Burning Brightly Part 2: Setting Detail
Burning Brightly is a game about playing angels and demons. It is a completely home brew system (although it takes plenty of influence from games that have come before.) In this game players take on the role of spiritually empowered beings that have the means to directly alter creation.The first part of the series is here and details the core mechanics. This article will discuss a little bit about what it means to be spiritually empowered, and a little bit about the realities of angels and demons. Future articles will cover character creation, miracles and profanities, and setting information.
A Spiritually Empowered Being
What does it mean to be spiritually empowered? You have transcended. Left the physical form for a higher state of being. This ascension was almost assuredly achieved through death. But not all that die become empowered. You must be chosen. Who does the choosing? Some will tell you God, but then why does God choose polytheists, atheists, and the corrupted? The words “angel” and “demon” are terms often used to describe this condition, but the truth is that these epithets are relating two sides of the same coin. In a scientific age where everything must be labeled, the term “spiritually empowered” has come in to use.
There was a moment in every spiritually empowered person’s mortal life when the summation of their actions reached a threshold. Crossing that threshold attracted the scrutiny of the powers that be. It is at this point that a mortal is judged. Some are found good and kind, and are exalted. Others are found base and vile, and are damned. Most mortals never reach this threshold, and no one knows the equation. Exaltation and damnation cannot be manufactured. In any case, the mortal is not aware of this moment, but has been marked. When the mortal dies, they transcend. The exalted become angels and the damned become demons.
Those with ethereal senses can see the mark and know if it is exaltation or damnation. Exaltation appears as a faint, golden glow that crowns the person’s head. It is a likely source for the appearance of golden light in the depictions of angels and saints, and is sometimes called a halo. Damnation appears as a nearly-tangible shadow that clings to the person’s eyes, nose, and mouth. It is sometimes referred to as a sinner’s mask. Some of the younger demons use the slang “head bruise” because it slightly resembles a pair of black eyes. When used in this fashion it carries a connotation of a mark of achievement or rite of passage. (“Let’s crack open some beers, the kid got his head bruise today!”)
The Physical and Ethereal
The spiritually empowered exist on the ethereal plane. It is a plane near to the mortal world; close enough to see but not close enough to touch. As such, this concept of a semi-permeable barrier is often called the tangent. The spiritually empowered have both physical and ethereal senses. They perceive both worlds simultaneously and can discern the contents from each other.
A spiritually empowered person has an ethereal body. This body is a projection of the person’s identity, and so appears in a form the person most readily imagines them self to be. In most cases this is an exaggerated or idealized form of the person’s mortal body. Any one with ethereal senses can see and hear those in their ethereal form. Only those that have entered their ethereal form can touch other ethereal creatures.
Those in ethereal form can receive spiritual damage. This is a direct attack on the essence that makes up a person’s existence. Only those in ethereal form can receive spiritual damage. Another ethereal person can easily inflict damage in the same way a physical person might club their enemy on the head. An ethereal attack requires contact between the two combatants, as their forces of will directly conflict. Spiritual damage can also be caused by baleful blasts of power. If an ethereal person ever loses all of their essence, they discorporated and fade away into oblivion. In this way angels and demons can die.
In ethereal form, the spiritually empowered have no physical presence in the mortal world. They cannot be seen, do not make noise, and leave no trace of themselves. The only way to effect the physical world is through the use of power. Spiritually empowered can project their will and energies through the tangent to enact changes in the mortal realm. In addition, they are given a vitally important tool called a shell.
The Shell
A spiritually empowered’s shell is just that: a physical casing that holds their manifest will. It is an inanimate lump of meat fashioned to look like a person. The shell is created by and attuned to an individual, and thus that individual can easily inhabit and motivate the shell. In most cases, the shell of a spiritually empowered appears as that person’s mortal body did. (Although, thanks to the Grand Obfuscation, friends and family have no chance of ever noticing their departed loved one walking about.)
When inside their shell, the spiritually empowered have left the ethereal plane. Their ethereal form has been absorbed into the shell. They can still see and hear with their ethereal senses, but cannot touch ethereal things. A shell can be entered and exited at will. An empty shell appears and behaves as a dead body. The shell will even begin to rot if given enough time, so it is best to make sure the shell is regularly maintained or dismissed.
While inhabiting a shell, the shell operates exactly like a mortal human body. The heart beats, the lungs respire, and the brain fires. There is nothing to physically differentiate a shell from a normal human, although those with ethereal senses can easily see the spiritual entity inhabiting the shell.
Care must be taken of the shell. While inhabited, it must eat, sleep, and pass waste. A shell does not age, but it can die. Physical trauma can disrupt the shell enough that it expires. When this happens, the spiritually empowered person inhabiting it is forcefully ejected into ethereal form. When a shell is destroyed, it immediately dissolves into nothingess. No physical trace is left behind. Even hair and fingerprints left by the shell will fade away. Creating a new, properly attuned shell takes time; at least 24 full hours. During this time the spiritually empowered person must remain near their new shell, letting their will and identity bond with the physical construct.
The Grand Obfuscation
The human mind is a funny thing. In traumatic situations, it can forget details. When frightened, it can invent details. It almost seems, at times, that it has a built in defense against psychological damage. When it comes to the supernatural and things not congruent with the mortal definition of reality, this defense amplifies. It is an effect that has been called the Grand Obfuscation. Humans simply don’t see what they can’t believe. They chalk it up to freak natural events, hallucinations, UFOs and ghosts. In the most extreme cases, they simply blank it from their memory. Massive battles between angels and demons could–and have–erupted in broad daylight in the middle of major population centers. The collateral damage from such a conflict might only show up as a blip on the evening news about several downtown blocks involved in a gang war, or perhaps experiencing a weird weather-related anomaly.
Where is God?
The short answer is that no one knows. Some of the current archangels say that when they were young the archangels of that time claimed to have known older archangels that walked with Jesus. Direct evidence of God is third-hand at best. Without direct deific involvement, the spiritually empowered are left with faith, just like the mortals.
Angels
Mortals that are exalted become angels when they die. Not all angels believe in a Christian God. Indeed, not all angels believe they are angels. The majority do, though, and these angels are gathered up into an organization called the hierarchy.
An angel is born on three pillars of ivory: a bond, an oath, and a word.
The bond is a task the angel is compelled to carry out. They are never finite in nature–they are always a task which requires continuous vigil or upkeep. “Combat the spread of illegal street drugs,” “give comfort to the downtrodden,” or “make sure the spring flowers bloom in central park,” are all bonds that angels have held in the past. The bond is unspoken and instinctual. Upon transcending an angel simply knows and understands their bond. It is a passion. It drives them to act. An angel that is deprived of carrying out their bond will sicken and become weak. The hierarchy says this is evidence of God’s hand at work; that it is God instilling purpose in his chosen soldiers.
The oath is a promise an angel swears their soul to. Unlike a bond, this can be a temporary promise. Once an oath is completed a new one can be sworn. The oath takes the form of a verbal agreement. The angel speaks the oath and it becomes manifest. (The angel must speak with the intention of making an oath–an angel cannot be tricked into an oath.) Once bound in oath, an angel is compelled to honor that oath. Failing to do so is not nearly as dire as neglecting a bond, but saps power from the angel. An angel can voluntarily free them self from an oath, but any who were present when the oath was spoken are instantly aware of its breaking. Oaths are often made to loyally serve an archangel or other superior, but sometimes an oath can be a specific task or undertaking. Angels long to make an oath. An angel without an oath has an empty feeling inside, and a knowledge that they can only feel complete through the servitude of an oath. The hierarchy says this is God’s message that angels must serve.
Each angel has an affinity to a concept. This concept is best represented by a single word. An angel has a much easier time creating miracles that fall under the purview of their word. Similar to the bond, an angel transcends with the word and instinctively knows it. Often an angel’s word relates with their bond, but this is not always the case. And do not be mistaken that angels only carry kind and happy words. There have been angels of hatred, pain, and death. (Which produces no small amount of anger and self-loathing in the angels who have to bear such heavy words.)
The hierarchy has a saying: “The bond is you duty, the oath is your honor, and the word is your weapon.”
The Silver City
The Silver City is an ethereal place. It is not heaven, but it is said to be the fortress on the road to the pearled gates. It is far away from this world. You cannot get there by normal transportation. A handful of gateways exist in the mortal world. You must be in ethereal form and pass through a gate. Each of these gates, as well as the city itself, are heavily guarded by the hierarchy.
The Silver City is a strange place. It is a clouded mass with structures floating in the effluvium. There is no direct physicality to the place. Instead, you exit a location with the intent of traveling to another and, after a few moments of floating through the vapor, arrive at your destination. This travel requires that you are aware of your destination. There are some that claim that many structures have been lost to memory, moldering away out there in the mist, potentially filled with ancient secrets. The only sure place in the city is the entryway. It is a large stone wall with an iron gate and a cobblestone square beyond it. The entryway is the place you appear when you first arrive at the city.
Most of the known structures in the Silver City are treated as public buildings. There are several library, a forum, many temples, and a great number of lodgings. Most of these locations are maintained by a staff of angels (usually on oath) that are regularly rotated out so they can fulfill their bonds back on Earth. Some locations are owned by archangels and elders and are treated as private residences.
All angles of the hierarchy are permitted entry to the Silver City. Angles often use the city as a private meeting place away from the prying ears of demons. When an angel is gravely injured, they will be taken to the city to rest up. Some angels eschew finding places to live in the mortal world and return to the Silver City every night. Some angels simply travel to the Silver City to bask in its glory and enjoy the company of other spiritually empowered beings.
Demons
Mortals that are damned become demons when they die. A majority of demons could care less whether they believe they are demons or not, but most demons accept it rather quickly. There is not as much of an identity struggle with demons. The hierarchy will tell you that this is because most demons accepted that they were creatures of darkness long before their damnation.
Demons gather to each other like flies on a corpse. They form a loose-nit organization that vaguely resembles the feudal system, with demon princes at the top that dole out territories to lesser demons. Many have tried to put a name to this, but few stick for any time. ”Legion” was one of the longest-spanning names. More recently demons just simply call it “the organization.” Just like a feudal system, all demons are members of the organization, whether they want to be or not.
A demon is born on three pillars of salt: lust, a lie, and a word.
A demon is born with a lust to do evil. More specifically, each demon is born with a lust to do an exact kind of evil above all others. This evil could be as broad as one of the seven deadly sins, or could be as focused as a specific kind of transgression. ”Liquor store theft,” “church graffiti,” and “sexual predator,” are examples of lusts. Similar to angels, a demon instinctively knows their lust. They can feel it like a butterfly fluttering in their stomach. They get excited thinking about it. They feel elation doing it. It is their hobby, their obsession, and the thing they do to fill the void left when they lost the ability to love. A demon denied their lust will become more disconnected, neurotic, and self-destructive over time. Eventually a demon that cannot get their fix will burn up in their own self-loathing flames.
All demons tell lies. It is the social nature of humans that allow demons such easy movement among the masses. Demons rely on this. Demons use honeyed words, smiles, and tiny promises to get a foot in the door. They use your pride, your greed, and your insecurities as power. It is both a weapon and armor, and demons need it to feel safe. This is why demons also lie to each other. They pretend to swear oaths of loyalty to their elders and demon princes, but every demon knows that these are hollow. The oaths are part of a social dance. Each demon lives their life knowing there are a thousand poisoned daggers waiting to stab you in the back, and those that have oaths to you are probably the first in line. Still, without these lies there would be no pecking order. Without a pecking order, it would be each demon for them self and nothing significant would ever be accomplished.
Like angels, demons have an affinity to a concept. This concept takes the form of a word. It is identical in purpose and power to an angel’s word.
Hell
Demons do not have a special far-away realm set aside for them. There is no pit of eternal flames. At least, not as far as anyone can tell. What the demons have is cunning and ingenuity. They have had to forge their own vision of hell and they have to work hard to maintain it.
There are a series of basements, warehouses, tenement buildings, high-rise condos, garages, and various other private places that have been connected by portals. These portals are physical things, usually in the form of doorways, that anyone can walk through. Demons spend power to create these doorways. When one is discovered by angels or otherwise compromised, demons can spend power to destroy these doorways. The end effect is a honeycomb of cells that span the globe. Many demons call this “hell” or “the pit” or some other evocative word.
Each location in the network is maintained by one or more demons and is as unique as the demons themselves. These cells can be torture dungeons, drug dens, illegal pit-fighting rings, and brothels just as easily as they can be the loading dock of a supermarket or some guy’s apartment. The cells exist as a place to hide away from the world. Most of the cells are in very private locations and are filled with the sort of people who won’t notice or don’t care about the nasty and illegal things you might want to do there. Some cells are utilitarian. A warehouse might hold a supply of guns, or a series of drug houses might be connected along a distribution route. Cells can also be used as a conduit for information. You want to get the word out quickly? Send one guy through each gateway of your cell with the message. If everyone did the same, almost every demon in the world gets the message.
Most demons are tolerated in most cells. A few cells have been staked off as “private” and their owners are strong enough to maintain their grip against any challengers. Each cell has its own rules of conduct. If you frequently break the rules of a cell, you might get permanently kicked out. Every demon usually knows a handful of cells in a city, the demons who maintain it, and what each is good for.
Satan
As can be expected, there are a great number of demons out there that claim to be Satan. Whether it is insanity, egotism, or politics, most of these pretenders do not exhibit the knowledge or powers that one would imagine Satan might wield. A demon claiming to be Satan is usually laughed at, unless that demon has great power, in which case they are scoffed at behind their back. There are a few legends out there that talk about particularly dark, powerful, and terrifying monsters–ancient demons that cause hatred, debauchery, and war in their wake–but no one seems to have seen any of them first-hand. Most practical demons note that if Satan really did exist, he probably wouldn’t want you to know about it.
