earthbound Faith Potential: 2
alike, for their rituals. Some will pose as potential Powers: Immunity to Revelation, Summoning
thralls in hopes of luring a demon to its doom. and Binding Rituals
294

E LEN~
CHAPTER
S:
But here he is, through the fucking window. With a
shotgun in one hand. And when his bike hit the ground, he
just started shooting. He’s drivingaround the club -which
is only four rooms , you know, not exactly spacious -just
blowing people away.
Unlike the fallen, the Earthbound are demons who
Well, we all throw down on him and start shooting. I
escaped Hell’s clutches hundreds, even thousands of
mean, self-defense, right? We got a right to protect our-
years ago and have tormented the human race ever since
selwes. I took cover behind the Coke machine andgave it my
in the guise of dark and terrible gods. Though finally
best shot, and I know I hit the son of a bitch. I saw plenty
driven into hiding with the rise of Christianity and the
ofpeople hit him, but he wouldn’t go down.
supplanting of faith with reason as the cornerstone of
It’s got to be Kewlar, right? Fucker had to be wearinga
humanity’s perceptions, the return of the fallen has
bulletproofwest. I thought I saw someonehit himin the head,
stirred the Earthbound from their long slumber to com-
but I must’we been wrong.
plete their obscene subversion of the human race.
Anyway, we’re shooting the son of a bitch, but he’s not
Individually the Earthbound are several orders of
1
feelingit, andhe’sjustgoingoffwith that shotgun, takingus
magnitude more powerful than the most potent fallen, out. When he ran out of ammo, he pulled a fucking Desert
having had ages to hone their powers and adapt to the Eagle out ofhis jacket and kept going. When he got me in the
world as it is today. This very strength is also their shoulder, I went down and didn’t move. I figured I’d play
weakness, though. Their spirits are too powerful to dead, try not to get shot anymore.
possess human bodies, much like the spirits of the All of us, taken out in about two minutes. Then he pulls
great barons and overlords still bound in the Abyss. the key to the safe offJoe’sbody, unlocks it andgets out that
Therefore, for the time being, they must work through weird boxJoe bought in Mexico. I mean, what the fuck?All
the efforts of their agents: ever-growing cults of wor- that for some fucking silver box?
shippers drawn from the decadent and the disaffected
Then he got back on his hog and pulled out. You joes
and the willing (or unwilling) fealty of monstrous
showed up about five minutes later. Thanks for all the
demons who have every reason to hate humanity as
fucking help.
much as the Earthbound themselves. These servants
of the Earthbound are found in nearly every major city Concept: Thugs are thralls with a simple purpose
- to fight and to kill the enemies of the Earthbound.
across the globe, hunting and enslaving the fallen
wherever they are found or perpetrating acts of vio- They are not meant to be subtle or to work behind the
lence and corruption designed to further poison scenes -they exist to shoot a n opponent in the face,
humanity’s collective soul. or to beat a meddling occultist to death with a lead pipe.
Thugs are usually violent, dangerous people even be-
TEETMUG fore becoming thralls of the Earthbound. A thug might
be an ex-soldier, a gangbanger, a neo-Nazi militia
OFFICAL POLICE REPORT, COUNTY OF
SAN BERNADINO member or a corrupt police officer.
NO PHOTOCOPIES TO BE MADE WZTH- Pact: Thugs usually have a burning hatred or serious
OUT PERMZSSZON grudge against some individual or group, for reasons real
CONTENTS: INITIAL STATEMENT OF or imaginary. The Earthbound will offer them the power
GERARD “JERRY” BROWNLOW, CONCERNING to kill their enemies in return for their service.Since that
GUNFIGHT AT “HELLBENDERS” CYCLE GANG service involves the violence thugs are already attracted
CLUBHOUSE. to, the mortal rarely balks at the offer.
(‘Note: interviewee under emergency medical treat- Personality:Sane, well-adjusted people don’t vol-
ment at time statement was made) untarily enter lives of extreme violence. Thugs are
It was about one, one-thirty in the morning, some- generally attracted to inflicting pain, and they see
thing like that. There were about 10 of us , just hanging other mortals as weaklings or soulless toys for them to
out at the clubhouse. You know, shootingpool, drinking, victimize. Thugs often have Addict, Bravo, Fanatic,
that sort of thing. Rebel or Survivor Natures.
Then there’s this massivefuckingcrash,andLeoDaschel1 Attributes: Thugs tend to emphasize the Physical
drives right through thefuckingplateglass windows on his hog. Attributes, of course, making them more dangerous as
Just right through ’em. Glass everywhere, people yelling. fighters. Despite the title, thugs aren’t necessarily stu-
Anyway, it’s fucking Leo, who we told to leave and pid. A thug might have good Mental Attributes, but
never come back last week. Guy was a headcase, you still tend toward physical action.
know? Tried to kick the shit out of Joe Jaffee’s old My for Abilities: The combat Abilities -Brawl, Dodge,
no fucking reason. So we told him to fuck off. Firearms and Melee -are of paramount importance to
295

DEMON:
THEFALLEN a
thugs. Also useful are Abilities that help them find collective meetings, we arranged marches, but it doesn’t
targets and get into position. Thugs usually have good have any effect. The WTO and their cronies don’t
ratings in Athletics, Drive, Intimidation and Stealth. care what the people WANT, they hold us off with
Backgrounds: Allies (1-2), Mentor (1-5) their shocktroops and decide our futures anyway. So
Powers: The Earthbound will usually improve the I started getting really frustrated.
physical capabilities of their thugs. This might be as That’s when I started having the DREAMS. And
simple as improving their Physical Attributes or as again, that’s why I have you to thank for things. You
complex as giving them a physical enhancement such taught me to accept my own spirituality, to reach out for
as claws or armored skin. Two useful enhancements are the Higher Powers that are there to guide and nurture us.
the power to inflict lethal damage barehanded and the Well, these dreams.. . they came from a spirit, a Power of
ability to soak lethal damage. Thugs are rarely gifted some kind. A being of light that wants to help us protect the
with more complex demonic powers. peoples of the world.
Over the last month or so, I’ve been doing a lot of
Leo DXYMELL meditation, a lot of communing with the Benefactor -
I
Nature: Bravo that’s what I call Her, the Power that’s touched me. The
Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 3, Stamina 5, first thing She did was send us good fortune in the form of
Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2, Percep- fundinggrantsfrom collegeadminismation. Now I’ve TRIED
tion 2, Intelligence 2, Wits 3 to get funds from them in the past, so believe me, having it
Abilities: Athletics 2, Brawl 4, Dodge 1, Drive 3, come through like this was a MIRACLE. The Benefactor
Firearms 3, Intimidation 3, Melee 1, Stealth 1, also showed me who to contact for getting things like vans,
Streetwise 2, Survival 1,Technology 1 equipment and medical supplies at little or no cost.
Backgrounds: Allies 1, Mentor 3 The most AMAZING part, though, is that She shows
Willpower: 5 me how to spy on the globalists and learn theirplans! Mom,
Gifts: Daschell’s Strength and Stamina have been you wouldn’t believe it. I just walk into Fat Cat Central,
enhanced. By spending a point of Willpower, he can into banks and government buildings and whatever, and no
soak lethal damage with his Stamina for a number of one sees me!
turns equal to his Stamina rating. Once per scene, he The stuff I’ve learned.. . Mom, it’s so HORRIBLE.
can spend a turn concentrating, then spend a point of They won’t stop at ANYTHING for profits. And I’m
Willpower in order to heal one level of lethal or starting to realize how far we have to go to make a difference
bashing damage. and do the right thing in this world.
I’m going to drop out of sight for a while during spring
break. I need to meet other organizers and compare notes.
Dear Mom, With the help of my Benefactor, I know how to take these
Sorry about not writingfor a few months. Things have BASTARDS down, no matter how many water cannons
been pretty CRAZYhere. Between classes and trying to get and Presidents they have on their side.
somethingworthwhile done, I haven’t had time for a social If it all goes well, then I’llgetso muchdone that I’llhave
life - let alone long enough to write to you. lots more time for school. If it doesn’t, burn this letter. And
SohowamIdoing?Well, the badnewsis thatmygrades don’t tell ANYONE you heard from me.
could be better. I’m trying, I really am, but there’s so Gotta go save the world now. Lotsa love,
MUCHIhave togetdone. I’mfallingbehindonmy classes. Cloud.
I promise I’ll do better after Spring Break. The good news Concept: Not every thrall comes to the Earth-
is that I’m doing a LOT with the Action Group and we’re bound seekingpower or glory. Some have more altruistic
really getting things accomplished. It’s more than just pro- motives; others stumble across the demon’s secret by
tests and demonstrations, we’re really DOING things. chance. Idealists have little or no connection to the
And I have YOU to thank for it. occult, violence or the world of the powerful. They’re
A lot of students here are anti-globalization,but they people who stumble across veterans of the war and
don’t really have much of a background in resistance. I make the terrible mistake of thinking that struggle can
mean, it’s GREAT that they want to make a difference, be used for a good purpose. An idealist might be a
don’t get me wrong. But they’re not coming from fifteen student activist, a crusader for morality, a struggling
years on a commune, they don’t have ROOTS in the artist or a well-meaning cop.
movement. So a few of them starting looking to me to be an Pact: An idealist isn’t looking for power to benefit
organizer and co-ordinator, because it feels natural to me. himself, he needs it to help others or to fix a situation
But leadership and experience isn’t enough to he feels is wrong. The Earthbound offers tools and
make a difference. We were getting together, we had advantages to aid in the “good fight,” all the while
296

ELEVEN
CHAPTER
q:
working to corrupt the idealist and use her for its own easier back when the book had been written. Then he could
unspeakable purposes. have just hidden the book under his cassockand walked out.
Personality: Unlike other thralls, idealists are gen-
erally normal, well-adjusted people. Their weakness is
usually strong feelings about a certain cause, which
drives them to accept an Earthbound’s offer of aid.
But this wasn’t the Dark Ages, and the library at Notre
Dame Seminary had extremely good security. Magnetic
sensors ,computerized records, video cameras. Plus, he was
wearing a sweatshirt, not a cassock. Even late at night,
t
I
Typical Natures are Architect, Bon Vivant, Penitent, when there were probably only three people in the whole
Rebel or Visionary. building, this was going to be difficult.
Attributes: Idealists come from all walks of life and Riordan stood by the bookshelf, thinking. The
vary wildly in their abilities. Most, though, are in- Malictorium was part of the sealed collection, and it had
volved in some kind of activism and tend to have good taken him too much money and effort just to gain access for
Social Attributes to aid their cause. him to give up now. He had to get it out - and if that
Abilities: Again, it’s hard to make general state- meant going to extreme lengths, that’s what had to be
ments about idealists because they’re so varied. Most, done. He caught the eye of the night custodian and
however, tend to emphasize Abilities such as Bureau- beckoned the man over.
cracy, Empathy, Etiquette, Expression, Leadership or A few minutes later, a gunshot rang out through the
Performance. This social aptitude is what makes them library, and the securityguards bolted for the upper stacks.
attractive thralls. They can communicate well with In the shadows, Riordan waitedfor them to pass. He knew
others, without seeming false or power-hungry. what they’d find - the custodian dead by his own hand,
Backgrounds: Contacts (1-2), Mentor ( 1 4 , having blown his brains out to silence the terrifying com-
Resources ( 1-3) mands Riordan whispered into his ears. Tugging the hood
Gifts: Idealists generally want aid in their cause, of the sweatshirt over his head, Father Sean ran for the
and that’s what the Earthbound provides. This aid exit, jumping over the checkout counter to avoid the
might be something as simple as resources, followers or magnetic readers. A few moments ofsprinting, and he was
other real-world assistance. The Earthbound might clear of the building.
also grant more metaphysical gifts such as improved Not for the first time, Father Sean Riordan reflected
Attributes or demonic powers, but it is less likely to gift that he was damned. But as he inspected the tome of
someone with grotesque physical enhancements. blasphemous knowledge his master required and thought of
the terrible wisdom hecould learn from the book of demon:
BRAIYI~GAIY
CLOUD ology , he decided he didn’tgive a fuck about his damnation.
Nature: Visionary Not when he had the chance to gain power instead.
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Concept: People who learn occult secrets are
Charisma 5, Manipulation 3, Appearance 3, Percep- often seized by the desire to learn more, without
tion 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3 thought of the consequences. Occultists already have
Abilities: Academics 2, Athletics 2, Bureaucracy 3, a strong backing in mysticism and secrets before
Computer 3, Empathy 4, Expression 2, Firearms 1, falling prey to the Earthbound. An occultist might be
Intuition 2, Investigation 2, Research 2, Security 3, a New Age mystic, a priest, a historical scholar or a
Stealth 3 Technology 2 dabbler in black magic.
Backgrounds: Allies 2, Mentor 3, Resources 1 Pact: Occultists thirst for hidden knowledge, be-
Willpower: 5 lieving that knowing secrets makes them better than
Powers: Cloud’s Charisma has been enhanced by other people. The Earthbound are the ultimate prize for
her “benefactor.” By spending a point of Willpower, these people, and the promise offurther knowledge and
Cloud can become invisible for a number of minutes mystical power is all they need to seal the pact.
equal to her successes on a Manipulation + Stealth roll Personality: For many occultists, knowing a
(difficulty 6). She can also see in complete darkness for secret is more important than using it. They tend to
a scene by spending a point of Willpower. combine the intellectualism of scholars with the
rapacious greed of a thief. Natures such as Curmudg-
. TME
OCCULTISI- eon, Director, Pedagogue, Traditionalist and
Not for the first time, Father Sean Riordan considered Visionary are all appropriate.
the fact that he was damned. Attributes: Naturally, occultists emphasize the
Once that had mattered to him, but now it was nothing Mental Attributes, especially Intelligence. Those who
but an imitating stray thought, a distraction. He had more use their knowledge as a way of influencing others -
important things to worry about -like how toget the Liber such as a mystic with an entourage of students -may
Malictorium out of the library. It would have been so much have good ratings in Manipulation or Charisma.
297

THEFU,LE\
DEMOY:
Abilities: Occultists focus on Knowledges, prima- and vote-rigging in the Sandler campaign -allegations he
rily Occult and Research, but possibly also Academics, was forced to withdraw and apologize for after he failed to
Computer, Investigation and Linguistics. Depending present promised evidence.
on how they go about obtaining their hidden secrets, With the withdrawal of Councilor Menendes and the
occultists might also have good ratings in Awareness, death of independent candidate Geoff Skellams last month
Intuition, Security, Streetwise and Subterfuge. in a car accident, voters are faced with only three candidates
Backgrounds: Contacts ( 1-3), Followers ( 1-3), for the position of mayor. Councilor Sandler is currently
Mentor (1-S), Resources (1-3) considered to be the favorite and is expected to win the
Gifts: The Earthbound usually offer occultists gifts election by a narrow but comfortable margin.
that enhance their ability to learn secrets. Enhanced Councilor Menendes refused to commentfurther on his
Mental or Social Attributes are one possibility, as are withdrawal from the election. He is expected to spend the
the offers of demonic powers. Earthbound might also next few weeks on vacation with his family and should
teach Occultists summoning or binding rituals, or even return to active duties after the election.
the True Names of their enemies. Concept: A power broker was always someone
with a lust for power, even before encountering
PmBmRmm
‘ Nature: Traditionalist
their demonic master. Successful power brokers
already had a measure of power, but desire more;
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2, less successful ones have nothing but their craving
Charisma 3, Manipulation 4, Appearance 2, Percep- to be important. A power broker might be a
tion 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 5 businessperson, a city councilor, a media magnate
Abilities: Academics 2, Awareness 3, Empathy 2, or a bureaucrat.
Expression 1, Intuition 3, Law 2, Medicine 2, Occult 4, Pact: Power, wealth, prestige, fame - these are
Research 4, Stealth 1, Subterfuge 2 the things a power broker wants more than air. The
Backgrounds: Contacts: 1,Followers:2, Resources: 1 Earthbound are only too happy to provide their thralls
Willpower: 7 with power as long as the power broker uses his newfound
Gifts: Riordan’sManipulation and Wits Attributes advantages to increase the power and dominance of his
have been improved by his master. He possesses limited master at the same time.
versions of the high-Torment evocations Lamp of Personality: Power brokers are controllers and
Faith and Find the Faithful, which are activated by leaders trying to amass their own personal empire.
spending a point of Willpower for each use. He knows Typical Natures include Architect, Autocrat, Con-
I the basic structure of binding rituals and can attempt to
modify them to fit a given demon.
niver, Director or Perfectionist.
Attributes: Social Attributes are the primary focus
THE BROKER
POWER of power brokers, giving them the ability to command
and use others. Many also have strong Mental At-
I COUNCILOR MENENDES WITHDRAWS tributes, particularly Wits.
FROM ELECTION Abilities: Power brokers are social animals and are
Councilor Sadler offers sympathy to former rival. skilled in controlling/ interacting with others. They
In a statement today, Chicago city councilor Herman tend to have high ratings in Bureaucracy, Etiquette,
Menendes announced his withdrawal from the upcoming Finance, Leadership, Politics and Subterfuge.
mayoral election. He cited overwork and a desire to spend Backgrounds: Contacts (1-3), Influence (1-3),
more time with his family as his main reasons for with- Mentor (1-S), Resources (1-4)
drawing and stated that he was planning on focusing on Gifts: To get power, you need power. The most
local and borough issues over citywide issues for the obvious gift for a power broker is real-world advantages
foreseeable future. -money, resources, followers, connections and so on.
Councilor Irene Sandlerhelda press conference shortly Another useful gift is enhancing the thrall’s Social
after Councilor Menendes’s statement, offering sympathy Attributes or possibly bestowing powers that influence
and condolences to her former rival in the election. She the minds of others. Power brokers rarely receive physi-
wished him all the best in his future endeavors and expressed cal enhancements.
regret that Councilor Menendes would no longer be present
at next week’s debate. COUIPCILLOR
IRERE SAIYDLER
The sentiments were a far cry from the often vicious Nature: Autocrat
disagreements between the two councilors during the previ- Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2,
ous weeks of the election campaign. Readers may recall Charisma 5, Manipulation 5, Appearance 3, Percep-
councilor Menendes’s allegations of financial irregularities tion 2, Intelligence 4, Wits 4
298

Abilities: Alertness 2, Bureaucracy4, Empathy 2, Eti- whispered in his mind. And as the fire made him an offer too
quette 3, Finance 1,Leadership 4, Politics 4, Subterfuge4 tempting to refuse, Finnegan felt himself grinning.
Backgrounds: Contacts 3, Influence 2, Mentor 3, He felt himself looking forward to tomorrow’s
Resources 3 Vogue shoot.
Willpower: 8 Concept: Destroyersare even more dangerous than
Gifts: Sandler’s Manipulation and Charisma have thugs, but without the same urge for physical violence.
been increased by her master. She also possesses a T h e y are often sociopaths who channel their lust for
version of the high-Torment evocation Engage. Sev- blasphemy and violation into careers that let them
eral of her staff members are also thralls, and two of inflict anguish and pain on others. A destroyer might
them are dangerous thugs. be a drug-dealer, an arsonist, a spy or a terrorist.
Pact: T h e Earthbound look for agents to spread
misery and destruction; a destroyer wants the power
“Finnegan,” Rochelle whined, “it’s almost one in the to take his activities to a new level of horror - the
morning. I want to go out.” two are made for each other. In many cases, all the
1
“Patience, petal, ” Finnegan said from his bedroom. Earthbound has to do is give the destroyer a little
“I’mjust getting my happy face on. You don’t want me to power, then sit back and watch him naturally do all
go out with my shitty face on, do you?” his master could desire.
‘7 just want to go now,” she complained. “That E’s Personality: Destroyers are usually bastards,
starting to kick, and I want to dance.” through and through - the kind of sociopaths that ‘
“Alright, lovey, alright. Just give me a second.” In the poison a neighborhood dog just because its barking
bedroom, Finnegan adjusted his jacket in the mirror and annoys them. Typical Natures include Bravo, Con-
rubbed a little coke into his gums. I do indeed look mighty niver, Curmudgeon, Fanatic and Rogue.
fine, he thought. Now if only that bitch would shut the Attributes: While thugs concentrate on the physi-
fuck up. He bent down, reached under the bed, and pulled cal, destroyersare likely to emphasize Mental Attributes.
out a plastic jerry can of gasoline. Bit of stress relief T h e y may also have good Social Attributes, particu-
tonight, he thought as he put the can into a camera case and larly Manipulation.
zipped it shut. Abilities: Destroyers focus much less on straight-
“You’re not taking photos, are you? We finished the forward combat Abilities, and more on Abilities that
shoot already.” cause massive destruction quickly. They tend to have
‘No,sweetie,nottonight.ButIdwaysneedmetoolsnw, high ratings in Bureaucracy, Demolitions, Security,
don‘t I?Now say thanks to Finnegan for the lovely drugs.” Subterfuge and Technology.
“Thank you,” she pouted. Backgrounds: Contacts (1-2), Mentor (1-3,Re- ,
“Close enough. Let’s go.” sources ( 1-2)
+ + + Gifts: Destroyers look for advantages that allow
It took the London Fire Department three hours to them better opportunities for destruction. This might
put out the blaze. Finnegan watched from the window mean enhanced Mental or Physical Attributes, immu-
of the nightclub across the street, in between selling the nity to fire or increased soak, or powers that allow them
rest of his supply of E. The club bored him, Rochelle access to targets, such as invisibility or mind-control.
bored him. Just more stupid, brainless fashion mon- Destroyers are also likely to possess physical enhance-
keys, who don’t give a fuck about anything but labels ments, since they run the risk of encountering armed
and cocaine prices. opposition to their schemes.
But fire was different. Fire fascinated; fire lured. Fire
was beautiful in ways that none of the models he photo- KELLVFIIYIYEGAIY
graphed could ever approach. Nothing took the edge off the Nature: Conniver
week or distracted him from the stupid puling masses of Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4,
London like setting a fire and watching it burn. Charisma 3, Manipulation 4, Appearance 3, Percep-
Too loud in here. I need air. I need to smell the tion 2, Intelligence 3, Wits 4
smoke. Finnegangot to his feet, wandereddownstairs to the Abilities: Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Brawl 2, Com-
street. He bought a coffee, joined the rubberneckers around puter 1, Demolitions 3, Drive 2, Expression 3, Melee 1,
the still smoldering wreck of the empty hotel. Stealth 2, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 3, Technology 1
One of these days, I’ll end up burning someplace Backgrounds:contacts (l),Mentor (3),Resources(2)
that’s still occupied. Won’t that be a fucking tragedy. Willpower: 7
He was standing there, drinking coffee and dreaming Gifts: Finnegan’s Stamina and Wits have been
bout holocausts, when the fire spoke to him, when it enhanced by his master. He can spend a point of
299

DEMON:
THEFALLEN
.
I
is meant as a guideline to help Storytellers design

hunting parties that fit the needs of their chronicle.
Storytellers should ask the following questions
about a hunting party:
What is its purpose? Parties are usually either kill
squads - sent to destroy a threat to the Earthbound
quickly and decisively -or capture squads - sent to
imprison a fallen target so that the Earthbound can use
him as a source of Faith.
How does it operate? Subtle parties spend a lot of
time and energy pinpointing a target in secret, then
operating without leaving evidence. Overt parties
are more likely to make sudden, noisy attacks on
their target, then clean up any evidence and wit-
nesses afterward.
What tools does the team use? Does the party focus on
occult tools such as rituals and artifacts? Do they use
heavy firepower and high-tech equipment? Does it
prefer to work at a remove, using other agents and
mundane groups like the police as their puppets?
Willpower to soak fire damage with his Stamina for a
How many are there in the group?A small group must
scene. He also possesses a limited form of the high-
be careful and make clever use of limited resources. A
Torment evocation Fuel.
large group can afford to take bigger risks, and it can
PAR TI^
HURTING survive the loss of a few members.
The Storyteller characters in a hunting party usu-
For the Earthbound, the sudden influx of new
demons into the waking world is both a blessing ally fall into one of four categories:
and a curse. These newcomers are poised t o inter- Thinkers: The people who plan the attacks, orga-
fere with plans and schemes t h a t have been nize the other thralls and make sure everything works.
t develoDed over centuries. and that cannot be borne. Hitters: The thralls who actually fight the demons,
But in ;his faith-starved world, the fallen represent whether with guns, bombs or supernatural powers.
something more than just obstacles. They are sources Talkers: Because hunting parties operate in secret,
of precious energy, ones that must be exploited to they need members who can fool the police, fast-talk
lend the Earthbound the power they need to sur- their way past neighbors and generally smooth the way
vive and prosper. for the rest of the group.
Sending a single thrall, though, is a waste of re- Support: Drivers, medics, occultists with binding
sources.No thrall, no matter how enhanced, can measure rituals - any thrall who’s charged with assisting the
up to the sheer power of a demon. What’s needed is a project is classed as support.
hunting party -a group of thralls handpicked by their A “typical” kill squad would consist mainly of
master to effectively take down fallen targets. hitters, with a thinker in charge and perhaps a few
The exact nature and style of a hunting party support people for backup. A capture squad might
depends entirely on the Earthbound that controls it have only one hitter, relying instead on talkers and
and the thralls that comprise it. The following material support personnel.
A
300

a Leadership 143 Competitor 133
Abilities 140 Streetwise 144 Conformist 134
Knowledges 148 Subterfuge 144 Conniver 134
Academics 148 Actions 219 Curmudgeon 134
Computer 149 Extended 223 Deviant 134
Finance 150 Multiple 222 Director 134
Investigation 150 Resisted 223 Fanatic 134
Law 150 Apocalyptic Forms 170 Gallant 134
Linguistics 150 Visage Gambler 134
Medicine 151 of Awakenings 182 Judge 134
Occult 151 of the Beast 205 Loner 134
Politics 151 of the Celestials 171 Martyr 135
Religion 152 of Death 21 1 Masochist 135
Research 152 of the Earth 188 Monster 135
Science 152 of the Flames 178 Pedagogue 135
Skills 144 of the Firmament 184 Penitent 135
Animal Ken 144 ofFlesh 209 Perfect ionist 135
Crafts 145 of the Forge 191
Rebel 135
Demolitions 145 of Light 198
Rogue 135
Survivor 135
Drive 146 of Longing 199
Thrill-Seeker 135
Etiquette 146 of Paths 189
Traditionalist 136
Firearms 146 of Patterns 194
Trickster 136
Melee 147 of Portals 196
Visionary 136
Performance 147 of Radiance 180
4rmor 239
Security 147 of the Realms 2 15 Armor Chart 244
Stealth 147 of the Spirit 212 4ttributes 136
Survival 148 ofstorms 201 Mental 139
Technology 148 of Transfiguration 203 Intelligence 139
Talents 140 of the Wild 207 Perception 139
Alertness 140 of the Winds 185 Wits 140
Athletics 141 Archetypes 132 Physical 136
Awareness 141 Addict 133 Dexterity 137
Brawl 141 Architect 133 Stamina 137
Dodge 142 Autocrat 133 Strength 136
Empathy 142 Bon Vivan 133 Social 138
Expression 142 Bravo 133 Appearance139
Intimidation 143 Caregiver 133 Charisma 138
Intuition 143 Child 133 Manipulation 138
30 1

DEMON:
THEFALLEN I
3MQ€E%
33 of the Firmament 182
of the Flesh 207
Backgrounds 153 Electrocution 262
Allies 153 Experience 164 of the Forge 190
Contacts 154 Experience Costs 164 of the Fundament 172
of Humanity 173
Eminence 154
Fame 155
F of Light 196
Failure221 of Longing 198
Followers 155
Faith 159, 249
Influence 155 of Paths 188
Falling263
Legacy 156 of Patterns 192
Final Destruction 258, 260
t Mentor 156
Pacts 156
Paragon 157
Resources 157
Finding A New Host 259
Fire 263
Freebie Point Cost 124
Freebie Points 128
of Portals 194
of Radiance 179
of the Realms 2 13
of the Spirit21 1
Blessed Items 254 of the Storms 200
Botches 221 H of Transfiguration 202
Healing Times 248 of the Wild 206
C Health 164,245 of the Winds 184
Character Creation 122
Chart 123
Health Chart 245
Health Levels 245
In
Combat 236 Melee Weapons Chart 244
Hierarchy of Sins 159
Attacking 237 Movement 23 1
t Close Combat 242, 244

Combat Terms 225,241
Initiative 237
Holy Ground 254
'x
Innate Powers 171
Mental Feats 235
Hacking 235
Investigation 236
Ranged Combat 242,245 Immunity Repair 236
Resolution 238 to Mind Control 171 Research 236
Combat Maneuvers 239 to Possession 171 Tracking 236
Invocations 17 1
Maneuver Table 244
Summary Chart 239 Resistance to Illusion 171
P
Physical Feats 23 1
Supernatural Awareness 172
33 Climbing 231
Damage 239 & Driving 231
Aggravated 239, 247 Lore Encumbrance 232
Bashing 239, 247 of Awakening 181 Intrusion 232
Lethal 239, 247 of the Beast 204 Jumping 232
Derangements 260 of the Celestials 175 Lifting/Breaking 232
Dice 220 ofDeath 209 Opening/Closing233
Difficulties 220 of the Earth 186 Pursuit 233
Disease 262 of the Flame 176 Shadowing 234
302

Sneaking 234 Interrogation 235 Empowering Thralls 252
Swimming 234 Intimidation 235 Taking Too Much 251
Throwing 234 Oration 235 Time 218
Poisons and Drugs 263 Performance 235 Torment 160
Prayers 255 Specialties 136 Traits 120
Prelude 128 Storytelling 266 Ratings 220
R Success 221 True Names 255
Ranged Weapons Chart 245
Revelation 253
Automatic Success222
Degree of Success 221
v
Virtues 158
s
Soak 239
Summoning and Binding 256
Systems 230
Conscience 158
Conviction 158
Social Feats 234 F Courage 158
Carousing 234
Credibility 234
Temperature Extremes 263
Thralls 252
w
Willpower 162
303

A
T
Strength
Dexterity
Stamina
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Charisma
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Manipulation
Appearance
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Perception
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Intelligence
Wits
00000
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1 Alertness 00000 Animal Ken 00000 Academics 00000
Athletics 00000 Crafts 00000 Computer 00000
Awareness 00000 Demolitions 00000 Finance 00000
Brawl 00000 Drive 00000 Investigation 00000
Dodge 00000 Etiquette 00000 Law 00000
Empathy 00000 Firearms 00000 Linguistics 00000
Expression 00000 Melee 00000 Medicine 00000
Intimidation 00000 Performance 00000 Occult 00000
Intuition 00000 Security 00000 Politics 00000
Leadership 00000 Stealth 00000 Religion 00000
Streetwise 00000 Survival 00000 Research 00000
Subterfuge 00000 Technology 00000 Science 00000 ,
3- bCm3
00000 00000 Conscience
I 00000 00000 Conviction 00000
OoooO
00000 00000 Courage 00000
00000 00000
00000 00000
-z&PeCahmF--F= €%Barn-
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Bruised 0
LiLlClLicLLiQOLlLi Hurt -1 0
-5t3wfmm- Injured -1 0
Permanent Wounded -2 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mauled -2 0
Temporary
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Crippled -5 0
-W%€J~- Incapacitated 0
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a.

Stephen White (order #2497740) 6

Stephen White (order #2497740) 6

1 Ellis, Mark Jackson, Matt Millberger, Ken Myer Jr, RK

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t History, as the saying goes, is written by the victors.

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play is safe and enjoyable for all participants and

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“I’m yours! You know I am, I’ve always been! T h y

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I up, thecurlsofblackenedflesh,theblood.. .Noahkneltand

1 ‘(Getbehind me, Satan,” he whispered.

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1 the first Houses dealt with the ephemeral, it was the

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1 “Or consider the Angels of the Firmament. On some

t really were simultaneously true in the young cosmos. It

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Stephen White (order #2497740)

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I ‘‘I too will not rebel,” said Lailah. “The All-Maker

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1 can these both be so?What can we say to their offer?’

t his own folded hands.

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Gradually, he calmed. Slowly, he became aware

known then that we were doomed.

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1 speak with the Celestial tongue and make a Heaven of

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This was a time when the foundations of our future

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