Balthazar

Balthazar, as taken from the movie that called itself Constantine but clearly was not, is a vain and manipulative demon with a predilection for ugly ties. He enjoys bottled water, looking like a smug, impeccable bastard, and toying with people.

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According to movie canon, all demons that walk the earth are halfbreeds, and thus are Hell's intermediaries just as Heaven's are angels. They may be killed and deported back to Hell with the use of blessed weapons, and are indifferent to any variety of fire.

The name Balthazar is a variant of ''Baltazar'', which means "Ba'al protect the king" in Phoenician. Baltazar is the name traditionally given to one of the three wise men of the New Testament. *

At First Glance

He appears to be a man in his mid or early thirties, about six feet tall; one who is striving for the descriptor of "impeccable." Invariably clad in pinstripes and sadistic ties, his demonic aura is subtly muted by the suit and his business-like demeanor. Those with keen senses of smell may pick up brimstone and sulfur mixed up in that of an old-fashioned cologne. Holy water will reveal the greenish, demonic flesh beneath his skin as well as release a stronger scent of sulfur. When feeling strong emotion (or just being a dick and showing off) his eyes may become more noticeably red and/or luminescent.

IC Information (more detail at the journal)

  • Weaknesses: holy water, blessed artifacts, prayer from the faithful, angels, John Constantine (oh, stop looking at me like that, at least Balthazar's not the one who licked him), Catholic dogma, post-No Doubt Gwen Stefani, Puddin' Pops
  • Illusions: he can produce complex, multi-sensory illusions. People with 'second sight' type abilities may see through them.
  • Tempting: he may attempt to influence a target's actions with beguiling speech. Anybody with normal willpower can resist.
  • Deal With a Devil: with the agreement of the participant, he may take away or bestow certain attributes, powers, objects, or memories. He must follow strict rules concerning property and ownership.
  • Seeing: he may instinctively feel a target's major sin (greed, wrath, lust, envy, pride, sloth, gluttony) or corresponding virtue. He may pick up surface thoughts, names, and emotions.
  • Infernal: he can summon a plague of bees. He may command certain (very low level) classes of demon. He can step into the "world behind the world" and travel unseen. He is impervious to fire, and stronger than a normal human male.

The extent to which any of these powers may succeed is completely up to the other player. ICly relevant factors include:

  • Holy influence: he will know angels on sight and vice versa
  • Eldritch influence: infernal policy dictates no tentacles be stepped on or wings tweaked
  • Magical influence: various types may shield or make one more vulnerable to his powers
  • Moral integrity: those with firm morals most likely find it easier to resist/ignore temptation
  • Willpower/mental discipline: those with strong willpower, telepathy, etc. can most likely ignore/resist
  • General infamy: particularly wicked individuals may have a reputation in Hell
  • Protection: those under protection from gods, angels, or other demons may change the way he acts towards them

Halfbreed

Balthazar can more accurately said to be a demon wearing a human body than a demon-human hybrid. It's the human aspect that allows him to roam the earth, while "real" demons cannot. If John can enter Hell using a pan of water and a cat, it only makes sense that Balthazar can move between Hell and earth at will; however, when the human body is destroyed, the demon is then deported with no means of return. Thus, he doesn't have a full array of demonic powers — the human part that allows him access to earth makes him weaker. Those that he has stem directly from his "father" Nergal's essence. Because of that, Balthazar has no real demonic name of his own and can't be summoned up and controlled like a normal demon; however, using his father's name will probably suffice.

Because he works for Mammon and uses his symbol, he is also bound by Mammon's name and can be summoned and partially controlled with its use. This is not as strong because Mammon is the son of Lucifer and ostensibly has many half-demons who work for him. Invoking Lucifer's name to control a half-demon, for example, would not be very effective, as he rules all of Hell. Using Nergal's name is as specific and close to Balthazar's identity as one can get. Nergal does have other children, but Balthazar is among the highest ranked.

Associates

He has never tried to hide what he is, and touts himself as the "lesser evil", a businessman with connections and resources who can get you want you want … at a price. He generally becomes fond of people who have extensive dealings with him, such as Agent Sands; he also likes people who are unique in some way, people who are entertaining or a challenge, anyone who doesn't fit into the tiresome power structure of his world.

Because of a "prank" he played on the students of PrIME involving the animation of their sex ed projects, plastic babies, Snape (who had rescued him previously) bound him to raise and protect of one of those children. He named her Lucretia Constance and he generally spends his time avoiding, being driven crazy, or trying to teach horrible things to her. It is unclear what plans, if any, he has for her. He also claims that Jack Harkness and John Constantine are her godfathers, although he did not, in fact, consult them, and tends to ignore any objections. Neither of the two gentlemen are currently available for comment.

OOC Notes

Balthazar is actually an extremely minor demon as a halfbreed, but he has more freedom and almost no official competition in the Nexus. People take him a lot more seriously than he takes himself, and this makes him giggle like a wee schoolgirl. The Nexus is the only thing he likes. He hates earth. He hates Heaven. And he definitely hates Hell, because Hell is Hell for everybody, and they're the worst bureaucratic mire of agony ever. He is still bound by their agenda, but he enjoys thwarting it in petty, passive-aggressive ways, such as with his "tertium quid" project.

Soundtrack

  1. A Perfect Circle - Passive
  2. Dope - Thanks for Nothing
  3. Nine Inch Nails - Ruiner
  4. Crystal Method - Born Too Slow
  5. Muse - Sunburn
  6. Fake - Past Performance Does Not Guarantee Future Results
  7. Queens of the Stone Age - Skin on Skin
  8. Corduroy - Money Is
  9. Tool - Sober
  10. Panic! At the Disco - Build God, Then We'll Talk
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