IN> A RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES CHALLENGE!

[William J.Keith]

On Nov 25, 2007, at 9:45 PM, Moe Lane wrote:

> The game?  Simple.  Read this:
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html? 
> in_article_id=495538&in_page_id=1811
>
> ...and tell us what it is.  The one wrinkle?  It is *not* a Tether.   
> Too easy.

No deed's consequences can ever be fully undone.  The Fall scarred  
Heaven itself, and the corporeal world was forever changed.  Not even  
Yves dwells on what could have been; as the Archangel of Destiny, he  
focuses on what can yet be.  But still, a common speculation in Heaven  
and Hell is what human civilization might have been like, if the Fall  
had never happened.

At one time, Yves knew this future, and whether he remembers or not,  
muses on it or not, the knowledge still remains in the Akashic Record.   
At one time, Gabriel prophecied from such a branch of time.  At one  
time, Jean could coolly project that man would develop *this* ability  
*then*, *that* awareness *here*.  Then, everything changed in a  
moment's horrible realization of choice, and what now is, is.  Anything  
else is a flight of fancy, or worse, a lie.

But hope, even vain hope, springs eternal.  The brightest of all  
possibilities, the best of all possible worlds, the fruit that could  
have been borne by the Divine Plan: that knowledge lives.  And in an  
anonymous Italian of the late 20th and early 21st century, that  
knowledge blooms.

Falco is a little mad, of course.  At times.  Like Gabriel in ecstasy,  
or Jean mid-inspiration, or Yves remembering.  His remote viewing is a  
good deal more remote than he thinks.  He sees not what was, but what  
could have been now, and only in fragments at that: breathtakingly  
beautiful visions clouded by a world of sin.  But the perfection of it  
is enough to drive him, to inspire others, to design and construct  
incredible beauty.

The Temple of Damanhur is very well-protected.  Ofanim of Stone ring it  
thickly, patrolling, and a surprising portion of the foot traffic these  
days is better armed than any search could find.  The Temple will never  
go broke for lack of tourists, to be certain.  Indeed, it has been a  
pilgrimage spot for angels since midway through its construction (and  
visiting privileges are one of the widely coveted perks of Earth duty).  
  Some are simply curious.  Others will notice a certain symbol, or a  
particular plant, or the cast of a face, and suddenly a chord will  
strike.  They will recognize a destiny that might have come to pass, or  
a plan they had always wished was not ringed with insurmountable  
obstacles.  At such times being well-informed is a hideous burden, and  
more than one angel has left the Temple racked with grief, bearing new  
perspective on the true magnitude of the Fall.  Despite concern for the  
impact on their psychology, however, not one such angel has despaired.   
These seem to be a different salt of tear, a grief that drives rather  
than stalls.  Angels who react to such an element of the Temple tend to  
become more focused in future work, in Heaven's experience.

And demons?  Any demons that have looked around have been very quiet  
about it.  The Cherubim of Stone attuned to every piece of every room  
can detect intended danger well before it strikes, and usually before a  
would-be vandal gets within a mile of the place.  Trouble made for  
Falco and his followers is the more usual route by which Hell strikes  
at the place.

Occasional speculation as to whether a Fated version of the Temple  
exists is usually shrugged off.  There never was a "could have been"  
from a maltheist perspective, after all -- only what Kronos now wants  
the world to become.

Adventure seed: PC angels or humans with a social bent may find dealing  
with such a smear attempt, or a financial raid, or the like to be a  
low-key adventure with a premium on subtlety.  PC demons with orders to  
ruin the place in the public eye will simply have to avoid the  
attentions of a swarm of Stone angels by acting equally quietly.

BONUS: In a game employing the Infinite Worlds or another parachronic  
setting, the Temple can be a "horizontal Tether": a parachronic  
touchpoint where angels, demons, ethereals, Sorcerers, or other  
Symphonically Aware beings (native to this plane or others) can launch  
crosstime travels and return home, or receive outtime visitors.  A  
certain Corporeal Song activates travel, though a background Ethereal  
Song is required for an accurate journey to a specific world and the  
Celestial version allows spatial translation as well.  There is an  
angelic attunement that allows a single individual to perform two or  
all of these simultaneously; other beings must work in groups,  
especially Sorcerers that need the Ethereal Song sung.  Heaven's  
traffic is routed through a convenient sealed-off room; other beings  
must sneak past security on this end and possibly the other.  Some  
worlds may have Temples or similar sites of use to the Symphonically  
Aware; others may require local magic or parachronic projectors to  
leave.  A primary objective of Hell is constructing a similar portal  
and the rituals necessary to use it on this world.

William