Share

In Nomine: Esha, Princess of Materialism

Another planned Demon Prince to be introduced during my written (but never run) War In Hell campaign was Esha, Demon Princess of Avarice. However, as I began to actually write her up I realized she was better suited for the Word of Materialism. What better way to ring in the holiday spirit than with shopping?

Esha

Lilim Princess of Materialism

The world is empty, but you can fill it with things!

Esha was crafted by Lilith in 1819 to fulfill a bargain with Mammon. Perhaps not un-coincidentally, her origin shared the same date as the opening of the Burlington Arcade—one of the primary precursors to the shopping center. The Prince of Greed wanted a Lilim as his personal shopping attendant, finding the best items to suit his current whims and wants. The Daughter excelled at anticipating her Prince’s material desires. While Mammon favored items that made him appear wealthy, Esha seemed to know exactly which item he would covet most. She swiftly rose in the esteem and ranks of the Prince of Greed.

Unlike most demons of Greed, Esha was more preoccupied with the acquiring of items and not the keeping and hoarding. She enjoyed her purchases, but not as much as the act of purchasing. She encouraged her underlings to “shop ’til they dropped.” Lucifer took note and granted her the Word of Materialism.

Under the gleeful eyes of Mammon, Esha worked with Nybbas in the early 1950’s, creating an influx of advertising and shopping for holiday gifts the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. This anti-holiday would eventually be known as “Black Friday” and would be the stepping stone towards the Temptress’s Princessdom. She would partner with the Prince of Media multiple times again, further developing the concept of seasonal creep, keeping people chasing purchases for the next upcoming holiday. For Nybbas, this meant lots of flashy commercials and additional reasons for people to read their papers or turn on their radios or TVs in order to discover the next bargain.

While favored for her work on seasonal shopping, there were two larger-scale accomplishments which skyrocketed her status to a Demon Princess. In 1978 Esha traded in numerous favors to ensure a US Supreme Court ruling allowing nationally chartered banks the ability to charge out-of-state customers the interest rate set in the bank’s home state. While not the birth of the credit card, it established their popularity. Her work in helping to establish a cheap and mass-produced collectibles market as “investments” also could not go overlooked; people would chase the next trinket of their desire, often ignoring needs in favor of wants and for goods that rarely were as financially sound as hoped due to large-scale production. In 1983 as shopping centers and speciality stores soared in popularity throughout the world and people used money they did not have to purchase needless items, Esha was elevated to the status of a Superior.

Her work did not stop there and Esha has played a part in numerous shopping holidays and collectable markets. Notable events credited to her name include the rise and fall of Beanie Babies, the introduction of Cyber Monday, and social acceptability and availability when purchasing toys or statuettes for display.

Esha typically appears as an attractive and well-dressed woman in her late 30’s, usually carrying a few bags filled with recent acquisitions. Her demeanor is friendly but brusque, as she’s focused on the next bargain or potential collectable market. The Princess of Materialism has high demands of her servitors, but is more than willing to appear when needed; she’ll step in and help, but they’ll owe her for it.

In the War In Hell campaign Esha’s Word was intended to replace that of Mammon’s Greed. Her Word and attunements could also be considered to have minor overlaps with Theft and Gluttony. That said, the Word of Materialism is different enough that it should be possible for the Princess of Materialism to exist in the canon In Nomine universe without Word Friction.

DISSONANCE

Esha’s demons must fixate the world on needless spending and shopping. They must spend or convince others to spend their Forces times 100 dollars a day on items they want but don’t need. This amount can be cumulative over the course of sunset to sunset.

BAND ATTUNEMENTS

Balseraphs (Restricted)
With the power of their personal Symphonies, these infernal liars can impose the Celestial Discord of Need (Shopping) upon their victims, at a level equal to the demon’s Ethereal Forces, lasting for a number of days equal to the check digit of the demon’s resonance roll. While humans do not gain actual Discord, they behave as though they had the Need while the resonance lasts.
Only Balseraphim serving Esha can take this attunement.

Djinn (Partially Restricted)
The Stalkers can sense the lines of commerce to those they are attuned. They can sense and track a number, equal to their Corporeal Forces, of the most recent purchases made by their attuned. This includes any items currently being manufactured, packaged, or shipped. While tracking of a purchase works like their resonance they suffer no dissonance if they physically damage the item.
Only Djinn can take this attunement.

Calabim (Partially Restricted)
When a Calabite uses their resonance to destroy something, there is no Disturbance in the Symphony, so long as something is purchased to replace or substitute (such as purchasing a new wanted item) the item in the demon’s Corporeal Forces days. If the item is not replaced the Disturbance will echo around the Calabite at twice the strength.
Only Calabim can take this attunement.

Habbalah (Partially Restricted)
Esha’s Punishers can use their resonance, adding their Ethereal Forces, to make their victims feel Love towards a purchasable item or collection of purchasable items.
Only Habbalah can take this attunement.

Lilim (Partially Restricted)
These Temptresses can not only read their target’s needs, but also any materialistic wants. These minor desires can be treated like a need and used to Geas their victim, if the want can be supplied.
Only Lilim can take this attunement.

Shedim
The host of a Shedite cannot control their spending impulses. Esha’s Corrupters automatically succeed any contest of will to make their host spend money on physical goods.

Impudites (Partially Restricted)
Impudites of Materialism often take a Role in sales. Their victims have no resistance roll against the demon’s Charm so long as the Taker can broker a deal or sale for an item the target wants. The Impudite only need have access to the item to Charm their victim and can make the sale after employing their resonance.
Only Impudites can take this attunement.

SERVITOR ATTUNEMENTS

Black Card
Demons with a Black Card are granted a credit card with unlimited credit. They’ll always have the money to purchase anything they want, but they’ll have to pay Esha back eventually… and with interest. If they cannot afford to pay the Princess back monetarily, they can always owe her in the form of a Geas.

Haggler
With the expenditure of 1 Essence and a successful Will roll, the demon can change the price of an item for themselves (even when dealing with online stores). The change in price is based on the CD of the roll:

  • 1: 10%
  • 2: 25%
  • 3: 35%
  • 4: 50%
  • 5: 75%
  • 6: 95%

Note that this can raise or lower the price to the roll, based on if the demon is buying or selling.

DISTINCTIONS

Knight of Acquisition
Esha’s Knights instinctively know the closest location where they can purchase, immediately, any item they may want.

Captain of Capitalism
The demon automatically knows the value, cost, and estimated shelf-life/use-life of any purchasable item they’re looking at.

Baron of Possessions
Esha examined the power of Mammon’s Barons and made it her own. Items monetary value which are of immediate use to the Baron in the situation at hand just sort of appear at the right time as if the demon always had the possession. Stuck for cab fare? Oh, right, there’s a twenty in my wallet! Trapped in a plane that’s going down? Look, my backpack doubles as a parachute! The player cannot choose to use this power, but the GM may make it happen whenever it seems appropriate. The GM may also charge Essence for this power, from zero points for trivialities to 6 points for real lifesavers. Unlike Mammon’s Barons, the items will not be cumbersomely valuable.

RELATIONS

Allied: Lilith, Mammon, Nybbas
Associated: Haagenti, Malphas, Valefor
Hostile: Asmodeus, Baal, Belial
Enemy: Beleth, Saminga

BASIC RITES

  • Cause someone to spend more than they should on items they want, not need
  • Cause someone to spend more money than an item is worth in order to get it now (this and the previous rite may be used at the same time)
  • For at least an hour, possess an object worth more than $10,000,000. (2 Essence if it is worth more than $100,000,000.)

CHANCE OF INVOCATION: 4

INVOCATION MODIFIERS

+1 in a store or mall
+2 in the distributing/shipping center for an online store
+3 in a crowded store or mall
+4 in a crowded store or mall where shoppers are frantic over goods (usually large sales/holiday season)
+5 surrounded by over $10,000 in purchased trinkets/toys (like a closet full of shoes or bags that are never used, or a shelf of statuettes)
+6 surrounded by over $1,000,000 in purchased trinkets/toys

TETHERS

The Tethers to the Princess of Materialism are dedicated to needless consumerism. Malls, speciality stores, closets filled with unused clothing, and rooms dedicated to tchotchkes are typical tethers to the Princess’s domain.

THE MALL OF HELL

Also known as the Shopping Precinct, Esha’s Mall of Hell stands at the edge of Shal-Mari and resembles the South China Mall. Unlike many of the world’s largest malls, this shopping center has no attractions outside of row after row after row of stores. The souls of the damned are kept busy as maintenance workers, janitors, food court cooks, and low-level sales staff. Anything that can be purchased can be found in the Mall of Hell–it just may take some time to find the right store.