IN> [Asmodeus Month] Investigating Theft

[James Walker]

Much as Asmodeus loathes Valefor, The Game cannot
simply arrest and execute every Magpie – not without
some pretext, anyway. Theft's dissonance conditions
are very helpful though: if the Valeforian is slow
enough to be investigated, then he's probably heading
towards dissonance anyway!
A surprisingly effective tactic for a Gamester is to
tell the Thief that "you've got 24 hours to get out of
town!" Amused that the Asmodean is playing along, the
Magpie will almost certainly leave – establishing the
precedent that The Game has 'move on' powers. This can
be very useful for controlling other demons.  If the
Thief remains, he can be arrested for 'actions likely
to lead to dissonance'.
If a Valeforian has actually annoyed The Game, then
the Hounds will get a Djinn to attune himself to the
Magpie. Not necessarily one of their own; six other
Words are opposed to Theft. Able to keep track of
where the Valeforian, the Djinn will know immediately
know should the Thief remain in a locale for more than
3 days – and can lead the Gamesters to him.
And then they may need to rescue the Magpie!
Even if imprisoned by mortal authorities, it's fairly
easy for a Thief to escape corporeal restraints – by
going Celestial if nothing else. Truly trapping a
Valeforian requires either holding him in a Divine
Tether, or having a number of powerful relievers (a
reliever can have 6 Celestial forces) ready to
bushwhack him. Although The Game won't mind if the
angels destroy a Magpie, the possibility that he is
seeking Redemption means that they need to break him
out! Of course, simply killing the Thief's vessel
solves the problem – and any explosion, fire or gas
attack powerful enough to do so will also harm the
Tether.
But broken out or killed, the Valeforian is going to
end up in the custody of The Game – and need to
explain why he was associating with angels.
Bootlicking is a necessity at this point, but
insufficient to save the Magpie's life. Nor is bribery
enough; the Gamesters cannot risk the Thief attempting
Redemption. As an absolute minimum, the Valeforian
will need to life-Geas himself to every Game Lilim
available. And those geases can't be worked off; he'll
need to regularly bribe the Lilim not to call them in,
because if they do, the Geas will be to front up for
execution! Fortunately, a proficient Thief will have
no difficulty acquiring shiny baubles for the
Tempters. Free Lilim in the service of The Game may
also acquire life-geases this way, drawing them
tighter into Asmodeus' worldview.
Strangely, it's easier for a Thief to get dissonance
in Stygia than it is on earth, as the checkpoints and
borders established by Hell can actually stop them
moving around. Also, they may have tasks that require
them to remain at a specific location.
Malphasians reduce the problem substantially;
fracturing and factioning Stygia into ever smaller
territories. Also, a stationary 'Thief' in Stygia may
actually be a demon of Factions or Secrets – both
Words being skilled at infiltrating organizations.
Finally, the regions of Stygia may move! Just as
Andorra moves between France and Spain, Stygian
territories can shift ownership every 2-3 days,
allowing Thieves to remain there. Of course, The Game
disapproves of bad habits, so Asmodeus will insist
that he be one of the rotating owners, allowing
Gamesters absolute control over the region every week
or so. Treated as consulates, Gamester controlled
regions would also handle getting the passes necessary
to travel within Hell – a useful lever for controlling
the footloose Thieves.


      ____________________________________________________________________________________
Yahoo!7 Mail has just got even bigger and better with unlimited storage on all webmail accounts. 
http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.html