NationStates Jolt Archive

Deep in the night of Erebos, in a tower of gleaming white, The Watcher sits on an ornate oaken chair. the rustle of robes announces Anothers presence.

The Watcher stood: "Light"... and there was Light.

The Other stood in the doorway, his normally faintly amused face drawn with worry. He spoke, His voice like velvet on steel:
"Three of the Artifacts have resurfaced. There is little time."

The Watcher turned, his voice rich and deep.
"We Should Never Have Let Them Fall In To Human Hands."

"That folly can be rectified." said the Velvet voice.

"Let It Be So Then."

A near silent tinkling like falling glass anounces the Others departure, and the watcher turns back to survey the Infinite Darkness.

OOC: This is an Angel nation called the Nephalim (actually spelled Nephilim), a group of fallen Angels that were banished because of the forbidden knowledge they gave to man. i have divided the population by 1000,000 for balance. that means that Erebos, at time of writing, has a population of twelve. Erebos means/is The Darkness in greek, and is a part of the underworld in Greek mythology. in this, it is a pocket in space accesible only through special gates, or by magic teleportation, or wormhole technology.

Angels are Magic(ish) energy based lifeforms, their physical bodies are merely matter layered atop their energy forms. the Nephalim are Fallen angels, but not inherently evil. they are NOT satan-related. their physical bodies can be destroyed without harming their energy forms, and so they are very difficult to kill. they do not need to eat, sleep or breathe, and so they have very low overheads, and their money comes from a number of very, very long term investments.

Angelic miracle magic is achieved using Words of God. each Angel has only a few Words, like "Light", the example used above. such Words are completely nuetral in nature. they are drawing off of the power of the infinite and very nuetral, indifferent Universe. Demons use the same source of power, as do High Angels. the more poweful the angel, the more Words they know. the angelic language however, is also based on the "Language" of God, and so has power in itself, but the power comes from the speaker, as opposed to the Universe, and so this magic is generally less effective.

The Nephalim are divided into the Watcher, his Council, the Choirs, and The Other. the Other is not technically speaking, a nephalim, but will feature a lot. a choir presently consists of four Angels. the council is three angels, with the Watcher bieng the fourth. there are therefore, at the time of writing, the Watchers council and two Choirs. population expansion will be due to Nephalim gathering from across the world. and i plan to have a number of RP's based around this, and the recovering of Artifacts that mankind has been deemed unready for.

I would like some honest feedback on this, but preferably no scriptural pedantry, or fundamentalist Bible Bashing.

you are going to represent nephilims? you think they are cool? heh, they are the lowest in the chain of command, even lower than the cherubs...why didn't you just represent the Seraphs or Seraphims(in longer form);they are the one who stand directly before the face of God Himself? Besides, Nephilims were eradicated by God during the Great Flood, only a few survive cause God willed some of them to survive to test mankind...they are what you called bad baloods, evil spirits and such... :o

OOC: Very interesting twist. How do actually plan to interact with nations populated by us mere mortals? Like they do in the Bible? Through dreams or bam! appear suddenly?

OOC:I am not pretending that my angels are high up ones. they arent. but they were only the weakest and lowest Angels at the time of the Old Testament. several thousand years have passed since then. and the Angels have had the benifit of bieng free from Gods will. they have been able to develope and grow much more quickly. At least thats how i see it.

In my idea, the Nephalim seldom meddle directly in the affairs of man, except if some artifact is involved. they tend to work through mortal agencies, like the Illuminati, or the Templar Knights, or some such. I am staying well clear of the church, because we are technically Fallen. I very much doubt, also, that you can kill and angel with a flood. that was, in my opinion, more to eliminate thier influence. (which it didn't, people still built castles and forged swords etc.) and as far as my nation is concerned, the Evil Giants/Spirits thing is propaganda.

btw, if anyone wants to start an RP, just post the discovery/study of an Artifact, and a brief description of what it is. The sword of Aziraphale, and the true Kabbalah are already taken, as is the Golem of Prague.

OOC: yup, ive got them. :)

bump

OOC: come on and paricipate! i cannot start GenTec's thread until he sorts out his internal problems. anyone else is welcome to join. just put an artifact, what it does (no doomsday devices please), and where it is, security, etc. and we can go from there.

bump

Patrick Stapledon had seen some very interesting things since he had been transferred from Keoii's rather neglected intelligence service to the Department of Spiritual Affairs. The kind of things that would turn a normal man upside down. He'd seen stone goddesses weep blood from hidden rooftop temples, he'd seen lightning strike heretics and healings, he'd seen dead monks walking the grounds that once contained monastries. But his current case seemed even stranger somehow.

Perhaps it was the he was two miles underground in an evacuated mine-shaft in the centre of the Uranium Flats in the company of a geologist, a Christian creationist and a disgruntled looking miner who claimed to have lived in the Uranium Flats all his life.

"Can you show us what your team found please Boris?" Patrick asked.

"Of course sir," Boris answered in his curiously rural accent, as he showed them down into a side tunnel. "It came up while we were drilling. At first I was just surprised it survived. But it shouldn't have be there to find at all."

Next to the wall at the far end of the cave they saw a case, it looked golden but brand new despite its time underground and was ornately decorated with ancient religious symbols.

"In this area it must have been imbedded in rock, I'm surprised you got it out without causing any damage." The geologist said, "At the very least it must be millions of years old."

"I recognise the symbol on the front of it." The Christian contributed. "It's a star of David. I seriously doubt that its millions of years old, but it must have at least come from a time when Christianity was a major religion in this country."

Patrick smiled, "We guessed that Paul. I wouldn't have asked for you to come along unless I thought it had a connection to Christianity. I thought it could be a relic that was buried in an earlier mine around the time that Mayism was becoming powerful. But I don't know if that's the case now. Perhaps I should have asked for a rabbi." Then he looked at Borris again. "Has anybody tried to open it yet?"

"Oh no sir," Borris replied, "We wouldn't dare to sir."

"Good to know." Patrick said. As he leant over and opened the lid.

They all looked inside the case, at the contents. The box contained a small golden apple wrapped in still green leaves. Patrick couldn't take his eyes of the strange sight until Paul pointed to the picture on the inside of the cases lid.

"Do you see that picture? The man and woman next to the shining tree? They must be Adam and Eve."

"How can you tell?" Patrick asked.

"They're naked. In Bible times that wasn't really usual."

"That's nice." Patrick said. "But how is it relevant."

"Because if I'm not very much mistaken. We are looking at fruit from the tree of life."

[OOC]Is that what you were looking for?

OOC: That is perfect!

IC: In Erebus, a robed figure stood in a circular square. he was waiting for his partner. just when he was about to leave without him, there was a rustling sigh, like the stirring of autumn leaves. an Other dressed in Black appeared. his clothes were of a black so pure and deep it was like a scar in reality, and in one hand held a walking stick. his face was obscured by top hat that he wore at a jaunty angle.

at the sight of the strange creature, the figure smiled with genuine amusement.

with a voice like Summer Sun he said: "You know you dont have to dress like that anymore, dont you?"

The velvet-on-steel voice issued from under the hat: "but it is so fun, and you dress in such boring clothes."

with this there is an explosion of movement as Wings burst out of their backs, causing their clothes to billow, whip and crack like flags in a hurricane. they both took off into the Gate directly overhead.

"You could be right," Patrick said, "But I think it's equally likely that we're looking at some kind of ancient artifact from an ancient space-faring civilisation. Or perhaps a deliberate hoax, no offence meant Borris."

"None taken," Borris replied, "I'm wandering if I've been had too."

Paul spoke up, "You'll keep me updated won't you? This is nothing short of proof that I was right all along! When the public know about this the churches will be packed to overflowing. Everything will change overnight."

"You can't tell him anything." Patrick said quickly. "All of you will be sworn to secrecy about this for now. At least until we've ruled out the chance that this belongs to some powerful nation with magic or space tech. I'm sorry."

Paul looked crest-fallen, "What can I do now then?" He asked, "I want to help."

"Of course," Patrick responded. "I'll need you to get back to the Great Church of Keoii and do some research on how this got here. It's a longshot, but it may be recorded somewhere." When Paul wasn't working as an advisor on Christian Affairs worked for the Department preparing ancient church records for transferring them to the new city library. If any of them mentioned the fruit of life he would be the best person to find them. "For now we should concentrate on getting this thing back to Toompea. I have a van waiting on the surface. Boris, can you crew help us conceal this and get it out of here?"

Borris shut the boxes lid. "Sure we can, it'll take me a few minutes to get my team down here though. What should I tell them?"

"As little as possible I'm afraid. They'll all need to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Make sure that they know that everything will be explained in due time."

The guards outside notice a sudden slight breeze, and hear a sound like the tinkling of broken glass.

Looking up, they see a pair of men walking up the road in front of them.

One was dressed all in black, a long coat with the collar pulled up, and a top hat disguising all of his features, The other was dressed in a white suit, with a Panama hat, and a big smile. both carry canes, but neither use them for walking. blue smoke apears to be wafting up from inside the shadowed brim of the Others hat.

The two walk all the way up to the guards, and do not appear to be stopping to show ID.

The guards outside notice a sudden slight breeze, and hear a sound like the tinkling of broken glass.

Looking up, they see a pair of men walking up the road in front of them.

One was dressed all in black, a long coat with the collar pulled up, and a top hat disguising all of his features, The other was dressed in a white suit, with a Panama hat, and a big smile. both carry canes, but neither use them for walking. blue smoke apears to be wafting up from inside the shadowed brim of the Others hat.

The two walk all the way up to the guards, and do not appear to be stopping to show ID.

The guards exchanged glances, not particularly surprised that they hadn't been shown IDs. The two men definitely didn't look like the usual impoverished uranium miners. They didn't even look like middle management types come to inspect the mines to get "first hand experience" of the industry.

"Looks like we've got a couple of very lost foreigners." One of the guards said quietly, as he extinguished his cigarette.

He walked up and showed them his ID, "Good morning gentlemen. I'm sorry, but if you wanted to meet with the management you've come to the wrong place. Our offices are in the Southern Cities. You can't come into here unless someone's expecting you."

The strangers seem mildly suprised at bieng interrupted, but the one in white recovered quickly, beaming at the two in a quite disconcerting way.

The White stranger's smile is one of those expressions humans are not truly programmed to deal with. it conveyes a sense of hidden knowledge. like, for example, the knowledge of the exact time that you will meet your death, or, just as an example, youre deepest, darkest, most well-kept secret. but at the same time it conveyes a kind of benign reasurance. along the lines of "sure, tommorow you will die of a terminally ingrown toenail, but by monday you will feel just fine. trust me."

The Black stranger, however, radiates Menace. with a big M. but again, it is a restrained menace. when he draws near, the infernal smoke wreathing his head turns out to, in fact, be Cigar smoke. he is also far less threatening up close than far away. this is because standing next to him is like standing in Central Park. standing in Central Park you can ALMOST not feel New York.

The Black stranger reacts to the guard by looking up. he also smiles. the lazy smile of a cat that has woken up to find that the mouse it had been torturing the night before is still alive. he is the one that speaks.

"I am Byron S. Edi, This is my compatriot, G. A. Derrel. We are here to... consult... on the matter of the Artifact found inside."
His voice is like velvet on steel, and sends a chill down the spine of the guard he is addressing.

The man in White helpfully pulls out a couple of cards, which are heavily illuminated and covered in gold leaf. they show unmistakeable pictures of the men, their names, and their titles, as "Divine Specialists".

"The artifact?" The guard says, looking at the card. "I'm afraid I don't get to hear much about that kind of thing out here. But I'm guessing that you're with the Department of Spirituality bunch down there. I'll call and get you an elevator down to them, you can both go right in."

"Thankyou," the White stranger said. As the two of them were given directions in and sent on their way.

"There's something a little off about those two." The guard who had done most of the talking said.

"Yeah. I'm really glad we're not going to have to see them again. Department of Spirituality people are all a little too weird for my liking."

---

Just a few minutes later Patrick got off the phone. "Did any of you send for any 'Devine Specialists?' Because they sure as hell don't have anything to do with the department." The three people down there with him shook their heads.

"I thought not." Patrick reached into his jacket and pulled out a small pistol. Much to the horror of the others. "Souvenier from my time in the army. It may be highly illegal but I never feel safe talking to fundamentalists without it. Boris, we need to get out of here as quickly as possible. I may be overreacting, but I'd say something rather strange is going on here."

As they round the corridor, however, they find themselves face-to-face with the two strangers, though it seems impossible for them to have gotten down so fast, and none of them heard the elevator.

The Black stranger had removed his hat, which was not in evidence, and so Patrick was able to see his face. he was black, possibly of Carribean origin. and his face is covered in Tattoos, which glow blue in the dim light.
The symbols are similar to many of those covering the Casket, and they continue down his neck and under his shirt.

The White stranger is glowing softly, illuminating the area immediately around him. he has lost a lot of his human facade, and now has an element of inhuman perfection about him. his face is androgenous, with high cheekbones, and large eyes. his eyes swirl green and gold, and seem to be pupilless. his hat has also gone, and his hair is like spun gold.

The Black stranger casts an amused glance at the pistol held in Patricks white-knucled hand.

Patrick tightened his grip on his pistol even more, gladder than ever before to have acquired it. Yet, it didn't take an expert to tell that it would do no good here. Something about these strangers told him that if they wanted him dead he'd never have a chance to fight back. His spy training would be no good here. He backed away, positioning himself just in front of the case.

Paul found his voice before Patrick could. "Are... are you..." he began, stammering nervously. "Are you, sent from God?" He approached the strangers cautiously. While Patrick took his mobile phone out from his jacket pocket.

The sword of Aziraphale... already taken

Good Omens[/u] by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman]The Buggre Alle This Bible was also Noteworthy for having twenty-seven verses in the third chapter of Genesis, instead of the more usual twenty-four.

They followed verse 24, which in the King James version reads: "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life," and read:

25 And the Lord spake unto the Angel that guarded the eastern gate, [i]saying Where is the flaming sword which was given unto thee?

26 And the Angel said, I had it here only a moment ago, I must have put it down some where, forget my own head next.

27 And the Lord did not ask him again.

It appears these verses were inserted during the proof stage. In those days it was common practice for printers to hang proof sheets to the wooden beams outside their shops, for the edification of the populace and some free proofreading, and since the whole print run was subsequently burned anyway, no one bothered to take up this matter with the nice Mr. A. Ziraphale, who ran the bookshop two doors along and was always so helpful with the translations, and whose handwriting was instantly recognizable. :D

Sorry, when I read that the sword was already taken, I just had to put that in

OOC: lol, i have read that book, and it is one of the factors in my creation of this nation. however, the similarity largely stops there. :)

The Angels are actually an Angel and the Other, who is a Demon who, for various reasons, has partially reformed (a bit G.O. inspired).

The Angels name is Gader'el, who was banished as "he who showed the children of the people all the blows of death,..., who showed the children of the people (how to make) the instruments of death (such as) the shield, the breastplate, and the sword for warfare, and all (the other) instruments of death to the children of the people"

IC: Both Strangers look Simultaneously at Paul. neither is smiling.

The Black stranger then speaks, his voice now carrying more steel than velvet. "Put that toy away, and step aside, you do not know with what you are dealing, and my White freind would rather this went smoothly."

The White stranger then speaks to Paul. "We were sent from God, yes. but that was a long, long time ago."

They then begin to walk smoothly, slowly and with an infinite grace aqcuired by doing this exact thing many times before. their sticks held in their right hands, resting on their left hips, like an undrawn sword. red-orange light flickers and licks up the walls.

Paul stood still, confused by the last statement and looking as though he were about to break down, the geologist made a break for it, hoping to loose himself in the dark, seemingly endless maze of tunnels. The two that were left barely moved for a fraction of a second, as both of them faced what could be their last moment alive. Then both of them sprang forwards.

"In the name of May, Goddess and all Her Prophets stay back!" Boris shouted, as he stood to face what, in his own clouded view had taken the form of his own religion's demons. He took his necklace out from under his jacket and held it up to them. I was the Mayist symbol for eternity in cheap plastic.

Meanwhile, behind him Patrick opened the case lid and dived at the contents.

ooc: You might want to have a talk with Rave (Azrael)...she is the only remaining seraphim. If you need more information you should contact her.

Boris' words seemed to blast the last remaining humanity from the two, his surge of sudden desperate belief stripping away the illusory forms of the two Strangers, and revealing them in their full, terrible splendour.

The White stranger is robed in white, his hair is like spun sunlight, his large eyes a tawny gold.The white wings folded close to his back are edged in black, and a deep, ageless sorrow can be seen in his eyes.

The Black stranger has changed perhaps the least, his Tattoo's flare and flame, and crawl across his skin like living things, his clothes have taken the appearance of Satin and Silk, the Black so deep it is like a scar on reality, his wings are Black, with new white growth coming through, like a fledgling Swan. His eyes are china blue, and look out at the world with a childlike intensity, as if seeing it for the first time, or in a completely different way. There is however an inestimable rage behind those eyes. a fury unmatched in any other bieng any of the others have ever seen. the combination is, needless to say, terrifying.

their sticks have also changed. they have changed to Swords, Swords that seem to be reflecting flames, which dance and flicker menacingly.

The two continue their inexorable march.

OOC: i would be happy to talk to Rave, perhaps if you noted our return, and paid us a visit? i am not sure where my people would stand on Vampiric Seraphim, but i doubt we would be too critical, lol. we seem to have some conflicting ideas on what Angels are, but i am sure it wont matter too much.

PS: what happened to the scar?

ooc: alright... I will write it later.
what scar might I ask?

bump

Cool, and the scar you have on your first post lol, i did my homework to make sure we were compatible.

LOL! Wow...that was a long time ago. First post I every wrote..about 3300 posts ago lol...erm...i don't know actually...neosporin? :lol: I haven't had it since there...and my character has developed a lot since then.

lol, okay :) btw, check out this thread, it may be a good intro:
http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1661459#1661459

it seems to be :D

OOC:anything gonna happen here? i would kinda like to clear this up and use these chars in my other thread, as this is lasting much longer than anticipated.

OOC: Guess not. if you want to reply, disregard the following post.

The two Strangers lash out, inflicting incapacitating but non-lethal wounds.

As they step over the twitching, unconcious bodies of their would-be agressors, the Black Stranger laughs strangely. he stops short of the Casket, and averts his eyes. The White stranger lifts the Apple from its place , and then they both dissapear, like steam.

A pair of feathers drift slowly to the ground, one Black, the other White, and rest on the gritty dirt floor. as they touch the floor, Paul spasms, and wakes up. his wounds have healed miraculously, leaving only slits in his clothing to mark their passing. the others too slowly come awake, and discover themselves unharmed, but it is Paul who scoops up the feathers. pocketing them on impulse.