SONDAJE VESICAL (NIC 0580)

The fact that some rings end up building a mea- sure of trust is no guarantee that the players’ ring will. Such a ring is, by default, more of an end- state than a starting point — the result of a long and eventful chronicle, full of trials by fire and mo- ments where one character saves another’s life. If the troupe decides that they want more cohesion in the group, though —that is, if they’d rather focus on “us versus the world” than on potential rivalries and suspicions within the group — it’s entirely reasonable to assume that the ring’s members have already worked together successfully for long enough to develop trust. Just because demons don’t trust each other does not mean the players’ characters should be at each others’ throats, however. While Demon’s

themes do work quite well for such a game, that should be a matter of discussion within the troupe before play starts. Internal suspicion within the ring can be a source of drama and character development even without actual betrayal.

Stigmatics can earn the respect and even admiration of the Unchained, but even so, few would choose one of their “lesser cousins” as backup when walking into a Facility. A stigmatic may gain some notice in an Agency but still find herself barred from joining a ring simply because of her lesser paranormal capabilities, or because its members don’t care to admit some- one who is not Unchained. After all, while an Agenda may fo- cus more on philosophy or intelligence than field operations, a ring is an eminently practical, feet-on-the-ground organiza- tion. A mere human is unlikely to pull her weight.

For this reason, stigmatics or normal humans who join a ring are decidedly above the norm. They have skills or resourc- es that outweigh their potential liability in combat. They know how to use their non-demonic nature to their advantage, walk- ing into and out of a Facility without tripping the sensors a demon would. They use their understanding of humanity to gain the trust of an unwitting servant of a rival Agency where the Unchained would be hard-pressed to not raise some hack- les. They use their stigmatic abilities in ways that less creative minds would never even think of, such as using psychometry on an angel or using pyrokinesis to pretend to be a demon known for her control over fire. A regular human who dis- plays this level of competence is sometimes recruited directly by a ring, perhaps even transformed into a stigmatic against his will, and persuaded to see his new comrades’ point of view.

Demons may talk a good game about accepting a stig- matic, but the truth is they are a breed apart from the Un- chained. Just as stigmatics look at humanity with some envy and some contempt, the Unchained view stigmatics as dab- blers. This contempt usually manifests in subtle ways, such as innocuous-seeming jokes about the human member’s lack of a demonic form, nicknames like “Rube” or “Civvie,” the other ringmembers talking about the ring as though it had only Unchained members, forgetting the stigmatic member when listing up those who belong to the ring, settling on a code language the non-demon doesn’t understand, and giving the human member his assignment as an afterthought. A stig- matic might come to resent his comrades-in-arms or fall into a pattern of desperately trying to prove his worth.

It’s also fairly easy to blame the ring for his new existence. For a stigmatic member, this sort of recrimination can grow very bitter with time. The occasional human ringmember take pains to remind their fellows that he has no need to partici- pate in the fight — the God-Machine isn’t after him, so he can leave whenever he wants. This, of course, is a misconception. Anyone who runs with the Unchained is an enemy of the Ma- chine, and It is not a merciful god.

o

s

r

Rumors circulate about rings that count other stranger beings as members, but it always seems to be somewhere else, in some other city, and second- or third-hand at best. This is in part be- cause rings that have secured this kind of advantage often go to great lengths to hide it. The greatest reason to invite in another supernatural being is because of the unique and unexpected abil-

ities they can bring to the team — a vampire’s powers of invisibil- ity are different from those available to the Unchained, and the God-Machine’s agents might not know how to pierce them.

In general, the Unchained don’t know much about the various things that share the night with them. They may have heard ru- mors about vampires or werewolves — or even about some humans who claim to be descended from demons, but share almost noth- ing in common with the Unchained — but practical knowledge about such things isn’t standard programming for angels. That said, should a demon become aware of the specifics of another supernatural species, her Agenda influences how she would react.

For an Inquisitors, having another supernatural being as a ring- mate is an excellent opportunity to add some truly rare intelligence to his dossier. A vampire’s expertise in secrecy is a worthy prize for the Paranoids, as is the extensive spiritual lore of the werewolves.

For a devout Integrator, a glimpse into what wonders the world may hold is like looking into the heart of true divinity; for an opportunistic one, it’s one more tool that can be used to get inside the God-Machine.

A Saboteur who can secure an ally of this nature has a powerful weapon, with powers that her enemy will never ex- pect and with connections and intelligence that can, perhaps, allow the Soldiers to draw entire armies of unknown creatures into the fight on their side.

For a Tempter, the simple existence of other spheres of the paranormal promises endless diversion and pleasures, but also so many new places to find or found Hell. For this reason, crea- tures that can access the Underworld, the Hedge, and the Astral realms make especially intriguing compatriots to a Builder.

e

t

If the greatest threat to a ring is the God-Machine, then the second-greatest is its members. Demons are a rightfully distrustful kind — as the quip goes, “Demons are untrusting because demons are untrustworthy.” While the Unchained are human enough that many prefer being social, it’s not necessary. Being social carries risk. Moreover, all demons are embroiled in a cold war of espionage and betrayal in the mid- dle of enemy territory, where the God-Machine is a palpable presence and Its agents are everywhere.

Angels are not above psychological warfare. Some Exiles make a point of infiltrating Unchained society with the simple goal of gaining as much trust as possible, then betraying every- one they can. More than that, some Messenger angels are more than willing to strike deals with an Unchained traitor, offering amnesty and re-integration, power and resources, or to divert the God-Machine away from the snitch in return for some favor. This can be very tempting for a desperately war-weary demon.

In truth, demons have very little to gain by betraying one another, but “very little” is not “nothing.” Since no one can tell if a demon is lying, not even another demon, and since betrayal might offer an advantage, most demons assume that other Unchained are just waiting for the right offer. This kind of paranoia is largely unnecessary but it persists. It is also one of the greatest advantages the God-Machine has, since it precludes the Unchained from ever becoming truly organized against It.

the BaCkGroUnd CheCk: