IN> "The Waters will Rise!" setting: Appendix I

[-=|horsefly|=-]

When the Grotto was finally complete, Oannes felt comfortable
gathering together all of his Servitors--old and two newly fledged
he'd taken in from War and Flowers--for a celebration and
re-investiture. Each of them bore their Hearts tightly to themselves
(the two youngest had theirs made by Michael and Novalis just the day
before the ceremony), and as they ascended the path to the central
waterfall, they bowed one at a time under those waters, swearing
Service to The Waters. Oannes observed each solemnly, and reverently
took the Heart of each one, kissed it, and let the rushing cascade of
the falls carry each Heart to the depths below. Then he embraced each
in turn, granting or refining the relevant Choir Attunement and
binding the angel to The Waters' Dissonance conditions, and the new
angel of The Waters dove in after its Heart. Qerach insisted on
processing up side by side with Nedsrilla, whose Redemption Oannes had
overseen as soon as Saminga's threat was over for the moment; he'd be
sponsoring them both as co-holders of the Word of Ice before the
Seraphim Council after this celebration. Elohim! When all of them were
swimming in the waters beneath him, Oannes took his own Heart--what
was once Oceans' Heart--held it under the waterfall while bowing to
them all in turn, dropped his Heart in the Grotto below, and then dove
in to join his Servitors in the sparkling blue. Semethnikel waded over
to him shortly, frothing with excitement, "It's good to have you
back!" It was good to be back.

----------

Oannes bore a human seeming long before The Fall. It was simply easier
to communicate with other non-Ofanim by using gestures and facial
expressions they would understand. So even though he can appear in
many places at once, and typically takes a host or ten when visiting
the corporeal plane, in Heaven and when Invoked, Oannes typically
appears as a toned, long-limbed and pale man with long, dripping hair
that has a slightly green cast to it. Everyone remembers his eyes,
blue in so many shades, but always reminiscent of the Word he holds.
Angels and most humans he meets remember his laugh, a gurgling,
burbling sigh. Unfortunately, with recent events, Oannes has little
cause to laugh. Many of the earth's oceans are filthy due to one
pollutant or another, and between nuclear testing and overfishing,
many of the sea life is depleted or close. For this reason, his angels
are charged to preserve sea life and the water itself moreso than
land-based creatures, most notably humans. Oannes has not turned his
back on humanity--they are the main argument in the War, after
all--but he can't help feeling they've done irreparable damage to his
Word and the waters themselves. Commercialization of bottled water is
just one more item in the long list of things irritating Oannes about
humans. To that end, he and his angels target deliberate and casual
polluters of water--whether the person who puts ink in the water
cooler at work, or the person who detonates a five-megaton nuclear
warhead off the coast of India--as beings undeserving of The Water's
life-sustaining gifts.

DISSONANCE CONDITIONS

It is Dissonant for angels of The Waters to let someone die of thirst,
or for marine life to die of air. Similarly, one cannot let creatures
drown unless the angel recognizes the drowning victim as a known
polluter of water.

CHOIR ATTUNEMENTS

All angels of The Waters breathe water as easily as air, and can
survive pressures up to those of the greatest depths under the seas;
killing in or with water by one of these angels causes no Disturbance.

Seraphim

A Seraph of The Waters can identify a despoiler of the seas simply by
handing a person a glass of water and spending a point of Essence. An
innocent person will drink a perfectly clear glass of water, while a
minor or accidental polluter will appear to drink water that is cloudy
or murky, and a deliberate or repeat offender will seem to drink
something so brackish that it's not even water anymore. Note that this
has no harmful effects on the drinker whatsoever.

Cherubim (restricted)

A Cherub of The Waters can extend its abilities to survive on land and
in the depths to any of its attuned with a touch. Books will not
mildew, rot, or expand from water logging; air breathers will not
drown, and water breathers will not asphyxiate.

Ofanim

The Waters' Ofanim are Heaven's fastest swimmers. They use their
Corporeal Forces as the default Check Digit for a successful Swim
check, and swim at an impressive (Total Forces times Corporeal Forces)
knots per hour.

Elohim (restricted)

An Elohite of The Waters can Resonate anyone in the same body of water
as itself out to a number of cubic square feet equal to the Elohite's
total Forces; in addition, the Elohite adds its Corporeal Forces to
the Check Digit of any successful Resonance roll.

Malakim

Blackwings of The Waters can cause a victim to drown with a touch and
the expenditure of one Essence. Regardless of where the victim is,
their lungs fill with water, and do not stop filling with water until
they die. Demons can resist with a Will roll at a penalty of the
Malakite's Corporeal Forces.

Kyriotates

A Kyriotate of The Waters may possess twice the number of its total
Forces in liters of water, fresh or salt; anyone drinking more than a
mouthful of this water can be possessed by the Kyriotate without a
Will roll. Being drunk as water does not cause Dissonance. Someone
pouring ink into the possessed water or otherwise contaminating it
will--provided the Kyriotate does not clean the water before it
leaves.

Mercurians

The Friends of Man are still the biggest boon Heaven grants to
sailors. No ship bearing a Mercurian will capsize or dash upon the
rocks so long as a Mercurian remains aboard. Leaving a ship full of
aquatic polluters amidst a storm is not Dissonant.

Bright Lilim (restricted)

Oannes does not have any Gifters as yet. Were he to take any Brights
into his Service, they would detect Needs equal to their Corporeal
Forces automatically against anyone with whom the Bright shared the
same body of water at a range equal to The Waters' Elohim. Stronger
Needs would require eye contact and a Resonance roll.

Grigori

Watchers could take any liquid in a container and turn it into safe,
fresh water at a cost of one to three Essence: one for unknown water
from a stream, two for alcohol or other normally drinkable beverage,
and three for poison or acid. Oannes has not yet awarded this
Attunement since his re-ascension to Archangel of The Waters.

SERVITOR ATTUNEMENTS
   Presently, Oannes has only one Servitor Attunement, but it's been augmented:

Purify
   At a cost of *at least* one Body Hit and three Essence, the angel
can do one of the following:
 * make a well safe for drinking for a year
 * clean a river, stream, or lake for a month of safe drinking
 * remove all traces of a toxic chemical spill in a radius of
Corporeal Forces times Essence spent cubic feet.
 * heal afflictions (brain tumors, cancer, gunshot wounds, broken
bones) of one person who submerges in already clean water so blessed
or drinks a glass of water set before him with this Attunement so
enacted
   At a cost of three Hits of each plane (never enough to lose a
Force) and three Essence, the angel can distill the Light of Heaven
into a glass of water. Imbibing the contents will kill undead
instantly, put Soldiers of Hell into comas, and put demons into Trauma
(Will roll to resist minus the angel's total Forces).

DISTINCTIONS

Vassal of Wells
   After filling a canteen or other container full of water and
holding it for a number of minutes equal to the angel's Celestial
Forces, the container will never empty or suffer contamination.

Friend of the Sea
   In the water, or on it, the angel can always tell up from down, how
far it is from shore, the bottom, and the surface. With a touch, the
angel can confer Swimming equal to its Corporeal Forces to a number of
people equal to the angel's Celestial Forces, for a number of minutes
equal to the angel's Ethereal Forces.

Master of the Deep
   The angel may enter a body of water equal or greater to 50 times
total Forces gallons of water, and resting on the bottom, go to sleep.
The angel can then form images of itself out of water, equal to its
Corporeal Forces. The water forms are immune to most corporeal
attacks, but fire and acid affect them normally, and they cannot
venture beyond the resting angel's total Forces in feet from its
"watery grave." Waking the angel or removing it from the water ends
the effect, otherwise it lasts for Celestial Forces hours.

RELATIONS
   Oannes has not been back long, but he's made efforts to stay on
good terms with his fellow Archangels. With a couple of notable
exceptions, he's succeeded. He has little interest in playing politics
for its own sake, and has little interest in how humans venerate their
Creator, so long as they do. More important to him than their worship
of the Almighty, however, is their treatment of the world's water
supply and said waters' inhabitants. If he's not careful, he may
alienate some of his fellow Archangels by his treatment of the
polluters he avenges himself against. Most of the elemental Words
support him and vice versa, though Lightning is not a part of that
crowd. Due to their stance on marine life, Oannes' relationship has
improved with Jordi at the expense of his feelings for Marc, whom he
feels does not do enough to stymie human corruption aboard (and upon)
the seas. The Marches never held much interest to him before his death
at Belial's hands, so he lost neither allies nor enemies when Uriel
conducted his Crusade. Since his return, The Waters has taken to
studying how human hopes and dreams affect his Word; already aware of
his Word's effects on dreamers, Oannes wants to improve that, and is
working with Blandine to increase the affect. As The Waters encompass
both the tranquility of peace and the turbulance of war, he
understands both sides of the War, and is a moderate voice on the
Seraphim Council.

Allied: Eli, Gabriel, Janus, Jordi, Novalis (Gabriel, Janus, Jordi,
and Novalis are Allied to Oannes)
Associated: Blandine, Michael, Yves (Blandine, Eli, Laurence, and Yves
are Associated to Oannes)
Hostile: Jean, Marc (Jean is hostile to Oannes)

BASIC RITES
* Spend two hours teaching the dangers of water pollution
* Spend a day teaching people to swim (+2 Essence)
* Swim from one sunrise to the next (+3 Essence)

CHANCE OF INVOCATION: 2

INVOCATION MODIFIERS:
-6 In the middle of a desert without a drop of water to drink or in sight
+1 a live goldfish, in a tank or bag of water
+2 diving tanks, full of air
+3 a water purification kit
+4 a humpback whale
+5 in the middle of the ocean, out of sight of land
+6 on the bottom of the ocean

EXPANDED SUPERIOR OPINIONS:
Heaven

Blandine: "Humans dream of traveling the seas and exploring their
depths. Surfing, diving, sailing--these fire the human heart and
imagination. He keeps the seas safe and worth exploring; as long as he
promotes dreams, he has my support." ("She provides hope in a cleaner
future. I'm trying to build that future, and happy to have her help.")
Christopher: "Every child delights in the waves, just as every child
fears being swept away. Will he delight or destroy? Only time will
tell." ("I bear no grievance against the young. They must be educated.
Taught to swim and joy within the waves, just as they must be taught
that all life, above and below the shores, must be respected. It is
the old who wear on me, not the young.")
David: "Oannes lived in a cleaner, simpler time. I am uncertain how he
will adapt, but he will need the support of friends." ("Stone and I
seem at odds, but we meet so often, it's hard to disagree over the
little things. He's strong, resolute, and has stood the test of time.
I can still learn much from him."
Dominic: "His temper got him in trouble last time. So long as he keeps
that in check, there shouldn't be a problem." ("His is a hard,
unrewarding task. I'm not one to tell him how to do his job. I simply
wish to be left to do mine in peace. If I need his help, I'll ask.")
Eli: "The waters birth all kinds of groovy things. You ever tried
abalone? Hard shell, tasty meat, beautiful insides. Oannes is like
that." ("His perspective is... nuanced; he's more perceptive than
others allow. More powerful than he appears as well. I respect him for
hiding much beneath the surface.")
Gabriel: "Slow to anger, and his suffering has taught him much more
than his previous wisdom already provided. I am concerned that his
anger has begun to froth again so quickly, but for what has been done,
he's more than justified." ("Hot-tempered and strong-willed, Fire
burns as it will. In whatever form Gabriel chooses, I am grateful for
wise counsel and a strong arm at my back any day.")
Janus: "You cannot steal from the generous man, neither can you steal
from Oannes. He hides his wisdom and his treasures merely for the wise
and the persistent to find what is worthy of being found--often within
oneself, as much as beneath his own waves." ("Coming and going as
freely as he does, I enjoy his company whenever he visits, though he
never stays long enough."
Jean: "From a bygone time. Though it is good to have him back, I worry
that he will not adapt to the current times quickly enough." ("He has
changed too much since last I knew him. We agree on hardly anything,
and I mourn the friend whose presence I can so little tolerate
today.")
Jordi: "It is good to find agreement from someone on the Council that
humans have gone too far. I know just how far they go, but Oannes
listens. I respect that. Together, perhaps we can effect change." ("He
has seen so much of what humans are truly like since my passing. I
value his counsel and his friendship. I will not let humans do
underwater what they have done on land.")
Khalid: "Water sustains life, just as faith sustains hope. We must not
lose either, yet I fear for Oannes, that his own faith is slipping
away." ("He is more concerned with how people believe rather than with
what they do. All I ask humans to do is leave my waters clean; too few
cannot do that much.")
Laurence: "The Waters affords us an advantage over our enemies; we
must press that advantage quickly before they adapt. I only fear that
I am asking too much of him when he is not yet ready." ("He sees my
return in purely strategic terms, this new Commander. I will obey, but
I do not respect him.")
Litherory: "What secrets lie hidden beneath the waves? What isn't he
telling us? He is full of sorrow
Marc: "He doesn't get it. The shortest distance between two interests
is a straight line. Regardless of the cargo, it's just supply and
demand." ("He sees the waters as merely another road. One does not
trample an occupied home anymore than one throws waste about its
living occupants. At least, civilized creatures do not. Yet that is
precisely what humans do atop the seas, and Marc says there is nothing
to be done. Nothing to be done! I'll show him 'nothing.'")
Michael: "Oannes slew Vephar alone. He died doing it, but he did the
job. Good soldiers understand sacrifice." ("A powerful ally and a
terrifying foe, I appreciate Michael's respect, but I would not turn
away his friendship.")
Novalis: "How sad to come back to a world you don't recognize, to look
for friends who aren't there anymore, and a home that's been laid
waste. I offer Oannes everything I can; I hope it will be enough."
("She is as loyal and steadfast as the plants she shepherds. The
kindness she has given is more than I could hope for. Why would anyone
spurn that from a fellow angel?")
Yves: "Sometimes it is not enough to die in battle. What more might
The Waters be called to do, and how can we help?" ("Even when I do not
understand Destiny, I know he and his only wish to be of service. If
only more angels were like that.")
Zadkiel: "We understand one another. I only hope we do not find
ourselves on opposite sides." ("She guards humanity, and it is a
worthy task. I guard the seas, and often that means guarding against
humanity. I respect her and her Servitors, but her charges sometimes
annoy me to my depths."

Hell

Aleamon: "There must be more to his story! How many more of these
angels is Heaven hiding? How can we be sure he's the only one? Best to
eliminate him before they find the secret before we do." ("A paranoid
insect not worth my time. Those who are wise will find the secrets
they seek. The foolish ones will drown.")
Andrealphus: "Hey, babe, did you hear Heaven got a new hot-tub. Do you
know what I could *do* to you in a hot tub?!" ("Lust perverted itself
long ago. He may not remember me, but I remember him.")
Asmodeus: "Someone broke the rules! This is unacceptable: only *I*
change the rules. Bring him to me for questioning. I don't care how
many suffer." ("Too caught up in the how without accepting the what.
The tides go in, and the tides go out. That is all that matters.")
Baal: "The first real casualty on Their Side is back. Worse, the one
who destroyed him in the first place is dead. Heaven will pay for this
treachery!" ("Arrogant as ever. Will he beat the waves as futilely as
his champion once did? That would be amusing to learn.")
Beleth: "Humans fear drowning. They fear the things that dwell under
the waves. Oannes seems content to let them fear. Still, he is an
angel...." ("What humanity fears, it destroys. I have seen that more
in the last few months than in my first epoch. We must guide and focus
the fears of humanity, and the fears of the Demon Princess of
Nightmares herself.")
Fleurity: "What's anybody got against water? The human body is made up
of over sixty percent of the gooy stuff. So useful for vectoring my
lovely cocktails. Shipping lanes are vital to getting my stash to the
junkies who want it--and the poor slobs who don't know they want it
yet!" ("An exploiter and the worst example Hell has of a polluter: not
just physical corruption, but mental and spiritual decay as well. And
he uses my waters to move his poison? This WILL stop!")
Furfur: "I never got to toast Belial thanks to this creep and his
friends. Blast 'em!" ("They tell me this was once one of Belial's
demons. It shows. Washing his stain from the Symphony will be a joy."
Haagenti: "Meh, water. So bland. So *good* for you. Pass me a beer!
<SLURP!> Still, waste not, want not, right. Drink up! Now fish... I
can't get enough fish! Fry up some more shark fin!" ("Another
worthless exploiter, taking and taking, giving nothing back. It's past
time the fish ate  _him_."
Kobal: "You know, if someone found a way to bring back Mariel or
Makatiel or Legion, *that* might be funny...! Who am I kidding? I
couldn't stand them anymore than this slippery eel." ("I hear he
doesn't laugh anymore. Pity. I know how powerful laughter can be.
Perhaps we should show him."
Kronos: "This anomaly has been recorded. Now correct it." ("My waves
will crash upon the bleakest, blackest shores as surely as anywhere
else. Fate drives humanity to reckless indifference, and I do not
forgive such slights.")
Magog: "His speedos get in a twist when you dump things in a lake,
huh? Well, get the masses dumping, then toss their rotting corpses in
after them!" ("Foul and putrid. David is welcome to whatever
assistance he wants in crushing this miserable *thing* beneath the
depths!")
Malphas: "No one's sure what to make of him. Friend, savior,
harbinger, or lunatic. Make the most of chaos, kiddies." ("Yet further
evidence of why Shedim ought to be culled before they reach this
stage. Squid cooperate better than his demons."
Mammon: "There's all sorts of shiny things under the sea. Get them
back!" ("Caught up in such a useless fascination. Only worth my time
when he impinges upon my territories.")
Saminga: "NO ONE ESCAPES DEATH!!!" ("If he's still swirling about the
inky blackness of the void, find him. All of his demons are high
priority targets. Undeath is an abomination, and the Dread Lord owes
us much.")
Vapula: "Fascinating: someone has managed to resurrect a dinosaur.
Bring him back for vivisection, won't you?" ("Technology promotes some
of the most flagrant waste this world has ever seen, all in the name
of human progress. As much as I deplore Jean, I cannot take on the
menace Vapula represents alone. Work with whomever you need to
dismantle this Word and sweep it from existence.")

-- 
-=|horsefly|=-