Tags

, , , , , ,

“Sloth” by Jacques Callot

Although Meserach was never granted a word by heaven, he was one of Janus’s most powerful negotiators. Outside of the Archangels themselves there was hardly a celestial in heaven who could say no to this charismatic Cherub.

At first he used his ability on Janus’s behalf – redirecting angels so they and their creations would better serve the Wind. He was so effective, he started compelling the lesser angels to accomplish his tasks for him. In time, he came to view himself as a lesser archangel – first accomplishing Janus’s tasks, then setting about some of his own, all without ever leaving his place of rest.

When Lucifer railed against the tyranny of heaven, Meserach knew which side he would be on. He fought bravely alongside Baal and the Morningstar, and had already rebuilt a portion of his former network when the infernal civil war broke out. Over the centuries of conflict, the Djinn did almost nothing, but his network was one of the most effective in Hell.

At Asmodeus’s suggestion, the Dark Prince gave Meserach the word of Sloth. The new Prince considered this a great victory, putting him in the perfect position to oppose his former Superior.  For centuries Meserach’s Word kept the Djinn from realizing how The Game had played him, and by then it was to late. Laziness had undermined the efficiency of Meserach’s network.  When Haagenti arrived to devour his former Prince, the house guard didn’t even respond to the alarm.

Dissonance

Demons of Sloth deserve their long and frequent rests. No one else is required to manage incompetence the way the Indolent do. It is dissonant for a servitor of Meserach to do himself that which he could delegate to another.

Band Attunements

Most demons within the Dominion of Sloth were left incomplete and serve as Imps, Gremlins, and Familiars. When purchasing a demonic servant you may spend 1 extra CP to increase its Forces by 1 (to a maximum of 6).

Balseraph – (partially restricted) – You may add your Ethereal forces to any Fast Talk, Seduction, or Resonance roll made to convince someone to put off work. Only Balseraph gain the Resonance bonus.

Djinn – (restricted) – Meserach’s priorities have changed after he became Sloth. Anyone attuned to one of his Djinn must either succeed on a Will roll or spend 1 Essence before doing something they know will bother the demon.

Calabim – (restricted) – Meserach never bothered to teach his Calabim to control their demonic resonance. They cannot direct their resonance the way other Destroyers do, but they do Corporeal Forces damage to anything they come into physical contact with, including clothes, doorknobs, and unarmed assailants. This damage bypasses resistance.

Habbalah – (restricted) – The Habbalah of Sloth are frequently stressed. People around them keep interrupting their life of inactivity. If one of these demons lashes out at the source of a request or order, they do not need to subtract dissonance from their Resonance roll.

Lilim – (restricted) – Meserach’s Tempters are mostly interested in the little things. If one of these Lilim succeeds on a Will roll after successfully invoking a Rank 1 Geas, she may keep the Geas Hook.

Shedim – (restricted) – Sloth’s Shedim do not need to corrupt their hosts on days when no rolls are required.

Impudites – Humans in the presence of an Impudite of Sloth can only regain Essence when they use a Rite or roll an Intervention on their best skill. Succeeding with a 6 is insufficient, as is waiting for noon.

img709845_80750012b085123f

[NEW ADDITION]

Impudite (Variation) – (restricted) – The Impudites of Sloth can send people into a deep depression. When these demons would drain more Essence than is available, the target will go into an Essence Deficit. While in an Essence Deficit the character must succeed at a Will roll penalized by the deficit amount in order to take part in any activity which would regain Essence. The deficit must be paid off before Essence can be accumulated.

Servitor Attunements

Stagnation – With 5 Essence, a successful Will roll and a touch, the demon may reduce anyone to an inert lump of flesh: living and thinking, but incapable of movement. The target may resist with a successful Strength or Will roll. If they fail, they may attempt again after the demon’s Corporeal Forces +10 minutes have passed. Celestials may add their Celestial Forces to the TN.

Idle Hands – The demon may hijack the hands of any one person in site who is not using them to some other purpose. Their target may end the effect by simply thinking about what their hands are doing. After Will minutes, the target’s hands will again become available unless they have been put to a specific use.

Distinctions

Knight Procrastinator – Knight Procrastinators can easily convince the weak willed to put off a task. Anyone with Will 1 or 2 will postpone their current activity if the demon asks.

Captain of Shilly-Shally – As above but you may also affect people with Wills of 3 and 4.

Baron of Indolence – The demon may respond to a request with such apathy that they will be excluded from any further discussion of a subject.

Rites

  • Sleep 8 hours (for humans this means 16 hours total)
  • Do nothing productive for a day
  • Ruin 6+ months of work by causing someone to miss a deadline

Relations

Allies: Beelzebub
Associates: Beleth
Hostile: Asmodeus, Mammon
Enemies: Kobol

Invocation

Meserach does not make appearances for his servitors.  Instead anyone who succeeds on their Invocation roll feels a mystical summons to his current location (as per the Songs of Calling).

Chance of Invocation: 3

Invocation Modifiers
+1 Do nothing for a day
+2 Do nothing for a week
+3 Do nothing for a month
+4 Do nothing for a year
+5 Do nothing or a decade
+6 Do nothing for a century
+8 Do nothing for a millennium

Where are they now

Many of the Indolent joined Haagenti because they could not be bothered to look further. Others have become idle to the point of irrelevance. However, a minority of those who Fell along with Meserach have recovered their old knack for organization and intrigue now that they are no longer burdened with the word Sloth. It is rumored that Haagenti’s Habbalite spymaster, Canzonetta, comes from this last group.