Grey
Dialectical Hermeticist
TO REIGN IN HELL
I beseech thee, O Principles,
Sing thee now of truth
And let me be thy avatar and vessel
That with vision beyond mortal eye
And mine own sight divine
Thy prison be revealed.
You, listener!
Know now of darkness,
The night which is without beginning or end
Whence all come, to which all proceed
And draw back the inner eye, reveal
The sphere of light which confines the dark
Though it persists.
Know now of light, which cannot be seen
For it blinds mortal eyes
And troubles mine own sight divine.
This light is Pride, First Circle here;
The sun of which the sun men know
Is but a pale shadow cast
Upon empty, paltry heavens.
Witness now the palaces and balconies,
And shining devas of might and beauty
Who light the heart of this realm.
Know now of night, which is felt,
Velvet and woven of sleep,
And is ever where light is not;
The Second Circle, Sloth,
Primal and serene where walk
Those devas of nightmare and of dreams.
A shadow cast, and thou art blind
Unless they feel mercy for mortal eyes
Or spite of sight divine,
And wander here forever.
Know now of fire, and of stone,
Of crackling storm and heat,
Where roam beasts of rage and flame
And all Circles meet.
The Third Circle, which is Wrath
And walked in mighty tread
By hooves of basalt, blood of iron
And swept by gaze which sears the flesh
Whether mortal eye, or sight divine.
These devas are vengeance, and thou hath sinned.
Know now of ice, and of tears
The bitter chill and loathsome sting,
Stalked by shadows from the deep,
Hunted by silent wings.
Fourth Circle; Envy,
Salt and sea and crippling cold.
Words of venom,
Palaces but temporary
That taunt and fade
Before mortal eye, or sight divine.
Know now of flesh, and hunger
And all indulgences and deprivation.
All pleasures and pains
And their meeting-place.
Fifth Circle, that of Lust
Which wanders as it please
Bound not by place or form
Nor taboo nor law.
To mortal eye or sight divine
It revels in perversity.
Know now of glass and steel,
All things made one, and none
The crash of iron, the choking smog,
Devices which devour.
Greed, Sixth Circle,
Covetous of jewels
Of mortal eye or sight divine
Of hope or love
That they be made to obey
The order of rivet and gear.
Know, then, of Pandemonium
Of the Demon City!
How beautiful in aspect, how vast in scope.
It is forever under the sun, forever
Beyond thy vision.
It is without end, though it begins
At the Spire 'round which revolves
The Palace and Prison wherein they wait.
Beyond this vision, draw back
The inner eye, and see
We return to but a sphere of light,
In darkness it recedes, that night
From whence all come, to which all proceed.
Welcome to Hell. You are Counts; the bottom of the pecking order in Demonic Nobility, but at least you aren't Rabble. Expressing a Vice, ruling a patch of blasted ground in a Circle, your duties are manyfold and outstripped only by your ambition. You must tend your Estate, serve your betters, fend off the efforts of your underlings, compete with your peers, and seek to usurp your Baron. And all against the backdrop of Hell's beauty and wonder, from the glittering sphere of Pride, Hell's Sun, to the crystalline streets of Pandemonium, to the mysterious of shadows of Sloth
Gameplay
Powerful Characters: The player characters will be Demon Counts, beings of considerable personal power and with regions of Hell over which they rule.
Character Driven: The game is all about the players' goals, ambitions, and actions, and they may compete directly against each other, with a heavy emphasis on playing your character rather than simply running a kingdom.
War & Peace: Seduce, assassinate, negotiate, trade, declare war, ally, betray, do whatever it takes to succeed.
Corruption: Visit the mortal world to claim souls and raise Hell, to bolster your prestige and forces back home.
Requirements
This game has been in progress for over a year now.
Motivation is important, but you needn't post too frequently - though bear in mind you may be overtaken by players who do, should your schemes intersect with theirs. You should also have the imagination to flesh out your domain, as it is an extension of your character. Players may also choose to serve another player as their sworn-sword, knight, yojimbo, whatever flavour your want. You'll need a willingness to engage with a die-based system, but I'm always on hand to teach it to new players.
