Judah [OOC]

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Capra

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4. But ye--ye have not been steadfast, nor done the commandments of the LORD,
But ye have turned away and spoken proud and hard words
With your impure mouths against His greatness.
Oh, ye hard-hearted, ye shall find no peace.


Introdvction (IC)

In the beginning, there was the Earth, and the Earth was lifeless and withovt form. And the LORD said, Let there be light, and there was light. After six days, the LORD said, Let Vs make man in Ovr image, and there was man, and the LORD divided men in twelve nations, and kept them by His side. Bvt the LORD saw that man was provd, and he spoke provd words, and he raised his hands against the LORD. Thvs, the LORD, wrathfvl and grief-stricken, raised His hand against man: and those were times ov darkness, and those were times ov grief. The LORD said vnto man: "Thov hast been provd, and hast spoken provd words, and raised yovr hands against the LORD. Thvs, Mine jvdgement shall lower itself against thee, for thov hast consorted with Satan and wecomed him into thine home, and thov hast done the works ov Satan, and thov hast strayed from the path ov righteovsness."

5. Therefore shall ye execrate your days,
And the years of your life shall perish,
And the years of your destruction shall be multiplied in eternal execration,
And ye shall find no mercy.


And in the first day the LORD sent vnto man a hail ov fire and blood, and a million ov millions perished, for they were set ablaze and drowned in blood; and in the second day, the LORD sent vnto man flood, and a billion ov billions perished, for they were washed away by the tide; and in the third day, the LORD sent vnto man pestilence and disease, and a billion and all their descendants perished, for they drank the poison ov the plagve; and in the fovrth day, the LORD sent vnto man darlmess, and a thovsand thovsands families perished, for their hearts were strvck by terror; and in the fifth day, the trvmpets ov Heaven were blown as men perished in woe; then the LORD sent vnto man a swarm ov locvsts, and the nations of man perished, for they were devovred by the insects; and in the sixth day, the LORD sent vnto man war, and the ones that were great among man perished, for they were slain by their brothers, and were taken to the darkness and to the fire and to the svlfvr; and in the seventh day, the LORD saw that man was vndone.

6. In those days ye shall make your names an eternal execration unto all the righteous,
And by you shall all who curse, curse,
And all the sinners and godless shall imprecate by you,
And for you the godless there shall be a c͓͇ư̬͔̥r̷s̝̳̰̲̜ͅę̮̬.


And the nations ov man fell before the wrath ov the LORD, and some fled away to the distant lands, and some were destroyed by His hand. Bvt the LORD was mercifvl with the sinners and he preserved the seed ov two, ov the nation ov Jvdah: one was male, and named Sodom, and one was female, and was named Gomorrah. Thvs, the LORD made them a new home, away from the Earth. There, men prospered and bvilt two great cities ov gold and stone, and they were steadfast to the LORD, and followed His commandments, and lived in joy. And there they lived in righteovsness, and those who sinned against the LORD were sent into the Prisons beneath the city, and the Angels ov the LORD watched over man. And it came to pass when the children ov man had mvltiplied that in those days were born vnto them beavtifvl and comely davghters. And some ov the Angels, the children ov the Heaven, saw and lvsted after them, and said to one another: "Come, let vs choose vs wives from among the children ov man and beget vs children." And those Angels took vnto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in vnto them and to defile themselves with them, and they tavght them charms and enchantments, and the cvtting ov roots, and made them acqvainted with plants. And there arose mvch godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrvpt in all their ways.

B̨u͏͝t҉͟͡ ̶͏̸͜t̷̸́͘h̵̵̶͝e͘҉̴̴ ̷͢͠c̀͟o̵̡̨͢w̶̴̢̕a̸͞r͏̶̸͜d̡̧̛͠͡l҉y͠҉҉,̶҉͡͞ ͏̛t̡̛͝͠h̶̵̡̧͡e̸͠ ̴̸̡͏̵ư̸̧̢ǹ̴̴b̧́e̢͘͢l̡͏i̶̢̧͢e̷͟͞͠v̡͜͡í̷͠n̡͘͘͟g̸̕͢,̀͠ ̧̨t̛̕h̷̡é͡ ҉̕v̛͏į̧̀͢͠l͏͏e̸͡,̛͡͞ ̸̨̀͞҉t͏h͘͢è̷͏͝ ̵̸̧̀͞m̨͟͡u̸҉̀͘͞r̶͟͠d̷̡͜e̸̢͢͞r̨ę̨̀͠r҉̸̡s̵̀͢,̡͜ ̕t̸̀̕͝͡h͢͏è̷̛͝ ͜͝s҉̛҉e̕x̛͜͝u̵̧̢̡a̸҉̀͞l̨͞l̨̡̡̀ỳ ̷͜͟͠í̷̢͜m̵͜͢m̶̧ǫ҉̡́ŕ̵̨͢͟à̧͞͞l͞͠,̛͠ ̨͝t̸҉̛͟͠h̷̡̀͢ơ̶̸͘͝s̛͏͠e̷̡̨͘ ̸̡̢̡̨w̷͘͢ḩ̷̀͘͝ǫ̷ ̨͏̛͡ṕ͘͢r̢̧a̴̴͘͜c̀͘t̸͜͝i̶̡͠͝c̨̛͝͝é̢̛ ̧͡͡m̢͟͢͠a҉҉̷ǵ͜͝i̴̴͘ç̧̛̕͡ ̡̕͟͟͡ą̷r̸̀͞t͡͞s̵̛,̶̷̸̷̀ ̸̵̨͘t̷̨̛̕h̷̢̧̧è̢͟ ͡͏̸̨͜i̢̡̨̛ḑ̴̶́o҉̶̧̕͢l̡̨a̵̶̧̢t̶͠͝҉e̵̶r̢̛̛s̷̢̕͞͝ ̶͟a҉̕͞ņ̵̶͠͝d́͞ ̀á͡͞͝͠l̶̢͟͠l̶͡͞ ́̀͢͡l̀i̸͏̡́͠a̶͜ŗ̴͘͜s̕̕-͘-̶̵̨͘͟t͜͟h͏̢e̵͏̸͢͟y̧͜͞ ̨́͞͏w̸̨̕͜͡i͟͡҉ĺ͟͟͏͡l̀͏͠ ̶̧͞͞b́͜͞͠e̶͟͡҉̀ ҉̨c̶̴̀o̷͝͏̨n̴̷̡̕ś̛̀͜͟i̶̵̕͢͟g͘͘͢҉n̨̛̕͞e̵d̷̕͡ ̴͘t̷̢͜ớ̢͜ ̷̧͞t̷̸̨̢̧h̡̛͘e̕͜͠͝ ̵̕͠͠f̛̀͢͠i̷̴͏̀͏e͘͟͠r̴̢̀ý̧͘ ̵̴̸ĺ͝͡a͢ķ̢e̡̛͟͜ ҉̀o̷̸̸͢͡f҉҉̢ ̡͜b͡ú̴̀͏r̷̶̛͝n̶̨i̷͡n͏҉̶ǵ͏͝͡ ͏͡҉s̷͜u̸͝l̸͢f̀͞u͏̢̕̕͢r̸̸̡̡̀.҉̴̧̛͝

And these are the names ov the sinfvl Angels: Samyaza, their leader, who tavght man enchantments, and root-cvttings; Araqiel, who tavght man the signs ov the earth; Kokabiel, who tavght men the constellations; Ezekiel, who tavght men the knowledge ov the clovds; Baraqel, who tavght man astrology; Armaros, who tavght man the resolving ov enchantments; Shamsiel, who tavght men the signs ov the Svn; Sariel, who tavght men the signs ov the Moon; last was Azazel, greatest in sin, who tavght men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals ov the earth and the art ov working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the vse of antimony, and the beavtifying ov the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colovring tinctvres. And the davghters ov man became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thovsand ells; who consvmed all the acqvisitions ov man. And when man covld no longer svstain them, the giants tvrned against them and devovred mankind. Thvs mankind strayed from righteovsness, and tvrned to worship idols ov gold, and committed sin against their brothers, and vsed the giants to wage war against their brothers. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and to devovr one another's flesh, and drink the blood. And when the LORD saw this, and he saw that the children ov man were waging war vpon each other and raised their hands vpon each other and the LORD, He became wrathfvl.

t̶̸̛ḩ̧͢é͘y̶̸̛͏,͝҉̷̡͝ ̡̡͠t̡͘҉̛o̢͏̀͘o̸̡̨,̵̡͘͢͡ ̧͠w̴̸͜í͢͏l̵̨͞l̸̡̧̀͜ ̴̀͜͝͞d̛҉r͢͢͟ì̵̸̢͟ń̸́͢k͏̛ ̶̢̀͘t̴̡h́͞e̛͘͢ ̡́ẃ̧͝҉i̷͏̴n̢̨͝͡e̶͏̴ ̴ó̵f̛͏̶̴ ̵҉̡͡G̸͠o̴̴d̷̶̵̕͞'̀̕͡͞s͏̧͡ ̷̴͜f̧͡u҉r͏̢y̡,͘͘͡͞ ̶̧̛͢ẃ́͘͞h̴̶̨̨́í̸c̛̀͜h̷̛͞ ̴̵͢͝͝h̕̕á̸̡̨͝ś̡̛͠ ̵̶̕b͘͟é̷́͜ę̶̛̀n̶̛͞ ̕p̨̕o̶̸̢̢͝ư̧͞r̷҉͘͜͢e͟͏d̴̴̨ ̴͜͝͠f̶̨̀͢͞ư̵͝l̷͟l̶̵͟ ̸͠s̸͘͟͝t̛͡r̸̵̷͝e̴̛҉̀n҉̧͘ģ̡͘͢͞t̷҉̡h̸͢ ̴͜i̸̷̸͘͝ń̷̸͡t̷̷̨͞͡ờ̵̴̕ ̨̛͘͡t̶̵͘̕h҉҉̡͠e̢̕ ̸̸̸̡̀c̨̧u̧p͜ ͡͏͜o͜f̸́͏͟ ̷̛̀ḩ̷͟i҉͟͟s͜҉ ̸̛ẁ̧̢̧͜r̵a̧͢t̶̕h̨̕.͏̨͢ ̴҉T͏̶̕͟h̶̀è̕͡y͝͡ ̀̕ẁ̸̛̕i̷̕ĺ̷̷͢l̴̨̛̀͝ ́b̀͢͜͡͏é͡͏ ̶̴̸t̢͜͞o̵̷̡͘r͏̡m̷̵̢e̴͢͏͢n͡t̵̶̀e̵͘͠d́̕͢ ̀͘w̸̡i̶̡t̀̕h̨͟ ̸̷̀͞b̶̡͜u͘͜͟ŕ̸̨̕͢n͢͡i҉͠͡n̛͏͟͝͞g̴̴̡͠ ͞͠͏̢̕s̛͝͝u͘҉̡͠l̢͟f̵̧ư̛r҉̕҉́ ̛́͟͏i̶̡̢̧̕n̶̷͢͟͠ ͘͏̶͟t̴̴̢͜͜ḩ̕e͏̷̢ ͟͜͠p̡̢̧̛͠ŕ͘͡e͜͢ś̸̨͜͞e͟͟͜n̛͠͡c̶͠͏̵e̶̡͡͞͡ ̢́͏͏͏o͘͝͠͏f̸̡́͘͘ ̸̛́̀͝t̶̨͡͝h͏̸̀e̢͢͢͏ ̷̸̷́͢h́͢͡͞ǫ͏̵ļ̷̛y̶̡͘͟͝ ̨á̡͘͢ń̡̢͘͝g҉̸è͞l̶̶͢͟͡s̸͢͝͞ ͏̵̶͘a͜ń͠d̶̢҉͘ ̷̡̨͘͞o͏͞f͘̕͢͡ ̴͢͝t͞҉h͠ȩ̵̨̕͝ ́̕͢͡L̡̧̡̧͞a̷͟͠m̴̀͢͞b͟͠.̶̡͡

The LORD thvs said to the sinfvl men: "For thine sins, I shall smite thee, and I shall erase thee from Mine kingdom; I had offered thee a house and a kingdom, but thov still sinned; and now thov shall find no rest, and no mercy". Thvs, the LORD sent His Angels from Heaven to bring death to man, and they smote him wherever they fovnd him. And the corpses ov those who were fallen still roam the halls ov Sodom and Gomorrah, twisted creatnres ov madness. And those who were the greatest in sin, they were thrown to the pits below, and chained thrice and then thrice more, and there will remain, vntil the day ov the Great Consvmmation. The LORD thvs said to the giants: "Thov, Nephilim, are not creatvres ov me, and ye do proceed from me; thvs, ye are withovt light, and drowned in sin." Thvs, the LORD sent His Angels from Heaven, and they led the Giants to the darkness below, to the caves beneath Sodom and the ravines beneath Gomorrah, and there they imprisoned them. The LORD thvs said to the Angels who had committed sin: "Trvly, thov art the greatest ov the sinners. For thov hast strayed from the path, the trve path, and shall receive none ov my glory. Mine hand will smite thee and thine power shall be as sand, and the strength ov thine arms shall be as straw which, when smote, is broken. For thine sins, thov shalt be delivered vnto mine hand." Thvs, the LORD sent His Angels from Heaven, and they brovght them before Him, and in His wrath he tore their wings from their bodies, and sent them deep into the Abyss beneath the Earth, where there is dark and fire and svlfvr, and in the deepest pit, Dvdael, he cast down Azazel, who is the greatest ov sinners. And the LORD saw this, that it was good.

Introduction (OOC)

What is Judah?

Judah is a RP campaign based on Judeo-Christian mysticism and mythology (in particular on the Book of Enoch), with influences from the cosmic horror genre.

What is the setting?

The campaign takes place in the former cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, now ruins floating in an endless darkness, and the abyss (Abaddon) that opens below, between the two cites. The ruins of the cities are stalked by the hideous monsters that were once man, before the divine punishment that utterly destroyed the cities. More terrible abominations can be found as the abyss is further descended: there lay the resting places of the Nephilim, and even farther below, the eternal prisons of the Fallen Angels.

What kinds of characters will be available for players to play? What will their goal be?

The players will impersonate sinners who have been imprisoned long ago in the Prisons beneath the cities, and just now freed by a mysterious entity, which has informed them that the two cities are about to be utterly annihilated. The player's goal will simply be that to escape.

Character sheet template in next post.
 
Character Sheet Template:

Name: your character's name.

Age: your character's age.

Gender: your character's gender.

Appearance: a brief description of your character's appearance.

Backstory: a brief narration of your character's backstory.

Sin: the reason your character was imprisoned, with some details. It can be one of the Seven Deadly Sins (Wrath, Pride, Lust...) or something else. Creativity is heavily encouraged, as is linking this with your backstory and affiliation.

Covenant: your character may enter a covenant with a particular Fallen Angel. Each of them grants a different bonus: for example, choosing Samyata will make you capable of casting magic spells; Kokabiel will make you capable of having glimpses of the future (via PM by me); Azazel will make you more proficient in fighting. With time and experience these boons become more powerful; for example, if you chose Armaros, you might be able to deflect magic spells of little power, such as fireballs or bolts, but after some time, you'll be capable of turning the most powerful magician into a helpless fool.

Full list of Angels and Covenants in next post.
 
A Complete List of the Fallen Angels:

Samyaza ov the Dark Hand, Great Master of Sorcery: the leader of the Fallen Angels, and first discoverer of the magic arts. He peered through the Veil of Death, and what he saw made him fall into madness. He is represented as a hooded figure, cloaked in darkness and with an aura of blood, with a skull in his right hand, and the left one, completely black, raised in a sign of malediction. His followers will be able to master the magic of Death, and become Necromancers; they may call forth the powers of the dark beyond the Veil, Sh'ol, they may bring the corpses and spirits of the dead, and let them fight as their thralls. Other spells include the draining of life from foes, and the summoning of darkness. The greatest in power of these dark magicians become Gravelords, and can be recognized by their left hand, completely rotten and black, and the horrible sounds of their tortured undead followers.

Rot-Father Araqiel, King ov Maggots: he who taught the humans the mastery over the Earth, and the knowledge of her signs. He was sent to search for the light below the World, but found only darkness. He is represented as a great warrior wearing bronze armor covered in dirt and humus, crowned in the roots of trees, and sitting upon a throne of fungi, earthworms, and roots. His followers are the Rotten, and they shall fall to none; they may welcome the Earth into them, and survive the mightiest of blows. Also, the decomposition in their bodies allows them to perform feats of inhuman strenght and endurance. Those who finally choose to become one with the Earth are the Chtonians, and offer their hearts in exchange for a piece of putrid, maggot-infested wood, writhing where their hearts used to beat.

Stargazer Kokabiel, ov the Open Eye: the brother of Baraqel, and watcher of the constellations. He spent many eternities watching the stars and reading the signs of the firmament attempting to solve their Mystery, and its solution has driven him insane. He is represented as a hooded figure, with a single, cyclopic eye being the only thing visible of his face; he is crowned by dead stars, shifting in an endless movement, and in his hands he holds a spyglass and a sextant. His followers are called Watchers, and they may foresee what is yet to happen, be it a strike from an unseen enemy, or a catastrophic event. Those who manage to solve the mystery of the Firmament become Hierophants; their eyes will fall off, and another one will open in their place, constantly writhing and watching the black that lies beyond the stars.

Ezekiel ov the Black Lightning, the Sovrce ov Storms: he who taught man the signs of the sky and the clouds. He was taken by the darkness that lies beyond the sky; when he returned, he did so riding the most terrible storm the world had ever seen. He is represented as a giant beast with massive demonic wings, horns, and fangs, and an aura of black winds; in his hands he holds a bundle of lightning, dark as the deepest night. His followers learn to summon the powers of the tempestuous skies and become Stormcallers; they may hurl lightning against their enemy, and call forth the storm winds to destroy any who opposes them. Those who are found worthy become Typhons, sacrificing their sanity for a pair of horrible demonic wings, and an insatiable thirst for blood.

Father ov Liars Baraqel, the Watcher in the Dark: brother of Kokabiel, and watcher of the blackness. When he found that there was nothing but endless dark surrounding all of creation, his sanity abandoned him. He is represented as a figure with a perennially open mouth, which contuously vomits blasphemies and lies; his eyes are filled with blackness, and in his hands he holds a large parchment, on which are written the highest of truths, and the greatest of lies. Those who decide to serve him are called Illusionists, and they may manipulate the minds of their enemies, instilling emotions such as terror or rage in their hearts, or making them see things that are not there. Those who have managed to deceive even themselves become Nightmares, horrible monsters whose jaw has fallen off, and replaced by a writhing mass of black tentacles, erupting from the throat.

Armaros the Vnbelieving, the Living Darkness: the first one to refuse the existance of God, and master of godlessness. Once, he was the greatest of the faithful, but something has deeply changed in his heart. He his represented as a hooded figure, completely surrounded in darkness and crowned in rays of black light; in his hands, he bears only nothingness. Those who hear his word become Unbelievers, bane of magicians; with the use of their willpower, they may render magic powerless, and with their refusal they may undo even the greatest of miracles. When they have fully denied the light, they become Abysswalkers, and are accompanied by a costant, deafeningly loud sound of static, as the fabric of reality strains around them.

Shamshiel ov the Svn, Beholder ov the Light: he who taught man the secrets of the Sun. When he found that every light cast a shadow, he solved the riddle of the cosmos. He is represented as a naked, genderless and faceless man, with one eye plucked out and bloody, and the other staring in front of him; he is surrounded by an aura of flames, and in his hands he holds two suns; one black, in the right hand, and one red, in the left one. His followers are called Magi (singular Magus), and learn the magic of the light; by manipulating it they alter the course of life, and may heal any wound, no matter how grievous. Those who learn all the secrets of the light become Beholders, and are surrounded by a red aura of healing light; their left eye is offered in sacrifice, and blood constantly drips from its empty socket.

Dark Moon Sariel, the Writhing Mirror: he who taught man the secrets of the Moon. When he was sent to survey the surface of the Moon, he found a portal on her dark side: he looked inside the portal to see what was on the other side, but something there saw him too. He is represented as a beautiful, androgynous figure with long black hair, surrounded by an aura of silver; a crescent-shaped mark is carved in his front, and he holds a blood-stained dagger in one hand, and a mirror in the other. Those who follow him become friends of the shadows, and are called Stalkers: they become adept at hiding and sneaking, and they may easily disappear from the eyes of their foes, in order to strike while unseen. The most potent Stalkers, the Haunters, characterized by the sharp silver claws that replace their hands, can even turn invisible at will for some time.

Azazel the Fallen, Black Goat ov the Night: the greatest of all sinners, and father of weapons and warfare. He was not driven to madness; instead, he decided to embrace it. He is represented as a hooded figure, wearing a crown forged of the bones of the slain; in his right hand, he bears his sword, stained with the blood of the innocent; in his left hand, he bears the ending of mankind. Those who follow him, the Slayers, do not receive any gift in particular, and can cast no spell. However, they will find themselves more and more lustful for blood and death, eventually becoming brutal beasts of war and slaughter. Once all humanity is replaced by hatred, Slayers ascend to become Titans, bringers of the end.
 
Sup Capra. I'll be around and stuff.

Name: Kyoru, the Queen of Denial
Oft referred to as the Queen of Whores by dissenters and admirers alike.

Age: 132

Gender: Female

Appearance: Kyoru is a woman of many faces, and most accounts of her vary wildly from one another. Sometimes she is described as tall, other times as short; one man claims she had long, golden hair, another affirms he had seen her with raven hair cut short. To most, she appears as a young woman, seductive as she is beautiful, but some would claim she was much older than the former would admit, appearing mature and experienced. As if she were but a collectively experienced dream, Kyoru seems to change the details of her appearance at will, always succeeding in appealing to the beholder. At the very least, everyone could agree that she was, in fact, a woman.​

Backstory:
Awaken!

If this city were a man, he would be stricken with disease, incurable and terrible. If it were a man, he would devote the remainder of his miserable days to prayer and the pursuit for atonement, for he has failed his lord in all the tasks once set before him. Sodom and Gomorrah, the twin cities built in a realm of nothingness with the purpose of filling the void with goodness and righteousness and the word of the LORD. But it was not good, for God had tolerated a single flaw in his grand design: that it was to be populated by Man. In a design so perfectly pure, a single blemish would shatter everything, for it was destined to be equally, perfectly fragile. The embodiment of all that is good and holy, the LORD had forgiven mankind for his transgressions, had filled them with new hopes and dreams, had set them upon a fresh path and a clean slate, for he dreamed with them of a bright future. Yet all the dreams in the world, be they of gods or men, could not keep the darkness away forever. Had the LORD hoped that by engulfing Man in his own light, in a realm void of anything else, he could purify them of their disease that festered in their tarnished hearts? What disappointment he must have felt when he saw what he had wrought. For the brighter the flame, the deeper shadows fall.

Few would know more about the shadows than Kyoru, a lowborn woman in a world of men. Destined to live in poverty and servitude to those more privileged than her, she was all but overlooked by the world at large. In a world so poised to look upwards and to strive towards greatness, few would pause to look down at the quiet, unseen forces at work beyond what we normally perceive. For Kyoru was a slave like her parents before her, and it was the destiny of slaves to stand in the shadows of greater men. This was the LORD’s plan, and he saw that it was good.

Perhaps they were wrong. Pride and ignorance would be their downfall, for had they ever looked into the dark where Kyoru dwelt and toiled, they would have seen the venomous hatred that grew inside her like a son. Hatred for the LORD, hatred for his apostles, hatred for the self-righteous, hatred for the inevitable. The very concept of destiny and predetermination caused revolt and disgust in her, and gave birth to the concept of the grand denial. Denial of the LORD and everything he stood for, denial of all the things that he had set forth and decreed. Kyoru rejected the life she had been given, and yearned for a way to break the chains of fate that bound her.

It was at this time that the winged emissaries of God, the holiest of creatures, descended upon the twin cities with intentions impure and misguided. Once possessed of unequal purity of body and spirit, these angels found things in the dark reaches of creation that had driven them from the path of God, had inspired in them a savage side that was so very reminiscent of another creature: Man. And much like man, these angels began to feel previously unfelt desires; cravings normally reserved for the wingless. When they beheld the daughters of man, those pitiful creatures bound to the unclean earth, they were overcome by a great want for their bodies and warmth. Having strayed from the LORD’s word, they shed the last vestiges of divinity from their angelic forms and lay with them as they pleased. More than that, they mingled with the society of Man and introduced him, woeful, ignorant creature that he was, to wonders of technology and mysticism. Secrets were revealed to them that would have never become known were it not for the aid of these misguided messengers, who now felt more kinship with the mortal flock than they did with their creator. This was a time of great change and great things. A time of innovation and prosperity. A time of opportunity.
Do you remember how it all began?

While men cast their eyes towards the stars and towards their newfound gods – deified angels and false idols of gold – the fallen ones combed the deep shadows of the twin cities, finding lost treasures within the unlight. Baraqel, the Father of Lies and Watcher in the Dark, found a very special flower growing in the darkness, one that fed on tears and shunned the light. It was small and shriveled and tangled in weeds, and when he asked for its name, it called itself Kyoru. The little thing told him that it was the queen of flowers, and that one day it would outgrow the dungeon it had been planted in, grow to such magnificence that all would prostrate and worship it. So intrigued was the fallen angel by her that he indulged her fantasies and promised to help her grow – if only she would indulge his. Thus, hidden away from prying eyes, the two consumed their infernal union, and one thing was exchanged for another.

Up above, enlightenment turned to decadence, and from decadence spawned violence and decay. The twin cities collapsed in on themselves after years of infighting between groups gathered around petty, self-proclaimed lords who would seek to use the secrets of the angels against their next of kin to further their own agenda. Fat, uncaring men gorged themselves on wine and fruit whilst looking down from their gilded towers onto the burning streets of Sodom and Gomorrah, where lesser men butchered one another to appease them. Idolatry became rampant, the idea of the LORD all but a distant memory. The natural order of sex was entirely discarded in favor of aggressive experimentation; nothing was sacred. And above all else, the darkened silhouettes of titanic giants loomed across the horizon, where they could be seen pillaging and annihilating less fortunate places. Not many knew where they had come from, but everyone knew that they were the bringers of the end.

They were called the Nephilim, and they were the unholy offspring of a union between an angel and a woman – a union as unspeakable as the abominations they have spawned. Kyoru should know, for she bore her very own loathsome Nephilim. Most mothers of such monsters either died at birth or committed suicide out of horror upon seeing the disfigured body which had crawled from their womb, yet Kyoru not only survived the birth of her child, but seemed entirely ignorant of its repulsive appearance. While others saw only a monstrosity lying in her arms, her bewitched eyes saw a child more beautiful than anything she had ever beheld. Such was Baraqel’s gift unto her: she had the power to bend reality and turn things into their opposite, though it was all deceit, for she had no power over the true nature of things.

While her child-beast grew into maturity, Kyoru used her newfound powers to sway the hearts and minds of men throughout the entire city. Always altering her shape to appeal to the simple minds of men, she promised them the world, and made them love her and believe in her cause. First she gathered the warriors, so that she might be safe in a city that was further descending into chaos, violence and madness every day. Then she gathered the women, so that they too might be safe, and that they might please the men, thus fulfilling part of Kyoru’s grand promises. Wherever she and her apostles went, they welcomed the steadfast and the hopeless alike into their seductive embrace, and great numbers flocked towards her court, for it was easy to like a sovereign who offered pleasure, riches and peace over tyranny and slavery.

Henceforth, her name was praised through the streets of the twin cities, and she would become known as the Queen of Denial – or, as competing rulers would have it, the Queen of Whores, for it was truly descriptive of her court. Over time, the number of these opposing lords diminished, as the weak were devoured by the strong, and before long Sodom and Gomorrah were ruled by only a handful of despots. Given more time, perhaps she could have ruled all of the twin cities, but such thoughts are idle fancies now.

This was the time when the LORD returned and beheld what mankind – and his angels – had wrought. Few remember what happened hereafter, for few survived the cataclysm that tore the twin cities asunder. Those that did – the angels, the Nephilim, and the greatest of human sinners – were imprisoned in the darkness beneath the blasted surface, where they were locked away to await the end of the world. The rest was never heard from again, and thus concludes the account of Kyoru and the twin cities.

Sin:
-Lust, sexual depravity
-Envy
-Pride
-Conducting of and permitting sorcery
-Consorting with an angel
-Above all else: Denial of god, heresy

Affiliation: Illusionist by the grace of Baraqel



Awaken!

For the first time in eternity, light falls into this forgotten chamber, deep beneath the surface. The flicker of torchlight reflects against the oddly metallic floor inside, barbed with millions of finger-length spikes, like grass made of metal. From the poisoned, iron soil rise gnarled, silvery trees that stood the test of time, unchanged from when they were first warped into their deformed shape. In the center of the circular garden stands an enormous iron tree, its metal roots digging deeply into the ground while its myriad branches carve holes into the ceiling. Only dimly illuminated by the torches from this distance, one can see a person hanging from the tree, held in place by thorned vines made from iron. The ancient nails dig into her flesh, and lines of crusted blood are painted all across her emaciated body. This woman’s lifeless body hangs motionlessly from its unyielding prison, this Iron Garden to which she had been sentenced a long time ago. And by all rights, she should have remained there to rot for all eternity, but everything changed when it penetrated her prison…​
 
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Name: Esmaeel

Age: 943
Gender: Male

Appearance: A tall, spindly man, with a shock of wild black hair on the top of his head. A pathetic stubble is spread across his chin and cheeks, and it appears itchy and dirty. His smile reveals a mouth of teeth in various shades of yellow, none of them being even close to white. His brown skin is riddled with pockmarks, with he attests to acne and to sores. Esmaeel has a crippled right leg, which gives him a distinct hobble and he moves.

Backstory:
Esmaeel was born a cripple. Because of his defects, he was left for dead as a child, when he proved not able to do the work needed to maintain the farm his family owned. Cast out of his home, Esmaeel wandered the wilderness, never daring to go near any villages or cities, because he was always shunned like a leper. After wandering about for only but a few days, Esmaeel was dying of starvation. He appeared to be but a hollow shell, and was skinny like a skeleton. During his wanderings he stumbled upon a cave, in which a rite was being undertaken by a group of cultist. When Esmaeel disrupted the ritual, the cultists immedaitely attempted to kill him, but were stopped by their leader. It appeared that he had sensed.. something about the little boy, and the cultists quickly convened, then the leader emerged, and welcomed the young boy. They heard his story, then comforted him, and gave him food. They began to raise Esmaeel, and train him in the ways of the occult. They taught him curses, and how to make brews and poisons, and most importantly, how to minister the Rites, in worship of Lucifer.
As Esmaeel grew, his skill in the rites grew as well, and he eventually left the cult, striking out on his own. He began traveling, even into his old age, preaching and spreading the true religion. Word spread quickly about him, and he was shunned from most settlements, staying on the outskirts or just outside, preaching to any who would listen. Esmaeel did many things considered vile and evil, such as sleeping with men, or animals, in order to further his learning of the occult, or sacrificing people. He spoke against the Jews and their religion, and even killed a group of men who had come to punish him for his deeds. Somehow, Esmaeel lived longer than any other man knew, and happened to be in the city of Sodom at the time of God's reckoning. He was among the crowd who attempted to rape the outsiders, and was punished for it.

Sin:
  • Blasphemy
  • Sacrilege
  • Heresy
  • Murder
  • Homosexuality
  • Bestiality
  • Paganism
  • Witchcraft

Covenant: Esmaeel is a Necromancer, a follower of Shamyaza.
 
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