The Wandering Jew (s?)

There are many different legends about a Jewish man, who wanders the Earth unable to die until the world shall come to an end. Different legends claim different origins for this individual. Some even claim that he wasn't Jewish, originally. Here are two characters, based on these legends, who can be so placed in your campaign as to add a little flavour, a touch of intrigue, and a dash of historical literature.

Ahasuerus (the Good Guy)

Ahasuerus was a Jew who was cursed by Christ in Matthew 16:28 (Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming into his kingdom.) He is doomed to never die until the "Second Coming", or until the End of the World, Armageddon, what have you.

Over the years, he has gained a ridiculous amount of experience, and has therefore raised his stats just about as high as humanly possible. He has all statistics at a level of 10, giving him five forces in all areas (a Force 15 individual!!!)... but don't tell the PCs this! He is a little cynical, a little tired, very mysterious, and filled with knowledge that no mortal should possess!! He has since learned his Lesson, acknowledged his Destiny, and is working in a clandestine manner (through Yves, who views him as one of the best examples of an individual accepting his Destiny) to bring about the End of the War, the End of the World, and his own chance to actually die and move on to his final reward.

He is not a fighter, for every wound he inflicts is felt upon his own body. If he actually kills somebody, his body quits until such time as the corpse of his victim is completely reduced to bones... the end result is that if he kills somebody, he winds up being trapped in his own mortal vessel, unable to move, for a period of approximately ten years. This has taught him that Violence is NOT the path he is to follow.

Instead, he has become the consummate information broker, the scholar, the sage, the spy, the one who digs things up. He has more secrets than any hundred politicians! He knows a lot about a lot of things, including fighting (but not killing!), and he uses his insight, knowledge, and information for the Celestial side. I would say, therefore, that his skills lie somewhere around 4 for things that he is only moderately proficient at, and anything that he has EVER been interested in he has raised to a skill of 6. He probably possesses just about every skill imaginable, and some skills that are no longer practiced.

Indeed, over the years, he has learned every corporeal Song (again, probably around 6), although he attempts not to use these songs, lest they draw attention from the Other Side.

Cartaphilus (The Bad Guy)

Cartaphilus (sometimes known as Longinus) was one of the Roman guards who was responsible for Christ's keeping in His final days. He struck Christ repeatedly, beat Him visciously, and gambled with the other guards for His robe as a trophy, and was therefore cursed to wander the Earth until the End.

He, too, has gained enough experience to raise his statistics to the maximum human level. However, he has a slightly different perspective on things. He has never accepted his Destiny, and instead has rebelled strongly against the Celestial side. He works towards his ultimate goal, the destruction of the World, with the victors being the Diabolicals.

He does not suffer the same problems as Ahasuerus. He does not feel the pain of his victims, although he still suffers from the problem of being trapped inside his mortal vessel, unable to move, if he ever actually kills somebody. Too many events such as this have stripped Cartaphilus of his sanity, and he is left with little more than a driving need to inflict pain on others. He dearly loves to torture individuals, and then leave them crippled and maimed, to suffer out the rest of their ephemeral lives in agony. Their pathetic little pains do not bother him, for he is Cursed with an eternity of pain, suffering, and madness!

Thus, while he does not kill his victims, he is an expert at fighting, and rendering individuals wounded, maimed, unconscious, what have you. He does not often deliver the final killing stroke, but he has been known to do this at least 13 times over the millenia.

He especially loves to maim and torture Celestial vessels, for they can "take it" better than anybody he has ever met. Secretly, he believes that if he can "break" a celestial, and cause him to renounce God, that celestial will take his place, and he will be allowed the peace of the grave. (this is not the case, but this doesn't stop him from trying...)

His skills, therefore, are somewhat limited when it comes to knowledge areas and academics. (skill level 4) Instead, he excells at the warrior arts, as well as torture! He, too, knows all the Corporeal songs at a level of 6, but is again loathe to actually use them, lest he be discovered by some Celestial. He works for Kronos, who views Cartaphilus as one of his best achievements! This individual has truly accepted his Fate!

Neither individual is well known to the majority of Celestials/Diabolicals. If Angels and Demons knew the level of power these individuals possess, it would seriously skew their perspective on the War. Therefore, these individuals are alone, even with regards to other beings of longevity.

Ahasuerus is sociable and likable, but Cartaphilus tends to "use up" his mortal friends quickly. Neither one has any friends amongst their respective sides in the War, as this would reveal their secret. They have, each in their own way, encountered many Celestials, Diabolicals, Archangels, Princes, Grigori, and other Strange Things! The lessons
they've learned from their encounters have been quite different, however.

More to the point, they view each other with a deep and resonant Hatred. They see, in each other, the path that they might have taken. While at one time they may have felt sympathy for one another, and even tried to "save" the other from their mistaken direction in Life, they have long since abandoned any pretense at sympathy. Instead, they wish to simply make an end of the other, and themselves, by helping their respective side win the final War. They can then go Home, and Rest.

Finally, it is important to remember that the stories, legends, fables, and tales about the Wandering Jew all have some basis in the events of their overly-long lives. Play up the immortal aspect, and give them a series of reminiscences regarding their respective existences.

I'd suggest using these individuals as "mysterious men in black" in an ongoing campaign. After a series of campaigns, in which these extremely knowledgeable individuals have become key points, have the PCs investigate their origins. Who knows, maybe the PCs will eventually befriend one, or the other... or both?

Personally, I'm not really comfortable with them being so Powerful, but I can't imagine living 2000 years and not gaining enough experience to raise one's stats to ten, etc. If you wish, you can tone them down, but do at least try to come up with a good rationalization as to why individuals such as these seem to never "learn" anything from their experiences on Earth. I can come up with rationalizations for this, but none of them sit well in my craw, so I'm leaving them as is. However, I'd caution GMs that if you have players such as mine, these players will assume an incredible level of power. My players LOVE to play the "what if my character keeps developing at this rate for his maximum life-span" game. Whew, do those character points add up!!!

Walk in Beauty,

Rob Wolff / Bodhi
rob@v-wave.com

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