Haagenti
To transmute lead to gold or mold flesh like clay is to achieve the divine. The modern alchemist is the inheritor of a proud, ancient tradition that seeks ultimately to elevate mortals to the station of divinity by giving them power over the earth and over life itself. When base metals become precious by the application of sacred chemicals or when weird liquids and complex gestures ignite the spark of life in an artificial being, the alchemist has transcended mortality and has become a god of his own creation. Nothing must stand in the way of the alchemist’s pursuit—not morality, family, love, friendship, or the boundaries of propriety. Scientific advancement directs the alchemist’s every move. Consequences are irrelevant to the forward march of progress. So holds the lore of Haagenti, and his teachings have great allure for arrogant scientists who would crown themselves enlightened victors over the bloodied corpse of traditional, repressive religion.
Description
The Ultimate Alchemist appears as a great amber bull with smoldering red eyes that seem to pulsate with the beating heart of the natural world. His raspy voice echoes like wind through abandoned mines, recollecting the toil the uneducated must endure to achieve material wealth. Two great feathered wings, similar to those of a griffon, emerge from Haagenti’s powerful back, representing the limitless bounds to which an alchemist might ascend if he successfully navigates the path to godhead. Haagenti’s personal Abyssal layer, Cerebulim, teems with the fruits of his followers’ labors. Evidence of scientific progress abounds in the form of cyclopean metal buildings, fantastic vehicles of transport that convey demons and souls alike at frightening speeds, and weapons of unthinkable power that project alchemical bullets with the force of a hundred crossbows. All such technology, however, bears some sign of its terrible cost. Wailing mortals perch like gargoyles atop awe-inspiring skyscrapers and mourn as they consider their own intestines and vertebrae, hardened through arcane procedures and used as cable and mortar to strengthen the structural integrity of the towers upon which they sit. Putrid, cloying smoke plagues the air, blotting out natural light and giving the layer an acidic smell. Vast herds of mortals abducted from Eldarr clog sanitariums and hospitals, where they are sliced apart by workman-like, analytical doctors and scientists searching for the means to prolong life, no matter the cost of the research. Termed the Hermetic Horizon, Cerebulim gives a glimpse of a technological future unfettered by moral or ethical limitations upon progress.Worshipers
Followers of Haagenti generally pursue tripartite goals: discover a process of transforming any metal to silver or gold; uncover an elixir to extend life indefinitely; and create artificial life in the form of constructed beings. The very concept of change fascinates them, as any transformation from one form to another might hold the key to attaining their sacred alchemical goals. Their stated ambition—to become divine through transformative power—predictably outrages members of more conservative religions, who hold that certain practices by their nature fall outside the realm of mortals. True practitioners of the faith exhibit a great deal of medical and alchemical skill, however, and can be of great assistance to those who don’t know or care to know exactly how they gained their helpful knowledge. Haagentian alchemists view charlatans as a serious threat to their respectability, and persecute them to the best of their ability whenever possible.Obedience
Thaumaturges dedicated to Haagenti engage in a daily obedience known as the Divine Experiment. In this ritual they attempt, through the use of quicksilver, to separate gold and silver from the “native matrix” of some base substance (ranging from lead to elven flesh). Each day they must perform the ritual upon a new material. After doing so, the alchemist must write his observations upon a perfectly square piece of parchment, which is then burned, transferring all that he has learned to a great depository of knowledge on Cerebulim. At the end of the hour-long ritual, the thaumaturge’s spell complement is replenished. The ritual consumes about 3 gp worth of materials per day. Such materials are easily attainable in any settlement large enough to be considered a town. Note: Thaumaturges dedicated to Haagenti treat Craft (alchemy) as a class skill. They often create one or more homunculi to act as personal assistants.
Alignment
Chaotic evil
Current Location
Species
Realm
Children
Aligned Organization
Ruled Locations
Comments