Aballam Habbalite Archangel of Madness "The world will bend, then break before me. All shall be madness" History No-one (save Lucifer and Kronos) quite knows where the dashing, smiling Habbalite in the top-hat, tails, and cane came from. There are rumours of course: Son of Beleth and Malphas? An Ethereal God from the far marches, elevated to Princehood on Lucifers Whim? Something more hideous? Lucifer, in disguise? who knows? who wants to find out? Sometime after the fall, Blandine discovered that Beleth wasn't the only power working human dreamscapes. Something else was out there, twisting the souls and psyches of humanity into grotesque parodies. It even had a name. Aballam. It made her hit list quite fast after that, Aballam went about, sowing seeds of chaos in his path, and malphas soon became a patron of the speedily growing power, but then again, malphas makes friends with _everybody_. Aballam found that where ever he went, who ever he spoke to, it all went wrong. Well, not wrong from his point of view, those he spoke to, the monkey-things, some of them had good ideas, some even saw things almost as clearly as he did. Those that didnt see it all to clearly, well, lets just say that they saw more than clearly when they had their eyes opened truly to the symphony, able to see it but not able to do anything about it, able to see the things that walked around in human bodies. About 3200BC he got his word. He began to work with Kobal, destroying the sanity of the petty little talking apes, and although the work was good, something was missing. Fate. When lucifer presented Kronos, he took Aballam aside and whispered in his ear. Aballam stepped away from Lucifer a Prince. over the next 50 years, he severed his ties with Kobal, and re-established them with Kronos. Kobal has yet to forgive either Aballam or Lucifer for this. (He can't do much about the latter, but he's sure as hell gonna get even with the former) Besides Kronos and Beleth, Aballam worked closely with Mariel, princess of Oblivion. Their words meshed well, and his organisation, his plan, and some say he himself, was devastated when the upstart Haagenti devoured her on his way to princehood. Time passed, as time does, and still he managed to evade all those that blandine sent (assisted it would appear, by Beleth), once in a while he'd add his own personal touch to history, book burnings, rabies (much to the loathing of Jordi), the hysteria aboard the titanic that lead to so many deaths, and many many more besides. Recently, his Choir-Brother Fleurity has boosted his word at the same time as his own potent word. For some reason, Furfur looks up to him, doing all that he can to please him, like a little brother, getting more hardcore and madder with each act he does, there are some rumours of Aballam and Fleurity giving FurFur a new drug to try out, but this has never been proved, and we all know that Furfur cuts his crack with damned souls and tartarus brand floor cleaner. Not to mention the shootings, sudden rise in doomsday suicide cults, and postal workers in general. Then there was Lovecraft, and King and Barker... Who is the wild-eyed man? Aballam knows. Perhaps one of the only things that Kobal might like him for is the insanity caused during the Xmas holiday as overworked parents struggle to find the last toy on the list that is limited edition, never to be released again, in a choice of colours (which the kiddy didnt say his fav colour...) Mammon likes this too, but for different reasons. Asmodeus, as binder of things in rules, really dislikes Aballam's attitude. He's keeping a Djinnish eye on the Prince of Madness. Aballam is formally referred to as Prince of Lunatics or The Keyholder. Behind his back he is called The Lunatic Prince, or Crazy A (mostly by kobalites). Outlook Aballam sees the little monkeys as toys for him to play with, and break if he sees fit. Some of them are worthy. Some see the world through his eyes. All others must be made to do the same. Aside from promoting his word, he is heavily involved in creating False Prophets for Lucifer and Kronos. A point to note is that while he does indeed hold the word of madness, Aballam is far from insane. He is cold, calm, collected and focussed. He is also, unlike Saminga (The other DP associated with madness - though for different reasons), supremely intelligent, and a master manipulator. Dissonance It is dissonant for servitors of madness to allow convention, morality, or reason to hinder their plans. Suppressing their Gift also causes a point of dissonance. Band Attunements In addition to their attunements, all demons of Madness have an ethereal discord at a level equal to their Ethereal forces. (this is additional to their natural discord in the case of calabim). this is refered to as their 'Gift'. They receive no extra character points for this discord, but gain the ability to instantly spot others who suffer the same Discord/Disadvantage. Balseraphs (R) -- Anyone under the influence of a balseraph of madness' lies who then comes across physical evidence to the contrary must immediately make an Int roll or suffer d6 mind hits. if they fail, the liar does not incur dissonance. Djinn (R) -- The Djinn's attuned are inflicted with a reflection of the djinnish personality, becoming mildly obsessive/compulsive over one thing. The Djinn cannot choose what, it varies from person to person. If the djinn allows his attunement to run it's course, he may make a contested will roll with the attuned and if successful the victim will retain this compulsive behavior for a number of months equal to the Djinns Eth forces. Calabim (R) -- Shatterers of minds and destroyers of sanity, Aballam's Calabim may cause Mind hits with their resonance if they wish, adding their Eth forces rather than Corp when doing so. Habbalah (R) -- Suffer no backlash if the emotion they are inflicting is the effect of their Gift. Lillim (R)-- Lilim of madness may spend a geas to drive someone temporarily insane. the duration of the insanity is equal to the length of service related to the geas. at the end of this period, the insanity disappears completely. Shedim -- A host being ridden by a shedite of madness loses one mind hit per day, which do not heal until the shedite leaves. they also lose a further 1 mind hit every time they lose a will contest with the shedite (which heals normally). Discord/disadvantages that result will almost certainly be reflections of the shedite's Gift. This attunement works with the song of posession as well. Impudites (R) -- Any being successfully drained by one of Aballam's takers gains a Need(something really unpleasent in a Clive Barker/HP Lovecraft style) at a level equal to the impudites Celestial forces, for a number of days equal to the essence transferred. The impudite may make a Will roll to prevent this affliction if they wish. Pachadim -- Aballam has many pachadim serving him, as a gift from Beleth for his support of her word. A Pachadite of madness gains a bonus to both their perception roll and resonance roll for detecting/inflicting fear equal to the highest Ethereal Discord/disadvantage possessed by the target. Servitor Attunements Transferrance -- With a will roll, the demon may inflict their Gift upon another being. physical contact is required, and the victim may resist with an Int roll of their own (celestials add their Ethereal forces). The imposed discord lasts for the demon's Eth forces hours, during which time they do not suffer from it themselves Paint the walls -- for two Essence, the servitor may cover an available surface (not necessarily a wall) with eye-burning symbols and wild ravings. These remain for the demon's Cel forces hours, and during that time any person who reads them must make an Int roll or suffer d6 mind hits. This will affect a number of people equal to the demon's Ethereal Forces plus any additional essence spent before fading. Dream Walking -- As per Beleth's attunement. Distinctions Knight of Turmoil -- The knight's celestial form causes stunning like a shedite's. shedite knights gain a bonus to their will rolls to control a host equal to the level of their Gift. Captain of The Descent -- Masters of misdirection and obfuscation, Aballam's Captains cause confusion in all around them. Any intelligence tests made within the demon's Total Forces yds of the captain are penalised by the demon's Celestial forces. this includes Int tests to resist the effects of Aballam's Balseraph and Servitor Attunements Baron of Nyarlathotep -- For 3 essence the demon may inflict his gift on all within Total Forces yds of him. Celestials may resist with a will roll. The effect lasts until the victims move further away than 100x the demons Cel Forces in Yds. there are no lasting effects. Relations Allied: Beleth, Kronos. Associated: Fleurity, Furfur, Malphas. Neutral: All others except... Hostile: Saminga. (Baal, Asmodeus, and Kobal are hostile to Aballam) Enemy: Asmodeus. Basic rites: -- Spend an hour arguing philosophies with a rational being (+3 if you sway them to your viewpoint) -- Inspire someone to express their madness in the form of art or writing. Invocation chance: 4 Invocation modifiers +1 A book of riddles +2 A strip of LSD tabs +3 Someone having a bad trip +4 A lunatic preacher +5 A serial killer, driven by madness +6 In an asylum for the violently Insane Superior Opinions Alaemon - He speaks too much yet says so little, and the secrets he reveals destroy those he reveals them to. I don't trust him. "He hides the Truth behind mirrors hidden behind smoke. I break the mirrors, I fan away the smoke. I reveal the Truth in all it's maddening glory, that mankind may learn it and take it to heart." Andrealphus - Hmm, brief moments of ecstatic pleasure can be found in the hearts of the mad, but they lack style and co-ordination. If its fun for a moment take it, when the moments gone, forget it. "Lust is an aspect of madness, but the pretty prince is too tied to the flesh. He should open his mind to the exctasy of true sensation." Asmodeus - *reaches for a file* Oh yes i am aware of him, he is single most dangerous thing at the moment, he has no respect for order or rules. He actually _encourages_ Discord in his servitors!He _will_ get whats coming to him sooner rather than later. "Binder! Constrictor! Rules are a defence created by the weak to protect their fragile world-views from the horror of reality. I spit on his rules!" Baal - How can you run a war without discipline? The terror and insanity of war is all very well, but lunatics rarely win. "Another coward. Hiding behind ranks and discipline. He refuses to acknowledge the true goal of this war. Humanity is not a prize to be fought over. They are children ready to be taught." Beleth - Oh my sweet child, my kitten that brings food home to me and lets me play with it. We work so well together. Madness seeded in the waking minds of mortals, when they cross the threshold in to sleep, makes them mine. Hmm, if I wasnt his mother then who knows, not that that has ever stopped me before. "My dear mother, how I love your gentle touch. The minds of men are most open to the Truth while they sleep, and she knows it." Belial - Madness? Who cares? It aint flamable. "Prince of Fire? nothing but a spark. He does not know true madness. Now, if Gabriel fell...." Fleurity - Let the good times roll baby yeah!! If i had a twin it would be him, course i'd have to kill him, but he aint my twin. Drug therapy? I'm all for it. "His wares open doors so easily. Perception is all in the mind after all. Too many of his victims fail to realise what they truly see when they submit to the sweet caress of Drugs. I'm working on this problem. " Furfur - Hell yeah momma! He is so f*cking Hardcore man, you know, f*ckin Real, like me. He's a sharp muthaf*cker too, knows the buttons to push and just how far to push 'em man, push them real deep, all the way! F*ck yeah!!! "Petty, pathetic, and naive. He has a Word with almost limitless possiblities, but fails to see them. He is useful as muscle when I need it though." Haagenti - *urrrrrrrrrrrrp*. He grabs the food like a slave deprived, hah, dirt not food, the fool eats the dirt and gets no fatter. Pass the Mustard. "The fat fool is an abberation, and I will see him destroyed for what he did to Mariel... Sweet Oblivion, how Madness misses thee." Kobal - Ruined, all ruined because of him, by the rear teeth of bill gates, he will receive his due reward for what he has done. Once, long ago, i had an.. apprentice, but he went to far. The punchlines were not funny, surrealism humour is so out of date. He will get what he deserves say I. Haha, I slay me (but not until I slay him). "Lucifer has lost faith in this giggling bufoon. Why else would he order me to work with Kronos instead? Kobal's days are numbered, and he doesn't realize that _he_ is the punchline to his own trivial joke" Kronos - Hmm, yes, we do strange desperate things when we learn of our fates. This one is more than a boon to many of us, if only some of the others would realize the child's potential. "He sees Truths hidden even from me. Madness draws men ever to their Fates, and yet Fate is the cause of despairing madness for so many. Ever in circles, round we go." Lilith - He represents freedom of the mind, to totally open the doors of reality, yes, i have had dealings with him. "She _understands_ what it is to break shackles, whether physical or mental. I have had dealings with her before now, and will do so again." Malphas - Ah, like a candle in the darkness, showing many the way to go. They follow him too, gladly, with eyes open all the way, all of the fears and doubts they have, all mine in the end, all the friends they had they turn from, mistrust and hatred, fear and paranioa, oh sweet child, oh how you belong here in Hell with us. "Every person perceives the Truth in their own way. Thus they stand alone. Isolation is the key to many things. But ultimately, when all know the Truth, and all is madness, there will be true unity. Then my father will be obsolete." Mammon - He believes worldly goods mean nothing to the 'truly enlightened'. He's dead wrong about that. Still, if all are mad, then the spoils are there for the taking. "No concern of mine, this prince of coins and measures. All that matters is the measure of the mind. the worldly must be sacrificed in pursuit of the Truth." Nybbas - Hey whats the point in having a damned scheduale if some loonytune comes along and messes with it huh? Surreal TV ain't big bucks kiddo! "He has the greatest tool for bringing the Truth to the masses, but will not use it. All he does is cocoon their minds in safe metaphors and comforting falsehoods. A pity, a waste, a joke? I don't find him in the least bit funny" Saminga - What use is he to me? Death is above mere madness. Some say he Taints the great ones such as myself, but they are fools, Fools I tell you! Bwahahahaha! "He personally strengthens my word, but Death is a poor substitute for Oblivion. a more competent holder of the word would only be a hindrance however. The idiot can stay where he is for all i care." Valefor - He steals their minds, and how wonderfully he does it. I approve. By the way, anyone want a copy of the _original_ necronomicon? Only one none-to-careful owner... "He does nothing to aid my word, and does nothing to hinder it either. Me? Ambivalent? yes and no... now where did i put that Cursed Book?" Vapula - Oh, _him_, came around asking about psychotropic satelites some time ago I think, ask sparky, he knows. (Sparky: Hmm, yes i recall, bright young thing, so full of energy and he knows how to direct it. I asked him to send back the results of the lycanthropy tests we were doing back in the 1680's, if you see him, nudge his memory about it will you, theres a good chap) "Like his protege, he has such potential. At least he is more than willing to provide me with new methods of spreading the Truth. If only that damned Sparky wasn't always around, curtailing his genius." * * * * * Blandine - Had i the resources and the time, then i _personally_ would hunt him down and show that little -angel- what an open mind i really have about his existence Insanity leads us away from the place where dreams and hopes exist. "Mother's old nemesis. Every dream I shatter, I do in memory of mother's hatred for that weak little bitch in her ivory tower. Here's to you, lady of dreams" Christopher - If ever you encounter any of his 'get', Destroy them before they corrupt those around them and harm the innocents. "The young mind is so wonderfully open to the Truth. work subtly, and you can sow the seeds to reap great benefits later" David - Madness brings with a sense of strength, but it is a lie. It is a weakness. He is as feeble minded as his word. "A tough opponent, but brotherhood will only truly come when all succumb to the Truth. Then he will learn. Then he will See." Dominic - Some of humanity's worst have been let off from just punishment because of the state of their minds. insanity should not be a defence for some crimes. "Another who binds with rules and regulations. Yet he is so close to fanaticism. It makes me wonder what it might take to open his eyes." Eli - Hey, if he wasn't a demon, he wouldn't be to bad you know. Opening the mind to let creation flow freely. It's a shame that he dements instead of truly opening the mind. "If he wasn't an angel, oh what fun we could have. Creativity sits rooted in madness. How many tortured artists, how many self-destructive writers? and yet i hear rumours that his peers consider him mad? this bears investigation." Gabriel - There are those who say i speak with the mouth of madness, but that which i say is divine, not babble as he spouts. "Even the most holy and divine prophet, mouthpiecce of god's word, is utterly insane. how much more proof of my divine cause do you need?" Janus - Yeah things need to be shook up, but when he starts shaking, things break. "Manic-depressive. A wild card. Sower of chaos. He little understands how his actions strengthen me." Jean - We are aware of him, the counter program is in progress. "Again with the rules. Look and learn. True genius, true insight only come from the burning fever of madness. See the Truth. Hell could do with more of my choir" Jordi - *much snarling* "baiting the beast is a dangerous game, but if he is driven to fury, then he is easily driven to insane rage, and from insane rage, it is only a short step to just plain Insane" Khalid - He has sown one too many seeds amongst those that i watch over. Driving them to fanaticism and foul acts. "We almost had him, father and I. But that outdated idiot Kobal screwed things up. I'll get him yet though. I saw where father failed." Laurence - Mad men wield swords ineffectively, he wields a chainsaw very ineffectively. Hacking and chopping with no forethought. My blades are sharp and strike with a surgeons precision. "Unbending, like the sword-blade, yes. But even the unyielding steel can be shattered if the blow is struck in the right place. Perhaps his heart? I hear he has feelings for a certain lady.... " Litheroy - Some, nay, many secrets have driven men to madness. That is why we must show all things in truth, so that mankind may know the joy of all that is hidden. "That's right, foolish seraph. uncover it all. reveal it all. when mankind sees what you have unearthed how much damage will you do. I need not fight you, snce you already work for me." Marc - He creates unstable waves in the market. This simply will not do at all, capice?! "No concern of mine. leave him to his balances and stock shares. Such things are of no concern in the Real world of naked truth" Michael - Heh, the kid laurence hit the nail on the head, and he didnt mention Blandine once either. "War brings insanity, war brings fear, war brings torment. Michael, be proud. you serve madness so well." Novalis - He is _so_ wrong. (who is she talking about though, thats the question...) "Weak. Should she see what lies beneath the soil of her precious garden, she would crack like a rotten log." Yves - *shakes head, smiles sadly* such a shame for what is to come. "My mentor, Kronos, has seen his fate, and assures me he will not be a problem for long." Zadkiel - The mind, the brain, it is protected in a skull, let me show you how tough my skull is mr mindf*ck. "Protect them? weaken them. hide them away from the darkenss? deny them the light of Truth. She is misguided. She is wrong. humanity needs nurtuing, not coddling"