<div align="center">(http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/3585/smalldarkcity.jpg)</div><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 3.95em;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><strong>P</strong></span></span>urgatory. Limbo. Armageddon. The Twilight City. The City at the End of the World. <br/><br/>The city has many names, but to those who live here, it is Gilead.</div><br/><br/>Life continues after death, if you can call it life at all...Gilead is populated by the souls of the dead, the shades of human beings who have already went through their allotted time and managed to shuffle off that mortal coil without, for whatever reason, choosing one side or the other.  Maybe they lived a life of perfect balance, with equal amounts of virtue or vice.  Maybe they left the Earth in infancy or early childhood.  Maybe they were intellectually crippled, their brains underdeveloped so that they did not know right from wrong. No one really knows what causes a soul to wake up here - in the Gray City.<br/><br/>Gilead exists on no map, can be found on no atlas.  Some speculate that it exists in another dimension entirely, the final stop on the train trip to Heaven--or Hell. There are no borders; it seems to exist in a closed pocket of space and time.  Keep walking in one direction long enough, and you'll eventually arrive back where you started.<br/><br/>There seems to be no pattern, no congruent theme to the buildings.  Look in any direction and you can see Asian architecture, South American, African, European, American.  19th-century locomotives share the same streets as 20th-century automobiles and 17th-century carriages.   It's a huge mishmash of cultures, styles, and habits.<br/><br/>Some have theorized that everything they see--the buildings, the cars, the streets--aren't really necessary at all, but just products of a lifetime of habit and routine.  When you've spent all your years as a soybean farmer, I guess it makes sense that you're going to see soybeans in the afterlife.<br/><br/>Oh, did I mention the angels and demons?  Yeah, they're here too, fighting like vultures over battlefield scraps.  This is the final arena, the last chance saloon, the lint trap of the great cosmic clothes dryer.  We're the sad few who have fallen through the cracks, lost here until we end up as trophies for either the infernal or the divine.<br/><br/><br/><div align="center">Welcome to Gilead.<br/><br/><br/>*     *     *     *     *</div><br/><strong>- - - - - Notes - - - - -</strong><br/><br/>••• Only Nephilim who have become aware of their situation will be able to see the truth of their surroundings. For example, an unaware Nephilim can continue living the daily life of just another person swept up in the busy life of China. They won't notice the Eiffel Tower on the other side of the Great Wall of China. It is only when they become aware of their life after death that they will begin to note what would be considered 'out of the ordinary' - the existence of Angels and Demons included (and ultimately the Iurus Formator as well).<br/><br/>••• All Nephilim are starting out with a clean slate. Humanity is currently set at 'zero' and the amount of life left will be 100 minus [age at death]. For example, Clemenza Amichevole (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=88206.msg3908085#msg3908085) would only have 28 years of life left to bargain and use (100-72=28). The same will apply to all Nephilim despite some having been at Gilead (and being aware) for some time already.<br/><br/>••• The identities of who is an angel or who is a demon are not openly known until they themselves impart the information, or enough hints had been gathered to make a solid conclusion. The Seraphim/Prince and Arches will know of each other, however a Cherub and Infernal will be known exclusively by their own faction only. Revealing of identities will eventually take place throughout the game as characters interact.<br/><br/>••• The Iurus Formator knows all (who's in which faction, etc), however the game begins with only the Seraphim/Prince and Arches knowing her identity and role. Nephilim, Cherubs, and Infernals will find out along the way when they either seek her out, or she answers their call for a request to be fulfilled. The Iurus Formator also knows the amount of life/humanity each Nephilim holds at any time. When a Nephilim is close to losing their life/humanity, she will arrive with a small hint or perhaps even a warning. [A list will be posted every 3-4 weeks showing where each person currently stands.]<br/><br/>••• The Seraphim and Prince are able to know at all times where those of their own factions are currently located, as well as if any Mana has been incurred. If any one Cherub or Infernal is to gain three Mana, an Arch is sent with a warning. Upon reaching four, the Seraphim/Prince pay a personal visit.<br/><br/>••• Please abide by the simple Rules & Regulations (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=89320.msg3908388#msg3908388). While it is encouraged, post length may not always be 4-5 paragraphs long, there will be times when posts are shorter. One-liners are absolutely<strong>not</strong>acceptable, you will receive one warning before being asked to leave the game if such posts are seen.<br/><br/>••• We ask that everyone start their posts with their character name, their current location, and a general synopsis of their current state or actions, that would greatly help organization and cut down on the amount of miscommunication.  For example,<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote"> <strong>Nick Ramirez -- Downtown Bistro -- having lunch with Taya.</strong><br/><br/>- - - - - Rest of Post following - - - - -</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>