The world is no place for hothouse flowers. Be like the
weeds and fend for yourself.
The outcome was never really in doubt.
No one really knows why Belial did it. Maybe he was having a
really bad day Word friction-wise, maybe he lost a bet with
Kobal. The secret of the why went up in flames with the what as
the Demon Prince of Fire torched an entire old-growth forest
and all the animals that lived there and all the campers and
hikers who picked the wrong day to enjoy nature. As Belial
bathed in the flames and laughed, the other Princes started
placing bets on whether Jordi or Zadkiel would show up to pound
on him first. When Novalis arrived, Kronos smiled and raked in
the Essence.
The fight was one-sided from the beginning. There stood
Belial, a towering figure covered with cinders and crowned with
flames. Novalis faced him in the form of a bronze-skinned
Madonna with golden eyes. The Calabite went celestial and
gestured obscenely to his foe. Come get some, honey, he said.
Novalis smiled, then her Vessel melted away to reveal the
shaped of a winged dryad. The two celestial forms crashed
together, Archangel and Demon Prince each trusting the power of
their Words, and the battle began in earnest.
Three things were forgotten that day. Belial forgot that
Novalis was a Cherub and how fiercely that Choir of protectors
will fight to defend their charges. He also forgot that there
were forests before there were forest fires and that, despite
the fires' best efforts, the forests were still there.
Novalis forgot to try kindness first.
When it was over, the smoke faded away taking with it the
wisps of Belial s shattered Forces. Novalis picked herself up
and licked the ichor and ashes from her hand. She remembered
how it felt to rip Belial apart and shuddered with sensuous
delight. Then she noticed the silence that engulfed her and
looked down at herself. A purple-black the color of fresh
bruises spread across her spring-green skin. The leaves that
adorned her perfectly formed head shriveled into thorns. Worst
of all were the brambles that sprang up wherever her feet
touched the earth. The new Djinn let forth a howl of rage and
anguish before she vanished from the Corporeal plane.
The assembled Princes stood in awe at her victory, except
for Lilith, who turned to Baal and arched one magnificent
eyebrow. The Prince of the War grumbled and swore under his
breath, and then humbly accepted the Geas.
It was several weeks later when a figure dressed in red
stepped daintily through fetid wetland. A path marked by
twisted mangroves led the way to a curtain of plump, wet vines
that moved disturbingly, almost seeming to breathe, in the
sticky hot wind. The brightly clad interloper parted the vines
to see a clearing. There in the center sat Novalis surrounded
by swamp weeds and carnivorous plants. She raised her head as
the figure in scarlet came over and stood in front of her.
I can't hear them anymore, she said, The voice of the
grass, the songs of the flowers, even the hum of the trees. All
the plants that told me every day how much they loved me,
they're all gone. She gestured to the rank growth surrounding
her. All I hear is the noise of these wretched things
screaming out their demands for air and water and light. She
got up and paced the clearing. The world I nurtured, the peace
I worked for, they've forgotten me. All because I killed that -
that disease! Novalis stopped pacing when she noticed the
weeds turning their faces toward her as if she were the Sun.
It's not fair! I didn't mean to kill him. But it felt so
right, she whined, and stood eye to eye with her visitor. It
felt so good, she moaned.
The figure in red put out a hand and stroked Novalis cheek.
There, there, you poor dear, it said, I believe in you. I've
always believed in you. And whether or not those stupid plants
care about you, I'll always care. The scarlet wrapped itself
around them both, and for a time the voices of the weeds were
stilled.
Afterward, Novalis found that she had no strength left with
which to summon remorse. The weight of apathy settled over her
soul and hardness armored her heart. When Andrealphus took her
hand to lead her down to Hell, she did not resist.
Dissonance
Demons of Thorns are expected to "grow" wherever they're
"planted." Relying on others to get their needs met gains
them Dissonance (getting one's needs met by exploiting
others is fine). Novalis doesn't care if her servants are
discontent, but they'd better not complain. In the
organization of Thorns, griping causes black marks on one's
soul as well as one's record. It's a shame that there's so
much in Hell to gripe about.
Band Attunements
Balseraphs (Restricted)
Novalis' Liars can use their Resonance to project visual
and olfactory illusions around plants so as to make toxic
or otherwise harmful plants appear innocuous. For example,
they can create the appearance of a bed of grass over a
patch of poison ivy or make a bouquet of roses look as if
they've been dethorned. They can also cause drug-sniffing
dogs to ignore any amount of plant-based pharmaceuticals.
Djinn (Partially Restricted)
These nature-oriented Stalkers are difficult to track
while moving through foliage or across grass. Any attempt
to detect them by sight, hearing or scent suffers a penalty
equal to the Djinn's Celestial Forces. They also suffer no
visibility penalties for looking at an object of their
attunement through foliage.
Calabim
Plants have been known to split concrete or even solid
rock simply by growing through them. Calabim of Thorns can
accelerate this process. By spending Essence and making a
successful attack roll (Thrown Weapons), they can cause a
seed to take root and grow into the body of a target. The
resulting growth does one Body Hit per turn for a number of
turns equal to the demon's Corporeal Forces times the
Essence spent. Removing the plant does additional damage
equal to the CD of the attack roll.
Habbalah (Restricted)
Habbalah of Thorns can use their Resonance to inflict
pain. Victims feel as if their flesh is being rent by
thorns. This does no damage, but it imposes a distraction
penalty on all rolls equal to the Habbalite's Celestial
Forces.
Lilim (Restricted)
The Tempters of Novalis like to seal their deals with a
kiss. Once this is done, a successful Will roll makes the
victim forget what favor he owes and to whom until the
Lilim calls it. Geasa and Geas-hooks held by Lilim of
Thorns look like bracelets of flowers when viewed
celestially (Geasa have thorns, Geas-hooks do not) and can
only be seen after a successful Perception roll.
Shedim (Restricted)
Shedim in the service of Thorns can possess plants.
Full-grown trees are always suitable. With smaller plants,
the demon requires an area at least (total Forces) feet in
radius. These Corrupters don't have to spur their
vegetable Hosts to acts of depravity because their mere
presence corrupts; a possessed plant will appear visibly
blighted after (demon's Corporeal Forces) days. No roll is
required to possess a plant, but those that have been
somehow attuned to Heaven cannot be possessed at all.
Impudites
Novalis' Takers can exude soporific pheromones by
spending 1 Essence per person to be effected. Each victim
gets a Strength roll to resist; Celestials and Ethereals
add their Celestial Forces. Those who fail to resist the
pheromones have -2 each to Will and Perception for
(Impudite's total Forces) minutes.
Servitor Attunements
Flowers of Evil
Servitors of Novalis can imbue ordinary flowers with a
portion of their personal Symphonies. By succeeding on a
Will roll and spending 1 Essence, the demon can create a
token that encourages selfishness in anyone who holds or
wears it (demons are immune, of course). The subject has a
penalty of -1 on all rolls to resist selfish behavior.
Flowers of Evil are not detectable as Relics. The effect
lasts for one day, after which the flower withers and dies.
Home Soil
The demon is specially attuned to a specific patch of
ground, which must be bare soil or covered with plants. If
the demon is standing on that spot at the proper time, the
daily Essence recharge is doubled. The demon can also use
her Home Soil as a Reliquary with a capacity equal to her
total Forces x 3. The area of Home Soil is (demon's total
Forces) feet in radius. Home Soil cannot be moved save by
Novalis or one of her Harvesters.
Photosynthesis
A demon of Thorns whose Vessel is damaged need not wait
for normal healing or disturb the Symphony with a Song of
Healing while the Sun shines. The rate of healing varies
with how much of the Vessel's skin is exposed to sunlight;
normal clothing allows one Body Hit per two hours, a
T-shirt and shorts would be good for one Hit per hour, and
nude or nearly so is worth two Hits per hour. This
Attunement only works in natural sunlight. Otherwise, it
is constantly active whenever the demon is wounded.
Wheat and Tares
A Servitor with this Attunement can see connections
between Humans as spiritual vines binding them together.
The state of these vines - green and flowering or black and
withering - tells the demon which relationships will
probably lead the subject to his Destiny and which are most
likely to drag him to his Fate. The demon must first be
attuned to the subject (via the Djinn Resonance or a Song
of Affinity) and then spend 3 Essence to activate Wheat and
Tares.
Distinctions
Knight of Weeds
The demon can spend 1 Essence to see what sin or vice
the subject is most prone to. He may then add his
Celestial Forces to any attempt to encourage the subject to
indulge in that activity. This Essence expenditure does
not disturb the Symphony.
Captain of Roses
The simple giving of a gift - a plant, of course -
allows the demon to attune to its holder as through a Song
of Affinity. The attunement lasts for as long as the plant
remains alive and in the subject's possession (but not
necessarily on her person) or until the demon makes a
successful Will roll to break it (with the same
consequences for failure that apply to the Djinn
Resonance). Demons attuned to a subject via this
Distinction are free to harm the subject, but may not harm
the plant. Attunements gained in this manner don't count
toward a Djinn's total.
Baron of Bitter Roots
The holder of this Distinction is totally immune to all
plant-based drugs and toxins. He may still enjoy the
beneficial or recreational effects thereof if he wishes.
This immunity may be conferred on someone else with a
touch. The effect lasts for (recipient's Corporeal Forces
x 5) minutes but can be revoked at will. The Baron may
inflict the deleterious effects of a plant-based chemical
that is currently in his system on someone else with a
successful Will roll. The victim gets a Strength roll to
resist; Celestials and Ethereals add their Corporeal
Forces.
Harvester
This is the only Higher Distinction that Novalis offers.
The one additional power that it grants is the ability to
change the location of a demon's Home Soil. The demon is
saddled with numerous responsibilities, but the increased
authority and privilege more than compensate for this
nuisance. All Harvesters are powerful Word-bound demons
with at least one other Distinction. Many are Songmasters
as well.
Basic Rites
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