Ah, I remember this one. To explain the joke: the Archangel of Flowers for In Nomine is called Novalis, and she is a happy-shiny, sweet, hippie kind of Archangel. Her angels, are in fact, required to avoid committing any acts of unnecessary violence.
But there are so many complexities inherent in the term ‘unnecessary.’ I regret that the line effectively stopped being supported before it was her turn for a full write up; I had such plans for that Archangel. Especially the part where I wrote up Novalis to be the most avowedly anti-Communist Archangel in Heaven. It would have been a glorious battle in playtest.
Alas.
Hypezokos (Impudite of Fate) – Google Docs
Hypezokos (Impudite of Fate)
620 pt (520 Celestial + 100)
ST 14 (0pt)
DX 15 (10pt)
IQ 16 (20pt)
HT 14 (0pt)
Basic Speed: 7.25
Advantages: Servitor of Fate (Impudite) (496pt), Impudite of Fate (24pt), Charisma 1 (5pt), Essence Control 10 (1pt*), Power Investiture (Corporeal/3, Ethereal/4, Celestial/3) (10pt*), Role/3 (Harris “Harry” Anderson, CIA Analyst) (15pt), Security Clearance/3 (Top Secret) (15pt), Status 1 (5pt), Vessel (30pt)
*Bought up from demonic template.
Disadvantages: Involuntary Duty (9-) (-10pt), Secret (Traitor to Hell) (Death) (-30pt)
Quirks: Black thumb (-1pt), Reads twenty newspapers, first thing in the morning (-1pt), binge drinker (-1), Bully (Quirk level) (-1pt), Cowardice (Quirk level) (-1pt)
Skills: Accounting (M/H) 13- (1/2pt), Administration (M/H) 14- (1/2pt), Computer Operations/TL7 (M/E) 15- (1/2pt), Computer Programming/TL7 (M/H) 13- (1/2pt), Cryptanalysis (M/H) 13- (1/2pt), Diplomacy (M/H) 13- (1/2pt), Driving (Car) (P/A) 13- (1/2pt), Economics (M/H) 13- (1/2pt), Forgery/TL7 (M/H) 13- (1/2pt), Guns/TL7 (pistol) (P/E) 19- (4pt), History (M/H) 13- (1/2pt), Intelligence Analysis (M/H) 16- (4pt), Karate (P/H) 15- (4pt), Linguistics (M/VH) 12- (1/2pt), Literature (M/H) 13- (1/2pt), Navigation/TL7 (M/H) 13- (1/2pt), Psychology (M/H) 13- (1/2pt), Research (M/A) 15- (1pt), Savoir-Faire (M/E) 15- (1/2pt), Stealth (P/A) 13- (1/2pt), Strategy (M/H) 13- (1/2pt), Swimming (P/E) 14- (1/2pt), Theology (M/H) 13- (1/2pt), Traffic Analysis (M/H) 15- (2pt), Writing (M/A) 14- (1/2pt)
Languages (all +1 for Linguistics, except Angelic): Angelic 14-, Arabic 15-, Cantonese 15-, Russian 15-
Songs: Charm (Ethereal) 12- (1pt), Charm (Celestial) 11- (1pt), Healing (Corporeal) 11- (1pt), Motion (Ethereal) 12- (1pt), Motion (Celestial) 11- (1pt), Shields (Corporeal) 11- (1pt), Tongues (Ethereal) 12- (1pt)
The ironic bit, of course, was that Hypezokos was trying to commit treason against his Prince (Kronos, Demon Prince of Fate). To use the old MICE acronym (Money, Ideology, Conscience, Ego) detailing why people choose to commit treason, the Impudite’s decision mostly hinged on Ego, with the thought of Money not all that far behind. Kronos had placed him in a very boring job doing basic security clearance vetting (very useful in creating and maintaining Roles); and thanks to the nature of the job, Hypezokos’ private life was under a level of unusually active scrutiny by corporeal authorities. Worse, the activities that they were watching for as signs of possible unreliability matched up reasonably well with activities that most demons consider to be merely perks of working on the corporeal plane. It should be no surprise that this exercise in applied irony eluded the demon, until his new owners pointed it out to him.
And, make no mistake about it, they own Hypezokos. The Impudite entered into negotiations under the carefully encouraged delusion that he was merely talking to another demonic faction’s agents, not the actual Main Enemy. It was not until after he provided actual evidence of his disloyalty that it was made clear to him who he was working for — and the new rules of Hypezokos’ life. There would be no grand treasons planned for the demon, no elaborate schemes. The Impudite would instead become a good little drone for Kronos, doing all the things required of him, promptly, thoroughly, exhibiting only the minimum insolence and petty incompetence necessary to keep suspicions from being aroused. The Impudite would cut back his social activities even further, the better to do his duty by Fate. The Impudite would be very, very helpful to other Servitors of Fate, plus whatever demons that he was aware of. And, needless to say, the Impudite would stop by a secure location every so often and provide full reports of everything he had learned and done, including the names and Roles of all the demons that he might come across in the course of his duties.
If any of this ever changes, documents listing his treasons will be sent to every Demon Prince in Hell, and never mind how they’d get there. They’d get there.
While this arrangement has done wonders for Hypezokos’ productivity, it also places him in steadily increasing amounts of danger. The Impudite survives because he is not yet prominent enough to be subject to a loyalty interview with a Balseraph of Fate with the Seraph resonance (Hypezokos is especially diligent about reporting to his handlers whenever he encounters one). Once he does have an interview, and it comes out that he is in fact a traitor, Hypezokos will then die in a very slow, very painful manner. His handlers will not rescue him; they have made it clear that there is one way out for the Impudite, and that is to Redeem. If he selfishly chooses not to do that, then when the inevitable happens he will be left out to dry. As for rewards? Well, he is protected from the Malakim, and physical cash is usually not a problem. And that is it. Hyperzokos is so need-to-know that he is actively forbidden from revealing his identity to an angel, on pain of immediate disclosure. This is to prevent him from trying to renegotiate a better deal, of course.
Or, as his handler once put it (in her insufferably sickly-sweet way of both her personally, and her Archangel): situations like Hypezokos’ work best when they are entirely under the Rose.