THE HOARSE EARL HALPHAS, one of the more niche of the Goetia, is often overshadowed by greater spirits.
Despite the reputation he has as one of the weaker spirits of the Goetia, Earl Halphas is quick to assert
himself and has a keen and sensible mind for pragmatic matters. It is of course impossible to talk about
Halphas without also talking about Malphas, who is a complementary but distinct spirit to Halphas. This
is all made even more confusing when you consider that Halphas is also called Malthus, making the two
spirits together Malthus and Malphas. I will admit they have a sort of Mario-and-Luigi dynamic, and this
humor is not lost on the spirits either! Both have very similar descriptions and attributes in the texts,
both being avian spirits skilled in constructing/destructing towers and supplying armaments to forts.
However, you can think of the distinction between them as Halphas being the personable contractor and
architect, while Malphas is the silent and hardworking bricklayer (and brick remover if need be).
What Halphas lacks in magical abilities he more than makes up for in presence, despite being a smaller
entity in my experience of him he was quick to make things happen and had a unique way of speaking that
commanded attention. Many of the goetic birds in my perception of them speak in a hoarse and unrefined
manner, and Halphas is almost crochety in this way, throwing around phrases like "sonny" and "darn
tootin'", in a way that feels like talking to an cheeky old man. He has a sense of humor and seems to
enjoy games of wit, and has a great understanding of architecture and the sort of natural geometry that
benefits it. When I was first meeting him, I felt the pull to collaborate with the spirit on a sort of
astral fortification, a memory palace turned into an artwork. He seemed eager to help with this task,
and immediately took command as a teacher as I sat with the canvas. I wanted to make something like
a bastion fort or star fort, a relic of 1500s warfare that has a uniquely angular design to ward off
cannonball volleys. Earl Halphas began insisting on a pentagonal design, implying that this would
serve my purposes the best, and recommended I create the geometry of the pentagon by way of compass
and ruler-- Which, as it turns out is many steps more involved than making a triangle or a hexagon,
and something that exercised my geometric knowledge more than I had been expecting. As I worked on
the artwork I became distracted by some messages i was getting from a friend, and as if he were slapping
my desk with a ruler, my internet went out and my attention was brought back to the project. I finished
the task with considerable effort, all within a single sitting, and as soon as I saved and exported
the final project-- The power went out. Narrowly, the art had avoided deletion and was spared from
being consumed by the spirits. To me, these technical anomalies speak more on the character of Halphas
than anything else, and felt like a very flashy means of commanding my attention and focus on the project
at hand, and the puzzling geometry he was trying to teach me.
As far as I recall, Earl Halphas seemed pleased with the finished work, and departed from the space
without lingering. I have not collaborated on Earl Halphas since that project, but in my experience
he was easy to work with as long as you are willing to give him the focus he requires of you, and to
be willing to put in the necessary work as well. All in all, this spirit is agreeable, but makes it
known that they are not to be a pushover-- and will command the proper respect that they are due.
