This group is most suitable for a low contrast campaign, as NPCs or 
color; by inserting PCs into any of the roles, it can also be a setting.  
It could also push the boundaries of probability in a moderate contrast 
campaign.

	Mainly, I decided to push the phrase "Heaven, Hell, and Rock 'N' Roll" 
as far as I could possibly squeeze it.   :^)

---------------

	See/Saw was initially the creation of a Trader -- one who, some might 
have said, had had just a little too much contact with a particular Lilim 
who had also been assigned to his "beat," a region containing St. Louis.  
Dominic might also have muttered that he'd had a little too much contact 
with a Creationer in the area, but he didn't mutter it loudly.
	However, our Trader, Steve by Role, had taken the excellent precaution 
of convincing Marc first, and the Archangel lent his voice in support of 
his servant's idea: an integrated set of Roles for angels *and* demons, 
designed to enforce their interaction over a long term, and moreover, 
their interaction, together, with humanity.  In particular, a rock group.


Terms:
	Three angels, three demons.  The group takes on brand-new Roles as young 
adults from similar backgrounds and forms a new group.  The group plays 
primarily other artists' music, all legally obtained and 
performance-righted.  New songs can be written and played, but must pass 
inspection by Judgment and the Game.  Either they are neutral with 
respect to selflessness/selfishness, or a matched pair will be written 
and performed.  The group will play songs chosen for one bent or the 
other, and will play a half-and-half mix.  Each side is understood to be 
observing the other; any attempts to use the group for power projection 
will take this into account.
	During performances, no disturbance-generating actions will be 
undertaken by anyone.  No use of Songs, resonances, attunements or 
Distinctions (other than those always effective) on the audience, 
celestials of the other side, the area, or the equipment, or any crew 
once crew is hired (all crew will be non-Soldier mortal humans unaware of 
the War), without explicit informed consent.  All equipment is to be 
mundane, purchased with startup funds supplied equally from both sides.  
Roles will be maintained a minimum of 50% of each week (in game terms, at 
level 3).
	All members of the group commit for a minimum of one year, renewable at 
end of this time, enforced by a high-Essence Divine Contract.  Obviously, 
no physical assaults will be tolerated -- on anyone.  All members will 
refrain from violence for the duration of their commitment.  Any breakage 
of terms, or any member of the group going Renegade, Outcast, Falling, or 
Redeeming, or obtaining more than a single point of dissonance, is reason 
to disband the group if any involved Superior desires.  Otherwise, 
disbandment of the group without agreement from at least one Superior on 
the Other Side means that the Game, or Judgment, will focus particularly 
on the involved celestials for a minimum of ten years.

Advantages for Heaven:
	Angels are generally more perceptive than demons, so it was likely that 
the angels would glean more information about their foes from the 
interaction than vice versa.
	Demons generally require actual enforcement of will on their victims, 
whereas angels can work more indirectly; involving an equivalent number 
of angels and demons in a neutral activity thus results in a net gain for 
Heaven.

Hell may agree for the following perceived advantages:
	The very neutrality of the band's name and song choice can be construed 
to imply that there is no difference between Good and Evil, a common 
propaganda line of Hell.  (Response: songs can be selected to minimize 
this perception, supporting clear varieties of both kinds of behavior.)
	The demons will seek to pervert the angels, since Falling is easier than 
Redeeming.  (Checks by Judgment can minimize this risk.)


	When the proposal was made to the Seraphim Council, the following terms 
were added:

	The angels receive a waiver of the prohibition against intimate, 
long-term interaction with demons.
	The Order of the Eternal Sword also receives the names of the demons if 
the group disbands prematurely.
	An angel of Judgment will be one of the members of the group.

	Steve brought the proposal to the Lilim he knew, Deanna.  She was 
intrigued, and brought it to the attention of her Mother via formal 
channels.  Lilith, too, found it interesting.  She promptly agreed to the 
deal, pending (as was only politic) review by the Game, and Lucifer if he 
showed any interest.  He did -- but also approved.

	Lilith and Asmodeus added the following terms:

	Commitment will additionally be enforced by a voluntarily-accepted, 
annually-renewed Geas/6: "I will maintain a Role as a member of the 
musical group 'See/Saw' for one year from this date."
	No Malakim.
	A demon of the Game will be one of the members of the group.
	Lilith will choose the remaining two members.
	

	The Seraphim Council responded to the 'No Malakim' condition with 'No 
Balseraphs,' and the Game snickered at the implied weakness or paranoia 
but agreed.  Heaven didn't mind, though, since Malakim were unlikely to 
be assigned anyway and Shedim were nearly impossible, so it was 
practically a freebie.  The condition of having a Gamester there was 
expected, and Heaven hardly cared how Hell picked its members otherwise.  
The only problem some of them had was with accepting the Geas, but it was 
a reasonable condition from someone as untrusting as a demon, and with 
Dominic observing the process, Lilith applied the Geas.
	Agents of Trade and Greed provided the startup cash, the Superiors 
involved supplied the initial papers for the Roles to build 
on(considering how little the auditions were advertised, Lilith made out 
like a bandit on bribe-Geas alone, so having her Daughter Deanna in was 
just icing on the cake), the celestials settled into Role and started 
practicing, and eventually they got their first gig.  See/Saw was born.

	Let's take a look through the artists. . .

Angels

(Stats are left vague beyond defining major personality characteristics.  
Crystallize as desired.)

Steve "Babyface" Arkwright
Arkadia, Mercurian of Trade
Lead Guitar/Vocals

Notable characteristics -- Steve concentrates on Perception and 
Intelligence, but has sufficient Forces (12), and points invested in what 
he considers "borderline essential" skills, that he's a formidable 
opponent in a one-on-one slugfest.  He has Marc's Vassal Distinction, 
Divine Contract, and Head of a PIN.  His previous Role was as a ranking 
functionary in the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce, keeping internal and 
interstate politicking to a minimum to smooth the flow of business.  He 
has high skills with Diplomacy, Administration, Law, Economics, and 
Research.  He previously played the guitar as a hobby(acoustic, in 
previous centuries, electric recently), but after getting the idea to 
form See/Saw he has raised this, and his singing ability, to 
young-professional level.  Personally, he is gregarious and likes to 
coordinate things.  He can get frustrated when he's unable to find out 
something he wants to know, though.

	Steve came up with the original idea for the group.  He's sufficiently 
powerful that demons would think twice about trying something sneaky 
directly upon him -- or something blunt, for that matter.  Or, indeed, 
something sharp.  His Vassal Distinction gives him leadership of the 
angelic side (not that either of the other two would have minded anyway), 
and his natural understanding of group dynamics is putting him in a 
leadership position for the group as a whole, although the demons are 
naturally contesting this.
	Steve is genuinely enthusiastic about the group.  He really believes 
Heaven is going to get more out of this than Hell in the long run.  His 
Vassal Distinction is itching at him, though, and he sincerely wishes 
just one of the demons would agree to let him use it so he could see what 
they wanted out of it themselves.  Not, of course, going to happen.  
Secondarily, he's secretly hoping that Deanna will start to find 
Redemption an appealing prospect after sufficient exposure.  It'll take 
all his Mercurian charm. . . and keeping that Gamester in the dark for 
long enough.  Lastly, he'll be trying to swing the group's song selection 
as subtly as he can within the bounds of his Contract, towards more 
uplifting performances -- suggesting for the demons' songs those that 
have a comedic depiction of selfish behavior, or songs that portray it as 
self-destructive, for example.  He has Yuri's help in this latter, as the 
Creationer knows something about designing a crowd-pleasing performance.

Cristobal "Stretch" Angelos
Christopher, Seraph of Judgment
Bass/Backup Vocals

Notable Characteristics -- An 11-Force angel, Christopher concentrates on 
Will and Precision, two traits highly useful in an angel Dominic selects 
to work with the Game.  He has the Heavenly Judgment Attunement.  
Additionally, Christopher is exceptionally reserved and calm.  He 
disdains half-truths and omissions, and prefers silence when pressed on 
something he does not want to reveal.  His level of Detect Lies is quite 
high, and he is well-versed in a number of weapons -- betrayal is always 
just around the corner in his job.

	Christopher is, naturally, the Seraph that Judgment assigned to the 
group.  He's free to use his abilities on his own side, and that is of 
course what he does.  Fortunately for them, they're focused on their jobs 
and totally free of dissonance for the moment.  Likewise, he remains 
stable, as evidenced by Dominic's weekly visits.  He, of course, is 
supremely snide towards the demons, who enjoy ribbing him.  He has 
recently gotten the idea of provoking them into challenging him to use 
his vaunted resonance on them -- Steve, writer of the Contract, 
emphasizes that only fully informed consent will save him from the 
effects of breakage.
	Christopher has worked with the Game before, certainly a prerequisite 
for this assignment, although of course he will not speak of this to 
anyone.  In addition, Dominic explained to him the concept of "suspension 
of disbelief."  A musician can make it clear that he is not declaring a 
fact in any particular song; even declarations of moral stance are 
vaguely "fictional."  Christopher has reluctantly accepted this, and in 
addition is perceptive enough to realize that to be a believable 
performer he is going to have to pick up some emoting ability.  He hadn't 
done anything so "frivolous" as learning how to play music or sing 
before, so Dominic has simply instilled in him these abilities, as well 
as providing a Vessel with a pleasing bass voice.  His performance at 
both, therefore, is usually technically correct but still rather stilted.


Yuri "Weemer" Zimmerman
Soreniel, Kyriotate of Creation IST War
Percussion/Songwriting

Notable Characteristics -- A straight 9-Force angel, Yuri grew up as a 
Reliever in Creation's ranks, and had barely fledged when he was moved to 
Michael's service.  He was a little disappointed, and had been looking 
forward to a productive Role making music -- particularly percussion, 
where he has skill with a wide variety of instruments -- and writing 
songs to uplift the spirit.  Still, since most of his existence had been 
as a Reliever, he wasn't one to complain, and he served with a will, 
earning Michael's Kyriotate Attunement.  As a side effect, he's also 
picked up substantial skill with Judo and guerilla warfare tactics, the 
better to protect his hosts while supporting his unit.

	Yuri is an attempt by Heaven to capitalize on an advantage in the group 
structure.  Since no Shedite could be in the group, a Kyriotate who can 
either have his own Vessel or adapt existing humans to the purpose gives 
the angelic complement another ability the demons don't have.  Weemer can 
do both -- he's in service to War, and has earned Michael's Kyriotate 
Attunement.
	Yuri is having a blast.  He's playing his drums, writing music, serving 
his Word, and serving Heaven in a sanctioned and organized project -- a 
combination he's missed the past few years.  Being a servant of *two* 
Archangels that Judgment bears no particular fondness for, he's a little 
shy around Christopher, but he knows the Seraph is just doing his job.
	Oh, yeah -- nobody knows why Weemer picked his nickname.  He just seems 
to like it. . . and he's having such fun, why be overly serious about it?


Demons

Deanna "De" Freeman
Deanna, Free Lilim IST the Media
Female Vocals/Backup Vocals/Choreography & Dance

Notable Characteristics -- Still a 9-Force demon, Deanna's job in St. 
Louis was basically to try to stalemate Steve, working for Malphas and 
coincidentally doing favors for Greed while she was at it, frequently 
getting twice her effort's worth with a single mission.  She's quite 
Perceptive and has the Precision to do a delicate job well.  However, 
she's had her eye on the Media for a while, and getting Mother to get her 
reassigned -- despite her obvious qualifications -- cost her.  She now 
carries a total of 4 Geas/2, 6 Geas/3, 1 Geas/4, and 2 Geas/5, as well as 
the group's standard Geas/6.  Still, she holds a respectable network of 
Geas-hooks (of essentially equivalent distribution and level) on local 
demons of Greed that she can call in if the demons need cash or equipment 
quickly; there are a few well-placed businessmen she can call on for 
rather large repayments, too.  She's good at Seduction, Fast-Talking, 
Singing (her Role was as the singer at a local evening-meeting spot for 
businessmen in the city), and a little Dancing.  If it comes to a fight, 
though, she's not going to be of so much use unless she can use her 
pistol.

	Deanna's purpose in joining the group is more about herself than serving 
Hell, of course.  She *wants* See/Saw to succeed.  This could be her Big 
Break -- do well enough for Nybbas, and he could see to it that she gets 
his nod for stardom, using See/Saw as her springboard even if the group 
breaks up shortly -- which she expects it to do after a few years of 
possible usefulness.  Ambitious as any Lilim can be, she looks forward to 
multiple lives as public figures -- of course she knows what the Media 
does to stars, and aging your Vessels into slow decline or dying from the 
occasional drug overdose or stalker is no fun, but that's life in Hell, 
or under an Impudite, and a few cycles of this, she hopes, will set her 
up for *some* kind of Word.
	Her hard work for the group and her previous relationship with Steve is 
making her the default leader of the demons' side, since the only demon 
with a Distinction is Lachrimel, the Gamester, and his personality is 
just too grating to be leadership quality.  The other two demons look 
down on her for not playing an instrument(or make snide cracks referring 
to her dancing about her body being her instrument), but as the only one 
with a female Vessel, they grudgingly admit that she expands their 
repertoire considerably.  However, to remedy the lack, she is endeavoring 
to learn violin, her early efforts serving much to the amusement of her 
fellows.
	The angels are being supportive about the violin, of course.  She 
figures she knows damned well why too, and is just itching to read Steve 
to find out if her hunch is right -- in point of fact, while a little 
emotional support can smooth the way to a possible Redemption, Steve and 
Weemer would have been supportive anyway.

Larry "Tones" Stirling
Lachrimel, Habbalite of the Game
Synthesizers/Songwriting

Notable Characteristics -- Lachrimel is Fallen.  He had picked up his 
piano and songwriting talents as an angel of Eli prior to that 
Archangel's leaving Heaven.  (He never met Yuri.)  He grew to like 
causing emotion a too much, though, to his downfall.  In reaction, he 
began insisting on discipline and control -- at least for others, if not 
so much for himself -- and he found the Game's service to his taste.  His 
musical skills were kept reasonably honed in his Roles, and his skills 
with weapons, fighting abilities, Tracking, and Interrogation were 
increased greatly.  He earned several more Foreces, bringing him to a 
total of 13, focusing on Will and, since Falling, Strength and Agility, 
to make up for his prior lack of experience.  Besides, corporeality is... 
pleasurable.

	If Asmodeus' purpose in assigning a Habbalite as the group's Gamester 
was to annoy the angels, he's succeeding, although the angels are trying 
valiantly not to let him.  Lachrimel insists that there are four angels 
and two demons in the group, and tries interminably to get someone to 
admit that this somehow means his boss got one up on Heaven.  Steve even 
had to amend the Contract slightly to allow for disagreement as to 
whether Lachrimel was an angel or demon, by stipulating that whether any 
being was an angel or demon was his own call.  (Lachrimel is unable to 
avoid using his Distinction when he meets humans, as well, but Steve had 
already indicated that continually active abilities were excepted from 
the prohibition, as his own Distinction would be constantly active should 
anyone break the Contract.)
	Lachrimel resonates his demon charges regularly to make sure they're 
sticking to the agreement and not getting Dissonant.  For this latter 
purpose, an application of Dissonance Binding which fails is sufficient 
additional proof if he becomes suspicious.  In performances, he doesn't 
sing -- he'd shake the mic loose as he bounced around, anyway.  He's a 
wild man on his synths, jamming on them energetically, and programming 
them with weird and disturbing soundforms when given the least bit of 
leeway in any particular song.  He considers it a successful night when 
his antics or the songs he personally wrote provoke at least one strong 
audience reaction (such as queasiness or destructive enthusiasm), 
regardless of the rest of the performance.

Denny "Sounder" Sorensen
Dinsin, Impudite of the Media
2nd Guitar/Vocals

Notable Characteristics -- Denny is actually a 8-Force demon, fairly 
new-fledged, and has not been long on Earth.  His Role is a typical 
"entry-level" one for a Media demon -- it didn't even require changing, 
just a move to St. Louis.  Such points as he has are concentrated in 
Precision and Agility, since he much prefers to a single 
properly-directed effort to something less subtle.  In combat, this 
translates to a preference for hit-and-run tactics, or just plain 
Runnning, over a stand-up fight.  If it does come to one, he has his 
well-practiced Dodge to keep him alive long enough to get in a hit or two 
with his guns.  Personally, he relies rather more on his Impudite 
abilities than on any real charm in relationships, and is at the moment 
simply looking to do his job, lick the right boots, and keep his head 
down until he's a more formidable entity.

	Nybbas is doing pretty well for himself out of this whole deal.  Denny 
has a number of jobs on his plate, besides being a member of See/Saw.  
First, he's assigned to a "mentor in the guitar": Patrick Marshall, a 
never-was old country singer.  For more on this, see the adventure seeds.  
Second, Denny steers the group towards connections that will cause 
See/Saw to come under control of the Media as far as possible.  So far, 
the angels are wise to Denny's plans in this direction, and Steve makes 
sure any jobs, recording offers, or other contacts are thoroughly vetted 
before he agrees.  Eventually, Denny may slip one through, though, and 
then See/Saw may turn into just another project of Hell.  Lastly, Nybbas, 
while willing to grant Deanna her Role, status, and servant, would rather 
do it for a Lilim bound to his Word, and Denny has been instructed to 
talk up service to the Media with Deanna when he can.
	Once Denny has handled all of these, he's free to work at his own status 
as a performer in the Media power structure.  Unlike Deanna, he has 
little expectation that See/Saw will lead to anything significant in this 
respect, but he has to admit that when he gets to come up front, sing 
lead, and strum his axe in front of a crowd of fans (or even an 
appreciative Friday night audience at a local dance club), his Impudite 
nature is satisfied in a way that few other things can match.

Ixthikr, Shedite of Technology
Equipment

Notable Characteristics -- Ixthikr is 9 Forces' worth of patient 
watchfulness.  His Perception is unusually high for a Shedite, and he's 
Intelligent enough to deduce more from what he sees and hears.  His Songs 
of Celestial Light, Thunder, and Ethereal Motion will allow him to be a 
deadly combatant if necessary, or just be a prick while the group's away 
if he feels like it.  His Invention Attunement has given him the idea of 
using the sound system he inhabits to effect his Song of Thunder.  The 
effects may be useful, or not... especially if he uses his Celestial Song 
of Vulnerability on the angels first.  Celestial Tongues, of course, he 
uses to send in short "reports" to Asmodeus whenever possible.  For the 
most part, though, he simply waits and listens.  He's good at that.

	What, you thought the demons would play fair?  Asmodeus didn't sign any 
contract, take on any Geas, or remotely claim he'd be following the 
spirit of the rules.  He does follow the *letter* of the rules, but if 
you didn't see his strategy that's your fault.  The Contract says "The 
group 'See/Saw' shall be made up of three angels and three demons, as 
determined by Arkadia, writer of the Contract," and Ixthikr is neither a 
member of the group nor recognized as an angel or demon by Arkadia, 
because Arkadia doesn't know about him.  He's an independent agent, 
reporting solely to Asmodeus, and Vapula whenever Vapula's interested in 
the little forced-exposure experiment.
	Ixthikr inhabits the mixing board/recorder unit that the group 
purchased.  He's totally unknown to the group, even the demons -- being a 
sufficiently portable computer, the board was "upgraded" to be Ixthikr's 
corporeal housing while the group was out on a gig (one of the few 
instances Asmodeus knows of where Vapula used his current Role/6 as a 
traveling master electronics repairman, the better to approach without 
making a disturbance heard across the entire city).
	For now, Ixthikr watches and waits, reporting to Asmodeus whenever he 
can safely use a Celestial Song of Tongues while the group is away, as a 
check on Lachrimel.  He doesn't mind the required secrecy; the music's 
okay to listen to.  However, if the group should suddenly become engaged 
in conflict of one kind or another, and it looks like Ixthikr can 
effectively act for Hell, he has been given authority to blow his cover.

Adventure Seeds (Well, of course See/Saw is a seed itself, but here are 
some things you can do with it...)

Auditions

	No need to have the complement listed above be the group, especially if 
a PC or two wants to get in on the act.  Yuri or Denny can be replaced by 
an "open audition" spot.  Throw a prime chance to get famous in the pot 
with a year of irritating angels/demons, nonviolent corporeal duty with 
at least a little protection from marauding Malakim/Calabim, and a a 
chance to rub elbows with a Distincted angel/demon over the long term, 
and there are going to be quite a few celestials that will jump at the 
chance.
	The PCs need not be auditioning, although it's certainly an option.  
They may be hired to screen applicants in Heaven, keep order in Hell, or 
even sabotage a likely opponent or two, if demons.  With sufficiently 
high artistic skills (or bribe-auctioning skills, in Hell) they may even 
be judges!  This is that kind of situation in which the term "hijinks 
ensue" is going to come out of somebody's mouth sooner or later, so it 
might as well be now.

A Second Chance?

	Remember Patrick Marshall?  Not a lot of people do.  The Media did its 
job, in his case, before he even got to Nashville.  Patrick missed his 
primary Destiny by forsaking his hometown and heading off to become a 
country singer; behind him, it took decades before someone at the 
food-processing plant that would have employed him managed to unveil the 
company's harsh labor practices.
	Since he found out that Nashville wasn't going to catapult him to 
stardom, Patrick moved a ways down the highway and set up shop in St. 
Louis teaching guitar for his daily bread and trying to write something 
that would turn into a hit.  Dinsin latched on to him in the Role of a 
student, waiting for the chance to move Patrick up in the world.  See/Saw 
may let him do just that; having caught Nybbas' attention, Dinsin is 
ready to shove Patrick into a sudden spotlight.
	Patrick's Fate, by the way, is to become a boozed-up artificially-hyped 
ghostwritten country singer that alienates his first fan base and 
abandons the rest when he dies of cirrhosis.  Can the angels catch it in 
time, or will Dinsin's success spell Patrick's damnation (and one more 
tear-jerker "shooting star" legend for Nybbas' media-myth machine)?

Tough Crowd

	The members of See/Saw are forbidden to use their abilities on the 
audience.  Thus, when a couple of Malakim have a few hours' break, they 
decide to come razz the demons by buying proper tickets and being proper 
members of the audience, then resonating the demons and generally making 
celestial nuisances of themselves during the show.
	Wouldn't you know it, tonight's the night that a couple of Balseraphs of 
Theft are passing through St. Louis and decide to catch the show as well.  
One of the Liars tries to pick the wrong pocket, and things are about to 
get pretty heated.  Can the members of See/Saw prevent an all-out 
chair-bashing, sword-slinging riot in their show, without using any of 
the proscribed abilities and promptly suffering Trauma from the effects 
of their Divine Contract?

	For a variation on this theme, have Eli or Gabriel show up.  Having an 
Archangel *and* a Demon Prince show up would surely be overkill.

	Let me know how it turns out.  :^)

William