Shataina/Anjelen

Anjelen, the Blood-Sacrament, Demon of the Second Circle

The Indulgent and Wisdom soul of That Which Calls To Shadows

Anjelen, a double-sexed being, is a dichotomy within itself: male, it is an ascetic priest; female, it is a veritable Maenad. It loves sacred things, but its definitions of sacred and profane shift with its sex, along with its beliefs and emotions. The wise sorcerer avoids it, for they say that even some bindings do not apply to all its forms.

This demon was loosely inspired by yet another Tanith Lee book whose title I forget. Yeah, I know. It is also not super-canonical (although it never directly contradicts canon, as far as I'm aware).

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Forms

Anjelen's male form is a slender, ascetic man, white-skinned, with dark hair. He affects the robes and symbols of dead religions, always in white or black. His mouth is generous and vivid, but he does not smile easily -- is, indeed, generally expressionless and cool. Still, he has an undeniable charismatic allure, attracting followers and worshippers without apparent effort. Occasionally he uses these to set up new cults; just as often, he sacrifices them and drinks from their veins. He never engages in sexual congress, and particularly dislikes women, although he does not insult them.

Male, Anjelen has some control over -- and an attraction to -- forgotten and defiled temples; occasionally, he has them rebuilt to his own specifications. He rarely concerns himself with temples that are in current use, but when he enters such, all the deposits of water therein turn to blood. He has never been recorded as approaching a temple to one of the Incarna. He is the Wisdom soul of That Which Calls To Shadows.

Anjelen's female form is beautifully voluptuous; her hair is a sanguine red, and her skin is quite dark. Her mouth is the same as that of her male self, but her expressions are quick and contagious, and she smiles as often as her male self does not. She frequently goes nude, only sometimes clothing herself in greenery or roughly woven cloth. A scent of raw earth and growing things hangs about her. She is passionate and wild, but more controlled than many assume.

Female, Anjelen has some control over -- and an attraction to -- deep and wild forests. She rarely concerns herself with forests that are "tamed" or see heavy human traffic, but when she enters such, all the deposits of water therein turn to blood. She never harms wild animals or plants, and often makes sacrifices of those who do, later drinking from their veins. Despite the general spiritual aversion to, and hatred of, demonkind, she has been known to make common cause with wood spirits and elementals -- even to actively consort with them. She is the Indulgent soul of That Which Calls to Shadows.

Very rarely, Anjelen shows itself as an apparently-asexual child with burgundy hair and middling-brown skin. The child is silent and pale, continually bleeding from many savage wounds.

Anjelen may also take the form of a grey moth with scarlet spots upon its wings; the moth, too, drinks blood, and is of variable size -- the maximum appears to be as large as a human, the minimum the size of a child's palm.

In all forms, Anjelen's shadow is shaped like this moth, and in all forms, Anjelen's eyes are black and unreflective. The laws that govern Anjelen's changes of form are unknown; it seems able to change its manifestation on a merest whim, and has been documented as doing so in a variety of unlikely situations. However, it is certain that in some situations, it will not take certain forms if it can possibly avoid it; for example, in a forest glade at midnight, Anjelen will never voluntarily take on male form, and in a temple at noon, it will never take on female form.

It is clear that Anjelen retains all knowledge between forms, although emotions have been known to change; in one form it may love a thing, while in another it may slay it in cold blood. How much of its alternate forms are Indulgent and how much are Wisdom, none can say.

Warding, Summoning and Binding

Anjelen will not harm innocents or virgins in any form, and the most effective wards against it involve the blood of innocents and virgins. One may also ward against Anjelen by dedicating the warded place to one of the Incarna well enough that they grant it their notice. Anjelen, in its bleeding-child form, has been known to get through wards made of the blood of innocents or virgins, but it appears taxed by the effort, and its powers limited within.

Blood is always required for the summoning of Anjelen, and the ritual is best performed either in -- you guessed it -- a wild forest or a forgotten temple. Anjelen may slip from the demon prison without a summoning if a virgin or a child suffers terribly while being sacrificed (and the definition of "sacrifice" has been known to stretch). At these times, it will often take on the form of the specific sacrificed person, and take up their lives and loves (if possible) for a year and a day.

Anjelen may be bound against switching forms, but if, while bound, it enters into circumstances that would otherwise force it to change (for example, if it is male in a forest glade at midnight), it will gain a point of Limit. If these circumstances persist, it will gain an additional point of Limit for every day that passes.

Rumours

Anjelen has been rumoured to be able to take on the powers or form of those whose blood it drinks. This is not true, and probably derives from legends of the Exalted themselves.

It has also been said that a binding on one facet of Anjelen will not bind all of Anjelen. This is partially true; Anjelen seems to obey some bindings in alternate forms, but not others. This has to do with its changing nature, and which orders it deems unacceptable.

Some say that Anjelen thinks some things blasphemy in one form, but has few objections in others. This is definitely true; for example, Anjelen, female, will never kill forest animals voluntarily, and will gain Limit if forced -- but, if male, will do so calmly and with few objections.

Statistics and Specific Powers

Note that I did not bother to balance this against existent, canonical demons or give it specific canonical spirit Charms because I don't approve of the current demon power scale. If you end up using and restatting this, let me know, cos I'm curious to know what you do.

Anjelen may turn sacred water to blood as a reflexive action, and normal water to blood as a scene-long action (this last requires a ritual or meditation, although all may not recognize it as such). It may also control the blood of any being whose blood it has previously drunk, unless that being has changed its True Name since then; it cannot kill such beings from a distance unless they are mortal, but it can cause them to experience any emotions it wishes at will.

Female, Anjelen may take control over any forest she enters for a radius of seven miles, just as if it she were a spirit with it as her domain. Male, he may do so with any temple he enters as long as it is either abandoned or dedicated to a god less powerful than either the Incarna or the Elemental Dragons (he does not do this lightly, however, with the more powerful gods). As the child, it may do both; as the moth, neither. The effects of claiming an area as its domain are powerful and immediate: at the very least, Anjelen is unsurprisable, immediately senses and understands all unusual magics in the area, can teleport at will within the area, and is protected by the full resources of the area.

Moth-formed, Anjelen may activate a power that allows it to go totally unnoticed; this power does work on Essence-users, but only if they are not looking for it. It does not work at all on beings with an Essence higher than its own, unless it is in a temple or a forest.

Anjelen has fully mastered the following styles in various forms: Harmonious Forest Style; Discordant Forest Style; Crimson Temple Style; and other blood-, temple- or forest-related Styles that aren't here because no one has statted them yet.

Statistics are given for the male form, then the female form. Other forms may partake of these stats fairly randomly.

Motivation

To create a world-spanning blood cult.

Attributes

Strength: 1, 4
Dexterity: 3, 2
Stamina: 3, 5

Charisma: 7, 5
Manipulation: 6, 4
Appearance: 4, 5

Perception: 5, 7
Intelligence: 6, 6
Wits: 7, 5

Abilities

Archery: 0, 5
Athletics: 1, 5
Awareness: 3, 6
Bureaucracy: 5, 0
Crafts (Architecture): 7, 0
Dodge: 3, 3
(Endurance: 0, 3)
Integrity: 6, 2
Investigation: 3, 0
Larceny: 0, 0
Lore: 5, 0
Martial Arts: 6, 6
Medicine: 2, 5
Melee: 5, 0
Occult: 2, 6
Performance: 7, 2
Presence: 6, 4
Resistance: 0, 3
Ride: 2, 5
Sail: 0, 0
Socialize: 6, 3
Stealth: 2, 2
Survival: 2, 7
War: 4, 2

Backgrounds

Cult: 5, 5
Manse: 5, 5 (one of which is the Bright Web in Darkness)

Virtues and Such

Compassion: 1, 3
Conviction: 3, 4
Temperance: 5, 2
Valour: 2, 2

Willpower: 9, 9

Essence: 7