Impudite Dissonance Rationalization

[JCD]

I know the meta reason for an Impudite to not be able to kill people. Sort of an 'art/game balance' thing.

But what is the explanation in universe? I get that an Impudite sees a human as a combination sex tox/steak dinner/ ATM machine and yes, as a human, I would be absolutely appalled if someone actually choked a goose which laid golden eggs.

HOWEVER, I would not SUFFER if that happened. It would be purely emotional.

What is your best rational as to why this is?

[robkelk]

Celestials aren't human.

A human can act against his own best interests or his own nature and suffer no worse than a few twitches of remorse and guilt. A Celestial doing the same thing actually damages himself.

(On the flip side, many Celestials can punch through a wall without long-term effect to himself, while a human who tried doing the same thing would break a few bones. Celestials aren't human.)

[William]

Slightly off-the-wall rationalization: Impudites are actually Mercurians who have been lied to, very very well, by their Princes and Lucifer. (What gives a Balseraph dissonance? In a way, it's realizing that he lied. Etc.)

Lilim are the only demons who aren't crazy, and that's because they're humantouched.

[Rocket Man]

One reason that popped into my mind: It's a matter of rationalization.

Mercurians can't act violently toward mortals. When a Mercurian Falls, it's likely because he chose to do so, more than once. There's always what seems to be a good reason, and at the worst, a Mercurian can tell himself that even if he's hurting someone, he's not doing any permanent damage, so the harm isn't actually real. Heck, even crippling injury can be Healed if it's important enough -- sort of like a Cherub; if you can put it back together, no foul, right?

That delusion only gets strengthened at the moment of becoming an Impudite, where your wants and needs are more important than the rest of the world's, anyway. But when you kill a human ... that breaks the rationalization. It can't be fixed. The soul is either in Heaven, in Hell or in the recycle bin, and regardless, it's something you can't get back no matter how much you want it. That's enough to break through the shell and twinge the last remaining chord of the old Mercurian nature, even if the note is soured by personal selfishness.

My take, anyway. YMMV, as always.

[robkelk]

Originally Posted by William

Slightly off-the-wall rationalization: Impudites are actually Mercurians who have been lied to, very very well, by their Princes and Lucifer. (What gives a Balseraph dissonance? In a way, it's realizing that he lied. Etc.)

Lilim are the only demons who aren't crazy, and that's because they're humantouched.

So the Habbalah are right and all the other celestials resident in Hell are wrong?

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by robkelk

So the Habbalah are right and all the other celestials resident in Hell are wrong?

Not really; the Habbalah aren't any less crazy, after all.

[JCD]

Originally Posted by Rocket Man

One reason that popped into my mind: It's a matter of rationalization.

Mercurians can't act violently toward mortals. When a Mercurian Falls, it's likely because he chose to do so, more than once. There's always what seems to be a good reason, and at the worst, a Mercurian can tell himself that even if he's hurting someone, he's not doing any permanent damage, so the harm isn't actually real. Heck, even crippling injury can be Healed if it's important enough -- sort of like a Cherub; if you can put it back together, no foul, right?

That delusion only gets strengthened at the moment of becoming an Impudite, where your wants and needs are more important than the rest of the world's, anyway. But when you kill a human ... that breaks the rationalization. It can't be fixed. The soul is either in Heaven, in Hell or in the recycle bin, and regardless, it's something you can't get back no matter how much you want it. That's enough to break through the shell and twinge the last remaining chord of the old Mercurian nature, even if the note is soured by personal selfishness.

My take, anyway. YMMV, as always.

Huh. So...all the Princes are forced to make cookie cutter 'angels' because that is all they know how to make from their time as Archs or learned from former Archs...but then they have to deliberately break them to make them useful.

Interesting idea and I like it.

Originally Posted by William

Slightly off-the-wall rationalization: Impudites are actually Mercurians who have been lied to, very very well, by their Princes and Lucifer. (What gives a Balseraph dissonance? In a way, it's realizing that he lied. Etc.)

Lilim are the only demons who aren't crazy, and that's because they're humantouched.

That might be why Lilim are the only 'original' Hellish creation: because it was a human who did it. Creation is a distinct spark which isn't shared willy nilly among Celestials, after all (at least not in my campaigns. Gotta give the humans an edge somehow)

[JCD]

Originally Posted by robkelk

So the Habbalah are right and all the other celestials resident in Hell are wrong?

One can be crazy AND right.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by JCD

That might be why Lilim are the only 'original' Hellish creation: because it was a human who did it. Creation is a distinct spark which isn't shared willy nilly among Celestials, after all (at least not in my campaigns. Gotta give the humans an edge somehow)

Is it Canon that all minor bands did not exist until a member of their minor choir equivalent fell?

[Matthias Wasser]

I kinda like the idea that the Impudite dissonance condition extends to alienating humans. That said...

Originally Posted by JCD

HOWEVER, I would not SUFFER if that happened. It would be purely emotional.

This pair of sentences contains an assumption that I find just incomprehensible.