Ašavastəma Gaiai

'Al-Azraili'

Played by: Al-Azraili

INFORMATION

Sheolian, Female, 28

Aliases: Terrah Paige
Nationality: Canadian
Residence: Vancouver, BC, CAN
Employer: Templars
Function: Inquisitor

• Brief •

• Office of The Grand Inquisitor •

• Office of Demonology, Templars •

• Known Associates/Affiliations •

• Inquisition RP (OOC Notes) •

CoV Personnel File: Al-Azraili

Status: Active

Affiliation: Templars

Sub-order: Office of the Grand Inquisitor

Description: Human female of about twenty-five years in appearance, 1.72m tall with an athletic build, distinctive red eyes, numerous distinctive markings (tattoos) on her body, and naturally crimson to black hair.

Narrative: The Templars acquired the asset in 2012, the inherited daughter of minor Templar birthright (see file: Astwihad). Templar mundane assets identified her and proceeded to initiate her under some minor duress. Initially trained as a mundane analyst, Al-Azraili was admitted eventually into the ranks of the Knighthood. She served as a squire for a year in the field.

During the Sheolian Incursion of Sochi (2014), Al-Azraili was exposed to demonic power from the invading force. The official reports conflicted with her direct testimony in several key details- either the demons recognized and empowered her latent abilities or she was corrupted into a demon-like entity herself. In any case, Al-Azraili was evacuated from the site and underwent forced exorcisms.

Notes from the exorcist state, "The patient is so corrupted that cleaving the influence will cause her death. At this time, I cannot justify such action, as the patient displays neither hysteria nor hostility (beyond clear distress to the icons and invocations I have used thusfar). She seems quite clear-minded. Neither abhorrent nor hyper-sexual behaviors demonstrated. Recommendation: observation, mentoring, and counseling until such time that the affliction manifests negatively."

Templars pulled her from the active roster for a year after the exorcism. She returned to the Active roster in 2015, this time as an Inquisitor.

Current Role: She serves primarily as a staff judge advocate, with specialization in occult and demonology cases. She's often prosecutes case crime relating to Sheol-Gaia breaches, and has sat as a lower jurist with the Council on occasion. While she demonstrates the ability quickly and effective oversee cases, and has satisfactory conviction rate, CoV jurists point that she seems more progressive toward judicial punishment than Templar tradition desires. (This is suggested to be corollary to either personal views and experiences and/or her lack of formal judicial training.)

Personnel File: Al-Azraili

Classified: Administrative Secret (Office of the Grand Inquisitor)

Status: Active

Rank: Iuris Consultus In Praxis

Primary Focus: Demonology (Sheolian Incursions)

Secondary Foci: Nonjudicial proceedings, Absence without Leave, Missing Movement, Fraudulence, Investigative Interviews

Most Recent Review

Al-Azraili has shown talents in adjudicating cases in timely manner, given her relative lack of true knowledge in matters of law. The agent continues to educate herself in matters of policy and the Code, and has increased her conviction rate accordingly. The agent has continued to find innovative ways to maintain good order and discipline within the Force-Marshal's ranks, and thus far, few of her adjudications have resulted in the need for further follow up. Moreover, her ability to apply discrete pressure and attention to politically sensitive matters (in spite of her apparent lack or desire for political savvy herself) have prevented cases from expanding beyond the smallest scope possible.

The agent has been encouraged to pursue her juris doctorate at her leisure, though her case load has not been reduced to assist in this venture.

Notable Cases (W.I.P.)

Order v. Wells

Status: CLOSED

The accused let a flat (10B Redcrosse Circus, London TSW 001) on 12 Jul 2017. The accused procured, installed and affixed pole from ceiling to floor in the flat. During the period between 12 July and 21 August, the accused held mandatory training at the location for his subordinate Templar females. The nature of the training was adult entertainment, specified as “strip tease pole dancing” on an OGI-received deposition on 21 Aug 2017 from [REDACTED].

'Charges: Conduct Unbecoming a Templar (10.1.6-12), Lewdness (10.1.7-7), and General Article (10.1.10-13)

Verdict: PLEA BARGAIN No Lo Contendare

Punitive Measures: Agent Wells was stripped of position and transfer to the Ambassadorial Staff of the Templars. Agent Wells will conduct retraining of his subordinates in cultural dances of the Court of Autumn at a suitable location that is NOT sexual in nature.

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Order v. Steinway

Status: CLOSED

The accused was seen present at a clandestine meeting of Templars in the sewers on 4 Sep 2017. While there, it has become known that several Templars called for the overthrow of their current superior commanders in lieu of "New Templar" leadership. According to multiple depositions regarding this meeting, the accused did nothing to disperse the crowd, nor did the accused report those in attendance to her supervisor.

Charges: Mutiny and Sedition (10.1.2), Failure to Adhere to the Covenants (10.1.5, Two Counts), Accessory to Attempted Murder (10.1.7-1)

Plea: The Accused entered a plea of Not Guilty.

Verdict: GUILTY AS CHARGED

Punitive Measures: Justice was rendered on 26 Sep 2017 0815 hours, local time. Death by the sword (beheading).

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Order v. Scarthe

Status: CLOSED, SEALED

Al-Azraili provided limited clerical and judicial oversight regarding the investigation, but did not render judgment. NOTE- Her recommendation to not move Agent Scarthe was the correct call, as during the move, he escaped.

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Order v. Danvers

Status: CLOSED, SEALED

Al-Azraili provided limited clerical and judicial oversight regarding the investigation, but did not render judgment.

Notice of Sheolian Ancestry

(SPOILER ALERT Offered OOCly for GMs and players.)

Classified: Top-Clearance (Office of the Grand Inquisitor)

File name: Al-Azraili

After a complete research and recording of experimentation, The Office of Demonology has determined that Al-Azraili is a natural Sheolian.

Records indicate she is the daughter of File Name Astwihad, who was a member of the Sheolian clan Daevas (or Daivas).

Clan Daevas

Ancestrally, Clan Daevas are beings and aspects both favoring and opposing Ashura Mazda, the once recognized creator of Zoroaster's mythology (see Babylonian Templar records). Unlike neutral or antithesis demonology, the Daevas, to this day, spend much of their time thwarting and countermanding each other's attempts to influence the Gaian world. As such Zoroastrianism incorrectly represents the Daeves as two distinct clans: the Amesha Spenta (lit. "divine sparks", those that helped influence Zoroaster's cult) and the Daeves (lit. 'others', those that opposed them).

Like all demons, clan Daevas suffers from a complete dependency on the energy of Gaia, and have sought a unique way of obtaining it. Whereas other demons tend to want to conquer Gaia, Daevas demons have found a way to siphon the elixir of life from Gaia's inhabitants in innovative ways. By assisting humans, Daevas have learned to take minutely Gaia's energies in such a way that does no harm to Gaia or its inhabitants. This is often done by endearing themselves to the inhabitants (humans, most often). In exchange for effort or favors that can vary wildly in scope, the Gaian unknowingly feeds the Daevas demon through expressions of gratitude, adoration, even worship. As such, interaction with a Daevas can go wholly undetected until the Daevas has received what they need. As such, much of their influence is too subtle to detect, and some Daevas have apparently spent significant time in Gaia. As a result, they are quite prosperous and healthy compared to the remainder of Sheol's inhabitants.

The insidiousness of the Daevas' feeding comes from their apparent genuine nature to want to know their 'prey.' They often desire to become close friends to others, and in doing so, learn what a person wants. By giving their target their desires, or offering them timely advice on how to achieve it. In this way, the predatory nature of the clan Daevas' demons are masked by intimacy and friendship.

That is not to say that a Daevas' selfishness is detrimental to mankind in the end. In fact, clan Daevas demons come in two general forms: "soul cleansers" and "soul corruptors." (Author note: this is an archaic delineation, based on our prior ties to the church. Perhaps more accurately, and void of the moral implications, are "balance stewards" and "instinctive enablers." I will use these terms instead.) Cultivating long term relationships with humans and animals in Gaia, the Daevas reveal themselves in various forms: thoughts, totems, images, and even humans in their attempts to gain favor. A common example of Daevas "balance stewards"' influence is "wisdom of the flame." The Gathas cite that Ashura Mazda appears to Zoroaster and others as a holy flame. In fact, the concept of fire is part of ritual cleansing and cleanliness in Zoroastrianism. (This is non-unique to Zoroastrianism. We can certainly see the idea of the ritual flame echoed in later texts, such as the burning-yet-unburt bush imparting the Law of the Torah to the Hebrew tribes.)

Daevas influence has not ebbed with the Enlightenment. Instead, we can estimate that our scientific progress has flipped the tables on their intra-clan struggle. Now, the "instinctive enabler" Daevas who help perpetuate narcissism, greed, uneven wealth, and oppression tend to be more influential in our world today than ever before. It is unclear whether these Daevas are complicity influenced by "the dreaming ones" or if they are simply attempting to offer what they see 'humans wanting'- power, fame, success, and wealth.

According to records, Daevas demons do not follow human patterns of heredity. The offspring of an "enabler" Daevas may be a "steward".

Al-Azraili

Through observation and experimentation, it is the finding of the Templar Office of Demonology that Al-Azraili is most likely a "Soul cleanser/balance steward" member of clan Daevas. Her names are associated with aspects of Ashura Mazda in Avestan and have cognates in Persian, Arabic, and Hebrew as well. She's shown a deep personal desire for justice and given leniency when mercy is warranted. Her sense of right and wrong is in line with the preservation of Gaia and in accordance with Templar Code. We see no reason to relegate her to Ordo Obscurus at this time, and recommend a trial to deem her worthiness as an Inquisitor.

As Al-Azraili is now aware of her ancestry, she has begun to experiment with the limits of her magical power. Magnus Principali has noted her abilities with elemental (mostly fire) and chaos magicks. In concert with additional martial training in melee weapons, she has shown an aptitude with controlling a battle space and influencing opponents into missteps which open them up for attacks.

Al-Azraili has seven names and recognizes them all on an intuitive level, though she identifies only one of her true names as her completely. The Office of Demonology has stressed the importance of maintaining control of true names, lest someone use her against her own will.

She's a long-time friend of Russell Koyabashi who met her during her first week. She's maintained regular contact with the agent and his family during her tenure.

Al-Azraili believes she survives her late wife Lucy Paige, whose grave site is in Louisiana.

Foreword

This section unpacks the theory and practice of how this player thinks the Inquisition operates, the character’s function within that organization, including player considerations, expectations, and limitations. It’s offered to you, as a player, in the event you wish to consider engaging Al-Azraili in a professional manner in your RP plots.

Much of what you are about to read is headcanon, derived from (but not bound to) what the player believes is generally accepted headcanon, logic, and headcanon from pioneering cabals who regularly use The Inquisition in their organization’s role-play (such as Ordo Obscurus).

The Office of the Grand Inquisitor (O.G.I., AKA- The Inquisition)

OGI is the official moniker for the military-judicial branch of the Templars. OGI stands outside of the normal hierarchy of command, reporting not to Sonnac, but to a fictional NPC that receives the title “Grand Inquisitor.” The Grand Inquisitor reports directly to the very top brass of the Templars, such as the Force-Marshal.

The Inquisition’s role is to: “assist the Force-Marshal in maintaining good order and discipline by overseeing that all Templars are operating within prescribed rules and regulations, as outlined by policy.” Functionally, this means that the Inquisition:

1) gather evidence of breaches of rules, protocol, and regulations;

2) oversee judicial (and nonjudicial) proceedings that determine the guilt or innocence of any and all accused of infractions and crimes;

3) provide rulings, assigns punitive measures based on the crime and circumstances, and ensures punitive measure are carried out; and

4) ensure retraining of ‘wayward’ Templars (read- parole officer work)

In order to effectively carry out their role, The Inquisition:

1) operate outside the normal hierarchy with impunity (every Templar is potentially a suspect, and the most junior Inquisitor can force the compliance of even the most senior member in the Templars);

2) have ‘vast’ access to all Templar records (in addition to whatever other records they may gain access to during the course of their investigation); and

3) expect compliance with their orders, even ones that countermand operational orders, as necessary (failure to do so initiates another proceeding for “Failure to Obey”).

NOTE: Inquisition authority does not extend beyond internal affairs. Should suspects include non-Templars (including independents), the Inquisition has no formal recourse beyond severing The Templars’ formal ties with the accused (if there were any), and turning over any and all evidence and accusation to the Council of Venice for tribunal litigation according to the agreed statutes.

Role-play View of the Inquisition:

The Inquisition are probably the least liked internal grouping among Templars, much like Internal Affairs is seen as more a hinderance than a help in a police force. Cops going after their own just doesn’t feel right to most. That said, resistance, especially passive-aggressive resistance is completely expected ICly. Your character doesn’t have to like that they’re getting audited, or that they’re a witness to a crime a Templar caused and being asked questions about it. Certainly, it’s expected that your character spells “Sir” with a ‘c’ and ‘u’ when an Inquisitor completely changes operational orders to go on a manhunt for the accused instead of fighting the horde of incoming demons.

That said, active resistance is a very dangerous game, since characters deliberately harming the progress of an investigation are immediately guilty of several crimes and subject to punishment themselves, if they are caught. Characters are welcome to try, but consequences for those actions can be more severe than the consequences of the original offense in question.

The Inquisition is literally "Judge, Jury, and Executioner" in the Templar order. Only one Inquisitor is needed to oversee an entire case, though occasionally, other Inquisitors may be called to consult and even assist in adjudication of certain cases.

Unlike civilian courts, the aim for the Inquisition is not proof of innocence or guilt, it is "maintaining good order and discipline." That means the burden of proof isn’t "beyond reasonable doubt," and much more subjective, which makes for better role play. An innocent person who looks to be in the wrong can be found legitimately guilty of "being at the wrong place at the wrong time and looking suspicious of doing it."

Likewise, the crimes and punishments do not look like civilian law. In particular the player leverages heavily their RL military experience with the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Players leveraging Al-Azraili as an Inquisitor should expect to see charges that seem more appropriate in a military tribunal than a civilian magistrate court ("largest private army," and all that).

As the player is oft saying:“The Inquisition (in role play terms) is one part Inspector General, two parts Staff Judge Advocate (see JAG), three parts Criminal Investigations Division (see NCIS), and four parts parole officer. Inquisitors don’t expect to be liked, but they expect to be respected. They are the only thing that guarantees the Templars don’t fall to the evil that they seek to destroy.”

As such, feel free to expect military crime drama themes, such as, “A Few Good Men,” “Basic,” “Rules of Engagement,” etc., and the aforementioned shows when you engage Al-Azraili in her functional role.

Player Roles and Expectations

The player fully recognizes that Al-Azraili’s authority rests on the consent of the players engaging her. As such, given the enormous amount of functional authority an Inquisitor has in a potential Templar roleplay, the player operates by a set of rules that are, more or less, carved in stone.

As a player, you can expect of me as a player to:

1. Never involve Al-Azraili’s titular function in an RP without express consent from the DM. In cases where the player is the DM, explain Al-Azraili’s role to other players as they come on board.
2. Al-Azraili will never adjudicate a crime where the accused is a non-Templar, even if the crime was committed against the Templars.
3. Al-Azraili will never render an abject death sentence to or otherwise kill another PC in the course or RP (That’s what NPCs are for).
4. Gain express consent (‘Implied consent is not consent’) to allow Al-Azraili to adjudicate any crime/punitive measure over another PC.
   1. Discuss with potentially adjudicated PC players the Al-Azraili’s role OOCly.
   2. Determine limitations of adjudication that the accused PC’s player are not willing to accept.
   3. Develop potential punitive measures that ENCOURAGE further role play for the accused PC’s player.
   4. Agree, ahead of the litigation proceeding, on a course of punitive measures (or potential courses, if the players agree to allow the RP to make the final result) (this assumes guilt that may not be present).
5. Follow up on the results of any proceedings (both ICly and OOCly) to ensure the results are working. If not, adjust as needed.

In return, should you want to engage Al-Azraili in her functional role,

I expect that you will:

1. Have fun!
2. Respect the authority as described above.
3. Role play your character:
   1. Role play the punitive measurements out, treating them as IC consequences of IC action.
   2. If they are not working out OOCly, come to me with the issues to discuss and be open to dialog. I’m here to help, not hinder, your role play experience. Sometimes, what looks good on paper isn’t good in practice, and adjustments will be made ICly to respect the role play and the player’s wishes.
   3. Don’t expect to let your character off the hook for an offense (even one you feel they didn’t actually commit) with only OOC complaints. IC consequences for IC actions. If your character does a good thing, they deserve the accolades, yes? So to it goes for not upholding the letter of the law.
4. You agree to not change your character in such a way as to prevent active follow-up RP of the punitive measures (parole, etc.) in an IC way.
5. Bring me feedback. Constructive dialog, not a debate. You want me to see things your way, it’s easier to do when I don’t get put on the defensive.

Final Notes

I reserve the right to cancel proceedings and transfer your character’s fate to some unnamed NPC Inquisitor, at any time, if I feel things aren’t going to work out OOCly. I’m not here to cause drama nor headcanon headaches, and I won’t suffer one for another player’s discontent. I usually reserve this for cases of player misbehavior (not following my expectations of you as a player). There are no strikes, and no second chances with those, as I don’t expect you to respect IC authority of Al-Azraili if I violate my self-expectations. So, please consider your decision carefully if you wish to engage Al-Azraili and what will be expected of you as a player.