Alternate Crosstime Organizations

[Mark Skarr]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

It does make me think of how one could fight a demonic infection

Fire! And lots of it! (SFW Youtube link)

Looking at it a bit more in depth, it does sort of sound like the Void from Relic Knights, but on a larger scale.

[Jasonft]

I've been toying with the ides of writing up the Nephandi from World of Darkness as a cross time organization. Think of them as Cabal's worst possible nightmare - magicians not only actively drawing on the Abyss for power but also working to spread it's influence far and wide. Some of their Patrons predate the human race - and they know things...

Attempts to infiltrate the Nephandi universally fail. Whatever initiation ceremony they go through to become a member either kills the infiltrator or converts them to complete loyalty to the Demon Lords.

[adm]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k

I feel like my contribution to the threat is being drowned in an unrelated argument about the morality of Coventry. Not saying you guys can't discuss the topic, but I'd like to know people's opinion on my Abyss thing.

I think it sounds fairly interesting. Now Infinity, Centrum, Riech-5, and the more enlightened self-interest members of the Cabal have reason to work together, and bring worlds like Shi-ko-Mon and Steel into the secret.

[Flyndaran]

The Cabal's main M.O. is self protection especially against the Qlippoth. The Abyss would be literally the only threat that could get the Grand Masters to actually cooperate. A unified Cabal would be a very frightening force.

[robkelk]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k

I feel like my contribution to the threat is being drowned in an unrelated argument about the morality of Coventry. Not saying you guys can't discuss the topic, but I'd like to know people's opinion on my Abyss thing.

You did choose to make that contribution in the middle of the discussion of Coventry... Anyway.

Is the Abyss a crosstime organization, or a force of nature? I don't see any way to use the Abyss as a recurring element (friendly or not) the way I can use Centrum or the Cabal.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k

... I'd like to know people's opinion on my Abyss thing.

It's an interesting extension to the Abyss from Cabal, and gives the demons more to do than just lurk in wait for travellers. I might use it sometime in Infinite Cabal.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k

I feel like my contribution to the threat is being drowned in an unrelated argument about the morality of Coventry. Not saying you guys can't discuss the topic, but I'd like to know people's opinion on my Abyss thing.

Personally I'd tone it down a little. The invading demon army thing is an FRP standard but the way you wrote it defines all positive mana worlds as doomed since they will inevitably summon demons if only by accident.

[LoneWolf23k]

Originally Posted by robkelk

You did choose to make that contribution in the middle of the discussion of Coventry... Anyway.

Is the Abyss a crosstime organization, or a force of nature? I don't see any way to use the Abyss as a recurring element (friendly or not) the way I can use Centrum or the Cabal.

The Abyss itself is more a force of nature. The Demon Lords would be the actual organization. At least as Organized as purely selfish beings with "A God am I" mindsets would be. Each Demon Lord seeks to expand their influence, and conquer new worlds to absorb into their territories. And most don't play nicely with each other. Only the mightiest of Demon Lords can bend others to their will, and even then backstabbing is commonplace.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Personally I'd tone it down a little. The invading demon army thing is an FRP standard but the way you wrote it defines all positive mana worlds as doomed since they will inevitably summon demons if only by accident.

In the long run perhaps. It takes a lot more than a single scout to make things work. You've got to get a large number of mages opening portals and summoning more demons before the real invasion can start. Once demons are common enough (something that could vary by world), they can start a real invasion.

I'm not sure why just pouring through the first gate that gets opened wouldn't work: you'd have to put some restrictions up. The first one that occurs to me is a time limit on low long demons can stay in a place without long-standing demonic taint, as well as letting the be banished, be extra vulnerable to magic, and so forth.

You fight the demonic influence by reducing the number of demons and demon-summoning in a world. presumably the taint isn't cumulative: you've got to have a certain number of demons summoned in a given year. And without external information mages won't know to not go hog wild on using these new and useful servants.

Some quanta, notably the ones centrum have access to, have no worlds with mana. We might have an explanation now.

[Phantasm]

Knights of Celestia

"Wherever the demons of the Abyss appear, the Knights of Celestia will be there to drive them back."

Formed in response to the threat of the Demon Lords of the Abyss, the Knights of Celestia are a group of demon hunters, peacekeepers, and even the occasional being that could only be called "angels" who are dedicated to pushing back against the demons, protecting the innocent from demonic incursion and taking actions to prevent future incursions. Most use magic in some form to travel between worlds, and are hesitant to let others know other worlds exist. Sometimes, however, the Knights recognize that a world is lost to the demons and acts to transplant survivors to a world where they can start over.

The weaponry of the Knights changes in respect to the local tech levels. Some Knights wear armor and carry magic swords and shields; others carry guns, laser, blasters, and a few carry energy swords and force shield bracers. Cybernetic replacements, bionic enhancements, and biomods aren't unknown among ultra-tech Knights, either.

Since the Knights often use magic to combat darker magic, some see them as foolishly fighting a losing battle. However, the Knights' magic does not use mana, instead being channeled from an entity of pure light. (In game terms, they use Power Investiture, not Magery.) Most Knights call their magical patron "God", though many also claim to be channeling the power of "angels", "saints", "the stars", and "the Light" (one sect inside the Knights calls it "The Force"); the exact nature of the patron is unknown.

The origin of the Knights is lost to antiquity. They acknowledge a supreme leadership, a Patriarch of the Order, but most Knights operate in small groups independent of the main group. They often work alongside native heroes against the demons, usually but not always acting as the leaders of the groups. If there is a world out there that has the local name Celestia, it has not been located.

The Cabal are fairly antagonistic to the Knights, since the Cabal often makes use of the Abyss for their own ends. Centrum acknowledges the Knights as a disinterested third party whose agenda doesn't conflict with their own; Infinity doesn't know what to think of the Knights. More humanitarian factions inside Infinity accept their help without question; more militant factions see the Knights as meddlers who break the Secret when it pleases them. Reich-5 wish to bring the Knights under the control of the Führer, which the Knights unanimously reject.