Zaroff
Impudite of the War
Captain of the Infernal Armies
Demon of the Most Dangerous Game
By Moe Lane
| Corporeal Forces: 4 |
|
Strength: 8 |
|
Agility: 8 |
| Ethereal Forces: 4 |
|
Intelligence: 6 |
|
Precision: 10 |
| Celestial Forces: 5 |
|
Will: 10 |
|
Perception: 10 |
| Word-Forces: 3 |
Skills: Climbing/1, Dodge/3, Fighting/6, Move
Silently/3, Ranged Weapon (rifle/6, pistol/3),
Savoir-Faire/2, Small Weapon/4 (Knife), Tactics/3,
Tracking/6
Songs: Attraction (Celestial/6), Charm (Ethereal/2,
Celestial/2), Healing (Corporeal/1), Might
(Corporeal/3), Shields (Corporeal/1, Ethereal/2,
Celestial/2), Tongues (Corporeal/3, Ethereal/4)
Attunements: Impudite of the War, Lilim of the War,
Art of Combat, State of Ophis, Humanity, Captain of
the Infernal Armies, Demon of the Most Dangerous Game
Extra Rites:
- Kill a designated quarry in a fair fight
Vessels: older human male/4, +1 Charisma
Roles: None known
Dissonance: 0
Discord: None
Artifacts: None
Demon of the Most Dangerous Game: Zaroff may, by
spending 2 Essence, designate any one human as his
quarry. Until such time as either the human dies, or
the demon goes into Trauma, Zaroff does not cause
disturbance by injuring or killing his quarry in a
fair fight (expenditure of Essence and/or using Songs
will still cause disturbance). Only one quarry may be
designated at any given time.
Zaroff is actually fairly well disposed towards God,
for a demon. No matter what current differences of
opinion might exist between his fellows and Him, the
creation of humanity was a wonderful idea. No other
corporeal animal could begin to provide as much sport.
This is not to say that the Knight goes hunting every
day, of course: he's long since gotten past that
point. Tracking and killing random humans is
pitifully easy: so few have been properly trained for
the chase. It's such a waste, but the Impudite isn't
really complaining. He much prefers quality to
quantity, anyway.
There are, of course, rules. Heaven is (temporarily,
to be sure) in a position to graphically show their
displeasure at too exuberant or indiscreet a kill, so
Zaroff must stalk. He finds that pleasurable. The
angels' pets are usually off limits as well: this is
annoying but acceptable, for now. Frankly, Soldiers
of God aren't the best of sport, anyway. They've got
too many ludicrous morals and ethics preventing them
from embracing the purity of survival. There is
plenty of game that is not so encumbered, and they
usually instinctively know how to respond properly.
Finally, the most important thing of all is that the
prey should have a chance to win. Zaroff (much like
his Prince, really) is obsessed with proving that he
deserves his victories. Not being Baal, though, the
Impudite recognizes that he is not perfect. He will
not always be on top of his game. The prey may show
unexpected skill or initiative, or simply get lucky.
Zaroff wouldn't have it any other way: danger gives
the game spice. If his quarry manages to kill the
Impudite, well ... Baal would probably like to recruit
this fellow anyway. Some former quarry, flushed with
victory, has later sought out Zaroff again to play the
game again. The Impudite never loses twice.
Zaroff is never without a target, as both Baal and his
ally Asmodeus make sure that he always has someone to
hunt down. Inconvenient humans that need to be scared
to death before they're sent to Hell are always
around: Renegade Hellsworn alone would keep the
Impudite busy until Armageddon. His usual modus
operandi is to make his presence and intent quite
clear beforehand, usually with a casual demonstration
of supernatural abilities to drive home the point that
his quarry is an actual demon. Traditionally, Zaroff
always gives his quarry at least two days to prepare
and/or flee.
After that, the hunt begins. Sometimes the chase
encompasses continents: sometimes the hunter and his
prey never leave the neighborhood. Zaroff prefers to
keep the use of Songs or Attunements down to the
minimum (although the Impudite likes using his
Humanity Attunement, just for that added touch of
spice) needed to properly track his quarry. Anyone
that assists the quarry is likewise at risk of death,
but only for as long as they are actively interfering.
The final battle is usually quite epic ... and from
Zaroff's point of view, quite enjoyable.
The Impudite's relationship with the Other Side is -
complex. Zaroff doesn't particularly care about the
War, and he's certainly not interested in foiling
angelic projects (if he sees one, and Baal thinks to
ask, Zaroff will tell him about it: otherwise, it's
beneath his notice). Also, his usual prey is
typically the sort of human that angels would like to
weed out of the gene pool anyway. However, wise
members of the Host recognize that the demon's polite
and suave exterior hides a callousness and bloodlust
that would impress a Shedite. He cannot be trusted.
But, if the circumstances are right, and you've got
enough levels of deniability in place, well, he can be
used...
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