The recent post on having a Senechal of Dominic in charge of London, etc., brings up the possibility of a whole class of Word-bound angels. They already have precedents in Scripture and medieval angelology. They're called "principalities," which I believe is also given as one of the alternate names for an angelic choir.
Principalities are guardian angels of peoples and nations. In addition to being an archangel, Michael is the guardian of Israel and the Jews (Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1). In Daniel, Gabriel describes Michael as contending against the prince of Perisa, from which we may guess that there are infernal besetting devils for nations, too. In Gaiman & Pratchett's "Good Omens," the angel Aziraphael is the principality of England.In "That Hideous Strength," C. S. Lewis does not write of angels, but he does talk about the bright and dark natures of peoples, which gives an idea of what the heavenly and hellish principalities are working toword.
He is a Cherub (as are lots of principalities) of Marc, recently promoted from working under another principality, one John Bull, of England. (Marc because the US is the champion of capitalism and England is notoriously the "nation of shopkeepers.") And, no, John does not hold any grudge against Sam for the affairs following 1776. On an ideal plane, John saw that a world-spanning empire was not necessarily the best thing for England's spiritual condition -- though of course he worked hard to promote fair play etc. within the empire. On the plane of celestial politics, John had always had his hands full, since receiving his post in the 11th century -- not only defending against infernals, but trying to cooperate with the principalities of Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall (*sigh*), France (DEEP sigh), and later the many principalities of India, Australia, etc. (Far past sighs.) As far as John was concerned, Sam was just taking some of the work off his hands.
Sam soon cam to understand John's sighs. A number of Amerind principalities lost their posts because Sam was unable to restrain the territorial greed of his charges. His whole post was in danger during the civil war. And so on.
Sam is generally found haunting Washington in the guise of a tourist. His vessel looks like a tall, skinny, white man, white-haired, around 60. He hasn't worn the chin-beard since the 19th century, and he only wears the star-spangled suit to parties. If you could follow Sam around without running afoul of the Cherubs and Malakim who watch over him, you'd see him pottering about the back rooms of the Smithsonian or the Library of Congress, or at the top of the Washington Monument, or sitting on a bench near the Lincoln Memorial or the White House, apparently taking it easy. Except that business- suited figures approach him every few minutes, have short conversations, and then depart.
These are, of course, his subordinates, working in Roles as congressional aides, Secret Service agents, agents of the FBI or CIA, and, mostly, colorless but crucial members of the vast civil service bureaucracy. One particularly harrassed individual is the President's personal guardian angel.
Sam is most likely to come into play if the game starts to touch mortal politics in the US. Thus plots to start wars, or promote or depose particular politicians, or wreak or prevent economic havoc, or manipulate the mass-media culture, will attract his attention, though the PCs will first encounter his agents, of course, unless they ARE his agents.
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Elizabeth McCoy <arcangel@prismnet.com>
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