DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

[Lord Liaden]

Hey gang, I'm looking for creatively twisted plot ideas, which I'm confident I can find here. DEMON: Servants Of Darkness mentions a potential plot development for one of the NPCs in the book that I'm interested in exploring, but I'm coming up dry as far as intriguing and logical outcomes. I'd be grateful if those of you familiar with DSOD could give me some input.

 

As the following deals with some of the Big Secrets of DEMON, I'll put the rest of my request in Spoiler tags. That should be sufficient warning to anyone who comes to this thread who doesn't want to know more about DEMON, that "GMs Only" information is being discussed here, so your replies shouldn't need to be Spoilered.

 

 

To summarize the main issues: Dyer vander Bleek, one of DEMON's Inner Circle, is secretly a mole for the Descending Hierarchy (the aristrocracy of Hell), who want to prevent DEMON from summoning the Kings of Edom. Vander Bleek is motivated by self-interest and isn't a loyal servant of either DEMON or the arch demons. He called on Hell for help because he recognizes that he's the least powerful and evil member of the Inner Circle, but is now caught between Hell and DEMON and increasingly desperate.

 

Vander Bleek currently has custody of the Lapis Exilis, reputedly a gem from the crown of Lucifer, but which no one in DEMON has yet figured out a use for. The arch demons have been urging Dyer to set it in a crown for himself, which he's been reluctant to do until now. (If a bunch of demons were telling me to do something, I'd be suspicious myself.) But when he's desperate enough he may go for it.

 

However, I'm having trouble coming up with satisfying outcomes to this move. Here are some of the factors mentioned in DSOD that are complicating the matter for me:

 

Dyer's soul is already heavily indebted to the arch demons, so I don't see much need for them to damn him further;

 

The Descending Hierarchy agrees that DEMON must be stopped, but there's great dispute between the arch demons as to whether to take it over or destroy it (and these demons are noted as being rivals and uncooperative at the best of times);

 

Hell believes that vander Bleek has greater status within DEMON than he actually does;

 

Demoiselle Nocturne (another Inner Circle member) knows that Dyer has made deals with the Descending Hierarchy, but has held that knowledge back from the Edomite for her own purposes.

 

I thought of giving Dyer a straight power boost when wearing the Lapis Exilis, but that seems a rather unsubtle plan for the princes of Hell to cook up. I would also think they'd be wary of making him so powerful that he could defy their wishes. OTOH unless vander Bleek received a huge upgrade he'd have to hide his new abilities from the Edomite (probably a difficult task), or risk facing the full wrath of DEMON.

 

I also considered the Lapis fully enslaving Dyer to the arch demons' will, but he's already so much in their pockets that that seems anticlimactic. OTOH it might enable one of the princes of Hell to fully possess him, allowing the demon to act freely on Earth cloaked in vander Bleek's form. The problem with that is the rivalry within the Descending Hierarchy; I doubt they'd agree to allow any one of their number unrestricted access to Earth and DEMON.

 

So, I come to HEROdom Assembled for suggestions. What should happen after Dyer vander Bleek crowns himself with the Lapis Exilis? What outcome are the arch demons hoping for, that they can all agree on?

 

Please note that I'm doing this partly as a creative mental exercise, so suggesting that I simply ignore any of the complicating factors I mentioned won't really help me. However, I'm open to variations on the developments I outlined above, if you can reasonably avoid the pitfalls I described.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[csyphrett]

Re: DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

 

The obvious thing to me is the jewel either does one of two things which may or may not help you out.

 

Option one) it allows a demon to possess anyone near the crown when worn freeing arch demons one at a time. That would cause major havoc around the npc, especially among demon underlings.

 

Option two) it allows the wearer to drain off a small amount of life energy around him to open a big enough portal for all hell ala Yu Yu Hakusho.

CES

[OddHat]

Re: DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

 

Subtle, eh?

 

Subtle is hard to do well in an RPG.

 

 

Most obvious "subtle" idea: Van Der Bleek has been lied to, again. The crown simply, on the surface, turns him into a very powerful Demon Bound, one with an overwhelming need to perform a series of crimes he can't entirely explain. One by one, he binds key members of Demon with additional stolen artifacts, boosting their own powers but afflicting them with similar, unexplainable urges. Finally, the Inner Circle falls under the full mastery of the Crown.

 

And the servants of the Crown are called into Demon.

 

The Crowns of Krimm.

 

For Krimm was but one of the many names of the First of the Fallen himself.

 

Will the heroes fight to prevent the hideous, un-Earthly evil of Demon from forging an alliance with the Crowns, under the mastery of the returned Fallen One?

 

Who can they turn to as an ally?

 

Who, but the one who banished the First of the Fallen from Hell itself.

 

Takofanes.

 

 

[Metaphysician]

Re: DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

 

Another possibility:

 

The secret function of the Lapis Exilis is that, under the right circumstances, it can render the wearer into a living avatar of the Dragon ( for whom Lucifer is one of his identities ). At which point, 'Dyer' would have the power to fatally disrupt DEMON, and/or the authority to command a single response on the part of the arch demons ( having become vessel and voice of their ultimate master ).

 

The arch demon encouraging this action believes, naturally, that the Dragon will fully approve and support his *own* plan, and thus that this will benefit him ( her, it ). Dyer, naturally, would not really have any say once he actually wore the crown, as his own soul would probably be consumed by infernal fire the moment he did.

[Shaft]

Re: DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

 

I haven't read DEMON at all, so forgive me if this sounds completely ignorant.

 

Is there any way to tie in the crown to the Crowns of Krim? What if the Crown of Lucifer actually transformed Vander Bleek into a member of this group? What if this was a plot by them or Takofanes) to overthrow the Inner Circle or something? Maybe it's a new previously unknown crown?

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

 

The fall of Demon, as described in Demon:Servants of Darkness, requires that Vander Bleek (unintentionally) assassinate the Edomite when he first comes into his presence. I took the gem to be the means to that end.

But if more is wanted, the Thirteenth Floor is critically compromised in the weeks leading up to 2012. Two statted operatives of the Edomite, Devil Dog and Jack Fool, can actually be turned by the Descending Hierarchy, and Jack Fool has access to the Thirteenth Floor.

I say that the Liber's main power is to free souls from Hell's grip. The Hierarchy's deep plan is to get even fuller control over Vander Bleek by appearing to give up its main leverage. And, incidentally, it will engineer an encounter between Vander Bleek and Devil Dog in which Vander Bleek has to use this power to turn Devil Dog. It is a minor indiscretion from the Edomite's point of view, comparable to the loss of Morning Star. But Devil Dog is fated to be Jack Fool's Dog.

[Metaphysician]

Re: DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

 

The fall of Demon' date=' as described in [i']Demon:Servants of Darkness[/i], requires that Vander Bleek (unintentionally) assassinate the Edomite when he first comes into his presence. I took the gem to be the means to that end.

But if more is wanted, the Thirteenth Floor is critically compromised in the weeks leading up to 2012. Two statted operatives of the Edomite, Devil Dog and Jack Fool, can actually be turned by the Descending Hierarchy, and Jack Fool has access to the Thirteenth Floor.

I say that the Liber's main power is to free souls from Hell's grip. The Hierarchy's deep plan is to get even fuller control over Vander Bleek by appearing to give up its main leverage. And, incidentally, it will engineer an encounter between Vander Bleek and Devil Dog in which Vander Bleek has to use this power to turn Devil Dog. It is a minor indiscretion from the Edomite's point of view, comparable to the loss of Morning Star. But Devil Dog is fated to be Jack Fool's Dog.

 

Repped.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

 

Dang, you guys are good.

 

csyphrett, you resolved the whole "demon rivalry" issue most neatly.

 

OddHat, I think you managed "subtle" very ably. You and Metaphysician both chose to raise the bet by bringing in a higher diabolic evil. While I personally get the impression that the arch demons would prefer to keep "the boss" out of the scene so they can run their own schemes, it's a reasonable dynamic to introduce (and I like the way Meta rationalizes it).

 

Shaft, thank you for your suggestion. Please see OddHat's post above.

 

Lawnmower Boy, it hadn't occurred to me that the Lapis Exilis might be the "bomb" that shatters the Edomite's plan as described in DSOD. Very perceptive. Yet the turning of Devil Dog is even more clever, opening the way to subverting Jack Fool by fitting perfectly with DEMON's symbology.

 

Rep all around for inspirational work! (Meta, I need to spread even more before I can hit you again.)

 

If there are more ideas out there, I'd love to hear 'em.

[csyphrett]

Re: DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

 

Another idea I had while reading this is the lapis disrupts other people's magic. A lot of the Demon book is concerned with how Black is trying to create a world wide summoning circle with thousands of people at the same time.

 

What happens if something is in there disrupting the magic for the summons at the wrong time? What happens to pocket dimensions if the magic is tapped in the wrong way?

 

Van der Bleek probably wouldn't realize that every DEMONHAME he visits has technical failures which causes things like bound demons to get loose, elemental spells collapsing, teleportation cutting off in mid teleport.

 

And where does that magic go?

 

CES

[FenrisUlf]

Re: DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

 

The fall of Demon' date=' as described in [i']Demon:Servants of Darkness[/i], requires that Vander Bleek (unintentionally) assassinate the Edomite when he first comes into his presence. I took the gem to be the means to that end.

But if more is wanted, the Thirteenth Floor is critically compromised in the weeks leading up to 2012. Two statted operatives of the Edomite, Devil Dog and Jack Fool, can actually be turned by the Descending Hierarchy, and Jack Fool has access to the Thirteenth Floor.

I say that the Liber's main power is to free souls from Hell's grip. The Hierarchy's deep plan is to get even fuller control over Vander Bleek by appearing to give up its main leverage. And, incidentally, it will engineer an encounter between Vander Bleek and Devil Dog in which Vander Bleek has to use this power to turn Devil Dog. It is a minor indiscretion from the Edomite's point of view, comparable to the loss of Morning Star. But Devil Dog is fated to be Jack Fool's Dog.

 

Ooh, but that is good. I especially love the twist with Jack Fool and Devil Dog.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

 

Another idea I had while reading this is the lapis disrupts other people's magic. A lot of the Demon book is concerned with how Black is trying to create a world wide summoning circle with thousands of people at the same time.

 

What happens if something is in there disrupting the magic for the summons at the wrong time? What happens to pocket dimensions if the magic is tapped in the wrong way?

 

Van der Bleek probably wouldn't realize that every DEMONHAME he visits has technical failures which causes things like bound demons to get loose, elemental spells collapsing, teleportation cutting off in mid teleport.

 

And where does that magic go?

 

CES

 

Although as the Inner Circle is described in the book, they rarely if ever visit a Demonhame in person (the Edomite wanting to keep them separate), it's a logical idea that also dovetails with Lawnmower Boy's suggestion, as the LE builds up a "charge" of stolen magic.

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

 

All this praise has me a-blushing. Thanks, guys.

Hey, look at the rep!

[Kirby]

Re: DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

 

Interesting ideas. I'm going to need to reread this section in DSOD to see if I can add anything. Probably not, but I'll still reread it.

[Highwayman]

Re: DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

 

The fall of Demon' date=' as described in [i']Demon:Servants of Darkness[/i], requires that Vander Bleek (unintentionally) assassinate the Edomite when he first comes into his presence. I took the gem to be the means to that end.

But if more is wanted, the Thirteenth Floor is critically compromised in the weeks leading up to 2012. Two statted operatives of the Edomite, Devil Dog and Jack Fool, can actually be turned by the Descending Hierarchy, and Jack Fool has access to the Thirteenth Floor.

I say that the Liber's main power is to free souls from Hell's grip. The Hierarchy's deep plan is to get even fuller control over Vander Bleek by appearing to give up its main leverage. And, incidentally, it will engineer an encounter between Vander Bleek and Devil Dog in which Vander Bleek has to use this power to turn Devil Dog. It is a minor indiscretion from the Edomite's point of view, comparable to the loss of Morning Star. But Devil Dog is fated to be Jack Fool's Dog.

 

Nice, very nice.

 

Of course, the question is how do the PCs fit into all of this? Maybe it could go like this. The Liber can summon souls to the mortal plane and either free them or control them. Van der Beek and the Hierarchy want to control Devil Dog's soul, of course. The PCs would presumably have different ideas, assuming they had previously encountered Devil Dog and figured out who he really is. Then it's a matter of tracking Van der Beek as he gathers the mystic artifacts he needs to forge the crown, presumably ending in a climatic battle with hordes of demonic minions for the new Crown Of Lucifier, with the soul of a hero in the balance...

[Kirby]

Re: DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

 

I have a different take all together. My first thought is that the Lapis Exilis "accidentally on purpose" fell out. Lucifer hinted that the item holds power for the archdemons but dooms the person who bears it (he being immune to that side effect, of course).

 

So, what does the gem really do? First, it gives the bearer a bonus to his Presence, as well as Oratory and Persuasion. Second, it allows the archdemons to "see" what the wearer sees (may or may not provide sound) using any observation source (crystal ball, pool of water, etc). These two become readily apparent early on, though the wearer won't realize the second effect.

 

It also has two hidden abilities. The initial one does a Presence drain over time to those listening to the wearer/bearer as well as giving a Psych Limitation about being compelled to agree/believe whatever the wearer states. This will generally affect vander Bleek's recipients, but also has a slight effect on the archdemons (sneaky, sneaky that). They will continue to use Bleek as a mole because A) they have a new espionage item [which they won't use themselves knowing other archdemons would be privy to their actions] and they feel slightly compelled to Bleek's "urging" of keeping him around (he is desperate). Note that vander Bleek (or the wearer) won't be aware of the spying power.

 

While all of the powers have invisible power effects (only detectable by someone actively searching/studying), the last hidden power is truly difficult to discover. It is more of a plot device, but while the wearer becomes more accustomed to the gem, they become (unknowingly) slavishly obedient to Lucifer.

 

The result of the wearing of the gem keeps everyone doing what they were in the same status quo, but both vander Bleek and the archdemons have more confidence and both think they have the upper hand, when really neither does.

 

YMMV.

[Kirby]

Re: DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

 

Hey gang' date=' I'm looking for creatively twisted plot ideas, which I'm confident I can find here. [i']DEMON: Servants Of Darkness[/i] mentions a potential plot development for one of the NPCs in the book that I'm interested in exploring, but I'm coming up dry as far as intriguing and logical outcomes. I'd be grateful if those of you familiar with DSOD could give me some input.

Did you ever make a decision on this? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: DEMON plot help (Warning: Spoilers)

 

To tell you the truth, I put out this request partly as a creative mental exercise. The Dyer van der Bleek that I used in my own game was very different from the published version, so these ideas don't really apply to what I'd use myself.

 

If you're curious as to what I did with Dyer, the "DEMON's Inner Circle" thread that I started elsewhere on this forum explains that a few posts down.