Tempter

Tempter
Nicknames	Decadents, Builders

Tempters are an Agenda of the Unchained that mainly focuses on worldly pleasure. Stereotyped as the quintessential demons, who broker shadowy deals and are never honest partners to deal with, the Tempters seek to amass the resources needed for combating the God-Machine in order to protect their new-found freedom.

Overview

Tempters know that nothing happens randomly: somewhere there’s someone gaining something out of an incident. They balance the scale between want and desire and often, one of it was the result for their Fall. To the Builders, the world entire is linked by chains of desire and community. A Decadent’s eyes see that world as a series of price tags begging for the right buyer. Altruism is a myth, as even the most selfless deed garners the actor some reputation that will make him seen more honorable than before and the joy felt for helping someone in need acts as the exchange currency. The key to understanding the Tempters is the fact that he will strive always to know what will actually tempt someone and gratify their desires.

Tempters are not solely hedonists. Many enjoy helping others for the sake of it, since good intentions proverbial pave the road to Hell - and the God-Machine is all but caring, so each act of compassion is another blow against the gears of the Creator. Additionally, fulfilling a need fulfills a desire, and that fulfillment comes with pacts attached that can benefit the Tempter.

Organization

The Tempters are the most structured of the four Agendas by far. They acknowledge no overarching organization or central authority, but Builders tend to organize themselves into secret societies and orders based on a variety of inspirations, such as cults, Masonic lodges, drug cartels, or intelligence bureaus. These groups, called associations, usually have a hierarchy with officials and rules and rituals, which take countless forms. Associations are secretive organizations, and even their members usually can only gossip and speculate about the groups they belong to. Many Tempters maintain several memberships at once and some belong to none.

Tempters often act as those Ring members that keep the group working together. They are on friendly terms with Unchained of all Agendas, as long as they have something to offer them (although this can be something as simple as honesty). Other Unchained often respect the Tempters for their talent at engineering pacts and obtaining Covers.

Covers

Tempters prefer Covers that can get things done without attracting too much attention. Well-connected, but without the baggage of responsibility, they seek to redirect things in their favour, often using the Covers of agents, middle managers and the spouses of influential people to further their goals.

Descent and Hell

Most of the Tempters fell because they found themselves entangled in the mortal world and actually liking it. Seeking to make the best of their existence without paying their due to their Creator, they Fell. Many Tempters know how easy it can be for an Angel to turn its back on the God-Machine and seek to lure them into situations where they will question their directives and begin their Descent.

The Builders believe that freedom from the Machine will not come from breaking the chains of desire, but by reforging them in service to demons, reconstructing them as Infrastructures that support Hell. If Hell is truly a viable goal, it must be physically built and inhabited by people, a place away from the eyes of the angels. To this end, the Tempters seek the resources to find a way to either build Hell themselves or find a way to it. They have many different methods to that end, but the one most outsiders associate with the Agenda is that of the businessman — debauchery hidden behind a veneer of respectability. In truth, quite a few Tempters don’t really believe in their own goals. Angelhood is certain and definite, with a clear purpose — mortality isn’t. Many Tempters find this hard to accept even while they cherish their freedom of will too much to let it go.

Several philosophies rival within the Agenda

• The Constructivists seek to build Hell themselves via Infrastructure, either in this plane of existence or another (like the Shadow or the Astral Realms). The questions is if Hell already exists or has to be constructed by the Unchained
• The Prometheus Theory believes that mankind is the key to Hell, as they are outside the understanding of the God-Machine. They seek to recruit as many as possible for a final revolution against the Creator.
• The Mystics believe that the wisdom of humanity, amassed in the works of religion and philosophy, will be the key to Hell and often place themselves as leaders of secret societies.
• The Aesthetics believe that they already are in Hell and should enjoy their stay.

Condition: I Know Someone

The Tempters are among the most well connected Unchained and can earn a Beat by delegating tasks to other persons that owe him favours. The way this is done is without much importance, but the exchange of favours and the keeping of one's word is what gives them a Beat.