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Old 12-08-2012, 03:04 AM   #1
Dalillama
 
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Default OOC:I Must Go Down to the Seas Again

A Historical In Nomine Campaign

Setting background (The following is canon in this game):


Quote:
Originally Posted by Moe Lane
Panthalassa
It startles people when they notice: Heaven has no oceans.
There's a space for one... sort of. To one side of Jordi's Savannah is an
area best described as "not defined." It isn't empty, because "empty" is a
definition, as is "blank," "vacant," and "formless." There should be
something there, and there isn't, but nothing else can take up the space.
And it's definitely supposed to be an ocean. It's obvious by looking,
although "looking" is the worst word - except for all possible others - to
use to describe the action. More to the point, a sufficiently old enough
denizen of Heaven will remember the days when there was an ocean there. It
was called Panthalassa, and it supposedly stretched forever. In a very odd
way, it certainly stretched from Heaven to Hell - at least, old records show
of fights between Oannes' Servitors and Vephar's that took place upon it,
and Hell once had an ocean of its own. There is a section of Hades that
still looks unmistakably like a seaport, complete with long-dry canals.
Panthalassa had several unique features to it. To begin with, it was the
only place on the celestial plane where one could see the sun, moon, and
stars. It was never determined whether these were the same as the ones on
the corporeal plane. While there was never a configuration of celestial
bodies that would have been impossible to find on Earth, there was no
consistency. A traveler could go from bright noon to star-laden midnight in
an instant, and the constellations were never the same way twice. Despite
this, travel was actually fairly easy. Compasses would always point to
either Heaven or Hell, and those trying to use the stars and the sun to
navigate somehow could get just enough information to chart a proper course.
The other major feature was that Panthalassa was not simply ocean; there
were also islands, ranging from very small to several times the size of
Eurasia. The records indicate that one could find, or at least hear of,
anything there. Strange ruins, odd cultures, wildlife not seen on Earth in
eons (or ever seen at all), rumored colonies of Outcasts and Renegades and
Grigori and ethereals and entities not so easily catalogued, hidden
fortresses of Archangels, Demon Princes (or both!), legendary outposts of
different celestial planes, wild Tethers... Panthalassa was an adventurer's
Dream, and that wasn't even taking into account the life found in the ocean
itself, or the mysteries found at its bottom.
It is suggested - even dead, Oannes' and Vephar's nature clouds the issue -
that Panthalassa was some sort of mass hallucination that took humanity's
subconscious collective perception of the Far Marches and filtered it
through the dynamic tension of two Superiors engaged in Word-conflict. The
ocean would be the Marches itself, the islands all Domains, and naturally
one could always find one's way back to one's Heart. That would explain why
the ocean disappeared some time after both celestials were dead, although it
does not explain how an Archangel and a Demon Prince could collectively have
sufficient influence to bring it off. For that matter, it does not explain
why there was an ocean before the Rebellion, either. On the other hand, the
alternative explanation (Panthalassa was simply a very large forked Tether)
is not especially satisfying, either - if not outright impossible under the
laws of metaphysics. The very silly explanation - it was a "real" ocean
that God drained in order to bring about the Flood - would be dismissed
outright, except that the dates match up exceptionally well. However it
worked, there are angels and demons who would like it to work again. Some
interesting things on the islands were lost when Panthalassa disappeared;
some want those things back, and some just want to see them for themselves.
The military aspects of having a sea route to Heaven or Hell appeal, too.
And, of course, there are those who simply loved the ocean itself. Not all
of them were angels.

The present:
It is the mid 16th century, and the tall ships are opening the world to trade and pillaging alike on a scale heretofore unheard of. Edward VI is king in England, while The Jiajing Emperor reigns in China, but Heaven and Hell have their minds on other matters: Servitors of the Sword hear report from their former brethren among the Tsayadim of a rushing sound, as the tides of a great ocean, which follows them through the realms they travel. A former servitor of Oannes, now in service to Janus, reports that one of her Rites worked! Seraphic interrogation reveals that she is speaking Truly, but the event did not repeat itself. This was considered enough evidence that something was happening that Janus saw fit to investigate, and his seekers report finding Tethers in the deep oceans, which lead somewhere, not on the Corporeal but not familiar to any who were there. Return expeditions couldn't find them, and some failed to return entirely. Meanwhile, Angels of Dreams report actually sighting a coastline at the very edges of the Vale, in the surf of which floated the bubbles of dreamers. The coast flees before them when they approach it, and fades like a mirage when they draw too near, but they are drawing closer. There is something happening, and teams of elite troubleshooters are being sent to find out what it is. Janus, Jordi, and Marc are particularly interested, each for their own reasons, and all the former Servitors of Oannes have been reassigned to the hunt, in the hope that Oannes, or at least some Remnant of him, might be involved, and the fear that the the Word of Oceans may be returning.



This is intended to be a high powered, high adventure, swashbuckling game of exploration, action and mystery. Characters are built on standard In Nomine rules, but will start with 11 Forces, and commensurate points. PCs may also select 5 languages at level 3. Servitors of the above mentioned AAs are preferred, but room can be made for other Superiors as well. Those who wish to be former Servitors of Oannes should use these attunements and Rites
At least some languages should be non-European ones, and characters should be built with the expectation that both violence and Ethereal travel will occur.

Last edited by Dalillama; 12-14-2012 at 02:10 PM.
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Old 12-10-2012, 01:48 PM   #2
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Default Re: OOC:I Must Go Down to the Seas Again

New and relevant skills:
Navigation (per): This is the skill of navigating at sea with charts, compass, and astrolabe, as well as the skill of drawing useful maps and charts.

Mariner (special): This is the skill of crewing and running a sailing ship. Crewmembers base the skill on the higher of Precision or Agility, while captains and ships officers base it on Will

Gunner (pre): This is the skill of crewing and firing black powder cannons.


New weapons:
Wheellock pistol:
Power: 1 Acc:-2 Range: 5

Matchlock musket:
power: 3 Acc -1 Range:16

Thrown Axe:
Power: 1 Acc:1 Range: str

Thrown knife:
Power: 0 Acc:0 Range: 1/2str

Last edited by Dalillama; 12-10-2012 at 02:17 PM.
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Old 12-13-2012, 10:34 PM   #3
Rocket Man
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Default Re: OOC:I Must Go Down to the Seas Again

I really should be careful about entering another PbP, but this one looks intriguing and I'm curious about your GMing style. I'll let you know when I have a character concept together.
__________________
“It's not railroading if you offer the PCs tickets and they stampede to the box office, waving their money. Metaphorically speaking”
--Elizabeth McCoy, In Nomine Line Editor

Author: "What Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Stronger"
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Old 12-13-2012, 10:48 PM   #4
Dalillama
 
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Default Re: OOC:I Must Go Down to the Seas Again

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocket Man View Post
I really should be careful about entering another PbP, but this one looks intriguing and I'm curious about your GMing style. I'll let you know when I have a character concept together.
Welcome aboard. If I can dredge up a couple more PCs, we can get this show on the road.
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Old 12-14-2012, 12:38 PM   #5
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Default Re: OOC:I Must Go Down to the Seas Again

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dalillama View Post
Welcome aboard. If I can dredge up a couple more PCs, we can get this show on the road.
I'm chewing over if I should jump in. Just curious, how much of the game will take place in the Ethereal as compared to the Corporeal?
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Old 12-14-2012, 01:11 PM   #6
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Default Re: OOC:I Must Go Down to the Seas Again

Quote:
Originally Posted by Puck View Post
I'm chewing over if I should jump in. Just curious, how much of the game will take place in the Ethereal as compared to the Corporeal?
More in the Corporeal initially, but later on large parts of it will move to the Ethereal. Although that does bring to mind another slight departure from canon for reasons of flavor; it is possible for mortals to be bodily transported to the Ethereal via certain Tethers; By performing the appropriate actions and spending 2 Essence, the user is transported to the Ethereal Domain at the other end of the Tether. What differentiates these from any other Tether is that anyone can pay the Essence, not just the entity traveling, and it works on humans as well as Celestials and Ethereals. When a human, or other entity, passes through, their physical body is placed in Vessel Space (the only known way of putting a human body there), and cannot get it back except by passing back through a Tether from the same Domain. Celestials and Ethereals with Vessels can leave through any Tether, however.
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Old 12-14-2012, 02:03 PM   #7
johndallman
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Default Re: OOC:I Must Go Down to the Seas Again

I'm thinking about a couple of character concepts:

One is a Mercurian of Water IST Wind, who's been a sailor for a long. long time. Incidentally, editing the period off the end of the URL for Water wites and attunements would make it more usable.

The other is a Seraph of Animals, with human and Dolphin vesels.

Do either of these make sense to the GM?
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Old 12-14-2012, 02:14 PM   #8
Dalillama
 
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Default Re: OOC:I Must Go Down to the Seas Again

Quote:
Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
I'm thinking about a couple of character concepts:

One is a Mercurian of Water IST Wind, who's been a sailor for a long. long time. Incidentally, editing the period off the end of the URL for Water wites and attunements would make it more usable.

The other is a Seraph of Animals, with human and Dolphin vesels.

Do either of these make sense to the GM?
Both are perfectly fitted to the setting. I would like at least one Angel of the Waters, so if others don't bring one in, I'd prefer the first one. Link is fixed.
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Old 12-15-2012, 03:57 AM   #9
johndallman
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Default Re: OOC:I Must Go Down to the Seas Again

Will Roles be important? It doesn't look as if they will, but I felt I should check.
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Old 12-15-2012, 10:03 AM   #10
Dalillama
 
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Default Re: OOC:I Must Go Down to the Seas Again

Quote:
Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
Will Roles be important? It doesn't look as if they will, but I felt I should check.
Not neccesary, although having one can definitely be useful. Mostly it would affect how mortals react to you, and there will be interactions with them. That said, Status 1 Roles would be pretty pointless; only buy a Role to indicate a specific status. e.g. "Marcel le Picard, French seaman" is an identity that anyone would accept if you spoke French and/or Picard, and have some seamanship skills. You don't need a Role to be him. If you're "James, Lord Belvedere," that costs points, but people will treat you a lot better than they would Marcel.

Last edited by Dalillama; 12-15-2012 at 11:28 AM.
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