Chaosium Digest Volume 24, Number 2 Date: Sunday, March 8, 1998 Number: 5 of 5 Contents: A Kabbalist's Dream, Part Five (Erick-Noel Bouchard) FRENCH NEPHILIM -------------------- From: Erick-Noel Bouchard Subject: A Kabbalist's Dream, Part Five System: Nephilim THIRD SONG: THE AWAKENING OF EVIL Tiferet To those who enter its breast, Tiferet appears as a universe of silvery mists and shadows, where nothing is to be seen beyond an arm's reach. Not even one's companions can be seen in this confusion of swirling silver, the air itself shimmering as if brightly lit by an overwhelming, ever-present, yet hidden light. Beneath our heroes' feet, immense flat stones of white marble show carvings of the Hebrew alphabet's letters. Sound strangely echoes here, shuffled yet intense simultaneously. Despite the eerie gloom of this new world they entered, our heroes cannot help but feel the immense peace and wisdom irradiated by this magical land. Indeed, holy must be those grounds for such power to emanate from them. Yet from this unreachable purity arises a sour and evil laughter, as a sulphurous odour evaporates into the air, as if chased away by high winds in the stillness of the glowing air. Anxious feelings overcome our heroes as the sinister chuckles' echoes lessen in the overwhelming light. What treachery is this? Piercing the strange landscape's silence, a golden voice resonates as would a legion of brass trumpets: "Come, Veiled One(s), to the golden heart's light, as thy quest is nearing completion." Far away, and yet deceptively so close, a faint humming calls while letters shine into a path of luminous silver. Centuries or seconds later, gloriously parting the mists as if mere curtains, a tall and mighty figure stands on fiery brass feet before the heroes' eyes. Immense and yet modest, powerful yet restrained, the angel (or demon?) opens its hands in a welcoming gesture, a faint smile overcasting its radiant features. Strange is the apparition's face, for every hero shall see a face both familiar and friendly, be it of mother, brother or friend, and yet incomprehensibly reminiscent of Uriel's unveiled features. The entity is indeed all of this and more, as it represents each hero's loves and aspirations, melancholic yesterdays and glorious tomorrow. Sadness, though, permeates its majestic beauty, as if the world's sorrow would sleep into its eyes. As the heroes gather around the Keeper of Tiferet, the powerful voice rises again from a hundred sources: "Welcome, Veiled One(s), to what thou seeketh most, the immanent gates of Splendour behind which lie Intellect, Knowledge, and Wisdom. I am the Keeper of the Gates, holder of the Keys of Beyond. Thy quest has been fruitful, yet deception has not escapeth thy heart(s)' vigilance. As the Keeper's words thou hear, a great evil has been releaseth into the mortal world. Thy actions have brought the malevolence of Baal, the corrupter, into the purity of Tiferet. Unknowingly, thou have made thysel(ves) responsible for Istanbul's greater sorrow to come. Now, the foul, perverted conscience has entered the material world with shape and murderous intent. Pity the poor city! Behold thy crimes, mortals!" The surrounding mists shimmer and take colours to show the flamboyant city in the midst of chaos, as warring factions launch themselves against one another. Days have passed since our heroes entered the labyrinth, and yet it appeared to them as but a few hours. Burning fires assault the city's walls, but still an even greater peril menaces the inner city as the hulking gold idol of a man destroys the city's temples, walls and buildings, spilling much of the inhabitants' blood. The Golem! Despite the danger, the Kabbalists have given life to the murderous construct! Never before has such evil been released upon the world, as this unliving simulacrum of life neither knows pain nor death. Great strife and misery awaits Istanbul... "In thy ignorance, thou brought the consciousness with thee under the guise of Yusaf, the young one. This one has been corrupted to the dark ways. As he hosted the foulness of Baal, now the Kabbalist's Golem houses the damned spirit. Now, time has come for judgement. Three worlds lie hidden from mortal skries, and yet their harmony thou feeleth when revelation thou seeketh. Despite thy courage, the Gates of Tiferet remain closed to thou, but perhaps one day shall thou find thy own entrance... Hear this, mortals: Darkness is but the fragmentation of the completed Light. As the world is unity, the divine is one. Chaos is but fragmented order. To heal the world, unity must be made whole again. Three questions shall I ask of thee:" "How does one fight Darkness with Light?" "How should be restored the world's unity?" "Who shall bear the Divine Crown?" "May wisdom and intellect guide thy paths, mortals..." Slowly, the misty surroundings take on a more solid shape. Colours get brighter as our heroes' journey into Tiferet leads them back to Malkuth. As the apparition fades away, the image of a golden crown solidifies before their eyes, brightly shining. Anyone grasping it can feel its powerful and warm touch, rich in spiritual power and harmony. In truth, the Keeper has given a powerful artifact... for one who guesses its use. The Final Confrontation What now? Prisoners in the fury of an assaulted city, our heroes are left with many unanswered questions. Is this another test? Are they truly out of the labyrinth? What was the purpose of this quest? What to do now? Faced with the dilemma of saving their lives or saving the city, the heroes still have to manage how to resolve one or the other, preferably both. Fleeing the city to save one's skin is certainly not heroic, yet can be understood when terror overcomes morals and determination. On this path, the game master is on her own. The task should be feasible yet difficult, as cowardice has its price. On the other hand, should the heroes prefer to fight the invading warriors from the city's walls, evidence shall be clear that the city's defence is greatly impaired by the Golem's assault, as panic strangles the militia's morale and ability to fight back the intruder. Clearly, the Golem is the main menace to overcome, but how? The Keeper's questions provide clues for ingenious heroes: "How does one fight Darkness with Light?" By reunification. Using one's wits is the key here: Light dissipates darkness, and through it should victory be found. But how? The Crown is the key. Fighting fire with fire here leads nowhere, as the Golem's assaults cannot be opposed by mere physical might. Its strength is immense, its golden body knows no pain, and its heart knows no fear. With Baal's essence animating the powerful body, any warring ability is useless against its overwhelming power. Traps and tricks can only delay it for brief periods of time. Physical methods are hence pointless. The answer is surely symbolic... But how can one be fought by Light? "How should be restored the world's unity?" Finding the Kabbalists would be the wisest solution here. The remaining thinkers (those few not already slain by Baal's murderous assaults) could answer, if calmed down, questions about the meaning and sense of the heroes' journey into the labyrinth. In their science, the wholeness of the universe is represented by ten perfect spheres, each one corresponding to a body part, Keter (the ultimate and most mysterious one) being associated with the crown of kingship. Still, the confused philosophers are not much use to find a solution for halting the rampaging automaton. They would know that the crown's meaning is unity and lordship, and that such a crown's power would lay powers and might beyond any mortal's dreams. Wearing such attribute of royalty, short of being the messiah, might be considered a blasphemy though... "Who shall bear the Divine Crown?" In the answer to this question lies the salvation of Istanbul. Baal is the corrupter, imperfection made physical, a hulking doom to any and all life. And yet... "Chaos is but fragmented order. To heal the world, unity must be made whole again." Baal should be the one to wear the crown, reunification transforming his corruption into a wholeness and perfect completion in all points to the world's unity. Crowning the savage entity is now but a technical problem, yet one complex enough to keep our heroes' brains productively active. Any intelligent stratagems should be encouraged by a kind game master here. On the other hand, naive or utterly ambitious might think themselves as worthy of wearing the golden crown. The game master should be severe yet just in applying his sentence upon the foolish. An innocent yet impulsive adventurer should get away with a mere memory wipe-out and the feeling of reaching toward a perfection she cannot fully remember. Another, more egoistic one should face death by the flames of justice, her evils burnt away from her mortal shell, her spirit free of some sin but also free of mortal existence... EPILOGUE The heroes' actions, wits and wisdom shall determine the epilogue's outcome. If the Golem destroyed the city, his soul shall return to his native realm on the seventh day, as his body crumbles to dust. Baal, despite his efforts, shall return to his outerworld captivity, but not without leaving much sorrow behind, though. The Templars shall know of his fury and their strengths tossed away like mere moths. The invaders have lost but so has the city. Many months shall it take for Istanbul to rebuild its beauty, and a long time shall it take for the kabbalists to reconstruct their fallen community. Should the Golem be destroyed through an act of violence, by removing the Aleph letter on his forehead, the Templars' assault shall know fury far greater than in the former situation. After months of siege and assault, their numbers shall finally retreat from the city but not before causing damage that would drive Istanbul to its knees. This time, Istanbul' reconstruction shall require years. On the brighter side, perhaps the heroes discovered wisdom and crowned the Golem, uniting his physical and intellectual aspects with the greater glory of the Unnamed. As the crown takes its long awaited place, a golden light shines from the creature, bathing everyone and everything miles around with the full glory of his reunification. Everything glows in the magnificent light of the Golem. Calmness and a peaceful joy arise in all that know its light. Conflict and perversion disappear from their hearts, as if a great burden had been taken of them. The original sin, the forsaking of humankind's divine nature, is revoked as all know the harmony of creation. Sinners, murderers, and thieves contemplate the sorrow of their ways; even the Templars see through the hatred of their desires. As all feelings of hate pass away from the belligerents, armies dissipate and return home, longing for their beloved ones' presence. For the Nephilim, this unique moment is a taste of the awaiting Agartha, their reunion with the forces that gave them birth. As the growing light blinds them, they fully contemplate their metamorphosis, returning for a brief instant to the power and greatness they once knew as KaIm. In a way they cannot tell, they feel the call of Arcanum XXI, the World's unity once again restored and purified. Symbolising the world's transformation through the joining of what was separated into unity, the Golem's form shall change into the luminous form of a bird, its feathers made of the purest light. Then, without a sound, it rises into the air and flies toward the sun, never to be seen again. As the light slowly disappears, everything progressively returns as it was. In silence, every man in the street returns home. Shop keepers close, merchants pick up their baubles to leave. The Templars themselves silently pick up their war attire and return home. In silence, the city goes to sleep, dead of speech but rich in its inhabitants' hearts. This night, Istanbul shall dream like it never has before. The Nephilim have lived an enlightening experience like they never knew before. Not only have they visited many of Kabbalah's hidden secrets, they beheld their true selves, patiently waiting for the times to come. What each and everyone learned is for the players to tell. Let them speak, storyteller, and tell you one by one what they experienced and discovered through this story. Was it the greater call to unity? The mysteries of Kabbalah? The completeness of their metamorphosis? On their testimonies shall you then decide what each one has won and deserved. What of the future? In but a few months, history has it, the Templars and their allies shall force their way through Istanbul and shatter the hope of local Nephilim. Disenchanted by Kabbalah, Symeon the hermit and his kin shall engage their wars against the philosophers... But this is another story. Erick-Noel Bouchard Copyright 1997 APPENDIX ONE: ELECTRONIC LINKS Byzantium: The Byzantine Studies page http://www.bway.net/~halsall/byzantium.html Kabbalah http://marlowe.wimsey.com/~rshand/streams/scripts/kabbalah.html The Assassins http://marlowe.wimsey.com/~rshand/streams/masons/assassins.html The historical Humble Knights of the Temple of Salomon http://marlowe.wimsey.com/~rshand/streams/masons/mysteries.html The Canaanite god Baal http://marlowe.wimsey.com/~rshand/streams/scripts/baal.html The biblical Nephilim http://marlowe.wimsey.com/~rshand/streams/scripts/nephilim.html APPENDIX TWO: THE HOLY ORDER OF TRINITY As an appendix to the Crown of Keter chronicle for the Nephilim game I include here a brief description of the Nephilim society to which Maitre Etienne belongs, as it might help to illuminate the actions of this strange sect. The following text is copyright Erick-Noel Bouchard 1996. It may be copied and distributed freely as long as proper credit is given. Nephilim is a registered trademark of Multisim and Chaosium. History and goals The order is a somewhat heretic and secret offshoot of the mainstream Nephilim groups, as it holds views about mankind, order, and the nature of things somewhat opposite to that of mainstream Christians. It shares many principles in common with Plato's philosophies as well as a kinship with Mazdeism, from which it derives many of its principles. The society was founded fifty years ago by a wandering Spanish nun of Ste-Jeanne d'Arc named Claudina who revoked her vows in the pursuit of a higher form of morality. After facing for years suffering and genocide at the hand of Christian inquisitors, Claudina realised that the efforts made by the society of Ste-Jeanne d'Arc were meaningless in that there would always be more suffering inflicted than cured, and that healing is useless if torment keeps being inflicted upon the miserable. While praying in her chambers for divine inspiration, Claudina had a vision in which she saw a society kf perfect order, where everyone had their place and role and suffering had no place. She saw Christians, Jews, and Arabs working in harmony to build a world of equality and peace where all could work for the common good. In short, Claudina had a vision somewhat similar as that of Marx, albeit more spiritual, as well as set in a different time and place. So Claudina convinced some of her fellow sisters to follow her in her quest of conversion to the holy cause of Trinity, for such she called her new dream. She believed in a new order governed by the three principles of Equality, Fraternity, and Justice, which were to be applied as justice of mind, justice of society, and justice of action. Abandoning her weak and uninspiring patron, Claudina and her nine apostles turned to the worship of the holy Triad of Binah (the logical spirit), Hod (the unifying order of society by tradition), and Geburah (the unifying order of action and retribution, the action of Justice). Together these form the right side of the Tree of Life in the Hebrew science of Kabbalah. Though magic and alchemy are known by a few of the Nephilim leaders, most are practitioners of the kabalistic art. For years and years the nuns roamed across Spain and France, preaching their religion to Christian and Hebrew, man and woman, prince and peasant alike, as they believed it was their sacred mission to announce to the all peoples of Europe that all sentient people were created equal and that all have their place in the New Order that was to come. Magic was a thing of Darkness, unpredictable and dangerous, and as such was to be proscribed. Despite their efforts and martyrdom, little attention was paid to them, as clergy branded them as heretics, and politicians as anarchists and agitators. Only the poor, the helpless, and the unloved found light in Claudina's words and accepted her as their messiah. Ten years after her vision of the Trinity, Claudina was murdered by wizards and nobles fearful of their privileges. Most of her flocks and nuns were assimilated back into Ste-Jeanne d'Arc's ranks and all traces of her heresy were to be destroyed. Nowadays, but a few scattered followers still revere the ways of Claudina, mostly Hebrews and crippled of all nations in northern Spain. But, not all of Claudina's apostles were to become martyrs or converts after her brutal demise. Others would follow, as she claimed herself during her wanderings. A small group of them was to reform, albeit in a more secret and militant form, in the hope of someday make her dream come true and create the first Trinitist State in Europe. They believed the cause for Claudina's failure was the imprisonment of Hod, principle of tradition, which prevented the holy Trinity from being united and thus gathering its whole strength. So, in the utmost secret, the Holy Order of Trinity was created with three goals in mind, representing the three branches of the society: I) To uphold the world of law; II) To promote social and philosophical evolution in Europe (principally Spanish) cities and kingdoms; III) To undermine the power of the Minor Arcana, heirs of the Saurians, and destroy all sources of dark moon magic. All traces of the Saurian and Promethean heresy are to be exterminated. Ways and beliefs The society holds a very secret agenda and functions within a very strict hierarchy. Each branch is under the responsibility of an Adeptus, with three direct subordinates under him (Novus). Each Novus, in turn, holds responsibility and authority for three Initii (singular Initius). So at all times twenty-seven members work fervently for the good of the sect, with many more profane hirelings, mercenaries and servants at their commands. So, despite their small numbers, the followers of Santa Claudina hold a very discreet but significant influence over the politics of Europe. Maitre Etienne, the mysterious merchant appearing in the Crown of Keter Chronicle, is himself an Adeptus. His true nature is much more mysterious... Keepers might wonder why such a powerful sect has not made itself known before and how it can operate despite its immense area of influence. First, it should be known that the large majority of those who work for the Order have no idea whom they really work for. All members have a side occupations that put them in places of power or responsibility. Secondly, as it has been shown that direct influence results in retribution from Darkness, the society prefers to work its ways subtly and gain popularity over time. It seeks primarily popularity among the ranks of the scholarly, the poor, the uneducated, and the just. Already, in the city of Istambul, many of the workers uphold the dream of Claudina without even knowing it. Thirdly, just give a thought at the awesome power secret societies like the Freemasons bear today without anyone knowing... Although centred in northern and western Spain, the society has agents about everywhere in western Europe and holds a slight but growing influence in southern France. The Ottoman city of Istambul is under heavy influence of the sect, as it mostly poses as merchants' guilds and pawnshops all over the Middle-East. No temples or churches exist, as the sect wishes to be secret. Reunions are held in cellars owned by the society; regular worship is by secret meditation and readings. Many members hold secret covers and pretend to have faith in other religions, notably Christianity and Islam, where much recruiting is done. The Holy Order of Trinity is indifferent to the other Nephilim groups and hides its existence from them. At worst, it considers them as fanatics, at best as pawns in the fight against Darkness. As the adepts of the Trinity prefer thought over might, they tend to feel contempt for warlike groups such as the Teutons, the Templars and the Hashishin, but is not above using them as pawns or even recruits if they show promise. The Catharses are considered with defiance, as they oppose the principle of unity in rule. As the Holy Order of Trinity considers the use of magic by man as an heresy, all sorcerers and heretical groups are considered dangerous. The Minor Arcana are the first enemies of this society. The Selenim, adepts of the dark moon, are viewed as enemies, fallen to Darkness. Those that cannot be freed must be annihilated. Even those among them who pretend to follow the journey to Agartha are viewed with suspicion, as magic is a tool prone to Darkness when put in their hands. In such, the Holy Order of Trinity shares the view of the Tower of Destruction, though it most often parallels Justice. It easily lures the naive and the foolish. As the sect has no racial prejudice, many of its members are not Christian. One of the Adeptus is in fact a black Egyptian; many others are of Arab or Jewish birth. Insofar, the society has not gained popularity amongst the Orientals and does not trust them much. As the society prefers conversion over destruction, only followers of Darkness are deemed unsalvageable and destroyed on sight. Most of the times, this means Selenim, especially the large Selenim families of Istanbul and their masters. In practice, though, compromise is more sought than war. All servants of Darkness, spiritual descendants of the Saurians, are enemies to be destroyed, preferably using other groups or mercenaries. Of all their enemies, the Templars are the most powerful and dangerous. Members of the society Members of all races are welcome, but very hard trials must be passed to become one of the Initii. No one who practices wizardry may be admitted into the sect, except converts, and then all magic weaving must be abandoned. Only the Nephilim are allowed such, and only in secret, for but a small minority knows the society's leadership to be inhuman. These few form an elite among the society, much more temperate than the low-ranking fanatics. Faith in the dream of Claudina and total loyalty to the sect are mandatory from all. Higher ranking members are almost all Nephilim, often members of Arcanum VIII. Many strictures must be obeyed by those who follow Claudina's dream: * Pursue the great dream of Claudina by whatever means necessary * Always behave justly and equally in all things, as all humans are created equal * Remain faithful to the sect and its leaders no matter what * Never reveal the secrets of the sect even before death and torture * Oppose Darkness wherever it is found, but without endangering the sect * Oppose the use of magic by mortals, not using yourself magic unless against wizards or Darkness and then only as last resort * Fight social injustice and uphold Equality, Fraternity, and Justice for all Trials are imposed upon those suspected of lacking in faith. These are conducted by the adept's superiors and always include advancement for the sect and opposition to the emotions of greed, ambition and lust. Those who betray the sect are slain in a most painful manner, inspired from the inquisitors' practices. The triangle and the clover, cleverly disguised, are used as reconnaissance symbols by members. As the number three is considered sacred, this element tends to be repeated often in the works and attires of the members. The pyramid is also a very common metaphor to the unity of the three worlds of Spirit, Mind and Body. --