IN> Gremlins(TM) (and note the footer, alas.)

[Moe Lane]

On the bright side, my production's about to go up.

-- 
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Gremlins™
Ethereal Spirits

Corporeal Forces: 2	Strength: 6	Agility: 2
Ethereal Forces: 3	Intelligence: 6	Precision: 6
Celestial Forces: 2	Will: 2		Perception: 6
Vessel: small, vaguely green humanoid/2, Charisma -1

Elements: Tech (Machines) (primary); Emotions (Fear) (secondary)

Affinities: Artifice (strong), Emotion (fear) (moderate), Puissance (moderate)

Skills:  Area Knowledge/1 (local area), Chemistry/1, Computer
Operation/1, Dreaming/6, Driving/1, Emote/1, Enchant/3, Engineering/2,
Electronics/2, Fighting/1, Language (Helltongue/1, Local/3), Large
Weapon/1 (hammer), Lockpicking/1, Survival/1 (Marches)

Songs:  Artifice (All/1), Draining (Celestial/1), Entropy
(Ethereal/1), Machines (All/1), Motion (Ethereal/1)

Dreads: Failure to fix something broken/3 (3pts/level)

Image: A small, vaguely green humanoid with pointed ears, wearing a
jumpsuit with various tools attached.  It will also always have a very
large hammer.


These are not exactly traditional gremlins, even if by "traditional"
you mean "came into existence within the last three or so human
generations."  They are, in fact, deliberate reversals of gremlins,
from their very strands onwards.  Historically, gremlins have been
Fear-spirits with Tech overlays that break complicated machines:
Gremlins™ are Tech-spirits with elements of Fear that keep equipment
and machines in repair.  Where gremlins are chaotic, willful, and
free, Gremlins™ are restricted, easily dominated, and openly enslaved.
 The only real similarity is in appearance - which even then gives a
subtle "mirror" feel to the perceptive observer.

Gremlins™, as noted above, are repairmen; the Media sells them to
Domains and pantheons needing expert technicians and artisans.  They
generally make quiet, docile slaves: in fact, some find them too
docile.  A Gremlin™ is easily dominated by anyone of more than modest
Will, thus making it necessary to watch over them closely in any but
the most secure areas.  They are still worth the inflated price; Tech
spirits are still somewhat rare, and the skill set possessed by the
average Gremlin™ is very valuable to any pantheon attempting to come
to terms with modern technology.  This is probably the major reason
why they are only sold to ethereals that are firmly on Hell's side of
the War.

The Media has declared that the process by which Gremlins™ are adapted
is "proprietary," which most of Beleth's side of the Marches has
accurately translated as "attempt to find out and we'll eat your
liver."  It is fairly clear that Nybbas has enlisted Vaputech's
assistance in the process; and it is agreed that the process is one of
adaptation instead of creation.  Certainly there is a permanent bounty
on traditional gremlins delivered, alive and essentially unharmed, to
the Media's agents.  Gremlins™ very carefully do not discuss the
process, or even admit that there was one.  It is possible that this
even represents a real memory loss, although there doesn't seem to be
an obvious point to suppressing the memories.

Interestingly, researchers at Revelations & Development have begun
researching the Gremlin™ phenomenon.  There are some reports that the
process by which the ethereals are adapted does not always produce a
permanent change; and that the reversal process usually results in an
exceptionally angry Fear-spirit that has been temporarily boosted to
primal levels.  It should be no surprise that this intrigues Servitors
of Lightning, particularly if the reversal can be triggered at range.
The trick is in getting useful (and ethical) experimental data...