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Chaosium Digest Volume 23 Number 10
Chaosium Digest Volume 23, Number 10
Date: Sunday, March 8, 1998
Number: 1 of 5
Contents:
A Kabbalist's Dream, Part One (Erick-Noel Bouchard) FRENCH NEPHILIM
Editor's Note:
This week another special issue of the Digest, finishing up the French
Nephilim campaign that began in V.23.5. You'll find a total of five
parts this week, containing the third adventure in the Crown of Keter
Chronicle, and a few appendices. Next week, there will be another
regular issue of the Digest (with Call of Cthulhu, Mythos, and
Nephilim articles lined up), then the Chaosium Digest should return to
its regular biweekly status (unless someone else wants to send in a
33,000 word campaign, of course;).
A quick reminder about an internet conference coming up this Monday,
March 9th (ie, probably today when you read this):
CHAOSIUM INTERNET CONFERENCE: Chaosium editor Shannon Appel will be
hosting an internet chat on March 9 at 6pm PT/9pm ET. You can join
it by logging on to http://worldwithoutborders.com (NO WWW AT THE
START!). He'll be happy to tell you about our upcoming plans or
answer any other questions you might have. Stop by the site early to
set up a chat login (it just takes a minute or two).
I've actually had some troubles logging in to this site over the last
few days (their server hasn't been responding right), but have faith
everthing will be OK again by conference time (fingers crossed). If
you'd like to see occasional internet chats of this type, make sure to
stop by; I'll use this conference as a measure of how successful the
concept is.
Shannon
RECENT BOOKS OF NOTE:
* Elric! - _Kane of Old Mars_ (White Wolf, 334 pg., $22.99) is book
nine of White Wolf's Eternal Champion series. It contains the three
Michael Kane Mars novels: _City of the Beast_, _Lord of the
Spiders_, and _Masters of the Pit_. This is high Burroughs fantasy,
quite far from the Elric! norm, but still connected ever so
tangentially to the Eternal Champion mythos.
--------------------
From: Erick-Noel Bouchard <samedi@colba.net>
Subject: A Kabbalist's Dream, Part One
System: Nephilim
A Kabbalist's Dream
Third act and conclusion of the Crown of Keter chronicle
by Erick-Noel Bouchard, copyright 1997, All rights reserved
Parts of this episode are inspired from the cabalistic comic book "Le
Templier de Notre-Dame: La nuit du Golem" by W. Vassaux and
C. Piscaglia; a good share of the rest comes from the Jewish Zohar and
Bahir. A peek at Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum" might also give
some clue as to inspiration. All references to the Nephilim
role-playing game were based on the French second edition, edited by
Multisim.
March of the year 1321 after the Jesus Accident
FOREWORD
"The Qabalah may be defined as being the esoteric Jewish doctrine. It
is called in Hebrew QBLH, Qabalah, which is derived from the root QBL,
Qibel, meaning 'to receive'. This appellation refers to the custom of
handing down the esoteric tradition by oral transmission, and is
nearly allied to 'tradition'.
"The Qabalah was first taught by God himself to a select company of
angels, who formed a theosophic school in Paradise. After the Fall the
angels most graciously communicated this heavenly doctrine to the
disobedient children of earth, to furnish the protoplasts with the
means of returning to their pristine nobility and felicity. From Adam
it passed over to Noah, and then to Abraham, the friend of God, who
emigrated with it to Egypt, where the patriarch allowed a portion of
this mysterious doctrine to ooze out. It was in this way that the
Egyptians obtained some knowledge of it, and the other Eastern nations
could introduce it into their philosophical systems. Moses, who was
learned in all the wisdom of Egypt, was first initiated into the
Qabalah in the land of his birth, but became most proficient in it
during his wanderings in the wilderness, when he not only devoted to
it the leisure hours of the whole forty years, but received lessons in
it from one of the angels. By the aid of this mysterious science the
law-giver was enabled to solve the difficulties which arose during his
management of the Israelites, in spite of the pilgrimages, wars, and
frequent miseries of the nation. He covertly laid down the principles
of this secret doctrine in the first four books of the Pentateuch, but
withheld them from Deuteronomy. Moses also initiated the seventy
elders into the secrets of this doctrine, and they again transmitted
them from hand to hand."
--McGregor Mathers, _Introduction to The Kabbalah Unveiled_
PRELUDE
A great darkness falls over the powerful Ottoman city of Istanbul.
Governed by the greed and passion of their pope, crusaders from all
Europe unite their forces to make siege around the eastern jewel,
hoping to crush the sultan's armies and claim these lands in their
god's name. Many orders of knighthood stand side to side, banners
flowing in the wind. Amidst the shining warriors, mounted on their
heavy war-horses, two flags vigorously stand off the wind. The Humble
Knights of the Temple of Salomon, whose power has survived secretly
amidst their brothers--the Teutonic Knights--appear in their
destructive majesty, angels of destruction throwing their wrath
against the Infidels. Alongside them are the dreaded Knights Templar.
Once a peaceful folk, the Ottomans were driven to fanatical warfare in
their effort to resist the western conquerors. A people of artists and
philosophers raised their swords to defend what was theirs against the
Christians' folly. But a few centuries after the prophets' words of
peace, the Jihad was born out of blood and hatred.
Why such hatred? Legend tells it that the ancient Hebrews, discreet
mystics of ancient tradition, hold a deep secret in their
breast. Three mysterious crystals show the road to this hidden
power... or death. Nothing would stop the maddened Templars from
attaining their goal. Worse still: another one, more evil and powerful
yet, also seeks to pierce the secret of the Kabbalist's Dream...
A Prophet's Vision
Despite the growing chaos a hope of light rises in the mist of
darkness. Centuries ago, in a region of Egypt whose name has been
forgotten, a Hebrew prophet once had a vision of the perfection of
Justice. It was revealed to him that uncertainty and disorder were the
cause of the world's pains. These would be lifted should the essence
of Justice, Geburah, be known to the race of Man by the revelation of
the perfect world, Sohar, through the spiritual realm of Briah, where
the higher angels reside. Kabbalah, the Hebrew mysticism whose goal is
to seize the divine through its ten manifestations, was the key to
this fantastical kingdom. A new world was to rise, at the time where
masculine Wisdom (Chochmah) and feminine Intellect (Binah) would unite
to show the hidden virtue of Knowledge (Da'at).
This vision the forgotten prophet left in legacy to mankind in the
aspect of a vast labyrinth shaped like the Tree of Life, the ten
Sephiroth whose combination reveals the hidden aspect of En-Sof, "That
Which is Devoid of Limits", the true aspect of divinity. The ten
Sephiroth, known by their Hebrew names, are Keter (Crown), Chochmah
(Wisdom), Binah (Intelligence), Hessed (Generosity), Geburah (Rigor),
Tiferet (Magnificence), Netzah (Victory), Hod (Splendour), Yesod
(Foundation), and Malkuth (Realm). Through this magical construction,
the wise could open the gate to Sohar and bathe this world in the
rigorous light of Geburah.
The Order of the Holy Trinity
To ensure the survival of his secret, the prophet founded long ago a
secret fellowship dedicated to the guardianship of the labyrinth. He
inscribed upon three crystal pyramids the runes that would guide the
faithful to the labyrinth's entry. These would be separated to prevent
the profane from piercing the divine mysteries until the day where the
messiah would come. Amidst the mortal's ranks, the prophet called upon
the higher spirits of Briah to consolidate the new unity between
spirit and matter, Tiferet and Malkuth, the High World and the Low
World. Over the centuries, the society became known as the Order of
the Holy Trinity and united in its breast both Hebrews and foreigners,
such that five hundred years later only a handful of its members were
still kabbalists.
Its name came from the union of Chochmah and Binah, father and mother,
whose mating creates the spiritual knowledge of Da'at. Mazdeist,
Gnostic and platonic philosophy influenced its ideals and purpose over
the centuries, the original society growing farther and farther from
its origin.
During the Christian era, the preaching of a Spanish nun named
Claudina bore a heavy influence on the sect's philosophy. Canonised
by the church, Claudina began to be considered the sect's founder as
the original prophet had been forgotten over the centuries. Christian
beliefs impregnated more and more the order's belief, while Kabbalah
was slowly forgotten. The trinity became that of Just World, Just Mind
and Just Action, represented by St. Michael, St. George and
St. Dominicus. The sect's purpose became akin to king Arthur's quest
for the Grail, the three pyramidal fragments (the "crystal keys")
taking on the role of holy artefacts lost through time.
Only the spirits of Briah, who form the uppermost circle, remember
nowadays the true purpose of the order. They care little for the
mortals among their ranks. They seek the crystals to open the gate
through Sohar, discovering Agartha in the light of Geburah, the return
to their original godlike state.
The Humble Knights of the Temple of Salomon
Others also seek the crystals for their revelations. Among the greedy,
the Knights Templar are the most dangerous and eager to find the
secret labyrinth. The Templars' assaults upon the Ottomans' eastern
nation are fed by the Nephilims' artefacts and knowledge, of which the
crystal pyramids are but a small part. Among the Nephilims' ranks in
Istanbul are kabbalists of great power, influential members of the
Justice Arcanum. Their quest for the light of Geburah has directed
them towards the study of Kabbalah, the Hebrew science first received
by Abraham and made into an occult science by Simeon ben Yokkai, the
almost mythical follower of the Unnamed, the true strength between the
equilibrium of Love and Justice.
Ancestral enemies of Arcanum VIII, the Templars have long sought their
powers as a means to raise armies and acquire material wealth. Despite
their holy orders, the Templars are neither humble nor poor, in fact
their brotherhood bears a great influence both economically and
politically. Their power is to grow in the upcoming years, after their
official recognition by the pope at the famous council in the city of
Troy.
After years of questing, along with their Assassin allies, the
Templars finally found Arcanum VIII's wondrous crystal keys. They
assembled their partisans and, with the pope's benediction, intend to
assault the Infidels'city. Their official purpose is to bring down an
enemy to Christianity. In truth, the Templars see two goals in their
assault: freeing the world from the Nephilims' influence and stealing
their power for their sake. Few among the Templars' ranks really know
about the crystals' purposes, or that two of them are hidden in
Istanbul. But a single master, Hendel Weissenstadt, cousin of Grand
Master Archambaud de St. Amand, has the sufficient knowledge to use
the crystals and open the gateway to Sohar. Through lies and deceit,
he managed to get the pope's approval through his puppet, archbishop
Francisco Di Ducre. Despite his power and knowledge, it is doubtful he
could find the integrity and strength to pass the required trials.
The Awakening of Baal
"Verily Baal has fallen to the earth,
Dead is Baal the Might!
Perished is the Prince, lord of the earth!
Then the Kindly One, El the Merciful
Comes down from his throne, he sits on the footstool,
And (coming) off the footstool, he sits on the ground
He sprinkles dirt signifying grief on his head,
On his pate the dust in which he wallows;
For clothing he covers himself with a loincloth;
He scrapes his skin with a stone,
With a chipped flint as a razor
He cuts off side-whiskers and beard;
He rends his shoulder (with his finger-nails);
He scores his chest as a garden plot,
Even as a valley-bottom his trunk he lacerates.
He raises his voice and cries:
Baal is dead! What will become of the people?
The Son of Dagan (is dead)! What of the multitudes (of men)?
After Baal I shall go down to the underworld!"
- Ras Shamra texts
The Templars and their allies are not the Order of Trinity's only
enemies in Istanbul. Awakened from his dreamless sleep, an ancient god
of fertility and ferocity now seeks a way to gain back the power he
once lost to the Christian's influence. Though associated with
fertility, Baal's essence is a dark one, as he ranks among the
Selenim, the Cursed Ones. He represents the bestial side of sexuality,
the perversion of the creative act. Long ago his cult was a
flourishing one in the middle-east, filled with new-born beings
sacrificed by fire. Now Baal is an almost forgotten god, made into a
demon by the Christians. Baron Olivier, in the chronicle's second
episode, freed the sleeping entity through his madness and
lust. Whether Joltok and his paws managed or not to fully awaken the
demonic entity shall determine Baal's influence in this world. If his
rebirth was prevented, he has only Joltok as an agent to act into this
world. With great prudence, the latter shall transfer his personality
and mind into the body of a young Hebrew Rabbi-to-be, as he plans to
integrate Arcanum VIII's ranks as a wolf in a shepherd's tent. Under
the guise of a guide, his knowledge of Hebrew and Kabbalah as tribute
to his utility, Joltok wishes to uncover the crystals' secrets and
immerse himself in the essence of Sohar and hence free his master to
become one with him.
If Baal has been awakened then Joltok's power is mighty indeed as he
houses, in his unconscious, the full essence of the cursed god. Until
the gateway to Sohar through Geburah has been opened, nevertheless,
Baal cannot manage enough power to regain his godly status. Absorbing
the purity of Geburah's essence, Baal dreams to become one with the
Sephiroth. He would hence become a powerful aspect of the Unnamed's
essence, thus perverting its purity with his own villainy. Should Baal
manage to corrupt Geburah's essence, the results would be fearful
indeed as justice and honour would become corrupted and broken. The
universe's balance would thus be menaced.
What horrendous catastrophe could result from such a blasphemy? No
mortal mind would be crazy enough to attempt it, not even the maddest
among the Selenim. But Baal's captivity dispersed any sanity his
perverse mind could have held, and his ambitions are greater than
anything ever met before. Not only does he wish to become more
powerful than any god, he wishes to taint the Unnamed's wholeness by
his foul presence, becoming one with the universe and all things,
greater than both chaos and law in a supreme orgasm of depravity.
Madness you say? Even madder shall reality become should he succeed...
A SURPRISING REVELATION
If the previous episode has been properly conducted, the game master
should find no problem orienting the heroes towards Istanbul, probably
pursuing Joltok's mischief before he sets all hells loose.
Impassioned by the power he conveys within his soul, the
shape-changing Selenim does not bother to make his trail
discreet. Rosecouronne's mysteries and revelations instigated doubt
into Maitre Etienne's mind, where an awful thought has birthed. Would
it be possible that Baal be... No, not this foul creature he
encountered many lives ago, shortly after being conjured upon this
world by the prophet? By now, Maitre Etienne should trust the heroes
enough to share with them his greatest secret, that of his true
nature, for he is much, much more than the mere merchant he appears to
be...
Opening his eyes to the Unnamed's revelations, Uriel shreds his
mortal's skin and bones to become once again the mighty Archangel he
once was. Laying beside his luminous form, the radiant spirit looks at
Maitre Etienne's unoccupied body, mere shell for his imprisoned
shape. "Hundreds of years we have remained hidden among them, now the
time comes for liberation. But not yet. The doors to Sohar are still
closed and a great danger menaces. O Unspoken Essence, whose name must
not be invoked, through Malkuth I invoke Thy essence to reveal upon me
the dangers to come." The tent's interior then becomes a vast globe
of light where the laws of time and space are thrust aside like mere
veils. Standing in his full glory, Uriel speaks to the amazed heroes
with a voice of brass:
"Hundreds of years have I remained in this fragile shape at the call
of the prophet. For hundreds of years our mission was followed,
despite the mortals' forgetting memories and the changes they made
upon our society. Yet our call has not changed. I, along with many of
the Holy Order's ancients, am not from this world. The prophet
conjured us from the Dancing Mists Beyond the Horizon, in the world of
Sohar where every thought and every thing vibrates in perfection with
the celestial song. Our task was to guard the gate until The Day was
to come, but now a double danger floats above the city like crows over
the battlefield. Blood shall be spilled; murders shall arise for
unjust causes. Even worse still, the universe's essence itself is
menaced by two beings lusting after Justice's vigour. Of them, one is
but a mere man, leader of the knights of the crumbled walls. The
other's essence is foreign to me as he is tainted, his soul is as dark
as the moon's shadow. He is not among the mortals but of the race of
demons, mad enough to destroy the world should he reach the power to
do such."
Slowly, gently, Uriel enters back Etienne's body and completes his
story in a more human way:
"We were not to reveal ourselves to mankind, neither to those who walk
among them, but the times have changed. My brothers and I cannot
influence the world of mortals for we are bound by Geburah's word, the
true essence behind all justice. As the divine is thrice, and as man
has three natures, three glowing pyramids, all worked of crystal yet
as strong as iron, contain the prophet's revelations to the gateway.
Through the labyrinth of the ten Sephiroth, created in the divine's
semblance, the door to Sohar's perfection can be accessed. Geburah,
right face of the supreme justice, shows the way to the enlightened
heart. The danger must be stopped before it is too late. Ambition of
two shall cause death of all, and the time has not come yet for the
day of liberation. Thou have demonstrated thy courage before, and once
again shall I ask for thy help, as a great danger menaces the mortal
world. Alas, little do you know of the true world's nature, but
courage and honour are powerful weapons against darkness. I ask thee,
for this time and the future, would thou find in thy heart the
strength to complete this worthy task?"
Heroes who grasp the true range of the menace surely cannot refuse
this offer. For those who still doubt Uriel's sincerity, the Archangel
has many proofs to back up his claims. He ranks among the Holy Order's
most important conspirators and has been serving the society for over
a millennia, never changing either name or aspect. His power is
mighty, yet he cannot interfere with the mortals' destiny, less he
take a life in this world. Should our heroes prove worthy to be called
such, Uriel would reveal to them the real nature of the Order of the
Holy Trinity as well as its goals.
Sharing a close bond with Malkuth, the material world, Uriel is wise
in the ways of the world. It was revealed to him that Istanbul is to
become a vast battlefield, and that within its walls Hebrew magicians
are to commit a grave folly. Though few in number, those of the
Hebrews that inhabit Istanbul have great power gained through the
Torah, and many among them are Nephilim. It is within their ranks that
Arcanum VIII has built its foundations. Their people persecuted by
the Ottomans, the Templars about to take over their refuge.
The greatest Kabbalists of Istanbul are preparing the awakening of a
simulacrum of man, an idol crafted in the semblance of the first man,
an Adam Kadmon brought to life through the magic of the Sephiroth: the
Golem. Undefeated by either sword or man, the Golem shall inflict the
dying Hebrew's vengeance upon Istanbul and its inhabitants, that they
die not without remembrance. Arcanum VIII shares an alliance with the
Order of the Holy Trinity yet both retain independent hierarchies.
Should the Golem not be stopped, Istanbul would be destroyed and with
it the prophet's secrets. If the crystal pyramids would then fall into
the wrong hands, great woe would befall on this world. Little time is
left: The heroes must journey across the sea to the Ottoman city and
find the crystals before it is too late. Then, enlightened by Arcanum
VIII's knowledge, the path to the labyrinth should be revealed.
--
