25 Years of Haagenti

Tags

Haagenti, IN 2022, In Nomine

“Hags” by Trows

As one of the younger Superiors, the past 25 years have only had about the same impact on Haagenti as maybe a year and a half might have on you or me. So while we’re still adjusting to a world with masks, he’s only now coming to grips with the fact that he’ll never again have another McDLT.

Revised Duchies of Gluttony

Tags

Duchies, Haagenti, In Nomine, NPC, Wordbound

One thing I’ve realized in brainstorming and workshopping Haaganti’s Wordbound, is that Haagenti’s fiefdom is messy. Like Belial, he actually encourages his demons to consume each other if they get lazy or sloppy. There are no clear metrics to follow (with Chocolate being a Duke but Fast Food only a Baron). On top of all that, his base of operations is in the cramped quarters of Shal-Mari. Even though he has significant extraterritorial holdings in Perdition and Tartarus, most of his Dukes live one atop the other.

I’m also trying to work from within a relatively closed system. When I started the Duchy project I determined there were approximately 237 infernal duchies, and so I’d like to keep his senior court to roughly the same size as before (9). I am therefore breaking this list into 4 sections: Archdukes, Governors General, Dukes, and Pretenders. Feel free to shuffle around which nobles fall under which categories as fits your game.

Cattle Call

Tags

Andrealphus, Haagenti, Nybbas, Wordbound

During last month’s post on foods that outpriced gold I mentioned that I was considering a deep dive post on cattle as part of my project to pick out new Dukes of Gluttony. What I hadn’t fully realized is how much of a “grab bag” the post would be. Breeds, cuts, and preparations renown for their popularity, price, or flavor are all going to get at least a mention.

First Thing First

Cattle

“Cattle” itself is an interesting Word. At the moment it means “domesticated bovines,” but previously it was used interchangeably with livestock. This implies a Demon who was once much more powerful than they are today. Assuming this demon was old enough to have fought in the rebellion, my choir suggestions for animals would suggest that they are a fallen cherub.

However, that’s only relevant to this Word. Those that follow came into use or popularity after The Fall, so there isn’t a similar need to match band to choir.

The Same Thing We Do Every Night, Pinky: Redefine Geopolitics Using Food

Tags

Fleurity, Haagenti, In Nomine, Novalis, Vapula, Wordbound

Time for another nobles of Gluttony post.

I feel like I’ve been losing the thread on these a bit; sliding back into long lists rather than curation; so this time I’ve picked foods & crops that redefined geopolitics as my theme. I expect this theme will force me to produce more robust content and the challenge will be keeping descriptions down to just a paragraph or two.

I also decided to experiment with titles a little bit, though I expect I will need to revisit these when I go back through these lists to pick out higher nobles and entries that make sense for a rebuilt list of Dukes.

The Body Gastronomic

Tags

Haagenti, In Nomine, Wordbound

We know from canon sources that Haagenti will grant titles to servitors holding Words pertaining to bodily functions rather than just types of food, cuisine, or consumption. In fact, he has two distinct canonical nobles dedicated to burps: the Baron of Eructation and the Earl of Belching.

To get on this week’s list, each body parts, byproduct, function or condition must have something to do with eating or drinking. Those with weaker connections may have little or no Distinction. Those with stronger connections tend to have greater Distinction and multiple slight variations in the same Word might be granted. Generally speaking Haagenti expects the stronger variant to consume the weaker one, but alliances have been known to occur.

This is a bit of a long list, so I’m not going into much detail. Please feel free to add more examples in the comments or ask for an expansion/explanation in the comments.

Allies & Turncoats of Haagenti’s Rise

Tags

Haagenti, In Nomine, Kobal, Mammon, Mariel, Marquis, Meserach, Saminga, Wordbound

When I decided to rebuild Haagenti’s Duchies, I mentioned that a lot of his senior nobles would be allies and turncoats. When that comes to words, that’ll mostly be ones that tend to fall in the borderland between Haagenti and either one of his allies or one of the demon’s he’s eaten.

Since this is pretty much the same test as what I personally use for identifying Marquis, it’s a good bet that most of these demons will make senior nobility.

Gold and Spice

Tags

Haagenti, In Nomine, Wordbound

As a part of revisiting the Duchies of Haagenti, I’m going to be experimenting with different themes relating to food and consumption to pick out Words that I think Haagenti would have an interest in. The more lists a Word appears on, the more likely it’s going to end up somewhere in Haagenti’s senior nobility.

This week’s theme is foods, spices, and supplements that have traded favorably with gold. Words on the main list could easily hold a Baron’s distinction and have a reasonable shot at even higher stations. Honorable Mentions probably just straddle the line between Captain and Baron.

Is this the way to Flavortown?

Tags

Brainstorm, Haagenti, Wordbound

In light of my reflections on gluttony, I feel like the only real way to figure out who would be made a Duke by Haagenti is to lay out a whole slew of words and work from there. Those who are officially part of Haagenti’s court will be bold. Those which I have included will be italic. Ranks will be in parenthesis.

Keep in mind this list is not complete, the only Princes who nominate more (of their own) Demons for Words are Asmodeus and Beleth.

Reflections on Gluttony

Tags

Duchies, Haagenti, In Nomine

So it occurs to me that I probably approached the Duchies of Gluttony wrong.

I was so eager to find an organizing theory for his duchies, I forgot the most important thing: Haagenti is the last major Prince to gain his crown by conquest. While he might have made one or two Dukes in the past thousand years, his senior court will mostly be those allies who consumed a tenth of hell right along side him, and maybe a couple of turncoats that helped them do it.

Taxonomies are for the more philosophical leaders. At the time he came to power Haagenti would have gone with his gut.

Doesn’t mean those fancy words I picked are gone – it’s just that probably hold lower stations, like Counts or Earls; backfill, as it were, from once Haagenti had a chance to start planning out his naming conventions.

Zavatel, Angel of Milk

Tags

15 Force, Cherub, Christopher, Eli, Haagenti, In Nomine, Jordi, Milk, NPC, Wordbound

Zavatel is a tutelary angel who oversees the milk produced by livestock, especially that which is gathered for human consumption. Her celestial form is that of a living being whose four quarters resemble a goat, a cow, a sheep and a yak. Like all cherubs, she takes her role as protector very seriously, and considers both children and livestock to be among her wards. As a result, both Jordi and Christopher have allowed Zavatel to act in their service when Eli abandoned his heavenly cathedral.

As the industry linked to Zavatel’s Word has changed, so has she. It is not at all uncommon to find her studying vacuums and refrigeration in the Halls of Lightning or trading essence and favors in Marc‘s exchange to ensure that dairy farmers and their stock could continue to survive and thrive.