[Dissonance] [Servitor Attunements] [Rites]
Johab is one of the most powerful Servitors of Zadkiel, Archangel of Protection. He has servants of his own, and may even grant his own Servitor attunements. Angels of Salvation may use all of Zadkiel and Johab's Rites, and are subject to the dissonance conditions of both. No character sheet is given for Johab, as he is only slightly less powerful than an Archangel himself.
Johab is probably the most benevolent and compassionate Elohite one will ever meet. He 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 powerful Word-bound angels are concerned with the "big picture", Johab routinely concerns himself with the human condition on a personal level. Some 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.
Few Elohim 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, as with all of Zadkiel's Servitors. Johab's Servitors 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 men 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 Laurence; 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 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 (with Zadkiel's approval).
It should be noted that the Angel 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 is not just a need for physical protection, as with all Servitors of Protection, but emotional or spiritual distress as well. 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.
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 Skill: 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!)
Special 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)
