Chaosium Digest Volume 23, Number 1 Date: Sunday, January 11, 1998 Number: 2 of 2 Contents: The Devil Arcanum and the Future (Nick Christoforidis) NEPHILIM -------------------- From: "Nick Christoforidis" Subject: The Devil Arcanum and the Future System: Nephilim PREFACE I wrote the following text before _MAJOR ARCANA_ was published, so there may be some inconsistences with the official version of the Devil Arcanum. Still, what follows can be a L4 Secret of the Devil; the plan for the creation of the Dragons can be revealed by the Devil Egregor, Peribsen, to a select powerful few of the initiated Kherti. This Secret can be added to the Devil Arcanum information with minimum changes to the published material. Dragon Gates exist and are used below; 'Ari-Kheperu is a most valued technique, and only those highly trained in it can manifest the Dragon Metamorphosis mentioned below. Of course any comments are welcome, as are further ideas for mini-plots, specific quests, or more details for the Dragon Age in 2077 AD. THE ELEMENTAL DRAGONS The members of the Devil Arcanum believe that only by reveling in what the other arcana call "the madness" or Khaiba, can they reach their true glory, in a state similar to the KaIm state. The initiated members of the Devil know magical techniques to increase their Ka, but through the process they must be cut off from all Elemental Fields except for one. The initiated Devils become mono-elemental creatures, with a great Ka value in their chosen element. Also, they gain the ability to choose the form of Khaiba that would be manifested in them, like a second Metamorphosis. Most Devils chose Gigantism or Elementalism, and Fire as their Ka-Element. Their Metamorphosis is changed, too. They can alter the shape of their Metamorphosis, in the last stages, according to their will and true nature. Most Metamorphosis tend to be similar to the Khaiba forms, and in some cases it is difficult to tell if a Devil is in Khaiba or has a complete Metamorphosis. Only the most powerful and knowledgeable Devils choose the Dragon as their Metamorphosis. The material metamorphosis of the Dragon is manifested as a peculiar fusion of gigantism and elementalism: the simulacrum almost ceases to exist as the human body grows to titanic sizes. At the same time it gains characteristics specific to the Ka-Element of the Devil: a fire Devil may sprout huge wings, talons and fiery breath to be as a mythical dragon, while a air Devil may become like a huge hurricane. The spiritual aspect of the Dragon is pure instincts. The "metamorphosed" Devil becomes its element and thinks as its specific Ka dictates. The different spiritual aspects of an element cycle in the devil's mind for great periods of time. The Fire Dragon may be born in fire and could be destructive enough to level a city, but as it moves it may creatively inspire whole towns. Only one Dragon of each element may exist at any given time, due to their immense power and abilities. That gives a total of Five Dragons, maximum: there exist no Dragons for other ka fields yet (but the future is uncertain...) The plan of the Devil Arcanum is to prepare five Nephilim for becoming Dragons. When all Five Elemental Dragons are created--each of them with total undestanding of its element--they may join to form a unique superbeing. This will herald the coming of the Age of the Dragons. Specific Dragons Some Dragons have been created. The Elemental Dragon of Water, aka the Kraken, exists at least from the 15th century. Sailors' tales of giant kraken and sea-serpents are based on true appearences of the Kraken, during its period of "movement" and "difficult to control" aspects ("the water of earth must rise to cleanse the world", as per the rulebook). During the last 100-150 years the Kraken is in its "inner", "occluded", and "perception" aspect: no one will ever find it where it hides, while it perceives whatever passes by in the world and has a considerable "echo" in the magic fields. In New Rome, (Constantinople) c. 350 A.D., an attempt was made to enforce agartha on a Phoenix nephilim, according to the text of the Egyptian Book of the Dead and through the use of sacred architecture. For many reasons, the attempt was hasty and failed (there are much more details, maybe another post...). The Phoenix was entombed without the proper preparations and could not reach agartha. Due to the architecture of the tomb, when the simulacrum died of old age, the phoenix did not return to its stasis, and remained free within the tomb, but imprisoned inside. After many centuries of isolation, it succumbed to madness and a permanent state of Khaiba. This tomb is buried still, but many archeological digs currently are taking place in the area and it is bound to be unearthed. After 1600 years of confinement the phoenix will be released with a destructive rage. It is only a step away from becoming Dragon, only lacking the training to control its metamorphosis or Khaiba. The Devils will immediately sense the event and race to reach the Phoenix before other arcana. They plan to guide the phoenix through the last stages and make it the Elemental Dragon of Fire (that was a scenario idea, where the characters may become familiar for the first time with the Devil "master" plan). If anyone is interested in staging a campaign based on the above idea, it is a good idea to have four of the Five Dragons already created, with Aristar (the Phoenix) being the last. This would make the race to Aristar more exciting and important. The Bermuda Triangle may be the area where the Moon Dragon resides (currently in its "illusion", or "deception" aspect). Any ideas for the Earth or Air Dragons? A VISION OF THE FUTURE The future reveals itself reluctantly, even to the most perceptive nephilim seers. What will happen when a piece of the future is found in the present? In The Age of Dragons The plan of the Devil Arcanum is completed in 2077 AD and the Age of Dragons begins immediately. The Five Elemental Dragons succeed in creating a gate that will enable them to transit to the next evolutionary stage. They perform the Summoning of the Breath of the Dragon. When invoked, the Breath is united with each of the Five Dragons and out of them one being is formed: the Celestial Dragon, a "Nephilim" (in fact an Agarthan+) that has mastered the Five Elements and is able to use Solar-Ka and Orichal-Ka. The whole planet is transfered to the Dragon Realm, the subtle plane of the Devil Arcanum. All the nephilim not belonging to the Devil, are left behind, forced into exile in other Realms. Only a few manage to remain on Earth, but their powers are even more limited than before. The new reality is made only for Devils: the elemental fields around earth are changed radically, so that only mono-elemental beings can use the magic energy. Orichalka fields are no threat to devils as they no longer neutralize the enforced elemental Ka fields; orichalka exists still, but only as one more magic field, almost as powerful as the Solar field. No new nephilim are born from these fields. All devil nephilim gain the status of an Elemental Dragon. Also, due to the changed nature of the Elemental Fields, the Elemental Beasts (see the GM's companion, the rulebook & Shannon's additions in the Chaosium Digest) may survive for much longer periods of time on earth. They are generally more powerful and free to roam every place. The Devils establish whole areas where specific types of beasts exist and are studied carefully. The Devils control earth and humanity, but they do not use terror methods or tyranny. Tarsis is revived and the whole site becomes the House of the Dragon, where the Celestial Dragon dwells, usually alone. The towers and spires of Tarsis reach high into heaven and can be seen from across Europe; there, in the highest towers, a handful of powerful Dragons live and study with their master. Humanity is treated with dignity by the devil-dragons. The devils become benefactors for the humans and help them in many ways. Most combat-oriented secret societies cease to exist; their use of orichalka poses no threat. Those societies with considerable influence are entrusted to regulate the behaviour of human groups and nations, as the devils are mostly concerned with their studies and research. Magical awakening of humans is encouraged by the devils, but those individuals that show great potential are closely monitored. Still, there is one area of research that no human is allowed to perform: the research of intelligent machines, computers, or artificial intelligence. The devils want the human brain stimulated enough, to reach its full capability, to awaken the dormant parts of the human mind. (They have a secret purpose for humanity, but no details are known). The few non-devil nephilim that remained on earth found sanctuary in ancient Atlantis. There, beneath the sea, they formed the headquarters of the Core, a secret society with the purpose of studying devils and understanding their plan (isnt it ironic? A nephilim SS!). The Sun Pyramid in Atlantis allows them to exist secretly without being noticed by the devils; it also bestows enough usable magic energy to sustain the nephilims and help their research. The Core A few powerful nephilim had foreseen the radical change that would take place on earth and made preparations for the event. They sought sources of magical energy of a permanent nature and great potency. They created Plexi and searched the surface of the earth for agarthan gateways. They collected numerous artifacts and masterpieces, and many special alchemical Athanors. They created golems for servants, helpers, and companions. The Core managed to make Atlantis manifest again on the earth, just as the Breath was invoked. The violent changes in the magic fields and the need for balance, even in a reality formed for one specific group, were important factors for their success. The members of the Core were mostly initiated members of the Wheel of Fortune, the Magician, the Hermit, the Chariot and the Sun arcana. The Sun Pyramid was the most glorious building of Atlantis and still remains a wonder. It was build using the most sophisticated sacred architecture techniques ever known, a product of Saurian conception. It acts as a tiny solar system: its peak collects solar Ka which is filtered and distributed along its five sides, one for each element. Strong elemental fields are formed around the structure, while on each side there exists a permanent plexus of the corresponding element. At its Peak a Nexus is formed on Sundays (when the astrological modifier is +7 or greater). It is known by the Core that the Sun Pyramid does not contain an infinite amount of Solar Ka, and that the peak cannot collect as much sun energy as it used to do in the original Atlantis. So, solar-ka has to be regularly recycled and fed back to the pyramid. Also, due to the changed nature of the planet, the elemental fields of the Pyramid can reach no further than a few miles from the peak. These facts have stalled the progress of the Core, as its members are unable to act while away from the Sun Pyramid. Still, the inner chambers of the Pyramid have not been explored, and there are many discoveries to be made inside, for sure. The nephilim that later formed the Core had been contacted in 1997 by a nephilim whose first incarnation was in the future! A handful of other nephilim had already spoken with it in their past lives, and joined the Core. The Traveler This special nephilim was the last one to be born on earth. It was created from the same energy that created the Celestial Dragon, the Breath. It lived its first life in the Dragon Realm without ever making contact with the Core, not knowing of their existence then. It was hunted viciously by the devils, and was finally captured. In its 2077 AD lifetime it had no need for a simulacrum, nor did it know that it could possess one. It was invisible to normal vision, but many humans were awakened and finally the devils were notified of its existence. They had no explanation for this nephilim, so they needed to find it and study it. They experimented with it magically, they forced it to incarnate in human hosts, and they tried to bind it to a stasis. They tortured it for decades. They noticed that it was equally able to influence ALL five fields of this reality (i.e. it had same Ka rating at each field) as if it was a dragon, a mono-elemental being; it also had great potential for manipulating Solar-Ka, like the stories told of the Jesus Incident. Fortunately for the devils, it had no magical training in any technique. Then one day it vanished. The Traveler is bound to incarnate backwards in time. In other incarnations it needs to find a simulacrum; no changes were made then, so orichalka is bane. But, it never had a particular stasis. In every incarnation it just vanished after a variable period of time. Its second incarnation was in 1997, when it desperately searched for other nephilim to help it. It hated all devils for what they had done to it in 2077, and was always afraid to be caught again. When it unterstood that in this reality other nephilim existed as well as devils, it opened its heart and talked to many nephilim about the future. Many of them had already predicted similar events to those recounted by the Traveler and realized the importance of the situation. These nephilim formed the Core. At first they sought to neutralize the whole Devil Arcanum, but that was impossible. Then they tried hampering the creation of the Dragons, but a lot of support was needed and except for Temperance, no other Arcanum offered assistance. Thus, they started to prepare for the coming Age of the Dragons. (These nephilim are supposed to be the PCs, embarking on many quests to make the preparations for their project.) The Traveler told them that no other nephilim existed in 2077 except for devils, so they searched for ways to help them remain unseen. Simple cloaking spells were not enough, as the magic fields of the future would be different. There were two ways to cope with the problem: either to become like the dragons, mono-elemental beings, or to prepare a pocket-reality according to their magical needs. The choice was obvious, but almost impossible. The creation of a pocket-reality was a feat of vast proportions and they had only a few decades before the Invocation of the Breath. The Core chose to use an already existing reality: Atlantis. And then, the traveler vanished again. Its History Revealed Its following incarnations were almost every 100 years, with an average lifespan of 60-70 years. At first it talked about the Age of Dragons to many nephilim, but they had no further evidence (predictions, omens, etc) related to the rantings of this madman. With each incarnation its knowledge increased, and the traveller become wiser: it understood the importance of secrecy and kept its knowledge to itself and a select few. It was incarnated in England and was known by the name Merlin. Legend has it that he was the Devil's Son, and lived backwards in time. The first reference to the Breath of the Dragon was made during this period (remember the movie Excalibur?). It was also incarnated in Jerusalem, revered by many as Jesus. It is the one and only Fool, a unique nephilim, the most cryptic and private of all. Its power grew with each incarnation in the past. It witnessed humans behaving like animals, and in Sumeria it taught other nephilim the basics of Sorcery. In ancient Atlantis it appeared suddenly before the gathered KaIm during a ritual, and was believed to be a summoned vision of their future. It walked with the Saurians, and found that its perceptions were increased beyond all limits; it could see the whole planet in its mind's eye, and all the magic fields around earth were accessible to it in a single moment. Its final incarnation was at a time that earth did not exist. It witnessed magic energy flow from the sun and through the planets. The energy gathered around the Traveler, seeking a powerful receptacle and the magic fields started to fuse with it. The energy coagulated and formed the Grail, the Basis of Reality, the Traveler's Stasis. [thanks to everyone participating in discussions in the nephilim mailing list, more specificly for the "incarnation from the future" idea] Nick Christoforidis --