The Hit List

[Regis]

First, a request: all those playing in the game 'The Bigger Picture' on RPOL, stop reading now! This is me asking for advice about the game.




So, with that out of the way, the actual point of this game. I'm running a game online, as you may have gathered. The PCs are high-points Word-bound Angels involved in various shenanigans on the Corporeal plane to further their words and the cause of Heaven. Y'know, the usual. One of the optional plot hooks I want to drop in, though, is Marc swiping a bright idea from various sources. Specifically, he will release a list to all of Heaven: Marc's 20 Most Wanted. A hit list of 20 servants of Hell that Marc believes are doing the most damage to the Word of Trade and the interests of his servants. Anyone bringing in proof that they were responsible for the death of one of these beings will be rewarded fairly for their assistance - and the coffers of Trade go very deep for some of these people.

The only number I have filled in on the list is the number one target: the newly-appointed Demon of Poverty. This is the fourth holder of the Word of Poverty, the previous three having been killed before they could reach Demon Prince status by Marc's personal hit sqauds. This time, however, the target is proving surprisingly good at evading direct combat. He is the real reason Marc has assembled the list - an extended build-up sequence to the name at number one. Anyone killing this being can name their price, and with good reason.

What I'm asking for help with is filling in the other 19 names. Any ideas people come up with are cool. I'm asking for two things for each suggestion:

1: Obviously, who the person is. A name, a band (if they are a Demon - Soldiers may get onto this list as well) and what Word they possess/serve, if any.

2: Why Marc wants them dead.

Oh, and a general point: no Demon Princes. To put them on a Hit List would be a spectacular act of redundancy.

Many thanks in advance!

[tHEhERETIC]

The Demon of Payday Loans. They're a scourge both here in Korea (where they're reputedly owned by Japanese banks) as well as in the States. It's a particularly insidious form of usury, where legally they're "cash advances" and not "loans" and thus are not regulated as "loans". They prey especially on the poor, though they also hit immigrants and other folks who have difficulty maintaining a regular checking account.

See also (The Demon of) Check Cashing Storefronts.

While we're on the subject of poverty and immigrants, surely under Poverty you'll find Human Trafficking and its variants, perhaps a Demon of Selective Deportation.

Obesity, rather than actually falling under Gluttony (though perhaps he was IST Gluttony at some point) would also fall under poverty, as low-quality processed unhealthy food is less expensive in the developed world than better fresher foods. As Elton John put it in the 70's "Times are changing/ Now the poor get fat."

A relatively recent Demon of Open Sewers. After all, they were the norm in the world a long time ago, and now you only find them in underdeveloped countries and poorer parts of developed and developing ones.

That's just offhand...

[Jason]

Payday Loans and Human Trafficking (or simply Slavery) are especially excellent ideas, I think. Even Lilith might chip in to help take down the latter one, and your PCs will have a lot of Free Lilim to compete with for that reward.

Home sick today! So, here are some I came up with instead of being productive/feeling healthy:

The Demon of Spam

Described briefly (but without a name, Band, or Superior) in the Infernal Players Guide. His original Word referred to the canned meat, so I infer he may have been working for Haagenti. I figure this has got to be a Balseraph: Who else would so eagerly embrace both "fake" meat and false advertising? Possible names: Hormel; Zaccai (meaning "pure meat, just," the kind of dishonest name a Balseraph would love); or some ridiculous nonsense name that would get inflicted upon the kind of loser Servitor who'd get stuck with a Word like "Spam" in the first place.

Since Lucifer "upgraded" his Word, I suspect he may collaborate nowadays with operations by Mammon ("I am a Nigerian prince who needs to transfer funds..."), Fleurity ("buy generic v1@gra"), and Alaemon ("impress her with your huge member"). Seeing as how junk email not only costs legitimate companies billions a year, but also defrauds gullible consumers users who don't realize that "computer literacy" goes beyond ctrl-alt-delete, Jean might have an interest in removing this plague from the interwebs as well.

The Demon of Buyer's Remorse

Mikloth, meaning "little wants, looking downward," a Lilim of Greed. The Angel of Remorse, a longtime servitor of Judgment serving closely with the Angel of Penitence, has been waging a lonely war against this enemy for quite some time: While he promotes the concept of recognizing the wrongness of one's own actions, she trivializes this by promoting the specific regret of purchasing stuff people can't afford.

The Archangels have long ignored the Angel of Remorse's entreaties for more aid in taking out this demon, but Marc has taken notice as the Word becomes more complex and problematic in the wake of the recent international financial crises. Marc's beef is that this Word encourages people not to buy things out of fear of missing out on a better deal later, hoarding wealth rather than keeping it circulating in the economy. He may be anti-Gluttony, but he is pro-spending.

The Demon of Pornography

An Impudite, Lilim, Shedite, or Djinn (take your pick) of Andrealphus with too many names that come to mind: Buffy, Bunny, Lolita, etc. (or, if you prefer male Lilim, consider "Larry," a name sure to irk Laurence). Marc actually has no problem with pornography as an actual product; it's just one more good to be traded (in moderation, of course). What he has a problem with is the way it's been produced and marketed.

The porn industry has long operated much like the old Hollywood studio system, since shut down for mainstream studios thanks to antitrust law. Nowadays, porn has spread like kudzu over the web, with intrusive advertising and malware that get in the way of more productive avenues of trade. Marc was waiting to see whether the .xxx domain suffix were to ever go through, but he never really believed it would adequately quell the practices he found most offensive. Porn actors have always been at risk of exploitation and debauchery off the camera, and the rise of amateur porn and uncompensated "girls gone wild" has cut into any legitimate interest that Trade might have in pornography at all. Worse yet, the rise of the Internet has dramatically increased the availability child pornography, appalling Christopher (and eliciting what appears to be a disapproving from Jean). Enough other Archangels have a problem with this Word that including her on the list is just the politic thing to do.

The Demon of Contests

Nico, meaning "Victory," a Balseraph of the Game. Once a proud angel of War, promoting athletic achievement and the Word of "the Prize," he has since Fallen and been taken in by Asmodeus. Rather than working within Hell's inquisition, he promotes his Word in the Symphony by inspiring new contests that are essentially meaningless, and sometimes actively demeaning.

It was bad enough when he was just encouraging poor sportsmanship; now he's got his fingers in lotteries that serve as a sort of "hope tax" for those who can't afford them, "crowdsourcing" that that drives down the value of creative work, and that stupid sweepstakes of which "you may already be a winner." (He takes credit for "reality" TV shows, but technically MTV's "The Real World" predates his involvement in the genre.)

[JCD]

Belseraph of Fine Print: "It says right here..."

Habbalah of Teaser Rates: "I can get you a loan at 2.3%, fulfilling your hopes and dreams..."

Calabim of Usury: Destroying Savings and Credit Ratings

Impudite of Lemons: "Have I got a car for you..."

Impudite of Television Huckstering: Contract Fulfilled.

Djinn of Cheap Stuff: When you don't care enough to make even a half hearted effort.

[Regis]

All awesome ideas, folks - some of these are going to be fun!

[Acolyte]

While a Mercurian ordering assassinations is odd, it would be like Marc to take the economic approach to the situation. *grin*

Some thoughts for people to flesh out the list:

Justcallnow, the Demon of Special TV Offers
This Habbalite Baron of the Media (with Vapulan contacts) has become so subsumed in its Word that even its name has been replaced. One of Nybbas' favorites, it is responsible for late-night TV ads selling not one, not two, but THREE things you never wanted all for the low-low price of $19.95 + Shipping and Handling (Zhumiel, formerly an Ofanite of Trade, briefly became Zoomzoom, the Demon of Shipping and Handling, but Marc's agents have already dispatched him). These ads defraud the poor or vulnerable and sell little of substance (although this Habbalite sees himself as providing people with all the things they never realized they needed), making Nybbas clap with glee and Marc very angry. Angels hoping to take him out might find a temporary ally in Opartis, the Balseraph Demon of Infomercials. Opartis and Justcallnow were bitter rivals, but Justcallnow was able to recast his opponent's Word with strong negative vibes (hence why a TV Guide calls it Paid Programming now), and Opartis is eager for revenge.

Praedicatoriel (Preacher of God), the Demon of Alms
This ancient Balseraph was once a Seraph of Destiny and an early patron of theologians, but after falling in love with paradox and doctrinal loopholes he joined Asmodeus. That proved a poor fit for someone used to the pulpit and he switched into the service of Mammon, emphasizing the use of religion to defraud the populace. His power peaked in the Middle Ages, but has since dwindled. The recent rise of non-denominational megachurches in the US and donation-fueled Islamic terrorism has brought him back into focus, and he's perpetrating terrible acts in the name of the Lord. He's well-connected from the old days, and has even earned some friends with the new crowd by throwing Nybbas a few scandal- and fraud-ridden preachers he was done with. Angels hoping to take him on face a tough enemy, but Khalid's righteous fury (along with that of the Angel of Alms-giving) would be on their side.

Julianos, the Demon of Copyrights
Another Balseraph from the Hit List, this Hell-born demon has the difficult task of taking a potentially Divine Word and twisting it, using the laws designed to protect artists to stifle creativity and prop up existing franchises. Asmodeus, his Prince, approves of how well he's succeeded, especially through his well-established Role as a lawyer for the Disney Corporation.* This Word isn't too powerful, and Julianos doesn't have that many friends, but in recent years the increasing battle over digital media has brought his name to Heaven, and Marc wants this one nipped in the bud. Julianos has already fended off attacks from angels of Fire and the Wind, and notably one from some Servitors of Theft.

Vera, the Demon of Knock-offs
This Impudite, created by Mammon during his heyday and traded to Vapula to cover some debts after Hell's Big Crash, is making a name for herself in the sweatshops and on the streetcorners of developing nations. Humanity is doing a good job slowing her growth into more first-world nations, but Vera's expanded her businesses online. Her efforts do put close facsimiles of Oakley sunglasses and Vera Bradley purses into the hands of those not rich enough to afford such luxuries, without truly devaluing actual brand-name items or cutting into the salaries of artists and designers, and so Marc was not initially opposed to her work. But Vera is ambitious, and has started focusing less on the act of copying (which humans are fairly good at doing themselves) and more on the fraud, pushing knock-offs as actual items. And she's moving beyond apparel--generic pharmaceuticals are her current leading products (and source of Essence), but she's not afraid to turn to the classics as well, diluting rare metals, growing fake gemstones, and cutting saffron with tumeric. She's not too powerful, but Vera seems to be everywhere, with a social network to rival a Lilim--she's got friends in the hierarchy of every Shal-Mari Prince, as well as the Media and Technology.

Fekliss, Demon of Investment Reluctance
The only Servitor of Beleth on the Hit List, Fekliss catapulted to Hellish stardom the night before Black Friday when Lucifer intervened personally in the dreamscape of an investor he was tormenting. This demented Shedite was not satisfied with a short spurt of fame and, after taking some correspondence courses from Mammon, has gone on to make fear of economic depression a subconscious phobia of every venture capitalist and would-be millionaire. His fortunes have risen and fallen conversely to the stock markets, but he is always there, convincing people that mattresses are okay replacements for bank accounts, bonds and certificates of deposits are okay replacements for stocks, and that the tiniest sign of economic woe justifies pulling back on all investments even if the market desperately needs cash influx. Fekliss doesn't attempt to manipulate a prosperous time into a depression, but he's there to herald the end of a bull market and extend the recessions as long as possible. He's forward-looking for a Shedite, and knows that if he were too successful and literally all investment stopped, his Word would become meaningless. Instead he's turned his Band's natural cunning to the task of doing as much damage as possible without going overboard. This is a task he's gotten very good at very quickly--and Marc wants him out of the picture. He doesn't have many friends (who serving Beleth does?), but he spends a lot of time in the Marches, where hunting angels not serving Blandine are likely to be at a serious disadvantage.

*If you're not angry at the way Disney has shaped international copyright law, you probably don't know about it. *grin*

[Jason]

These are great. Just to play off one of these:

Originally Posted by Acolyte

Julianos, the Demon of Copyrights
Another Balseraph from the Hit List, this Hell-born demon has the difficult task of taking a potentially Divine Word and twisting it, using the laws designed to protect artists to stifle creativity and prop up existing franchises.

If there's a Demon of Piracy, Marc, Janus, Novalis, Yves, and especially Litheroy* may have a beef with him moving in on things that might otherwise fall under the Word of "Sharing."


* A Bright Lilim of Litheroy would always be in earnest when proclaiming that the "information wants to be free."

[Rocket Man]

Originally Posted by tHEhERETIC

The Demon of Payday Loans. They're a scourge both here in Korea (where they're reputedly owned by Japanese banks) as well as in the States. It's a particularly insidious form of usury, where legally they're "cash advances" and not "loans" and thus are not regulated as "loans". They prey especially on the poor, though they also hit immigrants and other folks who have difficulty maintaining a regular checking account.

See also (The Demon of) Check Cashing Storefronts.

Related to this, our campaign had a Shedite who was angling to become the Demon of Debt, who had actually driven a college student to suicide over the amounts she had borrowed in student loans and for a study-abroad program that one of his hosts convinced her she could afford: "After all, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Marc and Lilith would likely be ganging up to take this guy down. Our own characters wound up with a lot of Tempters lending background aid, since a non-Lilim with the Word of Debt would end up with an immense amount of power over the sisterhood ....

These days, of course, such a demon is likely gloating over the huge number of foreclosures and failed banks.

[Regis]

While a Mercurian ordering assassinations is odd, it would be like Marc to take the economic approach to the situation. *grin*

It's one of the things that I like to have as part of my world: a Mercurian can advocate violence, a Seraph can order people to lie, and a Malakite can advise peopole to break their word. They just can't do it themselves. No wiggle room, no spirit of the law - dissonance is dissonance. But if you're within the letter of the law, well... that's why Asmodeus is so powerful.

Now, Marc doesn't like doing these things, but Marc understands cost-benefit analysis like nobody else alive. He's never going to offer a bounty on demon scalps, but these people? He's willing to make an exception.

EDIT: Once again, many thanks for people's ideas, but I do have a request: could I have a few human Soldiers for the list? I'd like to put a few on there, just to mix things up a bit. In fact, the more dangerous you can make them, the better - I'd love to have a mortal human in the top five along with all the powerful Word-bound.

[Acolyte]

Well, the easy way to make a Soldier top the list would be to have one of the above Word'd demons' right-hand lieutenant be an exceptionally powerful Soldier protected in part by the demon's circle of friends. The Disney lawyer might not be a demon's Role but instead is just a fervent Hellsworn. If you are dead-set on humans on the list, try thinking about Undead (they are more powerful than Soldiers but are still human symphonically [and thus attacking them is very disturbance-heavy and for Mercurians dissonant]).

Nelson W. Aldrich (actual person)

This politician and investor shaped US economic policy in the late 1800s and early 1900s, supporting increased tariffs, the institution of an income tax, and the Federal Reserve system, all of which were implemented by the government of the time. He eagerly agreed to trade his soul for increased power, but before he signed on with Mammon he explored other options and ended up a willing Mummy of Kronos, who made him an offer he couldn't refuse. He has stymied international trade on numerous occasions in various guises since he faked death in 1915, and if he were a demon he would surely have earned the Word of Tariffs or Quotas (both unfilled at the present) by now. Several demons of Greed and Fate answer to him directly as he coordinates a global effort to break down international economic cooperation from safehouses in Bern, Tokyo, and New York City. His inability to prevent the xAFTA signings and the nascent EU mark a significant decrease in Hell's confidence in this particular Undead. Marc wants him out of the picture before he regains his political influence, but angels targeting this Mummy will face an old, experienced foe capable of destroying any Earthly Role with a few well-placed comments.