After my players killed off the pontiff of the Holy Blood Church in one of my campaigns, I was faced with the prospect of creating a new villain for Chancel. Here's who/what I came up with, clearly inspired by the mythology around Rasputin:
Father Anjelus
Anjelus Navarre governs Chancel and is the current pontiff of the Church. Anjelus is widely feared, even by the most pious members of the Church’s inner circle. Father Anjelus exudes an aura of palpable menace; when his penetrating gaze falls upon you, it feels as though he bores into your most deeply guarded secrets.
In actuality, he is a fallen angel who uses his position to sate his unchaste desires. Father Anjelus reserves his personal tutelage for a select group of followers drawn from the ranks of the wealthy and powerful. He preaches that in order to deserve heavenly forgiveness, aspirants must first experience the depths of sin. To that end, he secretly encourages them to pursue their vices so that they might more fully experience the grace of repentance.
• Appearance: In his mortal guise, Father Anjelus has a wild mane of hair and the grizzled, unkempt beard of a mystic. He dresses in shabby robes to emphasize a humbleness he does not truly possess.
• Personality: His every word is cloaked in pious dissemblance.
• Motive: He wishes to become the Church's central figure of veneration, eclipsing even the saints.
• Flaw: If it were discovered how many people he has sent to their deaths, his position would be jeopardized.
