Novalis, Elohite Archangel of Flowers
The world is a garden. The rake and fertilizer are in the outdoor storage compartment
and the pruning shears are in the basement.
Please make sure to put everything back in their proper places when you
are done with them.
In many ways, Novalis is more a personification than
a person: she and Jordi have gone deeper into exemplifying their respective
Words than any other Superior on either side.
Unlike Jordi, Novalis does not combine this sometimes-terrifying
single-mindedness with hostility towards humanity, despite the occasional
provocation. The Archangel of Flowers
respects the unique nature of mankind, and their place in God's Creation. She is committed to humanity's development:
her Word gives her the opportunity to guide, foster, nurture and protect.
And, just like Arthur C Clarke's putative aliens,
she sometimes dispassionately has to weed.
The core concept of Novalis' dissonance conditions
(no committing and/or allowing unnecessary violence) is technically unchanged
from canon; of course, 'unnecessary violence' has a completely different
meaning when viewed from the perspective of an Elohite. Most Servitors of Flowers have no real
trouble watching someone else kill a human, either - provided that it
was honestly necessary for it to happen.
They just may never do it themselves: the Archangel of Flowers considers
violence to be a useful tool and a dangerous mistress.
Novalis actually has two hierarchies, which
is further complicated by the fact that every Servitor of Flowers holds rank in
both (technically, every member of the Host has some sort of rank in the latter
group, but usually that's not particularly relevant). The first hierarchy is much like that of other Superiors: a
hierarchy of rank based on experience, formal status and specific tasks. Promotion to the higher ranks can be slow,
at times (Novalis takes the Peter Principle quite seriously, and does her best
to ensure that no one ever reaches their level of incompetence), but this is
balanced by the increased stability. As
a general rule, Novalis' formal organization tends towards conservatism.
However, this is counterbalanced by the Archangel of
Flowers' second organization, which does not so much stand in contrast
to the first as it intertwines through it.
This 'hierarchy' is one only by courtesy: it consists of an almost
infinite number of groups, associations, fellow-travelers and personal contacts
that more or less ignores regular differences in rank. Members of these ad-hoc groups naturally
tend to keep each other appraised of problems and interesting situations and
will provide assistance when necessary.
Given the number of groups involved, and the complexity of the various
linkages, it is rare for something relevant to Flowers to happen that does not
go as high up the chain of command as it needs to. Unfortunately, the time it takes for a problem to be noted and
responded to can vary enormously: the system works well, most of the time, but
there's always the chance that it won't.
Servitors of Flowers aren't very good at keeping secrets, either. The nature of their organization does not
merely permit outside espionage - it formally encourages it.
As a general rule, life in Novalis' service is
rarely too hectic: wasted effort is illogical, after all, and it is always
preferable to nip small problems in the bud, before they grow up to be big
problems. Of course, this means that
Flowers is not really a congenial place for seat-of-the-pants improvisers,
disorganized romantics (disorganized anything, really) or the
absent-minded. Her Servitors tend to be
careful, methodical types who show little interest in grandstanding and none at
all in laissez-faire philosophies: fortunately, they have an equal dislike of
unnecessary meddling. 'Measure twice,
cut once' is practically their official motto.
As all Servitors of Flowers are tasked to ease the
unfortunate consequences of the War upon the corporeal plane in general and
humanity in particular, it is only logical that they be given the appropriate
tools. Thus, they each have the ability
to hinder the use of a demonic resonance.
This only applies to the particular angel's 'opposite Band': for
example, a Seraph of Flowers may hinder any Balseraph resonance roll, but not a
Calabite or Impudite (even if the Seraph also has the Ofanite and/or Mercurian
of Flowers Attunement). Malakim of
Flowers hinder Lilim, and Bright Lilim are a special case (see below). The penalty is -1 if the angel is within
line of sight, and -2 if the angel is in physical contact with the demon. Note that this is automatic and cannot be
turned off.
A Seraph serving Novalis is able to put things back
the way they used to be, under fairly strict circumstances. By spending Essence (which will not
cause disturbance, incidentally) the angel may cleanse an area of all foreign
matter (cans, bottles, spent brass, industrial waste). Radius is (Essence spent) yards in both
distance and depth.
A Cherub of Flowers can hide items inside
plants without injury to either the item or the plant. Detecting an item while hidden requires a
Perception roll at -6, with a +1 for every full 30 pounds of weight that the
item possesses. Time does not pass for
the hidden item, but if left unattended the item will be gently expelled after
24 hours.
Identical to the canonical Ofanite of Flowers
Attunement, except that range is only 1 mile and it can only be performed once
per day.
As per the canonical Elohite of Flowers Attunement
Foliage moves out of the way of Malakim of Flowers
(much in the same way as it would for their canonical counterparts); however,
unlike canon they are not able to command the plants to restrict others.
Bright Lilim do not hinder the resonance of their
former sisters; instead, they hinder any Renegade resonance use. However, a Gifter of Flowers who buys the
Malakite of Flowers Attunement can limit a regular Lilim...
As per the canonical Kyriotate of Flowers
Attunement, except that the upper limit is equal to the Kyriotates' total
Forces.
If they so choose, Mercurians of Flowers never need
fail reaction rolls (roll anyway for CD and Interventions); however, if they
choose not to fail, the maximum CD is capped at the angel's (Corporeal Forces
-2) (minimum CD 1).
Kudzu
Anyone with this Attunement may increase the growth
rate of plant life by up to 100x times: the angel must keep concentrating for
the growth to continue. Naturally,
there must be existing vegetation in place, and this Attunement will not cause
a plant to grow beyond the natural limitations of either it or the ground.
Peyote
This Attunement is functionally equivalent to the
canonical Mercurian of Flowers Attunement, with the added benefit that the
Symphonically Aware do not have to roll to perceive the angel (the angel may
choose to dampen this effect, if he/she finds it advisable).
All disturbance created within 10 yards of the angel
is cut in half, rounded down. Also, the
Song of Thunder simply will not work if it is performed by anyone within line
of sight.
St. John's Wart
This Attunement is functionally equivalent to the
canonical Cherub of Flowers Attunement, with the added benefit that all damage
taken in this manner heals at triple speed if the angel is resting on vegetation.
The Larch (The Larch)
This is functionally equivalent to the canonical Nothing
but Flowers Attunement.
This is functionally equivalent to the canonical Crown
of Joy Attunement.
Identical to Novalis' canonical Distinctions, with
one addition:
This 'half-step' Distinction is given to those
Servitors of Flowers who have demonstrated a superior ability at keeping the
lines of communications open between the various groups that make up Novalis'
second organization. To help them in
their tasks, Novalis gives them perfect memory and the ability to automatically
sense the approximate direction and location of the nearest Taproot to
them. This latter ability is perfectly
accurate on the celestial plane, fairly good on the corporeal and very, very
limited on the ethereal.
It is not unknown for this Distinction to be given
to angels from other Words, or even humans.
Generally, Novalis is recognized as one of the mainstays
of the (extremely inaccurately named) 'Peace Faction' of Heaven... on her own
terms, which do not include the words 'Peace Faction'. After all, no Archangel has ever actually
advocated any sort of truce or peace treaty with Hell: the Archangel of Flowers
fully intends to see the War end in the unconditional surrender of the
Enemy. It is simply that she has
determined that a universally violent response to one's problems is not an
acceptable default option. It tends to
suggest either sloppy thinking and/or lack of preparedness - both fairly hefty
moral failings in Flowery philosophy.
If one is prepared, and ready to see things clearly, problems can be
solved with a bare minimum of fuss, bother, disturbance and dead bodies. This often puts her at disagreement with
those who have chosen a somewhat easier (and wasteful) working methodology, but
the Archangel of Flowers is nothing if not inhumanly patient.
Of course, there are times when her normal debating
partners have right on their sides...
Routinely Supports: Blandine, Jordi, Laurence
Often Supports: Dominic, Jean, Yves
Neutral: David, Gabriel, Marc
Generally in Fundamental Disagreement: Eli, Janus,
Michael
Blandine: "The Dreams of plants are fascinating
things; sedate, clear and constant. Novalis
is like that, only more so." "Blandine has an entire battleground
to administer, and by now her expertise in it is unquestionable. That is why we have experts, after all: when
she requests help, it is no doubt for a good reason, and it is only sensible to
provide it."
David: "Stone existed before plants. But that does not mean that stone and plant
must be in opposition to each other: there is nothing like roots to help hold
back erosion." "His carefulness and deliberation are worth
emulating, as is his nurturing of unity.
But there are times and places where his constant tinkering and testing
is not as productive: if something is not broken, one should not attempt to
repair it."
Dominic: "Servitors of Flowers cannot keep
secrets. That is irritating, but at
least they also actually call in the Inquisition before internal problems come
to a head..." "He has a
straightforward job, and keeps to it with all due care and persistence. We must simply accept any loss of efficiency
as a necessary consequence of the current situation that Heaven finds itself
in. May I be permitted to make the
observation that involving him at the first sign of relevant trouble has been
proven to minimize said loss of efficiency?"
Eli: "It's a pretty world down here, and Novalis
is a big reason why. Still, and believe
me when I say that I'm sorry to say this - in a lot of ways, believe me - but
she can't see the forest for the trees.
At least I can disagree with her without getting into a screaming
match." "I have not yet
been able to determine precisely what it is that Eli intends to do on the
corporeal plane that he could not do equally well from the celestial. Furthermore, his absence has perturbed more
than one of his colleagues, leading to a generally reduced effectiveness on the
part of the Host; all things being considered, he should return to his
duties. I have not yet convinced him of
this."
Gabriel: "The forest only looks serene from the
outside: do not wake the Fire that slumbers within it!" "The
effects of a thorn in one's side are well known. So is the preferred method of rectifying the problem."
Janus: "In a perfect world, we wouldn't have to
hurry. The sooner she accepts that this
isn't a perfect world, the happier I'll be." "I recognize that Janus has integral drives and
prejudices that affect the way he operates.
I do not, however, consider this to be a reasonable justification for
him never trying to transcend them."
Jean: "She seems to have an acceptable amount
of control over her duties. We have
little trouble integrating our methodologies on those occasions where it
becomes necessary to do so." "If I were to begin contemplating
whether Jean's methods need improvement, no doubt the activities of his primary
opponent would act as a sufficient contrast."
Jordi: "She listens, and besides, her
Word and mine are so intertwined that we have no choice but to work with each
other." "Jordi may indeed
need to consider the rest of Heaven more - but the rest of Heaven is even more
in need of considering Jordi. He is the
recognized expert in an extremely important aspect of the War, and should be
treated accordingly."
Laurence: "If she agrees with you, she says
so. If she does not, she tells you
ahead of time and in private. She knows
when to tell you that she thinks that you are about to do something rash and
she knows when to 'shut up and soldier'.
And you want to know why she is on my inner council of
advisors?" "If anyone has ever
discovered or postulated a valid reason why the Commander of the Host should
not be given all the support and respect due his station and actions, please
feel free to provide me with the particulars."
Marc: "Sometimes we're on opposite sides on an
issue, and sometimes we're not. I don't
always agree with her, but I trust her." "Marc is usually immersed
in his Word to a degree notable even for Archangels. Whether this is a hindrance or help depends on the circumstances,
but he can almost always be reasoned with."
Michael: "Don't get me started: you would think
that an Elohite would know when it's appropriate to let slip the dogs of
me. Not that we always disagree, mind
you, but it gets annoying to be constantly second-guessed. There're times when I wish she belonged to
another Choir: Malakite would've been nice.
Or maybe Cherub: now there's a Choir that understands how to keep
people safe..." "Attempting to circumvent Michael's almost
impenetrable sense of self-assurance, self-confidence and utter lack of
self-doubt is a task that requires inhuman patience. I am, of course, not human."
Yves: "She is good for the world. I'm sorry that she can't let the world be
good for her." "I
comprehend that sometimes his reasons for certain activities must remain
opaque. His support for the rest of us,
however, is never difficult to perceive."
There are those who can think of the War in
metaphorical terms, or abstract ones, or even as metaphorical
abstractions. Unfortunately, Novalis
isn't one of them. She and Jordi are
part of the front lines in ways that the rest of the Seraphim Council don't
always appreciate: everything that
happens on the corporeal plane will always affect both Animals and
Flowers, no matter what. This includes,
most emphatically, the War.
It's not so much the violence that concerns Novalis,
as the indifference to it. Much of the
Host seems to be welcome the excuse to run amok - provided of course that it's running amok on the deserving -
and never, ever cleaning up after themselves.
Unfortunately, the problems that get created as a result don't go away
on their own. Somebody has to clean
them up - and that somebody is usually the Archangel of Flowers, or one of her
Servitors. If it is necessary, so be
it... but it had better be necessary.
Of course, the depredations of the Host are as
nothing compared to those of the Enemy.
True, they are of course insane - objectively speaking, being in violent
rebellion against an omnipotent, omniscient and omni-benevolent entity can
safely be categorized as evidence of insanity - so solving the problem should
not necessarily entail destroying the one causing the problem. Long experimentation has shown that demons
can be cured of their delusions, and so Servitors of Flowers are enjoined to do
so whenever possible.
But the problem must be solved, no matter what.
: Clean an area (fifty-foot radius) of all
garbage. Demons count if you've tried
everything else first and you make sure that they're properly bagged.
: Work in a garden for three hours.
+1 An orchid
+2 A sequoia
+3 A blooming garden that the angel has planted him
or herself
+4 A group of people (10+) cleaning up the side of a
highway
+5 A peace conference (where there's actually peace
breaking out)
+6 A viable seed of an otherwise extinct plant
There really aren't too many differences between the
history of the canonical Novalis and this one.
Both are opposed to the violence inherent in the system, both have more
or less the same objectives... but it's strictly a case of parallel
development. An Elohite Novalis has a
completely different take on reality.
First off, there's that tricky love business. Remember, Elohim actually do have
emotions; they just can't allow themselves to act on them. This particular Novalis loves creation - and
humanity - just as much as the one in canon, but it's a passion that she's
learned to master. This is, of course,
of varying importance: in Bright campaigns where it is objective to
state that love is the most important thing of all, it won't be an issue at
all. Dark campaigns are going to be
very, very tough on this particular Novalis: you should either have her be
about to Fall (out of Love, which should appeal to a certain subset of readers
out there), or instead make her the Archangel of Nature and let her be a Mother
indeed. In between, well, make her
about as quirky as Jean.
Then there's the violence issue. This is a Novalis who has had the argument
about where and when it's necessary, and has come to a conclusion that is
essentially similar (last refuge) yet not identical (not always of the
incompetent/lazy) to the regular Novalis.
Of course, the actual nature of the Archangel of Flowers has not been
yet fully worked out in canon (and we should all take a moment to commiserate
in advance with the poor bastard that will have to untie that Gordian
Knot, come the day): but whether you consider her stance to be principle or
ideology, it's still going to be different than the pragmatism of an Elohite
Novalis.
Finally, do bear in mind that this version of the
Archangel of Flowers is going to be much more ubiquitous in the day to day
affairs of the Host: her organization is pretty much designed to be involved in
a lot of pies, which means that so will Novalis. This can be interesting, in a vaguely (or not so vaguely)
Machiavellian / Illuminated way...