Johab (the Symphony That Never Ends)

> The world has a soul. It may be guided towards salvation but cannot be forced.
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Johab is probably the most benevolent and compassionate of all the archangels and intervenes directly in mortal affairs more than any other. He genuinely loves humanity, and he takes a personal interest in each and every soul he comes across. Of course, he cannot focus his attention too long on any one individual, but he will not allow his servants to forsake anyone. Johab could be more influential in Heavenly politics, and in the War, but while most Archangels are concerned with the "big picture", Johab is the only one who routinely concerns himself with the human condition on a personal level. Other archangels think his vision is too narrow, that he expends his resources on the petty problems of insignificant mortals. But Johab loves mortals too much to abandon any one of them for "the greater good", and so he and his servants continue trying to save mankind, one soul at a time. He is very fond of the story of the little boy and the starfish stranded on the beach.

Surprisingly, the most compassionate and warm-hearted of archangels is an eloah. No other member of this choir can display such empathy and still remain detached, but while Johab loves the humans he has sworn to protect, his vision is never clouded by the confusing emotions and self-deceptions that are the gift and the bane of humanity. When encountered on Earth, he usually appears as a handsome, well-dressed man of indeterminate age, with a warm smile and a deep, soothing voice.

Johab's servants have two primary responsibilities. The first is the physical safeguarding of humans; it is Johab's servitors who flit about the Earth rescuing souls in peril, guiding search parties to hikers stranded in the wilderness, invisibly pulling drowning sailors out of the water, or merely comforting someone trapped in a mineshaft while waiting for the rescue crew to dig a tunnel to them. They can't save everyone, of course; there are too many humans in distress, and too few angels of Salvation. But when someone speaks of being saved by a guardian angel, there is usually a servitor of Johab smiling in the background.

The second task that Johab's servants perform is salvation in a more figurative sense. They seek out troubled souls and try to set them on the path to redemption. Angels of Salvation often take Roles as doctors, therapists, parole officers, rehabilitation counselors, crisis center workers, and of course, priests. Johab is not as strongly pro-Christian as Uriel; faith can bring about salvation, but faith is non-denominational. However, as Christianity does have a strong evangelical bent, and is the most active religion in Johab's opinion when it comes to promoting charity, forgiveness and redemption, Johab's servants are more often associated with Christianity than any other faith.

Johab is very forgiving; he never becomes angry with his servants, no matter how badly they've let him down. He will tolerate greater levels of dissonance than any other superior, so long as the offending angel is truly remorseful and was acting with sincere good intentions, and he will erase discord in his servitors after they perform a suitable act of contrition (usually involving something humbling that reminds them of their purpose, such as serving in a lowly capacity as a mortal's assistant, for instance.) However, angels who prove themselves recalcitrant or totally incompetent may be assigned jobs like eternal school crossing guard, permanent lifeguard at a retirement home swimming pool, or the angel of Clean Lint Traps.

It should be noted that the archangel of Salvation considers outcasts and demons to fall under his jurisdiction also. No one is more in need of salvation than the Fallen, and while his servants must naturally oppose the nefarious plots of the enemy, they are also charged with ministering to them. Angels of Salvation are ever on the lookout for a demon who seems uncertain about his commitment to evil, or for an outcast who is genuinely seeking to redeem himself. This has led some of Johab's well-intentioned angels into well-crafted traps, but they consider the reward of bringing a celestial back into the Heavenly fold worth the risk.

## Dissonance

It is dissonant for an angel of Salvation to turn away from anyone in need of help. This often causes them problems, as being forced to choose between two mortals in distress still causes dissonance. However, if forced to abandon one soul to save another, they can erase the dissonance they incurred by returning later to help the one they left behind . . . if it's not too late.

## Choir Attunements

### Seraph

Seraphim of Salvation are charged with bringing Truth to those who are deceiving themselves and others. When they question someone, the subject must make a Will roll to avoid answering truthfully. (Balseraphim add their Celestial Forces to their Will roll to resist this power; if they fail, and are forced to tell the truth, they will suffer a note of dissonance!) This is useful for interrogations, but Johab's seraphim also pioneered the "tough love" approach to therapeutic counseling.

### Cherub (Restricted)

Cherubim of Salvation are usually assigned to a mortal who is on the brink; it is their job to guide mortals towards salvation, turning them away from the dark path where the enemy would lead them. They always know when an action taken by someone to whom they are attuned is moving them towards their Destiny, or their Fate.

### Ofan (Restricted)

Ofanim of Salvation are rescuers, constantly moving from one soul in peril to another, often arriving in the proverbial nick of time. When using their resonance to speed to the aid of someone in distress, they may add their Celestial Forces to the check digit of a successful roll.

### Eloah (Restricted)

Johab's elohim are able to not only read a subject's current emotional state, but their history as well. They specialize in uncovering the reasons for a person's behavior. They can make a resonance roll either to search for a specific memory, or to "replay" a specified point of time from the subject's memories. The check digit of a successful roll is how many minutes may be observed, and also determines how far back in the subject's memories the eloah may see; if he was trying to see something further back than his check digit allows, there is no effect.

#### Eloah of Salvation Check Digit Results

1. Within the last 10 minutes x the eloah's Ethereal Forces
2. Within the last 1 hour x the eloah's Ethereal Forces
3. Within the last 1 day x the eloah's Ethereal Forces
4. Within the last 1 month x the eloah's Ethereal Forces
5. Within the last 1 year x the eloah's Ethereal Forces
6. The subject's entire life is available for viewing

### Malak (Restricted)

What troubles the souls of whomever they examine makes the subject stand out more clearly to Johab's malakim. The total of any discord(s) possessed by the subject is added to the check digit of their resonance rolls.

### Kuriotes (Restricted)

When a kuriotes of Johab possesses a host, the subject is temporarily cured of his afflictions. For as long as the kuriotes possesses someone, he may reduce a number of levels of discord equal to his Celestial Forces. So, a kuriotes of Salvation with 4 Celestial Forces could eliminate a level 4 discord, or reduce 4 discords by one level, etc. This is, in effect, an improved version of the Celestial Song of Harmony.

### Mercurian

Johab's mercurian are so inherently cheerful and friendly, you can't help but like them. Something about mercurians of Salvation inspires trust, so that total strangers will open up to them. Add the angel's Celestial Forces to all reaction rolls.

## Servitor Attunements

### Jack-of-all-Roles

This attunement is given to angels who travel from one assignment to the next. Often called "caseworkers", they take on a temporary Role that allows them to be in close contact with their subject, and then move on to the next soul in need of saving. The angel must buy a Role normally, but the Role is changeable; one week the angel can be a policeman, the next week an opera singer. While temporary, the Roles are as "real" as any other Role for as long as the angel stays in it, and no amount of background checking will turn up anything amiss. Note that only one Knowledge skill comes free with the Role; others must be purchased normally (so an angel taking on a temporary Role as a policeman will still appear rather ignorant of police procedures if she hasn't purchased Knowledge: Policeman.)

### Annunciation

This attunement allows the angel to reveal herself in all her divine glory, and speak the words of the Lord. For 1 Essence, all mortals will be stunned for as long as the angel is speaking, and will believe everything the angel says. (Whether they act on it is another matter, but most mortals will consider very deeply anything told to them by an angel of the Lord!)

## Distinctions

### Vassal of Salvation

The angel can tell at a glance what is troubling a person. Whatever problem weighs most heavily on someone will be known to the vassal.

### Friend of the Suffering

By studying someone, the angel can read his or her entire life history, in summary. This does not grant the detailed information that an eloah of Salvation can obtain, but the friend will know all the most important details about the subject's life.

### Master of Redemption

A Master of Redemption can heal all the hurts of a redeemed soul. At the GM's option, an individual who is deemed to have been saved from a dark fate or turned away from a life of despair, or made a true act of reformation, can be healed of all Body, Mind and Soul hits, for a cost of 6 Essence.

Dissonant angels can be healed in this manner upon ridding themselves of their dissonance. A Master of Redemption cannot directly take away an angel's dissonance, but she can tell the wayward angel what he must do to erase it.

## Relations

Many Archangels think Johab is too concerned with the plight of individual humans, but few dislike him. Michael thinks Johab is much too soft. Johab works closely with Yves when it comes to guiding individuals towards the bright Destiny that Yves seeks for the universe as a whole and just as closely with Asmodeus when it comes to redeeming outcasts and demons (though Johab does think that Asmodeus needlessly complicates the effort). And Eli has become Johab's personal case; while Eli denies he is need of salvation, Johab is concerned for him nonetheless.

**Allied:** Yves, Eli, Asmodeus, Mariel

**Associated:** Khalid, Novalis, Orc

**Hostile:** Beleth, Legion, Uriel

## Basic Rites

* Cheer up someone who's depressed
* Help someone solve a personal problem
* Rescue someone in trouble (+2 Essence if the angel actually saves the person's life)

### Invocation Modifiers

**+1** A self-help book or advice column

**+2** A sincere apology and plea for forgiveness (from a mortal or an angel)

**+3** An ambulance or other rescue vehicle

**+4** A therapist's office, an emergency room, the location of a crisis hotline center

**+5** A redeemed soul (GM's option)

**+6** A ship saved from sinking, a plane saved from crashing, a town saved from an avalanche, etc.