Augustus "Azazel" de Jesús

### Likes

Selfless acts. Military History, making models and replicas, cleaning up and organizing.

### Dislikes

The Martyrdom, people who diss his hobby.

## Affiliations

### Organization

Heavenly Hosts, The Martyrdom - The Ordination (Formerly)

## Magic

### Principle

Rage

**Augustus de Jesús** is a member and Virtue of the Heavenly Hosts. A man who lost his family to a tragic undead infestation in their home island, the incident would turn into a permanent scar in his life as the Martyrdom purged the entire island, and were it not for his wife's sacrifice, Augustus would have not escaped the country. This led him to gain a newfound zeal and seek out the Heavenly Hosts. Although some would find him overly zealous, "Azazel", donning the name of his partnered Angel, would become one of the ferociously determined agents of the Hosts, tactical, cunning, and would always face death without fear. A leader of his own team, "The Repha'im" or "R Squad", Azazel remains one of the most devout of the Hosts' agents

## Background

Augustus' family was originally part of the Martyrdom as Ordinators, taking care of the research and stored magical artifacts in his home island of Isla Martires, a rather quaint and quiet island town in the Philippines. His whole life he has devoted to helping the Martyrdom develop healing magic and helping in charity missions across the nearby islands as part of the Ordinator's duties in keeping a good reputation with Christian Sleepers. Life for him was simple, but fulfilling. He got married and even planned on having kids in the near future.

But the unpredictability of life has struck his island in the most horrid of ways. While Martyrdom records said a Grand Order mage tried to experiment on the island's inhabitants and caused a fast-spreading undead epidemic, and government records state that the island town was lost in a widespread fire, Augustus was sure that one of the imprisoned undead in the Ordinator base in the island escaped and started turning every living being it saw in the town. Chaos erupted as he and his fellow Ordinators were given the order to cull the population. He was hesitant at first, but was forced to act by his fellow Ordinators. He would never forget that night where even those simply suspected of being infected were "purified". And then the Ordinators aimed for his house. His protests fell on deaf ears. Even when he did show his comrades that his wife was not infected, they chose not to take the risk. He refused and stood against them, branding himself a treasonous traitor. He unleashed his Eye of Rage, something he has always suppressed and treated as more of a curse/ailment, in order to keep all their focus on him instead of his wife. He would have perished in the fight, were not for his wife buying him time with a grenade that one of the Ordinators dropped during the fight between them and Augustus. With a final smile, she clutched the grenade tightly and threw herself at her husband's opponents, granting him the chance to escape.

Devastated and his faith in the Martyrdom in shambles, Augustus felt lost. He left his home and through dealings with the Snake Tong, he left the country safely. He knew that the Inquisition would be after him and he decided it was best to find refuge with those who had the power to stave off the Martyrdom. The Snake Tong was a no go for him especially with their disregard for the Christian faith. He only had one option. As he made his way to Florida, Augustus went through contemplation along the way. He felt ashamed that he could not do anything while his wife who selflessly died to save him. From then on, he would be willing to throw away his life if it meant he could save someone or for the better good. He sought out the Heavenly Hosts and offered his services and devotion. He lost his trust in the brand of faith the Martyrdom had, and he expressed that he was always open to the ideas of the other "Sects" that his former organization branded heretics. He went through a lot of trials to prove he was not a spy, and was even glad to give away all the information he knew about the Ordination to prove that he had no loyalties with them anymore, and he is joining the Hosts as a sign of him seeking out a better place for his faith.

He was accepted into the ranks and underwent intense training, the once peaceful healer became a paladin for the Host's cause. His dedication and fearlessness in battle has made him rise to the rank of Virtue and even become a leader of his own squad, the "The Repha'im" or "R Squad". One of the greatest hallmarks of his achievements in the Hosts, however, is him earning his Holy Scripture and becoming attuned with his Angel, whom he shares his codename with, "Azazel".

## Personality

Augustus has an air of intimidation and composure whenever he enters and remains silent, but he is a rather simple man to talk to. But even with his usual silence he can be quite insightful at times. He does not dance around words, and usually cuts straight to the point. He prefers civilized conversation over arguments or physical fights, only resorting to violence if there are no other options.

Augustus is not afraid to face danger and even sacrificing himself if it means protecting someone or for the sake of the Heavenly Host. This unfaltering bravery has earned him a good reputation as well as an aria which suits his valor in battle. This stemmed from the loss of his wife, who selflessly sacrificed herself to save him during the Undead incident in their home island. His way of coping with the loss and the survivor's guilt is ensuring he would not hesitate to sacrifice himself for the greater good. He considers his faith shattered after the incidents with the Martyrdom, but he still clings on to humanity's potential for good, despite their imperfections in both the self and the religions they create.

Ever since he was young, Augustus has been fond of military history, an 'geek for all things military', however he will get angry if he is referred to as such and will correct the person by saying 'It is simply a passion of mine, not an obsession' in a calm tone. In his free time, Augustus would make models or replicas of military vehicles or soldiers. He meticulously adds the most minor of details, and makes sure that he keeps his creations and workplace as tidy as possible

Overall, Augustus is a kind and respectful man despite his intimidating and imposing appearance. He prefers to stay out of pointless arguments as much as possible. His voice is a smooth baritone, and is rather pleasant to listen to on those rare occasions where he sings war songs during karaoke nights. He shows great respect and loyalty to his fellow members of the Heavenly Hosts, and treats them as if they are his family. He is willing to throw away his life if it means saving another member of his organization. As one of the more senior members of the Host, he acts as the stoic, but caring uncle with a scale-modeling hobby.

## Azazel

The Sabragash who has donned the Mantle of the Angel Azazel, and has chosen Augustus to be her host. She manifests as a fallen-angel like entity, similar to the Azazel in the beliefs of Abrahamic religion, but is one of the Sabragash bound to the Heavenly Hosts's Tree that retains a persistent sense of individuality, to the point where she is angered when referred to as the "title I had to don for survival" and not her true name of Khem-Lun Adu-bal. Her name translates to *"Crown of the Seven Skies"*, fitting her ancient role as one of the Sabragash's notorious Mage-Warlords when their civilization still stood. Her Inner World is still the aptly named Stronghold of the Seven Sky Crown, her old fortress in the sky-havens of a bygone time. Due to her ego, she remains grasping to her true personality and thus retains memories of everything she has went through, during her physical and spiritual existence, with the only exception being the people that were her hosts due to the nature of her "Angel Contract" with the Hosts.

Khem-Lun Adu-bal speaks with the sense of superiority of a magus and amplified by the fact that she sees humanity as infants compared to her, and is constantly contemptuous of the fact she has to rely on them. If not for the fact that it's the most stable anchor for her existence in the Physical World, she would be more hostile towards them. This has made her an extremely difficult Angel to partner with. She is notorious for being on record the Angel whose Hosts have the shortest lifespan. She has never forsaken her background as a mage, and constantly criticizes the magic of her hosts, with good reason as she retains a large fraction of her power when she was still a physical being. The reason why she has donned the mantle of Azazel was due to her own past of being targeted as one of the most dangerous mage-warlords in her era, a fact she relishes, and as such, she found it the most fitting to use the mantle of the Angel of Scapegoat that humanity has chosen to engrave in their "mythopeic subconcious". She enjoys debating at best and poking fun at worst the religious beliefs of the Hosts, her most notorious example is just blatantly telling the hosts that she is not in fact the Angel Azazel from their stories, telling her true nature as a Sabragash, and scoffing at their faith since her very existence indicates that she is a being older than the "god" that they created for themselves. And to top it all off, she then adds "But again, I am the Scapegoat Angel. Consider me the scapegoat source for temptations. "Was everything I said real? Was it meant for you to question? Wrack your little human head with that knowledge.". She also states that she is fulfilling the Second Temple interpretation of Azazel introducing humans to forbidden knowledge.

Due to her personality, those who partnered with her were either those who shared a certain cynicism and accepted her words, or those with such unwavering faith that her words only strengthen their beliefs further. Augustus is certainly is part of the former, and as such, "Azazel" has chosen him as her next host. They have nurtured a surprisingly professional relationship with one another, with Augustus referring to her as "Lady Khem-Lun" whenever they converse, and the two would wax philosophically about many topics, such as the nature of mortals and how faith, magic and power makes them shape reality in strange ways. Although she certainly views him as an inferior, overtime she has grown to consider Augustus as one of the more tolerable humans she had to work with. She prefers to speak in the Sabragash tongue, and only ever speaks in human language if she feels like communicating properly with her host.

She still has no attachment to her host, however, and would always imagine how a self-sacrificing fool like Augustus would die eventually. She declares that she's proud that their Host is embodying the concept of being a Scapegoat by being the one to take the experience of death in their symbiosis, which makes her wonder if she is more of a parasite.

## Abilities

### Magic

Augustus lineage has primarily specified in healing and curing sickness as well as impurities such as poison or venom. His vast array of Restoration magic complements his latter skills, allowing him to be a self-sustaining fighter in battle, and can recover from even the most grievous wounds as long as he is given the opportunity. The Restoration studies he has had his whole life also allows him to easily pick up Purification Rituals and spells from the Heavenly Hosts, which is effective against the Undead.

### Eye of Rage

Augustus's left eye developed into a Mystic Eye during his childhood. When activated, anyone who looks into Augustus's left Eye will be filled with intense rage and aggression. Their bodies will be overcome with anger that they will be forced to direct all their hatred and attacks towards Augustus for a small duration. On it's own, it is not a very helpful ability, but Augustus has learned of ways to properly use it after he was granted his 'wings' in the Heavenly Host. He keeps his eye sealed with special enchanted stitching in order to suppress it unless he goes on specific missions. It can quickly be dispelled and redeployed simply by Azazel uttering the incantation of *"Etiam"*

### Jacob's Limbs

Members of the Heavenly Hosts are taught the form of combat known as Jacob's limbs. A secret art not meant to be shown unless necessary. The original Levites learned from Moses as they never lost faith in God. It is the same form of combat Jacob used to allegedly fight with an Angel.  Augustus is one of the more skilled practitioners of Jacob's Limbs as he prefers close-quarters combat. He complements his skill in fighting with some reinforcement magic to make his limbs faster and sturdier. His skills in the martial art is proficient enough that he can match even Vampires in terms of plain hand-to-hand combat.

### Angel Techniques

With an excellent Resonance with his Angel, Augustus is highly skilled in utilizing the techniques granted by synchronizing with the Angel that he is host too, such as Angel Step, Angel Flight, Exorcism, etc.

### Malak Instrument: Khem-Lun Bal-Hidok (The Crown that Pierced the Skies)

The Azazel Malak Instrument manifests as a Crown, and is more of a symbol of Khem-Lun Adu-bal instead of the Angel Azazel, a result of the intense ego of the former overwriting the latter. It appears floating above Augustus' head whenever it manifests, akin to a halo.

### Advent: Erabenimsun Hosh-Karab (The Seizing of the Erabenimsun)

The Seizing of Erabenimsun as an Advent is, in Khem-Lun Adu-bal's words, is a manifestation of an event millions of years ago during her campaigns as a warlord when she seized through the use of magic, the entire weapons of an enemy army at the Cloud-fields of Erabenimsun. When activated, every mundane weapon, be it ancient or modern, or even magical weapons that are not properly bound to their users with the right magic, will fly straight towards Augustus, with their edges and points usually aimed at the Host. This is used as a powerful disarming tool, as well as a set up for the Testament. It also has the ability of redirecting projectile spells or spells that needs its mana to "travel" to a target towards Augustus instead.

### Testament: Adu-bal Adu-nosh Adu-hava (Seven Skies, Seven Sallies, Seven Sacrifices)

The Azazel Testament is the weaponization of the concept of the Scapegoat, and enforcing the idea that targeting the scapegoat has the potential for lethal consequences.

The Crown-Halo on Augustus' head will transform into a sharp, seven-spiked crown and his entire person will be covered in a pale aura. The damage is not straight out reflected, Augustus will receive half of the damage/force of an enemy attack, regardless of how weak or strong it is, and but the one responsible for said attack will feel the full damage reflected back to them. The attacker must clearly be aiming to attack Augustus if the 'damage return' were to take effect. For example, if Augustus gets caught in a grenade explosion that was not meant to kill him, the damage will not be returned to the person who threw that grenade. The exception of which is when a weapon or a spell is redirected to him via The Seizing of Erabenimsun

Augustus uses his Eye in tandem with the Adu-bal Adu-nosh Adu-hava in order to make an opponent attack him while the it is activated. Augustus would purposely get hit in a limb or vital area, in order to disable the attacker, and hopefully his allies would be able to heal him and finish of the enemy. There seems to be no limited range on  the damage-return effects. For example, a man who poisons Augustus's drink in the hopes of killing him, despite driving several miles away, he would still feel the poison's damage happen to him if Augustus activates his scripture and drinks the poisoned beverage.

Such capabilities are, according to Khem-Lun Adu-bal, "are a mere fraction of my original power". She does not guarantee that her Host will survive all the time, but is nevertheless content whenever that becomes the result since they have fulfilled what it means to don the Scapegoat Mantle of "Azazel".