Info Post/Character Analysis
For information on the church he maintains, info post is here. His HMD post is here.
Name: Mastema
Race: Herald
Age: Immortal
Gender: Male (Watchers are exempt from the "sexless" template)
Battle Stats:
Level: 84
HP: 694
MP: 399
ST: 51
MA: 61
VI: 50
AG: 51
LU: 54
Skills (Skills in italics were inherited): Killing Wind, Megidolaon, Salvation, Retaliate, Agidyne, Fire Boost
---
Mythological analysis:
Mastema is not necessarily an angel proper in that he is generally considered identical to Satan, however, he does work for YHWH. He is the chief of the Nephilim, one tenth of those born, having saved those few to serve under him. He claimed it was because the Nephilim were "created to tempt and lead astray", and this would be an adequate test of man. However, this doesn't make much sense, as they were created quite unexpectedly, and thus couldn't possibly have been specifically made to serve any purpose.
(Personally, the mun thinks YHWH is stupid enough to believe anything as long as it sounds like it will benefit him. A logical explanation would be that Mastema was a Watcher and thus possibly father to at least one of these, and lied his way into saving his kid's life. Even though other sources are likely to label him as a demon, he has been used as an angel here, so this is the best compromise. He was able to intuit that YHWH would rather accept a blatant lie than to admit to indirectly creating something that had no purpose. However, headcanon does not conclusive answers make. Unless some scholar has come up with something better, this is considered canon to this journal.)
---
Analysis: Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey: The entire by-sector analysis, reactions, musings, and rambling can be found here.
---
Mastema has been updated to postgame as part of the MC's final party. Canon-update behavioral changes are here.
---
Overall conclusion:
Mastema is patient, slow to lash out physically, preferring subtle, verbal attacks when faced with enmity. The only time he will attack is to defend himself, or if one claims to wish to physically attack the angels and/or God, and appears to actually have the power to do so. He is usually willing to help others when approached for help, although if one has shown signs of being Chaotic, they should expect a few jabs at needing help from an angel. Once his anger is ignited, though, it's hard to extinguish, often necessitating a fight to incapacitate him before he will back down.
However, he is also selfish (having lost the need to protect the only others he deemed worth placing over himself once the Nephilim proved self-sufficient), and if throwing aside friendships will benefit him, he will do so. There are exceptions to this, depending on the circumstances, such as who said ally is, what the benefits are, and other possible factors. Also, just because he would does not mean he will. If said benefit is lesser or equal to remaining with his allies, he will stay with them, of course. Mastema is far from stupid. (Note: Events in the DR have led to him becoming aware of this selfishness.)
He prefers to be as high up on a chain of command as possible, and will do what he can within reason to work his way up when the opportunity presents itself. Afraid of betrayal, he would rather free will didn't exist, but puts up with it and does what he can to sway it towards himself when possible. He has some definite trust issues, and this is understandable. Given that he blatantly lied to his creator and kept five beings around, beings that were considered "monsters", with no purpose, there was probably an air of distrust even amongst other angels. The only thing keeping angels from betraying him is the rigid hierarchy of Law. Try going for several thousand years, everyone around you distrusting you and the only thing keeping you safe is your high position on the pyramid of power. Wouldn't you want to get as high as you can on that pyramid, and make sure as many others were part of it, too? (Interestingly enough, he doesn't realize the hymn directly subdues free will - he assumes it's something YHWH does once everyone's open to it because of the hymn.) Also worth noting is that while he will blatantly lie, he doesn't like to, and prefers to use the truth as much as possible.
That said, without allies, by choice or command, he feels cornered and insecure. When this fear becomes intense, it is indistinguishable from anger in that he will lash out violently at perceived threats. If this fear is prolonged and/or he is prohibited somehow from attack, the anger will spend itself, leaving him instead with a feeling of melancholy. This situation is easily spotted by watching him - his usual polite, patient demeanor will be either dampened or absent.
In all this, there is one unknown - how will he respond to trust from an adult human (or demon?) that he has not first cultivated? Zelenin's trust in him was formed rather effortlessly, and I get the feeling he was surprised at her utter lack of skepticism. Maybe his interactions with her hold the answer to this question.
In short, if he sees you as a friend, is attracted to you, or wants your trust for whatever reason, you have a loyal ally who will fiercely protect you, and lie and manipulate as much as necessary to keep you out of trouble (and he apparently is quite adept at determining what others want to hear). But at the same time, you should not place too much trust in his loyalty to you, depending on who you are. (He is far more likely to remain friends with fellow Lawbies than with Neutral, for instance.) And if you make an enemy of him...well, he is the angel of punishment.
Name: Mastema
Race: Herald
Age: Immortal
Gender: Male (Watchers are exempt from the "sexless" template)
Battle Stats:
Level: 84
HP: 694
MP: 399
ST: 51
MA: 61
VI: 50
AG: 51
LU: 54
Skills (Skills in italics were inherited): Killing Wind, Megidolaon, Salvation, Retaliate, Agidyne, Fire Boost
---
Mythological analysis:
Mastema is not necessarily an angel proper in that he is generally considered identical to Satan, however, he does work for YHWH. He is the chief of the Nephilim, one tenth of those born, having saved those few to serve under him. He claimed it was because the Nephilim were "created to tempt and lead astray", and this would be an adequate test of man. However, this doesn't make much sense, as they were created quite unexpectedly, and thus couldn't possibly have been specifically made to serve any purpose.
(Personally, the mun thinks YHWH is stupid enough to believe anything as long as it sounds like it will benefit him. A logical explanation would be that Mastema was a Watcher and thus possibly father to at least one of these, and lied his way into saving his kid's life. Even though other sources are likely to label him as a demon, he has been used as an angel here, so this is the best compromise. He was able to intuit that YHWH would rather accept a blatant lie than to admit to indirectly creating something that had no purpose. However, headcanon does not conclusive answers make. Unless some scholar has come up with something better, this is considered canon to this journal.)
---
Analysis: Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey: The entire by-sector analysis, reactions, musings, and rambling can be found here.
---
Mastema has been updated to postgame as part of the MC's final party. Canon-update behavioral changes are here.
---
Overall conclusion:
Mastema is patient, slow to lash out physically, preferring subtle, verbal attacks when faced with enmity. The only time he will attack is to defend himself, or if one claims to wish to physically attack the angels and/or God, and appears to actually have the power to do so. He is usually willing to help others when approached for help, although if one has shown signs of being Chaotic, they should expect a few jabs at needing help from an angel. Once his anger is ignited, though, it's hard to extinguish, often necessitating a fight to incapacitate him before he will back down.
However, he is also selfish (having lost the need to protect the only others he deemed worth placing over himself once the Nephilim proved self-sufficient), and if throwing aside friendships will benefit him, he will do so. There are exceptions to this, depending on the circumstances, such as who said ally is, what the benefits are, and other possible factors. Also, just because he would does not mean he will. If said benefit is lesser or equal to remaining with his allies, he will stay with them, of course. Mastema is far from stupid. (Note: Events in the DR have led to him becoming aware of this selfishness.)
He prefers to be as high up on a chain of command as possible, and will do what he can within reason to work his way up when the opportunity presents itself. Afraid of betrayal, he would rather free will didn't exist, but puts up with it and does what he can to sway it towards himself when possible. He has some definite trust issues, and this is understandable. Given that he blatantly lied to his creator and kept five beings around, beings that were considered "monsters", with no purpose, there was probably an air of distrust even amongst other angels. The only thing keeping angels from betraying him is the rigid hierarchy of Law. Try going for several thousand years, everyone around you distrusting you and the only thing keeping you safe is your high position on the pyramid of power. Wouldn't you want to get as high as you can on that pyramid, and make sure as many others were part of it, too? (Interestingly enough, he doesn't realize the hymn directly subdues free will - he assumes it's something YHWH does once everyone's open to it because of the hymn.) Also worth noting is that while he will blatantly lie, he doesn't like to, and prefers to use the truth as much as possible.
That said, without allies, by choice or command, he feels cornered and insecure. When this fear becomes intense, it is indistinguishable from anger in that he will lash out violently at perceived threats. If this fear is prolonged and/or he is prohibited somehow from attack, the anger will spend itself, leaving him instead with a feeling of melancholy. This situation is easily spotted by watching him - his usual polite, patient demeanor will be either dampened or absent.
In all this, there is one unknown - how will he respond to trust from an adult human (or demon?) that he has not first cultivated? Zelenin's trust in him was formed rather effortlessly, and I get the feeling he was surprised at her utter lack of skepticism. Maybe his interactions with her hold the answer to this question.
In short, if he sees you as a friend, is attracted to you, or wants your trust for whatever reason, you have a loyal ally who will fiercely protect you, and lie and manipulate as much as necessary to keep you out of trouble (and he apparently is quite adept at determining what others want to hear). But at the same time, you should not place too much trust in his loyalty to you, depending on who you are. (He is far more likely to remain friends with fellow Lawbies than with Neutral, for instance.) And if you make an enemy of him...well, he is the angel of punishment.