Lilim Roles
By Emily Dresner-Thornber
I'm not terribly fond of the "Lilim as a party girl" stereotype. The
power of geas just goes to waste. Instead, here's just about everyone
you'd every want to know about what kind of role your favorite Lilim can
fulfill. This encompasses just about every kind of role possible -- or at
least those I could think of right now.
It hasn't been edited, so if the sentences are kind of convoluted, it's
because I'm learning Japanese.
Lilim Sworn to a Prince:
Most Lilim ultimately swear to a Prince. Either they are tired of
constantly being hounded by other demons, the Game, or, more likely, they
find the rewards of joining a Prince's hierarchy, including titles,
retainers, and advancement, to outweigh the benefits of staying neutral.
These Lilim tend towards zealous loyalty -- or, as loyal as any demon can
be without the use of geases. They're treated as normal demons by most of
Hell. These are the "common Lilim" and tend to embody the "party demon"
stereotype.
These Lilim are equally as difficult to redeem as any other demon.
Free Lilim - Gone to Ground:
Free Lilim who have "gone to ground", or disappeared, are unlikely to
continue participation in the War in any capacity. Except for their
unnatural longevity and the one Level 1 Geas they own to Lilith, they are
virtually indistinguishable from normal humans, and a careful one can
escape detection for hundreds of years. These have often cut all ties
with former comrades and no longer continue previous demonic or angelic
activity. To them, the War is over.
There is a rumor that some Lilim who walked away from the War voluntarily
are actually acting as master puppeteers, stringing along vast numbers of
humans from their mountain fortresses and hidden islands in giant
conspiracies acting against both Heaven and Hell. None have yet
been captured and interrogated, so this rumor continues to be
unsubstantiated. However, there are teams actively investigating this
possibility.
"Free" Lilim/Free Lilim in the Service to a Prince:
Less common than Lilim bound to a Prince, Free Lilim must build their own
reputation. While most wander from Prince to Prince, picking up jobs as
contractors when they can, others take on more permenant roles, using
their resonance as a tool instead of a weapon. These Lilim offer a rare
service: honesty, trustworthiness, and enforcable contractual work in the
pit of Hell. They come in three forms: Brokers, Mediators and
Arbitrators, and they all use the contract as their main tool.
Building a Contract
The contract is built from several geases binding several parties. All
Lilim who craft contracts between celestials follow the same basic
practice, and use it as their primary negotiating tool. The details of
each deal may be different, but the means are the same.
Two celestials come to the table with requests. They both want their
requests met, and they can only get what they want from each other.
However, since they are both demons, it is impossible to trust each
other. Some Lilim use extra caution, and use tricks to encrypt or
otherwise hide the negotiations of each party.
The Lilim gathers up the requests, and follows these steps:
- The Lilim crafts a contract, and waits approval from both parties for
the contract. Party A and Party B both frame their requests as "The Lilim
makes the opposite party do what I want" instead of "I want the opposite
party to do what I want."
- After getting approval, the Lilim binds party A to the contract, with
the promise of honesty and getting party B to bind to the contract. In
return, the Lilim asks her price, and takes it. She activates the geas on
herself and on party A.
- The Lilim binds party B to the contract with the promise of honesty and
party A's compliance. In return, the Lilim asks her price, and takes it.
She activates the geas on herself and on party B.
- Since party A must follow through the geas to satisfy the promise to
the Lilim, and party B also must follow through the geas to satisfy the
promise to the Lilim, they both act to satisfy each other's needs.
The Lilim, offering trustworthiness and to bind the other parties, has
already fulfilled her end of the bargin. Once complete, the geases
expire on the Lilim and all parties.
Most geases used in contractual negotiations are Level 3 Geases unless the
contract is extremely touchy or chaining is involved.
Chaining
Lilim may chain together requests to form a single giant contract.
Client A wants a service that he wants from Client C, but the Lilim can
only fulfill it through Client B. So, she finds something A and B can
agree on, and B will bind himself to C so that C will fulfill A's original
request.
A -> Lilim <- B -> Lilim <- C
A finds this advantageous because he gets a service from C he otherwise
could not get, C finds this advantageous because he gets to extort a
service from B, and B finds this advantageous because he gets a need
fulfilled by A. The Lilim requires B to pay only once, and walks away
with three kickbacks on a deal instead of two. In the end, everyone wins.
Rumors of giant chaining contests held in the Guildhall are, also,
completely unsubstantiated.
Kickbacks to the Prince
The issue with working for a Prince is that he stands there with his
hand out. The Prince will require either contracts to be crafted in such
a way that they are slated toward his Word, or he will require a bit of
graft to allow the Lilim to continue working in autonomy. Lilim who are
particularly proficient often gain tremendous favor in the eyes of their
Prince and are pressured to join "permenantly." Lilim who are not
proficient do not have their contracts renewed.
Most Lilim automatically work their kickbacks into the payment when taking
their piece.
Brokers\Agents
The most common role for a Free Lilim is the Agent or the Broker. This
Lilim represents a large "stable" of demons. These demons pay the Lilim
a fee, and in return, she finds buyers for their services. On finding a
buyer, she constructs a contract, and binds both the represented member
and the buyer to geases. The price for agents is outrageously high in
Hell, especially in Shal Mari, because of the cost of the kickback to the
Lilim's patron Prince. Pure Free Lilim contracts are pricier, because
the Lilim guarentees "true objectivity" in return for her services --
although it is unclear how true or how objective she really is. It is
easier for a demon to go through the Lilim on staff with the demon's
Prince than to approach the Guildhall in search of a free Broker. That
Lilim will likely have a large list of buyers on hand, or give marginal
discounts to "members."
Brokers are largely accepted ways of life in Hell; they're safe, fairly
reliable, and will only moderately gouge. Between trying to finagle a
fellow demon into doing something reliably for free or paying a broker to
find a buyer and geas them into doing it, the Broker's fees may
actually seem reasonable.
Brokers maintain offices in the Lilim Guildhall or their patron Prince's
cathedral. A few brave or down on their luck ones open offices in Shal
Mari proper. This is a very popular avenue of career for Lilim who would
rather not bind formally to a Prince.
The Game has suggested the licensing of Brokers so they can keep "tabs" on
them, but this unpopular idea has gotten very little support from the
Lilim community.
Mediators
Free Lilim who fill the role of the Mediator are the grease
that keeps the graft flowing in Hell. They represent the Prince's
interests, and bring those interests to the negotiation table. They work
with demon groups to demon groups. Known for the rare traits of honesty
and integrity, these Lilim are the little-mentioned underground diplomats
between Hell's fiefdoms. They refer to themselves as "liasons." For
example, they may be the "Dark Comedy Liason to the Media in Los Angeles"
or the "Dark Comedy Lieutenant in Los Angeles." Without the ability to
take on official ranks like Knight or Captain, they take other titles to
mark them as demons of status.
These Lilim do the Prince's business. They will only work with demons
when it is advantageous to their sponsor, and will not take disparate
groups of demons as their clients. If they do work with two high ranking
demons, their prices are high and their demands are large. If they work
on a contract that may anger their patron, their fees are astronomical.
However, Lilim Mediators are highly valued, since their contracts ensure
that goods and supplies needed to complete various Earth-side manuevers
are available, and are rarely tossed aside, even when they anger their
Prince.
Princes provide their Mediator Lilim with convenient Role covers to keep
assassin bullets and Game interrogations at bay. The Lilim may appear to
be working in a normal capacity as just another contracted worker when, in
reality, they are working purely for the Prince's interests in ways that
may or may not work in the interests of Hell.
Baal employs a large group of Mediators to maintain his supply lines.
Arbitrators
An Arbitrator is a specific version of a Mediator. Arbitrators write and
ratify contracts between angels and demons. These essential "peace
pacts" enforce the necessary glue that keeps the War from breaking
out into the streets. These contracts range anywhere from peace pacts
with time limits to agreements for safe passage to the exchange of
hostages.
Free Lilim who work as Arbitrators are at risk. Both the Game and
Judgment frown on the use of Arbitrators in any capacity, and have the
Lilim eliminated whenever possible to shut down negotiations. After all,
angels and demons should not be cooperating in any capacity at any time,
and doing so is heresy. However, more pragmatic warriors on both sides
-- namely War and the War -- see these beings as essential to completing
key military manuevers, and use them when necessary. Because of the risks
involved in this role, Arbitrators often request bodyguards as part of
their compensation package before coming to the table.
It takes a certain unique individual to fill the role of an Arbitrator.
They must be both trusted by the angels and the demons, have a proven
track record of trustworthiness, and have learned to craft geases that
will bind both parties without loopholes. They must pass the "Malakite
Test" -- i.e., be able to be in the presence of a Malakite lacking an
automatic "kill all demons on sight" Oath without provoking it to
violence. If they cannot pass this test, angels deem the Lilim unworthy
of their trust, and do not use them to ratify their contracts.
Few Lilim fill this role for very long, and those that do often demand
large compensation packages from both parties. They are cognizant of
the danger and their shortened life spans. A few Princes keep Arbitrators
on staff as Mediators so they can fly them into a particularly hot spot,
under the nose of the Game, at a moment's notice.
Lilim who work as Arbitrators are targetted by angels for redemption.
However, it is rare that a Lilim will willingly leave both her vaulted
position as a known, trusted mediator and walk into a completely unknown
world.
Free Lilim in the Service to Trade:
Occasionally, Lilim will take jobs from angels. Lilim understand the
worth of more training, and there are few places where one can get more
direct training crafting contracts, learning to navigate arcane laws,
and absorbing the art of negotiation than in a stint under the angels of
Trade.
These jobs are dangerous -- more dangerous than working as an Arbitrator,
since now it is working directly for the enemy. However, Trade has been
employing Lilim under the table for so long, they have codified process
and procedure for using their services while protecting everyone's
interests.
Often, after a long stint with Trade, Marc will make the offer to attempt
a redemption to bring the Lilim on "full time." The Lilim will normally
turn him down for a variety of reasons: a fear of Heaven, a disinterest
in leaving their tangled lives, or a continued distrust of angels.
Bright Lilim:
Few Lilim become Bright, and a vast majority of those are ones who have
spent their lives Free or Free in the Service. For most, there is too
much lost for them to join the forces of Heaven. Some Free Lilim see it
as tantamount as binding to a Prince. Others see it as leaving "the
life," and no matter what pure lives they lead to keep up their
underground contacts all over the map, they are loathe to leave it. Some
simply are greedy, and do not want to leave the lives of luxury they have
built.
Those that do become Bright are a diverse group, and they have their own
reasons. Some would rather simply be able to live a life of honesty
without the need to bind themselves to it constantly. Others simply do
not want to deal with the give and take of other people's Needs anymore.
The Lilim who redeem to Trade are eager to get back on the horse again,
and a vast majority of those who do redeem stick with Marc. Others lean
toward other "lawful" occupations where their diplomacy skills and their
art of the contract comes often into play.
A few, but very few, redeem and bind to Eli. No one knows why.
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