Locus Noctis Chancel upgrade...

Name: Cathetel (upgraded)

Properties:

• Durant (1)
  
• Summonable (-1)
  
• Great Harvest (2)
  
• Cold (-1)
  
• TOTAL = 1

Links up in Guilt's character sheet for Spender, her daughter Ofra, Dr. Neimi, and Christopher. Pix in the 'main npc post' below for Ada (Strife) and Patrick (Chaos) from Precipice Citadel, as well as Lady Chance (who seems to know Terminus), and the new power of Sacrifice.

In addition: Macy with 'the twins', Macy in disguise in Victorian England, Macy's bid for power, and my personal (not work-safe) favorite: Lust's Door Knocker.

Finally, Nephele, Power of Festivals and rather confused young Utah girl named Tandy.

And updated list of the NPCs from Chancels you're familiar with. Updated chancels with new members and added two of the members of Ambrolam.

Locus Ambrolam, the Precipice Citadel (Inquisitor Chancel)

Ada Willamette, Power of Strife. A harsh woman from a dark period of America's history, Ada is known to be kindly disposed towards those who practice "the oldest profession" (though not the profession itself). Already an exemplar, Ada is even more feared due to the face that she carries and occaisionally wields the Excrucian knife "Kottos".

Cerny Krizova, Baron of Knives. A harsh man from a darker era of humankind's history. To him, it is irrelevant if his prey is Guilty or Innocent -- only that they are Accused. Once he has been given a name, his purpose is solely to bring his estate to bear upon that individual. He is unrelenting in his pursuit. Cerny has joined the Chancel of Abrolam after his Inquisitor and the rest of familia was convicted of treason and/or gross negligence.

Patrick Romney, Power of Chaos.

Walking Eye, Power of Borders.

Deus Sanguinas, chancel of the Perpetual Wanderer       Joshua Stark, Loyalty's Regal. Stark is anything but the embodiment of his Power -- he approaches Loyalty a tool to be used (like mankind) towards whatever goals suit him (or, of course, his Imperator) at the moment. On a personal level, Stark considers Loyalty a flexible thing (an attitude possibly brought on by the ease with which he manipulates his Estate). Avrileros, Viscount of Eternity. An unsmiling and vicious man who fights grimly against the encroaching destruction of creation, all the while wearing an expression that speaks volumes as to what he believes Creation's chances are. Senachiel, Marquis of Lost Things. A seraphim who survived the death of its first imperator and was taken into the family of Perpetual Wanderer, Senachiel has been the Power behind its Estate for longer than most remember. During the final confrontation with Friendship in the events surrounding the destruction of Pen Lo's Familia, Senachiel sustained a mortal wound that he has yet to recover from. Marenka Zeleny, Jealousy's Regal. Said by many to be the very embodiment of her estate -- it is not usually meant as a compliment. Marenka has not responded well to the gradual weakening of her Family's chancel. The estate of Friendship has recently been added to this Chancel, having been forcibly removed from it's form Imperator, Pen Lo. Nothing is known about the new Noble of this Estate. Locus Nephys, chancel of Lavinkyo, Imperator of the Blind Whisper (Inquisitor Chancel)     Michel Tomas, Saint (aka 'pawn') of Justice. A deeply pious and strict man, Michel is an unbending and extreme servant of his Estate, striving to achieve the exactly letter of the law, even in the halls of the Nobilis. He is not popular at parties. Depa Vastri, Duchess of Conspiracies. A dark-skinned woman with knowing eyes, the Duchess sees her Estate in all things, from the simplest act to the most complex series of events imaginable. Her role as a member of an Inquisitor Chancel is essentially to ferret out the presence of her very own Estate and destroy it -- for this reason alone, many fear her. Alexander Hawthorne Lawrence, Baron of Regret. The voice of temperance in his Chancel, Alexander was a serial murderer/rapist carrying out fifty-eight consecutive life sentences at a maximum security psychiatric institution when Lavinkyo enNobled him and give him full cognizance of his life. Sacrifice has recently been added to this Chancel, having been forcibly removed from it's form Imperator, Pen Lo. Nothing is known about the new Noble of this Estate. Others         Emma la Rue, City's Regal. A woman of contrasts, by turns harsh and unforgiving, beautiful and full of hope. Her methods are frequently inscrutable, following carefully laid plans at one point and random impulse the next. For all that her Estate serves as its home, she is not a friend of Humankind. Goose, Elusion's Regal. Few have met the noble known as Goose, fewer still would know if they had, and even less would admit it -- consorting in any way with a nobilis whose head has its own trophy case waiting for it in the Locust Court is not a good way to extend one's existence. (created by Frank Sronce) Haley, Power of Imagination. Cheerful and helpful young woman, generally loveable though not entirely predictable. Lady Chance. Perpetually amused woman, though often at the expense of others. Penelope, Marquessa of Memory. Flighty, unreliable, irresponsible and sometimes malicious.

In messing with the Nobilis Chancel-creation Tool, I realized that we'd sort of done some things oddly in Storyville.

Obviously, the points are a bit messed up, since the previous total came out to 1. I messed up how 'normal magic' and 'magical inhabitants' works. Oops.

Recommend a variation like this:

Currently paid for by the two Realm points invested by players, as the Chancel isn't 'really important' yet... that's happening over time, so I don't have to sweat the balancing act yet.

In Locus Noctis, we see...

The Sargasso Sea, like the Bermuda Triangle, receives popular and often tabloid press. Paintings showed sailing vessels being devoured by the Sargasso and freighters sitting becalmed and weed-shrouded alongside old sailing ships — even Roman triremes, for nothing ever changes in this stagnant sea.

An evaluation of ship and aircraft disappearances draws a striking connection with this sea of mystery and the modern Bermuda Triangle: the northern boundary of the Sargasso Sea more correctly represents the northern limits of the area of disappearances; many aircraft and ships were in this vicinity when they vanished – a few hundred miles north of Bermuda but just entering the Sargasso Sea.
· The S.S. Poet, 520-feet, bound for Gibraltar in 1980
· An SAC B-52 on maneuvers in 1961
· KB-50 aerial tanker in 1962, a Super Connie in 1954
· A Navy Martin Marlin amphibian patrol bomber in 1956.
· The Rosalie sailed through this area in 1840 before later turning up derelict.
· In 1881 the schooner Ellen Austin supposedly found a derelict schooner and, placing a prize crew aboard, sailed in tandem for port. Two days later the schooner was sighted sailing erratically. When boarded again, the ship was once again deserted. There was no trace of the prize crew.
· The bark James B. Chester was found deserted in the Sargasso Sea in 1857, with chairs kicked over and a stale meal on the mess table.
· Modern derelicts have included the Connemara IV, found drifting 140 miles from Bermuda in 1955, plus a number of yachts and sailboats found in 1969 and 1982.

The mystery of missing aircraft seems even greater since neither calms nor Sargasso can affect them. Nor can it affect the large freighters that can easily plow through the sargassum and steam through calms with little effort. Regardless, a number of large cargo vessels are completely unaccounted for after entering this sea.

ALANNA METCALF -- Third Chief of Detectives, New Scotland Yard, London.

Description: Female, 38. Ginger-haired and freckled. Deep blue eyes. Usually wears very formal grey suits/skirts. One of the youngest people, and first woman, to have this post. Well-spoken, intelligent, of lower-middle class origin. Liaison with Interpol and other law enforcement agencies that work with NSY.

Met: Alanna was involved in the investigation of the infamous 1997 Shropshire Slasher case, a lengthy serial killing in the Midlands. Alanna broke the case and broke in on the home of the perp, only to find Punishment already there, ready to kill him. Alanna tried to stop her, and failed, but started running across Siân thereafter, as Punishment took an interest in her cases. Eventually, faced with an "untouchable" politician who had killed his wife, child, and in-laws, Alanna found herself willing to have Siân intervene.

Relationship: Over time, they have developed a modus vivendi, and then a relationship of mutual respect, admiration, and even deep friendship and love. Alanna considers Siân everything she could aspire to, in the ideal; Siân considers Alanna a colleague, and even, possibly, a trainee ...

SUSANNE COLLETTE -- President, Int'l Sex Workers Union, Amsterdam.

Description: Female, 52, blond (dyed), a faded beauty. French; worked her way up "through the ranks" as a prostitute in Marseilles. Passionately outspoken as to her cause, the recognition of the legitimacy of the sex trade, and the unionization of its workers. Has contacts internationally in the industry, as well as in political, labor, and human rights organizations.

Met: When over a dozen prostitutes in Berlin were murdered in 1989, and the police seemed indifferent, Susanne prayed to God for just punishment on the killer; the prayer functioned as an invocation of Siân. Susanne swore fealty if Siân solved the crime -- Punishment would have acted, regardless, but took her up on her offer.

Relationship: Siân, though sometimes shocked by Susanne's, ah, forthrightness, still has the gentleman's ethics of his youth regarding females (other than herself and her kin), and a deep hatred for those who prey upon the "most unfortunate of women" in society. Though Susanne, when she catches hints of this, is irked by the patronizing attitude, she also recognizes that Siân is sincere in earnestness to protect her people, and to kill the predators who think whores to be easy targets. She is Susanne's knight and guardian angel; Susanne is Siân's tie to those in whose defense she became ennobled.

IMPERATOR

Name: Amaciel
Properties:

• Granted Gift: Durant (1)
  
• Harvest (1): The cemetery (and one Mausoleum in particular) in Storyville is rich with Spiritus dei.
  
• Dim Warding (1): Amaciel has invested some of his spirit in protecting his nobles from Excrucians.
  
• Sympathetic (1): Amaciel's interest in humankind makes him (and his nobles) excellent judges of a person's (or Noble's, or even Inquisitor's) emotional state.
  
• Granted Handicap: Summonable (-1) - Amaciel wants his Nobles to be easily available to one another, himself, and those who need them.
  
• Granted Handicap: Ceremonial (-1) - The ceremonies required by Miss Laveau to harvest the spiritus dei from Pen Lo's still-living head involve all the nobles of the Chancel on a regular basis.
  
• Straightforward (-1): Amaciel's strong ties to earth, humankind, and his nobles makes his intentions (and those of his nobles) quite clear and fairly easy to predict.
  
• Failing (-1): Amaciel was poisoned by one of his own nobles whom he had greatly wronged. Amaciel remains poisoned in body and mind because of his belief that he deserves this punishment. Only the constant influx of spiritus dei from the Harvest ceremonies keep Amaciel and the Chancel relatively stable.
  
• TOTAL = 0

CHANCEL

Chancel Name: Locus "Storyville" (Chancel Amaciel)
Landlord: Miss Laveau
Powers:

• Electricity (Ambrose Donner)
  
• Lust (Macy Hamilton)
  
• Reality (June)
  
• Death

Chancel Properties:

• Important (free): Storyville is a new Inquisitor Chancel
  
• Important - Target (-4): The chancel is a primary target of Excrucians.
  
• Banes: 2 (-1): The Banes of Storyville are shifting, impermanent things; sometimes Loa riding a crazed chancel inhabitant, sometimes a mob of unruly zombies, sometimes far more unpleasant or annoying things.
  
• Landlord: Agressive Warden (Marie LaFleur) (-3)
  
• Magic Inhabitants (+3): Voodoo and the magic of the Loa is strong in the Chancel.
  
• Gateway: Friendly Chancel (Cathetel) (+2)
  
• Defensive Blessing: Auctoritas 1 (+2)
  
• Tech Barrier - All > AD 1917 (+1): Technology from the outside world that dates after the time when Storyville left the Prosaic Earth is not welcome.
  
• Weird Science - psionic communication (+1)
  
• TOTAL = 1

Description: Storyville, the home of dozens of bordellos and small businesses during the early part of the twentieth century in New Orleans, but long since faded from sight. Hot and humid, home to weird magics, Loa, voodoo, and a fading Imperator. Zeppelins and prop-driven biplanes (among other, less savory things) sail through the Chancel skies, where technology in many ways has barely progressed beyond that first fateful night of enchancelment.

The warden 'landlord' of Chancel Amaciel is known simply as Miss LaFleur -- her voodoo is strong, her control over "her" town is far stronger. Miss Lafleur controls most of Storyville, even the Nobles' access to the ailing form of Amaciel.

Former DA of Dade City, Florida.

Current Warden and Chancellor of Locus Noctis (Chancel Cathetel).

More resources on the chupacabra:

• El Chupacabra Online: It is hard to describe the appearance of El Chupacabra because sightings greatly differ. Most say it is either gray or green. Some say it has a large lizard-like tongue, others say it has wings. A bipedal creature (one that stands upright like a human), the Chupacabra has had many sightings where its height was reported to be anywhere from 3 and 6 feet tall. Some say it walks, some say it flies, and some say it has a kangaroo hop.
• Chupacabra - Where Are You?
• Casa de Chupacabra (and Casa De Chupacabra 2002): Chupacabras are goat sucking, nocturnal alien panthers who've been stranded years ago on earth. They can fly, evade much human detection, and have intrigued the paranormal community and Hispanic America for years. Origionally discovered in puerto rico, and since mostly seen in Miami, Mexico, and the Southwest U.S., Chupacabras are rapidly replacing yetis and the loch ness monster as the most popular legendary monsters on planet earth...
• The Skeptic's Dictionary: Like other creatures in the cryptozoologist's barnyard, the chupacabra has been variously described. Some have seen a small half-alien, half-dinosaur tailless vampire with quills running down its back; others have sited a panther like creature with a long snake-like tongue; still others have seen a hopping animal that leaves a trail of sulphuric stench. Some think it may be a type of dinosaur heretofore unknown. Some are convinced that the wounds on animals whose deaths have been attributed to the chupacabra indicate an alien presence. However, they do not attribute the "mutilations" to the aliens themselves, but to one of their pets or experiments gone awry. Such creatures are known as Anomalous Biological Entities [ABEs] in UFO circles.
• The Straight Dope
• The Chupacabras: The animal's skeleton that sucked the blood of the sheep at the farm "San Lorenzo", property of Jorge Luis Talavera, 154 kilometers of Malpasillo, was found in the early Monday morning hours 80 meters from the victim's corral. "It could be a hybrid animal made up of several species, created in a laboratory by genetic engineering", said Gioconda Chévez, veterinarian of Malpaisillo. The Specialist described the animal like a very uncommon specie, after observing the skeleton with yellow hair on its short tail, having great eye cavities, smooth bat skin like, big claws, jaw shows big teeth and a outstanding crest sticking out from the main vertebra. With pictures!
• The Chupacabra: In the Hispanic neighborhood of Clearwater, Florida some 69 animals had been destroyed and mutilated. Among the carcasses were goats, chickens, ducks and geese. Local officials blame the massacre on a large sized dog. But the people of the neighborhood blame Chupacabra. One young man saw Chupacabra from a balcony and gave authorities the common description of 3 to 4 feet in height, spikes along the spine, glowing eyes, wings and long fangs. Chupa had stepped in to the backyard of the young man's home and attacked and killed the family's goat. The goat had been gutted and drained of blood.

IMPERATOR

Name: Cathetel

Properties:

• Durant (1)
  
• Summonable (-1)
  
• Great Harvest (2)
  
• Cold (-1)
  
• Bright Warning (-1)
  
• TOTAL = 0

CHANCEL

Chancel Name: Locus Noctis (Chancel Cathetel)
Governor: Alejandro de la Cruz

Powers:

• Fungus (The Graf)
  
• Punishment (Sian Ewig)
  
• Guilt (Mariska)
  
• Crime ("Little Doc" Devereaux)

Chancel Properties:

• Important - Treaty (free)
  
• Important - Target (-4)
  
• Banes (-1)
  
• Landlord (-3)
  
• Magic Inhabitants (3)
  
• Convenient (2)
  
• Defensive Blessing (4)
  
• Tech Barrier - firearms > AD 1911 (1)
  
• Weird Science - communications (1)
  
• Gateway to Friendly Chancel - Amaciel (2)
  
• TOTAL = 5

Description: Miami in perpetual darkness. A pastel Gotham, lit in neon of garish pink and green. Hot and humid, a voodoo beat vying with dance club salsa rhythms, its people still struggle with the change that has overtaken them. Gargoyles flit overhead, their faces the masks of African demons. Spiny chupacabra lurk in the darkness, awaiting command (or an unattended goat). Until recently the city of Dade, Florida (a now-non-existent coastal neighbor of Miami), now it is the Locus Noctis, City of Night.

The warden of Locus Noctis is Alejandro de la Cruz, in the old regime a crusading district attorney. Now he holds power in cooperation with -- or in competition to -- Cathetel's Nobles, in particular his old boss, former mayor "Little Doc" Devereaux.

Thanks to Dave, we now have pix of the guised Amaciel Cathetel.

Amaciel in Imperator garb.

Amaciel doing his absolute best to 'pass'.

(In fact, I would say Amaciel has never looked as... normal as he looks in the second picture -- try as he might, he's simply too alien. That said, that still might be the way that some of you see him.)

So, during the last session, some folks asked "are there any NPCs we were friends with who might still be willing to help us out, despite what's going on?"

Here's what I've come up with:

Donner

Byron, the Viscount of Birds, some two hundred years old, is the de facto spokesman for his Familia. He replaced the rather better-liked previous Power of Birds, Brangeir. Brangeir's favored bird was the eagle, and he was an honorable, straightforward warrior who had saved hundreds of other Nobles before he was slain by a Kraken.

Byron's favored bird is the crow. Make of that what you will.

He delights in making other Powers look like fools, and some whisper darkly that he spends more time Nettling others than fighting the Excrucians. Despite his many less-than-admirable traits, Byron can be a fun individual to be around. He's funny and quick-witted, and if you are the type who enjoys a certain amount of disrespect to authority, you might find yourself agreeing with his barbs. He's an outspoken critic of Lord Entropy and his agents -- while he stops short of obviously breaking any of Lord Entropy's laws, he makes it known that he thinks that they're a bunch of crap.

He can get away with this because of who his imperator is: Fritheswith, Angel of Stillness, Winds, and Birds, has maintained a Chancel on Earth since before the Excrucian War began. As such, there have been some adjustments for him to make over the years. By far the largest adjustment has been the agreement of nearly all of the Imperators to put Lord Entropy and the Council of Four in charge of the Earth. Fritheswith is the "nearly" part of "nearly all." Sometime at the beginning of the Excrucian War, when this matter was under debate, Fritheswith simply stopped talking.

Entirely. Fritheswith is the only Ymera on Earth that has never accepted Lord Entropy's rule. Not that he has openly rebelled -- but his silence, most feel, must be indicative of something. The arrangement as it stands today works like this:
- Fritheswith's people do not blatantly break any of the rules.
- Lord Entropy's people do not pay heed to rumors about them.
- Fritheswith's people remain very strong members of the Valde Bellum.

It is a fragile arrangement, but it works.*

Fungus

Jasmine, Duchess of the Verdant -- a young woman only recently made Noble during a... as you heard it, a rather abrupt enChancelment. The two of you became aware of each other almost immediately, and you've found her a pleasant young girl, if somewhat whimsically dissociative. Like you, she has a fairly large Familia with a lot in common with your own, but you gather she doesn't really trust all of them.

Macy

Sorry Charlie, the only Noble you knew was your former boss (unless you count a certain Mysterious Figure, but you don't know who that is).

Mariska

Helissent de Reymes (Power of Mazes), whom I believe I mentioned last session, might have been reasonably well-known to you.

Sian

It is both Dave and my opinion that Sian's spent more time alienating people than make close alliances. That said, Haley, the Power of Imagination seems to be quite friendly with her and might be willing to help out.

June

Julianna Avram, the Power of Strength. See the Example of Play and "Nobles made simple" for stuff on Julianna. She is pretty much as she appears (although her 'sister' isn't the Power of Eternity -- that title belongs to Avrileros). You've encountered one another a few times and, despite the separation of generations, gotten along just swimmingly -- part of that might be the very similar ways in which the two of you view your estates (and perhaps other unspoken similarities related to June's personality).

Terminus, a.k.a. "Mr. Pointy"

Aside from Cerny, there is the Power of Extinction. She's a relatively 'young' Noble -- a former carnival fire-eater whose Imperator is the White Tiger of the West Wind (a Chinese macro-demon). She has yet to grapple with the complexities of her estate and the larger world of Nobilis politics, so you might be able to get her to help out a bit out of ignorance. Her strongest skill is the extinction of pain and other physical sensations. Her Familia are the Powers of Apathy and Autumn.

So, during the last session, some folks asked "are there any NPCs we were friends with who might still be willing to help us out, despite what's going on?"

After some careful thought, my response is: "I don't know... are there?"

If you've got an idea for a Power you might have allied with at some level, lemme hear it -- I'm always good for new NPCs. No stats necessary -- mostly I'm just looking for name, personality and maybe domain or affiliation. (Better yet, when describing their personality and domain, try using the 'one word descriptions' of each of them.)

(I will be presenting a few of my own, but hell, there's seven of yah... that's a lot of potential allies.)

A list of some of the NPC's involved in the events surrounding the I&H Nobilis game. (Players may not want to know this, but it's just blurbs, no stats.)

*Update*: changed and added a few NPCs, allowing me to move a few people around who are more useful to me unaffiliated with the 'main' Familias.

Deus Sanguinas, chancel of the Perpetual Wanderer       Joshua Stark, Loyalty's Regal. Stark is anything but the embodiment of his Power -- he approaches Loyalty a tool to be used (like mankind) towards whatever goals suit him (or, of course, his Imperator) at the moment. On a personal level, Stark considers Loyalty a flexible thing (an attitude possibly brought on by the ease with which he manipulates his Estate). Avrileros, Viscount of Eternity. An unsmiling and vicious man who fights grimly against the encroaching destruction of creation, all the while wearing an expression that speaks volumes as to what he believes Creation's chances are. Senachiel, Marquis of Lost Things. A seraphim who survived the death of its first imperator and was taken into the family of Perpetual Wanderer, Senachiel has been the Power behind its Estate for longer than most remember. Marenka Zeleny, Jealousy's Regal. Said by many to be the very embodiment of her estate -- it is not usually meant as a compliment. Marenka has not responded well to the gradual weakening of her Family's chancel. Locus Nephys, chancel of Lavinkyo, Imperator of the Blind Whisper (Inquisitor Chancel)     Michel Tomas, Saint (aka 'pawn') of Justice. A deeply pious and strict man, Michel is an unbending and extreme servant of his Estate, striving to achieve Justice even in the halls of the Nobilis. He is not popular at parties. Depa Vastri, Duchess of Conspiracies. A dark-skinned woman with knowing eyes, the Duchess sees her Estate in all things, from the simplest act to the most complex series of events imaginable. Her role as a member of an Inquisitor Chancel is essentially to ferret out the presence of her very own Estate and destroy it -- for this reason alone, many fear her. Alexander Hawthorne Lawrence, Baron of Regret. The voice of temperance in his Chancel, Alexander was a serial murderer/rapist carrying out fifty-eight consecutive life sentences at a maximum security psychiatric institution when Lavinkyo enNobled him and give him full cognizance of his life. The First Castle, chancel of Pen Lo, Imperator of Sin's Pain (Inquisitor Chancel)   The Bronze Man, Sacrifice's Regal. An ancient spirit from the mountains of Tibet.  One of the most powerful and Ancient of the Nobilis. Cerny Krizova, Baron of Knives. A harsh man from a darker era of humankind's history. To him, it is irrelevant if his prey is Guilty or Innocent -- only that they are Accused. Once he has been given a name, his purpose is solely to bring his estate to bear upon that individual. He is unrelenting in his pursuit. Ife Hapura, Marquis of Friendship. A kind, dark-skinned woman who acts as the voice of compassion in an otherwise pitiless and strict Inquisitor Familia. Others       Emma la Rue, City's Regal. A woman of contrasts, by turns harsh and unforgiving, beautiful and full of hope. Her methods are frequently inscrutable, following carefully laid plans at one point and random impulse the next. For all that her Estate serves as its home, she is not a friend of Humankind. Goose, Elusion's Regal. Few have met the noble known as Goose, fewer still would know if they had, and even less would admit it -- consorting in any way with a nobilis whose head has its own trophy case waiting for it in the Locust Court is not a good way to extend one's existence. (created by Frank Sronce) Haley, Power of Imagination. Cheerful and helpful young woman, generally loveable though not entirely predictable. Penelope, Marquessa of Memory. Flighty, unreliable, irresponsible and sometimes malicious.