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Old 07-18-2010, 11:05 AM   #7
Orlin
 
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Default Re: Cosmetic Name Changes for Demons (lots of cool Occult Sources!)

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To use a bit of shorthand, I used the Lesser Key of Solomon as MISinformation for the Sorcerous class. As has been indicated in many places, the Infernal Court wants to keep people ignorant of what is going on in Hell. That way I get to use Canon without confusing the players, but I have these occultic references as background flavor.
I still use the Lesser Key of Solomon for occult background -- and for misinformation, but what I change is the nature of how the information is misrepresented. One thing that I always disregard offhand is the rank. Demons are often listed with titles such as "Duke" "Archduke" "Earl" "Count" or "President," most of which mean absolutely nothing even if you know what you're reading, save perhaps as a rough ranking for a creature that commands between x and z minions of Hell.

For the most part, however, I'd rule that any character who managed to get his hands on a legitimate copy of the Lemegeton or the Key of Solomon would probably get some extraordinarily accurate information about the creatures in the manual. The crap that you find on the internet has been translated at least once, probably more than once, by someone who may or may not have infernal connections. After all, who is to say that MacGreggor Mathers wasn't a Soldier of Hell, working to purposefully "tinker" with the summoning and protection seals as a way of bringing more Sorcerers into the fiery fold?

What I like to keep from sources like the Keys of Solomon are the names of the demons and the attributes associated with them. The true purpose of this cosmetic overhaul, however, was simply to change the names of the demons so that they fit with the Judeo-Christian overtones. In some ways, this is my desire to preserve what I so sincerely and thoroughly enjoyed about Demon the Fallen; the Judeo-Christian themes were strong. I <3 names like Thuriel, Sandalphon, Tzaphkiel and Hashem -- and sometimes the demon names feel a little weak by comparison.

Deciding how much or how little of those themes to preserve can be kind of a chore. So far, the easiest answer to questions such as "Who was Jesus?" "Who will be the antichrist?" and "How strongly do you intend to follow the Judeo-Christian principles?" can all very easily be answered with "I have no idea and I'm not focusing my campaign on those questions at the moment." In the Redemption Game I'm running, we've established that d4emons can be created as imps and gremlins that are spawned in Hell and rise through the ranks -- rather than having it so that all demons were fallen angels, or no demons were truly demons in the Christian sense.

But...I don't know. When I see the word "Yves" the first word the pops into my mind is "Fez." The name Hashem feels more appropriate.

Consider this passage:

"1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."

The name Hashem - literally, "The Name," seems infinitely more appropriate for a game with a theme that is slanted in the direction of that religion. The description of the relationship between Yves and Kronos as polar opposites is also paralleled in the description of Samael:

"Samael represents the barren desolation of a fallen and failed creation."

I could go on rambling about the cool things I've uncovered in my attempts to tinker with the name scheme, but ultimately I saw a parallel between Samael and the description provided for Kronos, and I ran with it.

What I'm ultimately looking for is suggestions for other demons, or for other proposals that I might not have considered. I don't own any of the copies of the Keys of Solomon, but I'm open to suggestions. If someone has a way of implementing creatures such as the four horseman, or the seven sins, I'd like to hear about it. If someone has another suggestion, whether for a Prince that I didn't name or for a prince that I have already named -- I'd be happy to read about it.
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