Haagenti, Archangel of Gusto
The world is full of too much of everything for one person to consume. Ain’t it keen?
This newest Archangel is a particularly colorful Ofanite, all high-speed and flaming beauty. On earth, his favored vessel is a big, burly redheaded young man who can be encountered anywhere. Literally.
He’s only recently been Redeemed, and his Servitors are relatively few. Some of the other Archangels (notably Eli, Janus and Dominic) have loaned him Servitors, until his own organization is built up. Haagenti is fairly free with handing out Attunements, and will cheerfully steal away anyone who shows an interest in a permanent job. His Tethers are greater than what one would expect: some of his old Tethers to Gluttony spontaneously came along with him when he Redeemed.
Dissonance
Haagenti’s Word is Gusto, much to the disgust of more traditional angels, and he certainly means it. It is dissonant for any one of Haagenti’s Servitors to counsel or practice moderation for its own sake. Restraint to achieve long-term goals is acceptable, or to keep a minimum adequate reserve of resources, but Gusto’s angels are expected to live, not penny-pinch. Servitors also acquire dissonance for casually discarding, destroying or wasting resources. Their material goods tend to be old, but very well maintained.
Finally, any use of the Inspire Attunement below that causes the target’s life to decrease in quality overall causes dissonance. The angel may attempt to correct the problem, or at least improve some other aspect of the target’s life to compensate: if this is successful, the dissonance vanishes. Failed attempts to compensate can cause further dissonance: Servitors are counseled to know when to cut their losses and report to the boss.
Organization
Right now, the Archangel of Gusto is building up his Servitors, and his organization is fairly small and intimate. It’s not quite as informal as Novalis’ or Eli’s, but Haagenti is very relaxed for an Archangel, to the point where he’ll call Servitors older than he is his ”kids”, to their bemusement. Servitors of Haagenti are very loyal, however: their Archangel is friendly, nonpolitical, has influence with the Inquisition, and doesn’t send out angels on suicide missions without telling them. Right now, Haagenti’s Servitors are mostly Ofanites and Mercurians, with a good percentage of Seraphim and Kyriotates. Cherubim and Elohim tend to be less common, as those Choirs’ resonance tends to have trouble with Haagenti’s dissonance requirements. Malakites are also uncommon (the older ones are still trying to come to terms with seeing a former Demon Prince in Heaven), but increasing. Interestingly, Haagenti seems to attract more Bright Lilim than other Archangels, possibly because of a common history.
There have been, so far, very few of Haagenti’s former demonic Servitors following his lead (his former self did not inspire much loyalty), but the score or so that have followed him into the light are much prized. Those that were not Seneschals already are usually on the short list for that honor. Dominic has even gone so far as to inform Asmodeus that their ”arrangement” regarding Renegades is no longer automatically in effect for Gluttony’s Orphans. Asmodeus was not pleased.
Choir Attunements
Seraphim (Restricted)
These angels can determine whatever will make an individual Truly cut loose in a positive manner with a glance. They also know the best way to relay a Truth to someone in the above state that will keep that mood from being broken.
Cherubim (Restricted)
Cherubim get a +2 to their check digits if objects of their attunement are genuinely enjoying themselves (if living) or in perfect working order (if nonliving).
Ofanim
Haagenti’s choir-mates share his love of running through life, sampling it to the full. They regenerate 1 Essence if they instigate a party or gathering, lasting at least four hours, where the participants have more fun than they can stand (without hurting anyone or causing permanent damage).
Elohim
Haagenti has few Elohim, as his Word embraces subjective experiences more than they prefer. Elohim of Gusto automatically know the one thing that will break a depressed person’s bad mood, at least temporarily. Haagenti is also more amenable to removing a Power’s dissonance than with other Choirs.
Malakim
Malakim get a +2 to their check digits for any combat action that is done with style (GM call). They are also immune to dissonance from destroying resources if they are fighting a greater evil than what would result from the resource’s destruction. (Haagenti has few Malakim at present, so he’s tended to be free with giving this Attunement to other Choirs. It’s worked out well enough that he’s probably going to keep doing it…)
Bright Lilim (Restricted)
These Gifters, like their former demonic sisters, are Haagenti’s best cooks, only now they cause people to live, not consume. They can spend (4 – their Corporeal Forces: minimum 1) hours in a kitchen to produce a Heavenly meal that will either a) inspire a human to go out and enjoy themselves afterwards, pr b) give a +2 on a human’s next roll to entertain someone else. The Gifter can produce one meal per Celestial force at a time. These meals do not come with an automatic Geas.
Kyriotates (Restricted)
Kyriotates get a +2 to their resonance rolls to enter a depressed or miserly human. At the time of possession, they can choose to act as a ”inner voice”, allowing the host control over his or her actions. If this option is taken, the Domination may ”suggest” a course of action on a Will Roll: if successful, the host assumes that the idea is his/her own and acts accordingly. The Kyriotate gets a +2 to the roll if the suggestion encourages the host to become more cheerful or active. While in this state, the Kyriotate has a +2 bonus to resist being detected by other celestials. Shedites who attempt to possess a host without detecting the Kyriotate automatically fail, but are alerted to the Kyriotate’s presence, and may attempt to dislodge the Domination in the usual manner.
Mercurians (Restricted)
Mercurians of Gusto can enter any gathering or party and subtly shift it away from destructive behavior with a Perception Roll. Given enough time, they can turn a drunken Hells Angel beer bash into an impromptu highway cleanup/food drive/exhibition of trick cycle stunts…
Servitor Attunements
Party Favors
The angel knows where to find everything he or she needs to put on a memorable party, celebration or entertainment … and the people most likely to make the activity a success.
Inspire
This attunement is the Bright Version of Haagenti’s old Consume Attunement. The angel may see the one positive thing that the target has always wanted to do, and inspire him or her to do it. The target must make a Will roll (minus the angel’s Ethereal Forces) or immediately attempt to achieve his secret dream. If the secret dream is potentially life threatening, Mercurians (or Kyriotates acting as an inner voice) will only suffer dissonance if the target actually dies while achieving it.
All Servitors of Haagenti must take this Attunement at character creation.
Distinctions
Vassal of Adventure
The angel can automatically find his way to the most interesting event, activity, or gathering within a 200-foot radius.
Friend of Everyman
The angel can walk into any party or gathering and be automatically accepted as belonging there, providing that he or she is not acting in an inappropriate manner. Minor details like clothes will not matter, but an angel with a black vessel might be hard-pressed to walk into a KKK rally…
Master of Trailblazing
The angel can convince up to his total Forces in people to follow his lead in going somewhere in the quest for a good time, or to do the right thing. If the right people are chosen, the domino effect can result in a hundred people dancing the night away on an open field … or descend upon a abandoned building to rebuild it into a homeless shelter. Or both.
Relations
Haagenti doesn’t really get involved in Heavenly politics, not least because he doesn’t fully understand all the rules yet. His current strategy, if you can call it that, is to smile and nod … and never, ever get involved in any grudge matches. It may take a century or two before he loses the ”starry-eyed shiny new angel” look; in the meantime, his deference has gone a long way in calming jittery angelic nerves on having a former Demon Prince wandering around Heaven. Right now, only David, Jordi and Laurence seem to actively dislike or mistrust Haagenti: the first and third because they’re Malakites whose subconscious reflexes haven’t caught up to current events yet, and Jordi simply because he doesn’t like to give up a good enmity. Everybody else is taking their cues from Dominic, Michael, Novalis and Yves.
Haagenti’s Allies require a brief explanation. Dominic usually doesn’t get along with either Eli or Janus that well, but the Archangel of Judgement was Haagenti’s sponsor, in a sense … and the Archangel of Gusto makes it a point to keep no secrets from his patron. Under the circumstances, Dominic stays appeased: in fact, there’s even a rumor that a certain cloaked woman was seen dancing with the newest Archangel at Novalis’ last party…
Allied: Eli, Janus, Novalis, Dominic
Associated: Yves, Michael, Blandine
Hostile: No one (David, Jordi and Laurence are Hostile to Haagenti)
Blandine: ”His dreams are bright, and he throws himself into them. He is a dream, himself: a dream of Hope. Perhaps … others … may follow his lead.” ”Quiet. Determined. Not having enough fun. I’ve got a couple ideas about changing the first and third: in the meantime, my kids have standing orders to pitch in when they can. I also know whom she sees in the distance when she looks at me. I’ve got a couple of ideas about that, too…”
David: ”My Servitors watch his, and I watch him. If his joining us is true, well and good: if not, he’ll regret it for the rest of his short existence.” ”I don’t deserve his trust. Yet.”
Dominic: ”I don’t agree with his tactics. He’s disconcertingly enthusiastic. I don’t approve of his other allies. And his contributions to the War have yet to be fully determined. But … his courage is unquestioned, and God made him an Archangel, not the Council. He is my responsibility, and I will watch him closely.” ”Maybe it’s because I’m new here, but aren’t you guys a little hard on him? I don’t think that anyone in Heaven really understands how much he’s done to help keep Hell from getting the upper hand. Besides, if he were as blind and as paranoid as his reputation, I’d be a slowly expanding cloud of Forces right now. I trust him to tell me the Truth when I’m screwing up. And he’s not as stuffy as you all say.”
Eli: ”I swear, when I saw Dominic sponsoring a Demon Prince for Redemption, I was sure that somebody had stuck something in my drink the night before. But the old guy’s on the ball this time. We needed somebody else down here letting humanity know that it’s OK to live life to the fullest, as long as you’re not hurting others. Besides, Judgement could use a little Gusto herself, and from what I’ve heard … (wink)” ”Eli? Fun to hang out with, easy to talk to, his Word resonates with mine. I know he finds it funny that Dominic has too much to deal with now that I’m around to concentrate on getting that heresy trial going. Of course, me telling Dom about how that bastard Kobal laughed every time he thought about it might have had something to do with it…”
Gabriel: ”So, one of the Lost is Found. He burns with his new Heart. I wish him well, though I am uneasy with his association with the Hyena. He would do well not to emulate his patron in cruelty, for I do watch…” ”I never realized how much Fire was in me until I came here. She doesn’t quite trust me, either: unlike Dave, though, Gabby might relent if I brought her that lunatic Belial’s head. It’s a good idea on general principles, anyway.”
Janus: ”WOOO-HOOO! Hell’s got egg on its collected faces, Dominic’s got his hands full trying to keep up with an eager-beaver shiny new Archangel, said Archangel is about as stuffy as a hurricane, and his Servitors have all sorts of nifty tricks. This is almost as fine as when I set up the Discordians … oops. Just kidding there. Now, all we have to do is get him a new name, and I’m content.” ”Listen closely: I knew Valefor. Luckily, he wasn’t ever a friend of mine, even when I was … worse. Janus is nothing like Valefor. Janus is a good guy to run with, and his help has been a lifesaver. But I’m not changing my name: let those mocking morons down there wince every time I’m foiling their schemes…”
Jean: ”Interesting. His future activities will provide invaluable data for any future Princes who might decide to seek forgiveness. He seems a typical Ofanite, otherwise.” ”At least he isn’t insane. To think that I thought that all angels were like Vapula…”
Jordi: ”After Haagenti became an Archangel, he went alone to my Savannah, and sat there for three days, defenseless. Certain of my animals came to him: ones that he had devoured as a Prince. He refused to raise a hand to them as they bit, scratched, clawed him. Finally, I came before him myself. It was only then that he spoke, and said, ‘Whatever you feel you must do, do’.
” I sat and watched him for a time, and bid him never come back to my domain without my permission. He left. I still do not forgive him, but … he does not lack for courage. My Servitors will watch him further. And so will I.” ”I figure that, eventually, I’ll get all the holdouts to see that I’ve changed … except him. Or they, or it … Kyrios confuse me. Neat. Anyway, I doubt he’ll ever really forgive me, and I can’t say that I blame him much. In the meantime, note to Servitors: sorry, people, but big game hunting is Right Out. I don’t care how much fun it is to go up against a bear with only a knife: your boss has overdrawn that particular account big time.”
Khalid: ”Allah works in mysterious ways: every time I think I comprehend that, He provides me with another lesson. This is one of His more pleasant ones. I welcome my new brother, though I do not yet see his role in the War. But I have Faith that Allah will reveal it to him – and me.” ”I needed Faith to come here, and Faith came to me. If he had anything to do with it, I’m grateful.”
Laurence: ”Dominic says that he’s Redeemed. Michael’s says that he’s Truly sorry for his past. Yves states that his Destiny has been achieved. But David’s suspicious, and so am I. I’m also uncomfortable with his friendship with Eli and Novalis. If he proves himself worthy, fine. If not, well, he’s picked the wrong place to play spy…” ”I haven’t earned his trust, either, but I think that I’ll earn it a little faster with him. He’s another one that I think some of Hell respects more than some of us do. Mmmmmm … ‘Us’.”
Marc: ”He’s a little free with spreading things around, but at least he’s no longer a personification of wastefulness. And his Servitors have already proven themselves useful to me. And, well, it’s just that he’s so blessed eager to help out. His example might even encourage others…” ”Well, the Words aren’t really in conflict, but they’re not completely compatible, either. Still, no worries – and it’s always good to know where to find someone who can supply you with what you need for that special party. He’s another one of those hopeful types, though resolving Blandy’s little problem going to be much easier.”
Michael: ”I hate to say it, but David and Laurence are wrong and the Hyena is right in this case. In this case. We were all there when God gave him his Word. Let me repeat that. God. End of story. I look at him and the Truth I see is an angel who wants to make sure that nothing in God’s creation goes unappreciated ever again. He needs temporary help to build up his forces, and I’ll give it. I’ll even look the other way if they have to deal with certain others’ Servitors. I expect that I won’t regret it later.” ”Thank God for Seraphs. Without Mike and Dom, I’d be between a rock and a hard place, trying to convince everyone that I’m not a rampaging black hole with fangs anymore. There’s no uncertainty with him, no tricks: you have no idea how refreshing that is after an eternity of lies. I know he expects me to not betray his support, and I won’t. Now if I can just get my two favorite Most Holy to stop glaring at each other, I’ll be making a Real contribution to this War.”
Novalis: ”I’ve heard the story of his Redemption, and I’ve seen the peace that comes from him now. It just goes to show you that we don’t have to kill off all of Hell to win. If we can hold on, keep human hopes alive, and show a little charity once in a while, they’ll all come back. And, who knows: maybe Dominic will get a little more peace of his own, now.” ”Ah, Novy: you know, she’s the only one who I can nickname to her face (these comments are private, right?). Sweet, sweet girl. I don’t know how she survived this War long enough for me to dance with her, but then, I’m here, so what do I know? Her Servitors make my kids’ jobs much easier. They’re going to return the favor … and so am I.”
Yves: ”Of course, Demon Princes have Destinies. Did you really ever doubt it? Haagenti has come through despair and into the light, and we should all make sure that he stays there.” ”Thank God every hour, on the hour, that you’ve got him and not that dour, vindictive, smug mass of corruption Kronos up here. I do. I can’t begin to list the ways that he’s helped me adjust to my new life.”
Role in the War
Haagenti, unbeknownst to most Superiors, is going to be taking an active role in the War soon, and it’s going to be surprisingly hard-nosed, considering his Word. He’ll be big on an eclectic approach, using nonviolent means whenever possible but ready to start Smiting if the situation calls for it. Haagenti has also discovered the joys of subtlety, and has embraced it with a convert’s zeal.
He knows quite a lot about the resources, strategies, tactics, and hidden secrets of Hell, and he’s been cheerfully revealing every single one of them since he went Renegade. Haagenti is not objective about his former allies: to him, they’re all sadistic, mocking bastards who need stomping on, hard — and he knows just the people who will do it. Any unrepentant Renegade who expects a little slack from him is going to be in for a rude surprise.
His attitude towards Demon Princes is the same, only more so. The only ones not immediately marked down for eventual obliteration are Asmodeus, Baal, Beleth & Lilith: not because he’s fond of them, personally, but because annihilating them would upset certain of his new friends and allies. He’s especially keen on eventually settling the entire Gabriel/Belial situation in a simple, straightforward matter.
And he can’t wait to see his good old ”brother” Kobal again.
Basic Rites
: Encourage a human to go do something that will expand their mental horizons.
: Convince someone that life is worth living.
Chance of Invocation: 3
Modifiers
+1 A National Geographic Magazine
+2 A Suicide Prevention Center
+3 A party of more than ten people where everyone is in a creative and/or positive mood.
+4 A Demon of Gluttony, ready to Redeem
+5 A first draft of a book that will give people the urge to explore new frontiers, whether physical, spiritual or mental
+6 Any historical Quest Object (Holy Grail, Spear of Longious, the Lost Ark, ect.)
History
Some things never change.
Haagenti, not too long ago, was the Demon Prince of Gluttony, and generally considered to be even more unlikely a candidate for Redemption than usual. Considered a buffoon, a lout, and incredibly coarse by both sides of the War, Haagenti seemed Fated to spend the rest of eternity looking to shove anything remotely edible down his throat.
Then, one day, Haagenti got indigestion.
It’s not the most inspiring story in the world, and the actual details are sketchy. It’s suspected that Kobal was at least partly responsible, as part of a particularly elaborate Prank. Suffice it to say that the results were very, very messy: in fact, some parts of Shal-Mari are still deserted because of the smell.
Worse than the actual … event … was the other Demon Prince’s reactions (from Haagenti’s POV, at any rate). The humiliation was total: even Lucifer smiled mockingly when he received the news. The story that something existed that Haagenti couldn’t swallow raced across Hell. It was too much for the Prince of Gluttony to stand. There were too many mockers for even him to consume, so he fled.
Haagenti had never been much for movement, but shame (and dissonance, by now, as his Calabite nature began to fray from his inability to destroy – consume – all those who taunted him) can speed even the grossest entity. He fled across Hell, and found no place that did not mock. He moved to the ethereal plane, and watched as Beleth crafted dreamscapes of cruel laughter and sent them to him.
Finally, Haagenti translated himself to the corporeal plane, half-mad with dissonance and confusion. On Earth, he ran. And ran, and ran, and ran. Trying to recapture his nature, he at first tried to Glutton himself on food: the first bite sent him into Discord as his memories lashed back at him. From then on, he couldn’t eat without pain and shame.
Then he tried physical pleasure. Dimly realizing that a trail of bodies would allow him to be traced and mocked by his ”friends”, Haagenti was careful to not consume his partners as he spun into an endless orgy that would have impressed Andreaphlus. After a while, though … it wasn’t enough. He kept hungering for more, different, ever greater sensations. Worse (from his point of view), he began to notice that mere physical joining was not even satisfying his needs. He found himself wanting mental, emotional (he was careful to never even think ”spiritual”) satisfaction from the people that he met.
So Haagenti then tried danger. Danger to a Demon Prince is harder to come by, but it exists even on Earth. Avoiding the mortals that gave him such odd hungers, he climbed mountains alone. He swam in shark-infested waters. He wandered through deserts and glaciers. At first, this seemed to work, but he soon realized that he was constantly thinking about how much more there was to see, and how he couldn’t hope to consume it all. He realized, in fact, that he was thinking more than he had ever done before.
Trying to assuage his new Hunger for thought seemed the next logical step. This proved worse than anything done before had: while, the individual knowledge and insights available on the corporeal plane might be finite, the interconnections between them are enough to dizzy even a Seraph of Revelations. Haagenti, try as he might, couldn’t satisfy this insidious Hunger: it consumed him from within, until he simply sat down one day in a secluded spot in the woods and sat, and stayed there for three months, trying to make sense of it all.
Then, one day, Haagenti had a thought. An answer had come, one that promised to resolve his dilemma and allow him final peace. It would be hard, and the odds were that he wouldn’t be able to get away with it, but there was one sensation that he had never tried … and he realized then that he Hungered for it more than food or sex or danger or thought. And it was, finally, a Hunger he could feed.
Haagenti immediately transported himself back to Hell. There, in a well-hidden place, lay his Heart. All Princes have a safe place where they keep their Hearts, ringed with the best defenses that they can arrange (it is said that even Valefor dares not seek one out to steal unless he is prepared to start a war to the knife). He picked it up and truly looked at it for the first time in his existence. It said everything there was to say about him, really. He gazed upon his Heart – his life – for a long time.
Then he smashed it under his heel and left Hell without a backward glance.
It was a very confused Archangel of Judgement that brought the penitent, Renegade Prince of Gluttony before the Seraphim Council. Haagenti had appeared before a Triad and surrendered. He patiently waited until Dominic made his weekly visit, then put himself directly into Judgement’s hands. No deals, no pleas for asylum, no begging for mercy. It didn’t exactly fit Dominic’s expectations. The Seraph could tell that, in Truth, Haagenti was seeking Redemption, but a Prince was not a normal supplicant. Heaven would have to judge him as a whole.
During his trial/debriefing, Haagenti was a model of remorse. He made no excuses, showed no attempt to justify his past actions, and meekly professed his willingness to submit to whatever punishment was his lot. His only request was, if his eventual punishment was permanent death, he wished to do so as an angel.
Of course, the Council wasn’t about to actually kill the first Demon Prince to ever seek Redemption. But when Haagenti finally was brought in alignment with the Symphony, he emerged an Archangel, rather than the mere Servitor the Council (and Haagenti) had expected: a clear manifestation of the will of God.
And when one of the Seraphs of the Council asked the new Superior what his Word was, for the theme of the Symphony was slightly obscure in the aftermath of Divine Revelation, the new Ofanite Archangel grinned and said, ”Gusto.”…
… and then proceeded to throw himself into his new task of causing everyone he meets to experience every drop of joy, happiness, and creativity out of life. To live, live well, and make others happier in spite of themselves. To remind others that there’s a Big Old World out there, with too much stuff to take it all in, but to try anyway, because it’s fun. Haagenti is the amused despair of most of his new peers, as he runs around, uncaring of his dignity and insinuating his Word into every facet of life.
Some things never change.
Ain’t it keen?