Let’s learn about The Grigori – The Watchers a Choir of Angels in the tabletop role-playing game In Nomine. In Nomine is a role-playing game designed by Derek Pearcy and published in 1997 by @Steve Jackson Games. You can learn more on the official website here: http://www.sjgames.com/innomine/ or the Wikipedia page here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Nomine_(role-playing_game). You can buy In Nomine products here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/12199/Steve-Jackson-Games/subcategory/28908_30775/In-Nomine?affiliate_id=50797
Time Stamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 1:11 Why were the Grigori created?
- 2:01 How did the Grigori become Outcasts?
- 3:44 What are the Children of the Grigori like?
- 5:57 Outro
About In Nomine
Written by Derek Pearcy + Illustrated by Dan Smith
Edited by Jeff Koke, Steve Jackson, and Susan Pinsonneault
Cover art by John Zeleznik (first printing) and Christopher Shy (second printing)
In Nomine is a modern roleplaying game in which the players take the part of celestial beings – angels and demons – as they struggle for control of humanity and themselves. The celestials, powerful though they may be, are merely pawns in a much larger game being played by their Superiors, the Archangels and Demon Princes. Based on the best-selling French RPG by the wonderfully diabolical Croc!
In Nomine won the Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement of 1997.
Transcript
Cold Open
Were they created to fail or was it their will?
Intro
Welcome to Eviliv3, the live media commentary show that answers the question, were the nephilim beautiful? Subscribe if you’re new to the channel, because today we are continuing our In Nomine series with this episode, The Grigori – The Watchers, A Choir of Angels.
Discussion
Of all the Choirs of Angels, none are more mysterious than The Grigori, known aptly as The Watchers. It was God himself that created the Grigori to be Earthly shepherds for the first humans. There has long been a debate among the Celestial whether the animals, including humans should be given full control of the Corporeal Realm, and while their sheer belief in Pagan gods and spirits they created in the Ethereal Realm was a strike against them, according to some Archangels, God wasn’t so sure he should abandon this evolved species entirely. He took a complete ‘hands off’ approach, but after the failed Eden experiment, thanks to Lucifer, it was clear that man could not govern themselves and still achieve their Destinies.
Why Were The Grigori Created?
This is when the Grigori were created and sent to earth to guide mankind. Their mission was simple, to instruct this burgeoning species on science, mathematics, civilization, etc. To watch, to observe, but not interfere with the development of humanity. The only problem as we all know, is that humans are magnificent creatures with an incredible ability to convince others to do that which might seem antithetical to their natures. It was in this way that The Grigory soon came to love humanity more and more. While angels are filled with God’s divine grace, they are not beyond being corrupted in the Corporeal Realm, and perhaps The Grigori, with their Resonance are even more so!
How did The Grigori become Outcasts?
The Grigory developed such a zest for life that they took husbands and wives from humanity. They even began neglecting their duties as prescribed by God. They had even created the Nephallim and half-breed children with their mortal partners. Due to their sin of lust and neglecting their mission, they were excommunicated from Heavenly society, doomed to spend the remainder of their days roaming the earth, trying to perform their resonance by teaching mankind. The Seraphim Council even believes that by simply speaking their name, it disturbs the Symphony, so they refer to them only as the Watchers. Angels are strictly forbidden to associate with the Children of the Grigori or any remaining Grigori they might run into during the course of a mission.
It is fair to ask, if angels do not have free will as humans do, according to God’s will, why and how could the Grigori have fallen? The fact that they did, adds substantial fuel to the debate about free will. Could God have known that the Grigori would be so wonderfully corruptible and play such a huge role in mortal affairs? Was that his intention all along? And if so, did he plan that corruption from the beginning? What about the other Archangels and Choirs? Did God plan Lucifer’s Fall from the beginning? Is the War itself God’s will? Seeing as the Archangels have been removed from the higher realms of Heaven, and God no longer speaks to them personally, it creates some interesting questions with no way to satisfactorily answer them.
What are the Children of the Grigori like?
The Grigori were both physically and spiritually gigantic. Designed to be the least divine, and the choir most like humanity. It is believed that the children of the Grigori were hideous, misshapen monsters. Even their children were gigantic in stature. The first generation, the Nephallim lacked the spark of Divinity their parents carried, and rose up against them, killing their parents and siblings, razing villages and forming marauding bands. The angels of David slaughtered all of the Nephallim that they could find. Because of time and unknown numbers of Grigori still alive on earth, it is speculated the number is under 50 in total, the Children of the Grigori who are innumerable, are completely unaware of their heritage. There are a few underground groups of the crossbreeds which believe themselves to be remnants of an ancient race, possibly refugees from the mythical Atlantis for example. They only know that they are the descendants of kind and gentle beings who came from far away to teach and inspire. These groups form traditionally to protect each other, as they are often ostracized.
Most of the Children of the Grigori have some small control over the Symphony. They are most dangerous in their teens and early twenties when the heavenly cacophony pounds in their minds and resonates through their celestial genes. They have often been ostracized as witches, feared and shunned. The reaction by humanity notwithstanding, the vast majority of these half-breeds radically change the course of history and more often for good than not. Because of this a growing number of angels see the Children of the Grigori as an ‘ace in the hole’, and even dream to organize them for use in the War.
While the Children of the Grigori instinctively shun Demons, they are not inherently in love with Angels. If they understand their heritage, they are wary of being used as tools by those who rejected and punished their parents. The Grigori and their children are a wonderful example of the complexity of the host of Heaven, and the paradox of Free Will.
Outro
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