Decani: The Carriers (Samingan Minor Band)
By Michael Walton
Virula seethed inwardly at the delay. As a demon, she
was made for better things than emptying bedpans and
giving sponge baths. She took comfort in the knowledge
that her dread lord Saminga only required her to keep up
this pretense for a single day. At least she hadnt had to
dispense medications or do anything that would actually
heal these pitiful humans. She suppressed a shudder at the
thought of gaining Dissonance that way.
After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, two
Secret Service men came around the corner. They scanned
their surroundings looking for potential threats to their
charge, then motioned the rest of the party ahead. They
naturally expected to see a nurse in a hospital, so the
fools had no idea that Virula was dangerous. Seconds
later, the target came into view. Senator Hector Reyes was
flanked by a third agent on one side and his angelic press
secretary on the other. Virula pasted a smile on her face
and stepped forward. The bodyguards tried to wave her off,
but Reyes himself -- man of the people that he was --
commanded them to let her through. The demons smile
broadened as her victim signed his own death warrant.
"Senator Reyes," she said, "It's an honor to have you
visiting our hospital. I wish that more of the people who
made the laws about health care understood what we do from
the inside." Virula inwardly congratulated herself on that
wording; even the most vigilant Seraph would've found no
falsehood there.
"The honor is mine, miss," he replied, "The men and
women who risk their own health to care for the critically
ill are greater heroes than politicians like me will ever
be." Reyes extended his hand, which was exactly what
Virula was waiting for. She took the proffered hand in her
own and called upon her Resonance. Power flowed from her
into the doomed man. More pleasantries were uttered, then
the bodyguards ushered their charge down the hall.
Virula exulted in the completion of her work. Very
soon, Hector Reyes' fame as an AIDS research advocate would
pale before his infamy as an AIDS patient.
Decani are agents of death by disease. Saminga
considers them his masterwork, but he can't really take
credit for them; the first Decani were Fallen members of
Novalis' minor Choir. Even now, Saminga's Dissonance
condition makes it unpleasant for him to foster life by
creating new demons -- he prefers to 'recruit' from the
ranks of Flowers.
Saminga jealously guards his special Servitors from
poaching by other Princes and swears that he will kill any
Decani that leaves his service. The Prince of Death
needn't worry on that score; no other Prince wants these
disgusting creatures. Few Decani have the inclination to
defect to another Word, and none have had the opportunity
so far.
Resonance
Decani Resonate with disease. If the demon can touch a
person who is infected with some form of sickness, a Will
roll allows the Decani to absorb the disease and become a
carrier thereof (this does not cure the original sufferer).
Touching a second person and succeeding on another Will
roll lets the demon transmit the disease. The virulence of
the illness varies according to the CD of the absorption
roll; the demon can absorb any one disease that the subject
carries up to the most virulent one allowed by the CD
(consult the Decani Check Digit Results chart below).
Transmitting a disease requires a CD at least equal to that
of the absorption roll. A failed absorption roll robs the
demon of the use of its Resonance for a number of minutes
equal to the CD of the failed roll. A failed transmission
roll inflicts the disease on the demon's current Vessel for
a number of hours equal to the CD! A successful roll with
an insufficient CD has no effect.
Once a Decani has absorbed a disease, it cannot absorb
other diseases until that sickness has been successfully
transmitted. Likewise, successfully transmitting an
illness drains all disease from the demon's system; it must
absorb another disease before it can infect anyone else.
Although this use of Resonance is destructive, it only
disturbs the Symphony if and when the victim dies.
| Decani Check Digit Results |
| 1 | | a minor ailment (chicken pox, the common cold) |
| 2 | | a moderate sickness (mild flu, rubella) |
| 3 | | a disfiguring or debilitating disease (arthritis, lupus) |
| 4 | | a serious illness (virulent flu, pneumonia; anything
that is potentially fatal) |
| 5 | | a deadly malady (Ebola, polio; anything that is usually
fatal) |
| 6 | | a disease that is incurable or invariably fatal if
untreated (AIDS, cancer, leprosy) |
More Sophisticated Uses of Resonance
A Decani may infect Vessels with its Resonance. Any
attempt to do so has a penalty of -3 to the CD unless the
target is a Servitor of Creation or Flowers; then the
penalty is increased to -4. This penalty even applies to
Soldiers of those Words.
Dissonance
These demons must spread disease or become disconnected
from their personal Symphonies. A Decani gains a note of
Dissonance for every day that it fails to infect someone
with disease. This Dissonance disappears if the Decani
makes up the difference within one week. Decani who aren't
diligent enough in spreading sickness may find themselves
becoming Erelim, but Saminga usually kills them before that
happens.
Manner and Appearance
Decani have much in common with Djinn and Calabim. They
tend to slouch and are rarely well-groomed. A mess seems
to follow these demons wherever they go; their surroundings
inevitably become squalid. Hell's neat freaks remark that
Carriers can make one sick just by describing their
apartments. Decani often have Roles as hospital orderlies;
their slovenly ways make them stand out too much as doctors
or nurses, at least in the long term. Most Decani, being
Fallen Erelim, see themselves as feminine. The Hellborn
usually prefer male Vessels.
The Celestial form of the Decani is a disgusting parody
of the human form; many find them even more vile than
Shedim. They appear as masses of gangrenous flesh covered
with suppurating sores, oozing boils and pulsating tumors.
The closest thing that the Carriers have to a musical
analog is the incessant droning of flies.
Band Attunement (Restricted)
Saminga grants his Carriers the ability to detect
illness. The demon must succeed on a Perception roll to
detect all sick mortals within a radius of (Celestial
Forces x CD) yards. If the Decani wants to detect a
specific disease, she may do so with a -2 penalty to the CD
(treat results less than 1 as 1). A Decani may add its
level of Medicine skill to the TN of this roll. Using
Medicine to heal still violates Saminga's Dissonance condition.
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