your personal Canon

Matthias Wasser · 03-13-2010, 11:26 AM

Dark. Not particularly funny. Slightly more on the realistic side. Low-contrast, or, if you prefer, high-contrast but about equally backwards and forwards.

Angels dwell on Earth at about a 1:150,000 human population ratio; divine Tethers at 1:2,000,000, demons at 1:75,000, infernal Tethers at 1:1,000,000, Sorcerers and about as many "Undead" at 1:50,000. About 12% of humans achieve only their Fate, 8% only their Destiny, and 4% both.

Yves is replaced by Raphael, Seraph Archangel of the Book; Laurence by Uriel; Dominic mostly cosmetically by Daniel, Elohite Archangel of Justice, who generally prefers Islam and Confucianism; Kronos by Lucifer, Balseraph Prince of Enlightenment. Mammon, Aleamon, Zadkiel, Khalid, and Azrael become majors; Beleth, Blandine, Marc, Saminga, and all remaining minors are dropped unceremoniously. Non-Semitic Archangel names get changed as per Earl Wajenberg's suggestions; lame (words for) Words get renamed: Dark Humor to Mockery, Protection to the Aegis, Flowers to the Garden, &c. Superiors are much, much less important than their organizations; and probably spend most of their time contemplating things boring and beyond your comprehension.

The organizations of Archangelic Words are vertically integrated hierarchies; like in canon, except that you probably never personally interact with an angel more than two rungs above you. Unworded demons generally work for Wordbound demons on a contract or commission basis, and would certainly never call themselves "Servitors;" the system of peerage (Baron, Count, &c.) isn't a vertically integrated hierarchy either, but merely expresses that e.g. whatever the Baron of Motels does to expand its domain assists the Duke of Adultery, whose efforts to expand its domain always assist the Prince of Lust, such that it's in their continual self-interest to cooperate.

There are no relievers or demonlings. Instead, angels can swap Forces, Realm for Realm - swapping Corporeal exchanges Vessel features, swapping Ethereal exchanges memories, and swapping Celestial (in-Choir only) exchanges fundamental features of personality, Skills go with their relevant Realms, and Discord spreads to both, like a veneral disease, which is part of why there's so much social sanction on it - or split and merge. They do this to respecialize for their appointed tasks and prevent stable personal identities from forming, which could lead to selfishness, and it's where new angels come from (two 12-Forces commune and emerge as three 9-Forces, say.) Demons are too attached to their personal identities to engage in this, and their Forces will disperse if they ever lose the will to hang on, or if they can't just cut it in Hell. These Forces are borne about in whirling nothing of Hell, and will spontaneously gather in demon-shaped groups of seven. What Heaven does though calculated planning Hell does through remorseless Schumpeterian logic.

There are no Ethereal spirits and probably no Ethereal Plane. All of the Ye Gods of Olde were demons - Heaven subverted and took over a number of their cults (the original Yahweh was a demon named Ialdabaoth, for instance) and used them to wipe out the others. "God" in the modern monotheistic sense is just a metaphor for the same thing "the Symphony" is, just tailored to the sensibilities of humans rather than angels. There's not actually any booming voice from the sky that intervenes in angelic politics every couple centuries.

The Lower Heavens are Purgatory, and their purpose, as far as humans are concerned, is to cleanse Blessed Souls of attachment and identity. Salvation is not a "reward;" it involves the voluntary or forcible process of reincorporation with the rest of the Symphony. Angels that aren't prosecuting the War or ensuring that the nonhuman parts of the Corporeal Plane keep running the way they're running are generally involved in this, which is necessary to the continuation of the Symphony in some way I haven't figured out yet.

Calabim look like swirling black holes, rotating inwards on themselves, or chaotic vortices of energy. Elohim and Habbalah look like baroque metal contraptions. The Friends of Man and Impudites look as in canon, but with stable, androgynous forms that don't have any relation to their Vessels.

Anybody can become a Sorcerer - no ancient lore needed, some made-up mumbo-jumbo, or science, or an MBA training, will work just as well - but you have to achieve your Fate first. No Sorcerous powers over and above summoning and negotiating with demons exist. Any demon with the right tools can create "Undead," but these needn't be particularly death-themed, and a "Vampire" might be stuck with any Need and Weakness, not just sunlight and blood. There are no Saints, nor, as a separate category over and above "humans aware that they're involved in the War," Soldiers.

03-13-2010, 11:26 AM	#1
Matthias Wasser Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Boston	your personal Canon Dark. Not particularly funny. Slightly more on the realistic side. Low-contrast, or, if you prefer, high-contrast but about equally backwards and forwards. Angels dwell on Earth at about a 1:150,000 human population ratio; divine Tethers at 1:2,000,000, demons at 1:75,000, infernal Tethers at 1:1,000,000, Sorcerers and about as many "Undead" at 1:50,000. About 12% of humans achieve only their Fate, 8% only their Destiny, and 4% both. Yves is replaced by Raphael, Seraph Archangel of the Book; Laurence by Uriel; Dominic mostly cosmetically by Daniel, Elohite Archangel of Justice, who generally prefers Islam and Confucianism; Kronos by Lucifer, Balseraph Prince of Enlightenment. Mammon, Aleamon, Zadkiel, Khalid, and Azrael become majors; Beleth, Blandine, Marc, Saminga, and all remaining minors are dropped unceremoniously. Non-Semitic Archangel names get changed as per Earl Wajenberg's suggestions; lame (words for) Words get renamed: Dark Humor to Mockery, Protection to the Aegis, Flowers to the Garden, &c. Superiors are much, much less important than their organizations; and probably spend most of their time contemplating things boring and beyond your comprehension. The organizations of Archangelic Words are vertically integrated hierarchies; like in canon, except that you probably never personally interact with an angel more than two rungs above you. Unworded demons generally work for Wordbound demons on a contract or commission basis, and would certainly never call themselves "Servitors;" the system of peerage (Baron, Count, &c.) isn't a vertically integrated hierarchy either, but merely expresses that e.g. whatever the Baron of Motels does to expand its domain assists the Duke of Adultery, whose efforts to expand its domain always assist the Prince of Lust, such that it's in their continual self-interest to cooperate. There are no relievers or demonlings. Instead, angels can swap Forces, Realm for Realm - swapping Corporeal exchanges Vessel features, swapping Ethereal exchanges memories, and swapping Celestial (in-Choir only) exchanges fundamental features of personality, Skills go with their relevant Realms, and Discord spreads to both, like a veneral disease, which is part of why there's so much social sanction on it - or split and merge. They do this to respecialize for their appointed tasks and prevent stable personal identities from forming, which could lead to selfishness, and it's where new angels come from (two 12-Forces commune and emerge as three 9-Forces, say.) Demons are too attached to their personal identities to engage in this, and their Forces will disperse if they ever lose the will to hang on, or if they can't just cut it in Hell. These Forces are borne about in whirling nothing of Hell, and will spontaneously gather in demon-shaped groups of seven. What Heaven does though calculated planning Hell does through remorseless Schumpeterian logic. There are no Ethereal spirits and probably no Ethereal Plane. All of the Ye Gods of Olde were demons - Heaven subverted and took over a number of their cults (the original Yahweh was a demon named Ialdabaoth, for instance) and used them to wipe out the others. "God" in the modern monotheistic sense is just a metaphor for the same thing "the Symphony" is, just tailored to the sensibilities of humans rather than angels. There's not actually any booming voice from the sky that intervenes in angelic politics every couple centuries. The Lower Heavens are Purgatory, and their purpose, as far as humans are concerned, is to cleanse Blessed Souls of attachment and identity. Salvation is not a "reward;" it involves the voluntary or forcible process of reincorporation with the rest of the Symphony. Angels that aren't prosecuting the War or ensuring that the nonhuman parts of the Corporeal Plane keep running the way they're running are generally involved in this, which is necessary to the continuation of the Symphony in some way I haven't figured out yet. Calabim look like swirling black holes, rotating inwards on themselves, or chaotic vortices of energy. Elohim and Habbalah look like baroque metal contraptions. The Friends of Man and Impudites look as in canon, but with stable, androgynous forms that don't have any relation to their Vessels. Anybody can become a Sorcerer - no ancient lore needed, some made-up mumbo-jumbo, or science, or an MBA training, will work just as well - but you have to achieve your Fate first. No Sorcerous powers over and above summoning and negotiating with demons exist. Any demon with the right tools can create "Undead," but these needn't be particularly death-themed, and a "Vampire" might be stuck with any Need and Weakness, not just sunlight and blood. There are no Saints, nor, as a separate category over and above "humans aware that they're involved in the War," Soldiers.