MARKET OF THE VANITIES: Jaunt Info

[powersthatbe]

MARKET OF THE VANITIES
Revisiting Purgatory
January 17 - February 26

The Market of Tech Duinn sits on a hill just above the banks of the river Styx, on the edge of the Asphodel Meadows. Oaths sworn over the black water of the Styx cannot be broken, making the Market a favored location for Heaven & Hell to bargain with one another, although few angels and demons reside there. Sithen, the half-fallen angels whose only crime was to refuse to fight demons, consider it a center of culture, and often use it to trade Demesnes (feudal land grants among the Sithen which comes with supernatural powers, like an angelic Grace or demonic Dignity, but with added real estate). But that is not why it is there. Dhuosnos, the Old Man of the Market, a powerful Sithen who claims the hill as his Demesnes, first weighed and codified Virtues and Vices as tradable commodities 1,800 years (or 140 Eschatons) ago.

Strange as it may seem in these latter days, he conceived of the trade as a mercy to the Peregrines - lost souls caught in Purgatory - because they entered the afterlife with no wealth to match the Immortali (humans who have achieved undeath or eternal life, and thus keep their souls forever), and no station like those Angels, Demons, and Sithen use to measure their relative worth. The Market has always been a friendly place for Peregrines, and since the beginning of the Asaph Eschaton (which started with the speaking of the Name in Melasurei), it has been a place Peregrines rallied. In times of old, Dhuosnos sold four Princedoms to the Market - one to the Angels, one to the Demons, one to the Sithen, and one to the Immortali.

Now he has sold a fifth, to the Peregrines - and they pass and trade it between them, rather than appointing a single spokesperson. But six positions on the Market Council means votes may be deadlocked (for of course, Dhuosnos keeps a vote for himself), and so he is considering the sale of a seventh Princedom… and Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory have all noticed.

The growing Peregrine presence at the Market could nearly be considered an army. The Demons would pay almost anything for the power to bind it to their service; the Angels, to redeem these lost souls and bring them to Heaven - whether they wish it or no. The Sithen fear a third front in the war waged across their homeland; the Immortali fear being outnumbered by a group who no longer needs them for survival & who may grow wealth to threaten theirs. And the Peregrines - they seem to wish something different with every passing day, every new argument.

All creation is sending their subtlest diplomats and agents, their most coveted treasures, to this place on the banks of the Styx, where everything is for sale, all contracts are binding, and all sales are final. Who will gain a second seat on the Market Council - and what other bargains, trades, and sales may be made in the shadow of that distraction?

Disclaimer | World Info/Theology | Locations/Map | Factions | Casting Call/Plot Role Announcements | Infiltrator/Investigator Roles | Skills | Calendar | Infiltrator Directory | Player Resources | Questions/FAQ | Plotting

Comments

SKILLS

[powersthatbe]

Dignities/Graces/Demesnes [S] - the powers of Demons, Angels, and Sithen (respectively), which indicate their station. Dignities may be bartered or sold; Graces must be freely given; Demesnes are personal, and come attached to land in Purgatory. Beyond being status symbols, they have practical uses: an aura of awe or fear; command over lesser beings of their type; control of a natural element; magical weaponry. An Angel’s Flaming Sword is a Grace, and so is a demon’s mastery of hellfire. Imagination is encouraged. Every celestial being has at least one of these; powerful ones have many. But even the least powerful is still a legendary being. During the Jaunt itself, these powers should be grandiose and extreme, setting their users above mortal souls. Afterward, they will be no more powerful than other skills - but still probably among the more potent abilities gained this way.

Tasks [U] - Angels and Demons have these; Sithen do not. These powers relate directly to the job held by a being in the celestial or infernal hierarchy. A Recording Angel can transcribe an accurate record of all events which occur in their presence, even if secret or hidden, down to the thoughts and intentions of those around them. A Guardian Angel may shield their chosen charge from ANY harm or temptation, for a limited time. A Messenger may speak to anyone and is impossible to ignore or interrupt; an Angel of Death may kill mortals at a touch (including some Immortali). Some demons may know the thoughts of mortals and whisper advice to them in their own voice, grant their wishes, or power their magic. Others may inflict torment tailored to a mortal by wishing it. Still other demons change shape, cause ill fortune or natural disasters, inflict insanity, or possess others’ minds.

Celestial Physique [U] - the physical trappings of celestial beings. Their qualities vary - some are simply what they appear to be, but some Angels manipulate light with their halos, some demons have red-hot horns, some Sithen hear their names spoken anywhere in Purgatory, and so on.

Necromancy; Exorcism; Spirit Bargaining [T] - the ability of Demons, Angels, or Sithen to deal with the dead, commanding their obedience, summoning or dismissing them, and binding them to service. Sithen must pay the dead for their services in some way; Angels must do so only for Divine purposes and the good of those they command; Demons may do as they like.

Sins & Virtues [T] - the focused essences of the Seven Deadly Sins or Seven Cardinal Virtues can be used by those who possess them in abundance (naturally or by trade and barter). But they’re not infinite wellsprings, rather, resources to be spent. Virtues diminish as they are spent. Sins grow until they consume the user.

Wrath fuels combat.
Pride grants an ability to command or to shrug off supernatural commands.
Sloth grants a resistance to enchantment, fear, or mental influence.
Lust makes you more persuasive & seductive.
Gluttony causes a short-term surge in physical energy and healing.
Greed grants magnetic telekinesis, sleight of hand, or almost anything that aids in acquisition of material wealth.
Envy gives the ability to value goods on sight, increased stealth & prevarication, & an edge in competitions of any kind.

Temperance grants immunity to poison, disease, and other debilitating physical ailments.
Patience gives a sixth sense against danger.
Diligence grants supernatural endurance - both resistance to damage and ability to continue in the face of exhaustion or other physical obstacles.
Humility causes you to appear less important to others, and makes it harder to target you with attacks.
Kindness decreases hostility and suspicion directed towards you as long as you do not behave in an overtly violent or hostile manner.
Charity increases the gain others receive from any help you offer, whether material or spiritual, but does not diminish your own sacrifices.
Chastity causes an increase in mental focus and attention, allowing you to perform mental tasks swiftly without distraction.

Wound Regeneration [U] - the ability to have a body recover from any wound dealt it, given time. Many, if not most, Immortali possess this trait.

Immortali Sorcery [T] - Magical tricks for those not necessarily magically inclined, gained through virtue of long study as an Immortali. You may gain up to three spells, which you can create on your own (with eventual mod approval of these spells). Imagination is encouraged.