4th Nail/Sword of the Cross ideas suggestions?

[Amseriah]

The GM who is running the game that I am currently in discovered a myth that there were originally 4 nails created for hanging Christ on the cross, but a young gypsy girl found out the reason for their creation and so she stole one of them to try to save him from his fate.  We are running with that premise, and my character is about to undergo a quest to have a 4th Sword of the Cross forged (the nail has already been found).  My question is, what should the name of this new sword be.  The 3 existing swords are taken from Corinthians, but also are the 3 heavenly virtues that together with the 4 Cardinal Virtues make the 7.  I am of course leaning towards having it named after one of the cardinal virtues:  Justice, Prudence, Temperance, or Fortitude.  Any thoughts or comments? 

Another question that is sort of off topic (and I am the OP...jeeez this is bad!):  Has anyone done anything to bring the system more in line with the characters as written in the novels?  What I mean is ability-wise.  It is stated that Harry doesn't ever lie around Michael or any of the KotC for that matter because they just know when they are being lied to.  Also it is stated that they seem to be able to sense the supernatural, especially evil supernatural beings.  Fix, as the Summer Knight is described as standing in nearly blizzard conditions yet snow seems to actively avoid him, and he doesn't seem to feel the effects of the cold.  Has anyone taken any of these things into account with their own characters?  I can see them being so minor that they aren't even worth a stunt or an Aspect...merely a component of their high concept or mantle. 

[devonapple]

As you describe it, I would go with Prudence, or possibly Temperance.

[Tallyrand]

Hmm, I'm familiar with another version of that story, basically that the Roman soldiers commissioned a Rom outside the gates of the city (because all of the local blacksmiths knew the purpose and refused to do the work) to make the nails.  The soldiers, having wasted time trying to find a blacksmith were impatient and so when the smith had finished the 3rd nail they grabbed them and left.  The smith, believing than all orders should be fulfilled finished making the 4th nail, set it aside and continued his work.  That night the smith found the nail, still glowing hot sitting outside the flap to his tent, he kicked it away and unsettled packed up his family and moved on to the next town.  After his first night in the town he found again the glowing hot nail sitting outside the flap of his tent and it forever followed him, reminding him of his part in the crucifixion.  That version of the story is from the book Bury Me Standing, and excellent resource if you want to play a modern Rom.

[Tallyrand]

Another question that is sort of off topic (and I am the OP...jeeez this is bad!):  Has anyone done anything to bring the system more in line with the characters as written in the novels?  What I mean is ability-wise.  It is stated that Harry doesn't ever lie around Michael or any of the KotC for that matter because they just know when they are being lied to.  Also it is stated that they seem to be able to sense the supernatural, especially evil supernatural beings.  Fix, as the Summer Knight is described as standing in nearly blizzard conditions yet snow seems to actively avoid him, and he doesn't seem to feel the effects of the cold.  Has anyone taken any of these things into account with their own characters?  I can see them being so minor that they aren't even worth a stunt or an Aspect...merely a component of their high concept or mantle. 

Honestly I think that they are a component of their high concept for the most part.  Fix is the Summer Knight, so when the GM says, ok this scene has an aspect "Supernatural Blizzard" Fix's play then throws a fate chip to compel "Summer Knight" and says he ignores it.  Otherwise the GM in the background may have said "Ok, so Winter is going to make a blizzard to mess with the characters.....but I'm going to give her a fate chip and say it doesn't have any effect on the Summer Knight compelling her Winter aspect."

Similarly the Knight's of the Cross could use their "The Lord is My Shepard" or similar aspect to say that the big man has their back, gives them a feeling when there's supernatural badness or even simple deception around them.

[arete]

Your gm sounds awesome.  I think high concepts shouldcome with little things that make them look cooler, and fluff like that can be the exact way to do that.

[ScottMcG]

I like that approach, although this sounds more like Invoking for Effect rather than a Compel.

Honestly I think that they are a component of their high concept for the most part.  Fix is the Summer Knight, so when the GM says, ok this scene has an aspect "Supernatural Blizzard" Fix's play then throws a fate chip to compel "Summer Knight" and says he ignores it.  Otherwise the GM in the background may have said "Ok, so Winter is going to make a blizzard to mess with the characters.....but I'm going to give her a fate chip and say it doesn't have any effect on the Summer Knight compelling her Winter aspect."

Similarly the Knight's of the Cross could use their "The Lord is My Shepard" or similar aspect to say that the big man has their back, gives them a feeling when there's supernatural badness or even simple deception around them.

[Tallyrand]

I like that approach, although this sounds more like Invoking for Effect rather than a Compel.

Yeah, I realized the mistake right after I posted and then decided I was too lazy to go in and fix it.

Also as a suggestion for the sword name how about something like Paxius (if anyone actually knows latin please correct me if I'm using it incorrectly) but pax is Latin for Peace, it fits well with the Faith, Hope and Love swords without raising the question where are all of the other virtues now?

[Captain Indigo]

In the game I'm in we've a PC that is a 4th KotC. Her blade is Redemptiaccius, the blade of redemption. The name is kinda awkward, but my GM said the latin for redemption is basically "redemption." *  Sounds like an awesome story you've got ahead of you.

*He said it's redemptio or some such. Forget exactly now, but he's a 4th year latin student so I took him at his word.

[Tallyrand]

Ok, a quick search tells me that Redemptio is latin for Redemption, but it is specifically for "to buy back" so basically you have the sword of the equitable return policy.  Salvatio is the more appropriately religious word for the idea of redemption.

[Arcteryx]

Nice thread, great ideas. Thumbs up to all involved

[toturi]

If we are going pseudo-Latin, maybe "Xavius" could work.

[Sh33p]

Justice.

Nothing says righteous asswhooping like having God go through you to say the words, "YOU HAVE BEEN JUDGED! AND FOUND! WANTING!"

[Amseriah]

I think, based on this character's story, that Justice works the best.  Thanks for all the help!  Since the Latin for Justice is Justitia, I will go ahead and use the name Justiacchius.

[Ren]

That sounds like a plan to me, but as a related note; the first three Swords are Faith, Hope and Love. All of which are positive virtues. Justice while positive can also have some more negative connotations as in "Justice is Blind", "Justice is Cruel" etc that would serve as excellent compels. And Maybe since the 4th Nail is the only one that was NOT washed in the blood of Jesus then it might have a different and darker "tone" to it. Like the first three had their purposes washed away by the blood but the 4th had its purposed deferred and is full of a potential that has never put to use. It would also make for an excellent storyline where Very Bad Guys (Denarians maybe?) are after the 4th Nail or even the Sword so they can corrupt it to their own purposes. As the Nail's true purpose was never cleansed away that dark potential could make for a very powerful artifact, perhaps even a Sword befitting a Knight of Hell...
dum dum DUM!!
...just a thought...

[Amseriah]

That is a very interesting thought.  Something that I will have to bring up to my GM.