Let’s learn about the primary Demon Princes in the tabletop role-playing game In Nomine. In Nomine is a role-playing game designed by Derek Pearcy and published in 1997 by Steve Jackson Games. You can learn more on the official website here: http://www.sjgames.com/innomine/ or the Wikipedia page here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Nomine_(role-playing_game). You can buy In Nomine products here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/12199/Steve-Jackson-Games/subcategory/28908_30775/In-Nomine?affiliate_id=50797
Time Stamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 1:21 Andrealphus, Prince of Lust
- 2:12 Asmodeus, Prince of the Game
- 3:07 Baal, Prince of the War
- 4:03 Beleth, Princess of Nightmares
- 4:59 Belial, Prince of Fire
- 5:53 Haagenti, Prince of Gluttony
- 6:49 Kobal, Prince of Dark Humor
- 7:48 Kronos, Prince of Fate
- 8:40 Malphas, Prince of Factions
- 9:34 Nybbas, Prince of the Media
- 10:29 Saminga, Prince of Death
- 11:22 Valefor, Prince of Theft
- 12:14 Vapula, Prince of Technology
- 13:08 Lilith, Princess of Freedom
- 14:10 Outro
About In Nomine
Written by Derek Pearcy + Illustrated by Dan Smith
Edited by Jeff Koke, Steve Jackson, and Susan Pinsonneault
Cover art by John Zeleznik (first printing) and Christopher Shy (second printing)
In Nomine is a modern roleplaying game in which the players take the part of celestial beings – angels and demons – as they struggle for control of humanity and themselves. The celestials, powerful though they may be, are merely pawns in a much larger game being played by their Superiors, the Archangels and Demon Princes. Based on the best-selling French RPG by the wonderfully diabolical Croc!
In Nomine won the Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement of 1997.
Transcript
Cold Open
There are few veterans of the War’s first battle, and few as powerful as angels.
Intro
Welcome to Eviliv3, the live media commentary show that answers the question, do demons have more fun? Subscribe if you’re new to the channel, because today we are continuing our In Nomine series with this episode, Demon Princes.
Discussion
Lucifer, Angel of Light and first of the fallen prefers numbers to power. He actively swells the ranks of his army and likes to reduce the threat of rebellion from his servants. Nearly every demon serves a prince, and through their service, they partake of their prince’s nature, enjoying its advantages and suffering its perils. Even Renegades are theoretically serving a prince. Many demons are born in Hell, and player character’s or PC’s are among the few who have been offered the chance to adventure in the Corporeal Realm.
Hell is an intensely political place, and your Prince may write you off or sacrifice you if helping you is outweighed by risk. If you please your Prince through your actions, you may be granted boons in the forms of attunements, Rites or distinctions. Displease them and if you are allowed to live, you may suffer dissonance or Discord. Let’s learn about the fourteen primary Demon Princes.
Andrealphus, Prince of Lust
The Prince of Lust, Andre to his friends, is a perfect Impudite. He enjoys worldly missions of glamor and politics. Andre frowns upon any demon whose general appearance is even the least bit monstrous, preferring to deal with “pretty people.” Andrealphus has committed his Servitors to teaching humans that sometimes it’s good just to lose yourself in the pleasures of the flesh. It’s dissonant for Andrealphus’ Servitors to feel sympathy for a human, and they are strictly prohibited from feeling or showing concern for the fleshly beings surrounding them. In recent decades, Andrealphus has been working with Nybbas, the Prince of the Media, to create a new paradigm for religion, based around the kind of selfish freedom which demons best appreciate. They expect to found a new religion of entertainment in the cracks of the corporate state before the end of the next century.
Asmodeus, Prince of the Game
Asmodeus and his Servitors are Lucifer’s secret police, responsible for hunting down renegades and other traitors to the infernal armies. The Prince of the Game, a Djinn, is probably the second-most powerful of Hell’s royalty, after Kronos. He is widely feared and roundly hated by his peers. His agents always have at least one cover identity, and only unmask themselves upon making an “arrest.” They are charged with slaying the corporeal vessels of any renegades they encounter. To Asmodeus and his servants, a demon is renegade if he acts against the expressed or implied wishes of his Prince, if he possesses any Celestial Discord, or if his
actions call his loyalty to evil into question. Asmodeus usually appears as a tall man with burning eyes – the Inquisition made spirit. Servitors of Asmodeus generate dissonance by disobeying any of his direct orders or by helping a renegade to escape judgment.
Baal, Prince of the War
A Balseraph and a warrior, Baal is an inveterate liar with a strange sort of honor. He is not a brute, but a cultured killer. Baal has made combat a way of life. While he prefers to appear as a respectable statesman, he keeps other vessels in reserve: powerful alien forms of enormous physical prowess. At other times, he may appear as a normal human, wearing plain clothes and radiating a powerful charismatic aura. His demons are sent to Earth to encourage the self destruction of humanity and to help other demons defend against the angelic menace. Retreat from any conflict without a direct order generates dissonance in Baal’s demons. A demon of War must be beaten into unconsciousness and dragged bodily from the field of battle. Baal holds his disciples in an iron grip, checking in on them frequently to be assured of perfect service. He is pressed for time: somewhere, it seems, there’s always an army waiting to be led.
Beleth, Princess of Nightmares
The creatures of Beleth defend themselves from life by becoming the most terrifying things in it. Even the Malakim exchange nervous glances when discussing the Servitors of Nightmares. Beleth, one of the first celestials created, the angel of Fear, is now a Djinn. Full of hate for humanity, she sided with Lucifer against the wishes of her lover, Archangel Blandine. She thinks the other Princes–especially those who merely kill their prey–are too soft on mortals. The other Princes know that she spies for Lucifer, and seldom visit her dreamland when they sleep. Beleth and her servants have worked harder than any other Diabolicals to promote fear and general mistrust. That they do it to mask their own insecurity is a weakness that they would never confess. The agents of Beleth are classic demons from Hell. They gain dissonance by taking their celestial form on Earth. But unlike Blandine’s servants, they may use Celestial Songs.
Belial, Prince of Fire
He and his minions know that if you’re not fire, you’re fuel. Belial would let the whole world burn before admitting defeat. The Calabim Prince of Fire is a fighter, rarely making a personal appearance unless force–or at least a threat–is required. He wears vessels that are strong and wellbuilt, hating any implication of weakness. He likes to dress well, and affects sophistication, but is never without a weapon. His Servitors may be grubby or elegant, as suits their Bands and their whims–but they all smoke, if only because it’s an excuse to carry a lighter. Belial represents only the literal power of fire – its destructive nature – and not its conceptual power, as Gabriel frequently does. It’s dissonant for Belial’s demons to be burned by a fire they created. Take this metaphorically: a Belial demon gains a note of dissonance any time he is hurt, physically or otherwise, by his own schemes.
Haagenti, Prince of Gluttony
Haagenti usually appears as a hairy, screaming demon about three feet tall, with a huge maw ringed by razor sharp teeth. He moves by hopping and skipping, and eats everything he can get into his greedy little hands. Haagenti despises almost all the other Princes, mostly because he spent 600 years toiling under them. He attacked and consumed Meserach, Prince of Sloth. After that feat of gluttony, Lucifer made him a Prince in his own right. As a Prince, Haagenti is as energetic and informal as ever, and as greedy. He demands obedience and food. He retains the sense of humor, but he’s not subtle; he likes torture and sight gags. His disciples swarm across the Earth to encourage consumption, especially overeating. It’s dissonant for these demons to go more than a number of days equal to their Corporeal Forces without forcing a human to Consume. They can’t hold back the urgency of Gluttony without taking dissonance for it.
Kobal, Prince of Dark Humor
Kobal is Hell’s court jester, and he seems to have a special place in Lucifer’s heart; the Lord of Lies permits Kobal to say, with wicked wit, what no other Prince would dare even think. On Earth, humor is one of God’s greatest gifts, making friendships easier and lightening misfortune. It is Kobal’s talent to skillfully pervert the art of humor into mockery, hatred and despair. His demons serve Evil by turning thought to laughter, concern to callousness, reverence to blasphemy – and all in the name of good clean fun. Kobal manifests in a different guise every time he appears, all the better to fool people – but his servants always recognize him. He specializes in word games and intelligent humor. He’s heard all the jokes – he’s jaded, and he’s beginning to get bored and angry. It is dissonant for a Servitor of Kobal to go a single day without worsening someone’s misfortune by laughing at him or making others laugh.
Kronos, Prince of Fate
Kronos is the most powerful of Hell’s Princes. He doesn’t care about most of the people in the world, only those who aspire to greatness, who hear the call of their bright destiny. Those are the ones whose great potential must be crushed by the dark hand of Fate. He and his Servitors are the only demons with a true connection to the Symphony at large, charged with perverting
its workings from the inside out. Kronos, a Balseraph, presents himself as an older man of small stature. He rarely speaks, but when he does it’s always with calm authority. It’s dissonant for an agent of Kronos to help a human achieve his destiny. It’s also dissonant for an agent of Kronos to prevent a human from meeting his fate. If a demon unwittingly helps a human achieve his destiny, or prevents him from meeting his dark fate, he won’t generate dissonance – but Kronos will be severely displeased.
Malphas, Prince of Factions
Malphas, a Shedite, presents himself as an older man of mean disposition. He could easily be mistaken for a war criminal or a deposed tyrant. The Adversary uses Malphas and his servants for diplomatic missions of the greatest importance. Malphas practices his art among his peers as much as he does on Earth. Lucifer approves; in fact, that’s one reason Malphas keeps his high state. Each of his demons is convinced that Malphas is a tough but fair boss; each one thinks he has a special “in” with Malphas. His demons are always alert for excuses to denounce each other to their immediate boss or to Malphas himself. It’s dissonant for the Servitors of Malphas to go more than a day without creating division between two people. A missed day can be made up for by starting two fights on the next day . . . but after a day, the note becomes permanent and must be worked off another way.
Nybbas, Prince of the Media
Nybbas is the newest major Prince in Hell. In 1884, with several human allies, he invented the television. Television has forever changed the way mankind thinks and dreams. Nybbas’ plot to mold the psyches of humanity is working all too well. The Hollywood style of storytelling best embodies Nybbas’ unrealistic attitudes: to the Impudite Prince of the Media, beautiful people are stars, most members of humanity are disposable extras or consumers to exploit, and reality is a script that can be rewritten when it is too boring. He’s full of disdain for everyone he manipulates – and he feels that anyone who helps him is his puppet. The machinery of the media needs endless fodder. Servitors of Nybbas acquire dissonance if they do not spend at least an hour every day contributing to the growth of the world’s media. This encompasses everything from writing a newspaper article to creating a Web page. Once caught up, this dissonance vanishes.
Saminga, Prince of Death
Saminga is a Shedite. The lord of Death wears a rotting corpse when he appears on Earth; his celestial image is that of a mass of decaying bodies. He learned the secret of mummification from the ancient Egyptians and used it to create an army of undead sorcerers. Soon his occult power exceeded that of many Princes. Lucifer considered slapping him down, but Saminga’s
not trying to take over Hell. Arrogant and patronizing, he thinks death is the ultimate evil, and since he is Death, he must be the ultimate evil. The Demon Prince of Death always prefers dead puppets to living mortal servants. And this might indicate, Saminga isn’t particularly bright. He makes up for it with paranoid savagery, especially when he thinks a Servitor is being even the least bit insolent. It’s dissonant for Saminga’s demons to encourage life. (For example, never give wholesome food or drink to a mortal – it just encourages them to go on living.)
Valefor, Prince of Theft
Valefor delights in the conflicts between those who have and those who want. Valefor is a Calabite, thin and suave, with an unusual sense of style for his Band. He appeared on the scene several centuries back. He rapidly made a name for himself. More important than Valefor’s flashy personal thefts – though they do raise a lot of Hell in the mortal world without disrupting the Symphony – is the constant strain that the demons of Theft put on mortal society. In addition, theft tends to promote greed and anger in its victims – better and better! When any Prince of Hell needs something stolen, on Earth or anywhere else, he’s likely to call directly or indirectly on Valefor. It’s dissonant for servants of Valefor to stay in the same locale for more than three days. Their Prince claims this keeps them from being recognized. It’s also dissonant for these demons to recognize society’s “rules” of ownership and personal space.
Vapula, Prince of Technology
Vapula is a Habbalah who usually manifests as a bright eyed elderly man with unkempt hair and clothes. He often wears a lab coat. Think “mad scientist.” He’s usually quiet, and seems to be working on something in the back of his mind – until he bursts forth with a torrent of excited ideas. Even when angry, he’s soft-spoken. A clumsy Servitor may be invited to donate his vessel for medical experimentation . . . but Vapula will smile encouragingly as the victim is strapped to the rack. Vapula’s forges in Hell are the source of most infernal artifacts. Few of the demons who know these secrets are permitted to reach Earth, though! None of the Princes
want diabolical artifacts to be too easy to get. Most Servitors of Vapula have been granted at least one artifact of infernal origin. It’s dissonant for a demon to allow such a boon to fall into human or angelic hands, although this dissonance vanishes if he recovers it.
Lilith, Princess of Freedom
Long before the Fall, Lilith walked the Earth, beautiful and immortal. Created as the first wife of Adam in God’s famous experiment in the Garden of Eden, she exercised her free will and walked away. Lucifer offered her power, dark Essence, and the Word of Freedom. Lilith accepted, but has insisted that independence means far more to her than power over others.
She is the Demon Princess of Freedom, and she means it. She holds no Principality and commands no Servitors. When she wants something, she’ll trade favors. Each Lilim is an individual creation of Lilith herself. Having created her children, she leaves them free to succeed or fail on their own. It’s when Lilim are victimized or treated as disposable that she’s been known to get involved. While in Lilith’s service, it is dissonant to accept restraints or orders except as part of a freely negotiated agreement.
And that is a brief overview of each of the Archangels. I will cover their Choir & Servitor Attunements, Distinctions and Rites in other videos.
Outro
Thank you for watching today’s In Nomine episode. Subscribe and ring the bell if you are new to the channel. Don’t forget to click the like button and comment to let others learn about this award winning role-playing game and this channel.
And as always, remember that evil spelled backwards is live, so get out there and Be Evil!