By Elizabeth "Archangel Beth" McCoy
Corporeal Forces: 0 Strength 0 Agility 0
Ethereal Forces: 0 Intelligence 0 Precision 0
Celestial Forces: 1 Will: 2 Perception: 3
[additional attribute]
Artistry/1, Computer Operation/5, Detect Lies/1, Electronics/1, Singing/3,
Celestial Song of Healing/4
Seraph of Lightning attunement
Discords: Fear/3 (knives), Bound/2 (its cage)
Once Javan, Balseraph of Technology, "Birdy" is an example of what happens when Asmoedus gets his hands on a traitor. After being subjected to some of Vapula's devices, the Prince of Technology gave the wretched, but still Seraphic, thing back to the Game. Asmodeus, amused by the idea of an incorruptable recording device, tucked the arm-length Seraph into a celestial birdcage and hung it in his office.
Birdy clings desperately to its angelic state, dimly aware that Falling would just get it recycled into something else. It still remembers its name, as you can tell by asking it -- "My- name- is- Javan- but- Master- says- call- me- Birdy" -- and can understand the demonic language, but refuses to speak it personally. Being in Hell, it cannot regenerate Essence. It cannot lie -- not only does it hurt (acquire dissonance) if it tries, but "Master" has ordered it not to, on pain of pain. When Asmodeus wishes Birdy to display evidence of some kind, he gives it a bit of Essence and Birdy uses its Seraph of Lightning attunement to produce a holographic image of what it remembers. Lacking in Ethereal Forces, its eidetic memory makes it very much an idiot savant.
When not instructed to be silent and observe, Birdy spends its time with its tail wrapped around the cage's perch, singing mournfully to itself in the angelic tongue. What it sings is quite random -- stanzas of poetry, bits of conversation (sometimes of plans that were once-sensitive), snippets of the things it's seen from its cage, wordless snatches from its theme of the Symphony, and the one Song that it remembers: Celestial Healing. (Of course, without Essence, it can't _use_ the Song...) Asmodeus is considering giving Birdy back a smidgen of Intelligence, so that it will be able to remember when it's told, "Shut up!"
The cage is, of course, a celestial prison capable of holding a being small enough to be stuffed into it -- usually relievers, imps or gremlins. In the corporeal realm, it manifests as an old-style "domed" birdcage, of the sort used for cartoon canaries. Birdy, not having any Corporeal Forces, is Bound into the cage itself, and (when in the corporeal realm) has a tendency to use daily Essence to create random memory-holograms inside the cage.
What Birdy suffered at the hands of its former Prince has "Tripped" the poor creature -- its angelic Heart, though still intact, will no longer reveal its location. Dominic's servitors would be very interested in the location of this Outcast (who has been missing for several years now), at least until they heard what had happened to it; even Servitors of Judgment might understand such extenuating circumstances. Being angelic (if Outcast), Birdy could probably be taken to Heaven via Tether, or carried in its cage by an angel. If it ever recovered enough Forces to become sentient again, it would probably be very close to madness -- the constant lies in Hell were an ever-present torment. Nevertheless, Jean would want to have his Servitor returned -- at the very least, it's bad PR to let Hell keep an angel prisoner there, and Javan _would_ remember everything he'd heard while in Asmodeus' office...
* They've been in Asmodeus' office, or otherwise viewed the living recording device in action. If anyone's openly curious, Asmodeus will relate the story behind Birdy in monotone detail, as an Example of what happens to traitors to Hell. GMs should make up something appropriately nasty, probably taking Birdy's Fear (knives) into consideration.
* The PCs are supposed to find the recording-Seraph and terminate it -- perhaps because of something it observed and might reveal someday. It's dumb enough, it might even sing about it. (Would the PCs like to get the bit of blackmail before they kill the creature?)
* They've been sent to steal Birdy, probably by one of the other Princes. The little Seraphling knows quite a lot of information, and hasn't the wit to refuse to reveal _anything_. Since Asmodeus would probably notice his pet missing, the PCs might have to get a specific _piece_ of information from Birdy -- a task which might be a little difficult, considering how stupid it is.
* The PCs are required to _rescue_ Birdy -- either it's been brought to the corporeal realm for some reason, or they've gotten into a bit of a pickle... (See Rescue: 666 for an example of pickles -- Novalis Geases demonic PCs to rescue a kidnapped Seraph of Flowers from Malphas. Maybe the PCs would like to pick up Birdy as well, since they're already going to have a Prince mad at them?)
* They're given Birdy as a recording device while on a mission. Hauling around an apparently empty birdcage that can spontaneously produce holograms-with-sound will be an interesting experience. (Birdy starts getting Essence if it's taken out of Hell, but doesn't quite remember what to do with it.)
* The PCs have been told by someone (Asmodeus, a Word-bound or Servitor claiming to work for the Game, etc.) that they're supposed to deliver Birdy as a "sweetener" for some deal Asmodeus is working up with Dominic. Here's the cage (and Seraph), here's where they're supposed to go. Now, what haven't they been told?
* Somehow, Birdy has escaped! (Or been killed, kidnapped, or rescued...) The PCs, for whatever reason, would like to re-capture Birdy (for one of the above reasons, probably, or just to get points on Asmodeus). Just how hard could it be to find one little Seraph hiding in Hell...?