What to do with the SecDef?

[Rocket Man]

So the plot of an In Nomine campaign I'm running has the US Secretary of Defense being the guest of honor for Veterans Day in a small Kansas city of about 27,000. (There's a variety of reasons behind this, none of them important here.) This obviously represents an opportunity to several celestials on both sides.

My question: If you were a Superior on either side, what would you be ordering your Servitors to do?

A little background:

* This will be the culmination of about a week's worth of activities by the city.

* There are three Tethers in the vicinity: a strong Tether of Gluttony (at a Dolly Madison plant), an average-to-strong Tether of War (at the All Veterans Memorial), and a weakening Tether of Revelation (at the local newspaper).

* There is about a month of time between when the secretary's appearance is officially announced and the speech itself.

* This area has typically been a backwater of the War; most Superiors will have to be trucking in troops from Wichita, Kansas City, or Topeka at the closest.

* This is a Hell-centered campaign.

I will be glad to provide more information as needed. No spoiler alerts necessary, since no forumites are players in this particular campaign. (Sorry, guys!)

So what do you think?

[robkelk]

Off the top of my head...

I suspect Laurence would be willing to provide an "honor guard" to the Secretary of Defence on general principles. He wouldn't want somebody that high in the chain of command of any army taken out by a sniper or equivalent enemy action - that's not honorable. Baal might also provide a bodyguard to the SecDef because a successful assassination at that level of the chain of command might get units on both sides of The War thinking that that's a sound doctrine... and he wouldn't want to be assassinated by either angels or his own troops. (The mental image of a small group of Laurencians and an equal-size group of Baalites working together is priceless... and really deserves someone with the skills of, say, Moe Lane to write up properly.)

Destiny and Fate would have their Servitors encouraging old soldiers to tell war stories. (The types of stories would be different, of course.) Litheroy would also have his Servitors encouraging old soldiers to tell war stories, just to keep the knowledge alive. And maybe, just maybe, if some of those stories are inspirational and they're published in the paper, that Tether might be strengthened. Alaemon, of course, would hate all of this story-telling, and would order his Servitors to put a stop to it.

The usual suspects (Andre, Furfur, Haagenti, Kobal, etc.) would tell their Servitors to get the humans to blow off the commemorations and have fun, and Malphas would go along with that just to forment some Factions in Kansas... while Servitors of Novalis and David would be working together (and that's another weird mental image!) to keep the ceremony on-track and well-attended.

Hope this helps...

[Rocket Man]

Thanks, Rob, that does fertilize the ground a bit. And your mention of Novalis and David brought to mind the Legion ladies who sell "Buddy poppies" every year ... an unusual Role for a Flowerchild, but a fitting one.

Other ideas are welcomed! This will be some time playing out, I suspect. (Just imagining what Kobal would be inspired to try is frightening, especially given access to, say, a middle-school essay contest.)

[JCD]

Less is more.

A Laurencean and a Baalite Secret Service agent both keeping watch (Laurence because he's honorable. Baal because they like the decisions he's making which are favoring havoc...not political, just saying)

A Reporter of Fate and a administrative assistant of Yves both trying to get the speech manipulated.

In a town this small, infiltration will be difficult. But...with a month of foresight, there is the new chick who talks to her plants, the hippie hussy! There is the guy who is running a gun show in a town this size (idiot!) who likes to give out free samples to those with anger issues. A new doctor because the old one had a car accident. Kyriotates and Shedim would be the preferred infiltrators.

That is awfully rich in tethers for a place like this. But it's your game. If it's hellbased, pare it down to one Hellish one would be my suggestion. Equivalence isn't always a good thing.

[Rocket Man]

Originally Posted by JCD

That is awfully rich in tethers for a place like this.

Yes and no. Despite the size, it's also a university town, and those tend to punch above their weight in Tethers.

Still, you make a good point about "less is more." I'll definitely keep that in mind when working out the heavenly and infernal plots. And yes, infiltration is definitely going to be difficult in a small Midwestern city. That's one of the few player-edges in the campaign ... starting out as someone who has lived and worked in the city for a while, and is accepted as normal by the populace.

[ladyarcana55]

I can see Malphas' people encouraging protests and riots for various things. If this is during the war, then definitely pro-war/anti-war sentiments. Maybe groups who feel the money going into defense would be better spent addressing other domestic problems, like education or healthcare. Maybe a pro/anti DADT group.

But whenever someone of that rank comes around, there HAS to be at least one protest, especially in a university town?

[tHEhERETIC]

Originally Posted by ladyarcana55

I can see Malphas' people encouraging protests and riots for various things. If this is during the war, then definitely pro-war/anti-war sentiments. Maybe groups who feel the money going into defense would be better spent addressing other domestic problems, like education or healthcare. Maybe a pro/anti DADT group.

But whenever someone of that rank comes around, there HAS to be at least one protest, especially in a university town?

Oh yeah, follow that thought! Malphas tag-teaming with Fleurity at the college to get drunken, spun protests with a possibility of violence. Maybe a Firebug in the mix to really get things crazy. An effective Shedite can hop around and create 'peer pressure' by spouting the fun from different mouths. Two or three could incite a mob.

Michael's boys would be aware of all this, but War might swallow his oversized pride and appeal to Novalis to help get the problem under control.

Protestors will come from out of the town and out of State, giving you a wide barn door through which to bring just about anyone. Good thing Laurence has people in the State Department...

[Jennifer]

And in the middle of all this chaos, someone is quietly slipping a Shedite onto the Secretary of Defense's staff - with instructions to keep a low profile throughout the whole event. In case you want a lead-in to your next plot.

[Azel]

I'd personally keep it pretty low. Superiors would likely have higher servitors placed in Washington D.C. or other centers of power if they want to keep tabs on what USA's military is doing. Furthermore, the Sec Def will still have crazy levels of security (not PotUS level, but still very high); potshot skirmishes will just look ridiculous, no intelligent Superior would bother. I'd have most Superiors file a ceremonial SoD visit to "small town middle America" as a pro forma event and therefore not worth the hassle. Any skullduggery is likely already being done elsewhere, and any shake-ups in a small town as needlessly disruptive to the status quo.

The real opportunities will be getting the ear of the Secretary of Defense as he does the local elites' dinner party circuit for his/her day or so stay. A word dropped here or there about local needs and concerns can hold a sway that might match a big city. Small towns are mythically assumed to be the "pulse" of a nation, and rural politics often being so important for a reliable vote base, a Sec Def might be an amenable "pulse taker" of PotUS during such ceremonies. And remember, just as Lucifer would do, so much can be done with a simple lie in the right place...

The trick is to find out what the smart Superiors would need to plant at any local elite gatherings.

The obvious hooks, tied to Tethers:

Gluttony tries to be subtle and get a military contract to supply the troops. Likely delegated off to a Duke or Baron who is far better at subtlety, Gluttony will attempt to curry favor as to why this Kansas town can supply more meat, grain, etc. to the military. And remember, the big goal is to "supersize" the contract: i.e. twice the level of food supplied at 5x the cost, to hell with the quality.

Revelations tries to get the scoop at the latest military scandal. Reality's current events gives you a plethora of angles to choose from. If you need words to brainstorm: No-bid contracts, mercs, torture, friendly fire coverups, DADT, high lvl resignations/firings, etc.

War attempts something subtle, but effective. Beseeching Sec Def to bend PotUS's ear about preserving the glory of the armed forces. One way would be hurrying up the legislation on another war memorial by leaning on congress with the bully pulpit. Or, like Fleet Week, encourage the formation of an Army version with ground pounders on maneuver down "Main Street, USA" (where Oklahoma City, Topeka, or Omaha might suffice). Or simply focusing on whether the troops receive adequate r&r for their troubles.

... anything could work, but I'd keep the explosions to a minimum. In fact, it might be a good exercise to keep your party in line. National security teams poring over every crack and loose end should leave most GM parties content to crack a beer and lay low for a while. However, a slew of competing Shedim could make for a very interesting week!

[Acolyte]

How did this go, Rocket Man?

Generally, I strongly agree with Azel--the brief visit of even a prominent government official probably isn't going to turn Small Town, KA into IN:Beirut for a week. Any global-level Superior concerns with the SecDef (like Baal slipping a Shedite into his staff or somesuch) can be done pretty easily though politically-savvy Servitors in DC. If this was a town of 5000 people in Alaska, 600 miles from the nearest Tether, you might worry about assassinations or other "keep it quiet" plots, but that's not likely to be on the docket from a Word-strategy perspective.

That said, just because Saminga himself isn't plotting to convert the SecDef into a Vampire or Malphas isn't going to try to recreate the Kent State violence out of the blue doesn't mean individual Servitors haven't dreamed up these schemes. As Hell's go-to loony bin, you might try spicy things up with Punishers--"Baal told me not to kill the SecDef, but he's a demon. I'm doing the Lord's work. Of course, getting caught doing it will get me killed, so I'll have to wait until we leave DC for the week to do it. Out in the boondocks, I can pin the killing on some Gluttons or Belialites or whomever."

Azel's point about subtle political gains is a good one. The Seneschals will likely use the event (like every event they can influence in any way) to boost the power of their Tethers, and if they see an especially good opportunity, might use their influence as local celestial leaders to get even only Nuetral-Word Servitors to help out.