WARNING! this Archangel is suitable for a Very dark portrayal of Heaven, and is just plain nasty. Sinners Beware! Azrael Elohite Archangel of Death "And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my Vengence upon thee!" History The Passover, Sodom and Gomorrah, these are Azrael's best known works. The mysterious and menacing ArchAngel of Death makes Dominic look like a cherub. Cold as ice, and diamond sharp, Azrael and it's servitors are a divine scalpel against the cancer of sin. Born in the fires of the rebellion, Azrael fought with holy fury against the rebels, executing many personally. It's Word was granted immediately after the Fall, and it ascended to Archangelic status a few centuries later. Azrael rarely involves itself in heavenly politics, although it is a definate member of the war faction. The only Archangels known to regularly speak with it are Yves, Michael, Gabriel and Uriel (before his 'ascension'). The only thing that stirs even the slightest glimmer of passion in it's chill heart is the prospect of armaggeddon, when the unrighteous will be swept before the Host and cast into the pit. Word-bound servitors include Salekah, Angel of Genocide; Dumas, Ofanite Angel of Righteous Fury; Draven, Malakite Angel of Revenge; Kascalis, Elohite Angel of Murder and Justin, Seraph Angel of Cleansing (one of Uriel's highest ranking servitors) Appearence: In the celestial realms, Azrael appears as a standard member of it's choir, but with totally black skin and piercing steel-grey eyes. Corporeally, Azrael favours neither male or female form, but always appears as a tall, thin, pale skinned human with androgynous looks and long black hair. If circumstances require it, it will carry the scythe Vox Fini (final voice), it's personal weapon. All reports of it's use point to instantaneous soul-death of any being below superior status, and the only Superior to feel it's wrath, Am-Hashut, Prince of Hatred, was so sorely wounded that he posed no threat when Genubath made a violent play for his principality. Secret Songs: Azrael knows the Songs of Life, Oblivion, Poison and Retribution. Servitors of Death have an affinity with the songs of Poison(Corp and Cel versions), and Retribution. Azrael and Saminga Azrael considers the insane Prince of Death as utterly beneath it's notice, and for his part, Saminga is perhaps just clever enough to realise that an attack on the Azrael would spell almost certain doom. Death's servitors however (on both sides) hate each other with an all consuming passion, and seek to destroy their counterparts at every turn. Unfortunately for the Diabolicals, Azrael's Servitors are better organised, and more ruthless. The only thing Azrael truly cannot stand are undead. No-one cheats the Angel of Death. NO-ONE! The Mark The Mark is a sign of God's disfavour. It is only inflicted upon those truly deserving of the Wrath of God, and is instantly recognisable to any celestial who views the inflicted. Angels shun these pariahs for obvious reasons, and demons avoid them because there are likely to be angels of death nearby. The Mark can only be bestowed in the following ways. - By decree of God or The Seraphim Council - By Azrael - By a Master of God's vengence - On an unfavourable 111 roll (ie the person who rolled it is hellsworn) The Mark only affects humans, but this includes sorcerors and undead. The effects of The Mark are as follows: - The target immediately becomes Damned, as though they had fulfilled their fate. - People react with aversion to the victim. Subtract -2 from any successful reaction rolls toward the character and add +2 to any failed reaction. - they no longer recover essence by succeeding at their Greatest Gift (see corp players guide p20), and must make a will roll to regenerate any essence at noon. - All interventions become unfavourable. Not even Lucifer will truck with these cursed beings. - Damage done by Angels of Death cause no disturbance (up to and including being killed) - Kyriotates and Shedim can no longer posess the victim using their resonance: the human is too damned to carry a kyriotate, and cannot be corrupted further by a shedite. The Song of possession works fine. The Mark can be removed in the following ways (although it rarely is) - by decree of God or The Seraphim Council - by Azrael or Yves - on a 111 roll on a truly, utterly, selfless act. - Fulfilling your Destiny. Dissonance It is dissonant for an angel of death to kill an innocent. This means anyone who is not sworn to hell, and who has not taken violent action against the angel. Celestials, Undead and Ethereals may be slaughtered with impunity. Anyone openly committing a crime or sinning in the presence of the angel becomes fair game. (see Loki in Dogma for an excellent example) Choir Attunements As well as the standard attunements the resonance of all Angels of Death except kyriotates automatically succeeds with a CD of 6 against any human bearing The Mark. Seraphim -R- Azrael's Seraphim act as divine coroners. Their resonance may be used on a body to determine the cause of death. A CD of 6 will also reveal if the body is in fact a Vessel. Cherubim -R- Are immune to their choir dissonance condition if their attuned bears The Mark. They also know the exact time, place and method of their attuned's death, barring celestial intervention. Ofanim -R- A Wheel of Death may use its resonance to detect the nearest Marked human within Total Forces miles. Their resonance only succeeds automatically against a marked human whose name they know. Elohim -- Death's Elohim automatically perceive disturbance (CD = EthForces) that involves the death of a human, if they would ordinarily have a change to perceive it (target number of 2+). if they want a better CD, they must roll normally. Malakim -- The darkest of a dark choir, Azrael's malakim add their Celestial forces to the power of any attack which hits (including ranged attacks). Kyriotates -R- Deaths Dominations may NOT (in fact cannot) enter a Marked host. Instead, they may add their Celestial Forces to any attempt to posess a human who is an aquaintance (friend, enemy, or family) of one who bears the Mark. They generate no dissonance if a host DIES while possesed, although the rest of their dissonance condition applies. Mercurians -R- Are immune to their choir dissonance condition relating to bearers of The Mark. With a resonance CD of 4+ the Mercurian will know if anyone close to the target will die within the next year. Servitor Attunements Pillar of Salt -- for 5 essence, and a will roll, the angel may inflict CDxTotal Forces body hits upon a target (ignoring Protection) . The target may resist with a Will roll of their own, minus the angel's celestial forces if distincted. If this kills the target, the body calcifies, shatters, and disappears in Total focres rnds. This causes 5 times the disturbance for killing a human (including force destruction) unless the human bears The Mark. The resonance CD modifiers do apply to this roll. (thats a possible 378 body hits for an angel with 18 forces, adding it's remaining 13 essence to the CD, and in contact with the target). Ethereal shields will block this attunement. Heavy Is the Tread -- The very presence of an Angel of Death is intimidating, and angels with this attunement may awe those in their presence. They gain a bonus to reaction rolls equal to their corporeal forces, but this reaction is always rooted in fear of the angel. Unlike free levels of charism , the angel may choose to retract this aura and roll reactions normally, but anyone who has been affected by the angel's aura before will automatically respond in a fearful manner. Speaker of Names -- With a Perception roll, the angel will know the name of any person they are talking to. Distinctions Vassal of Retribution -- With a perception roll, a Vassal of Death will know if someone within LOS is deserving of retribution (from any source). Friend of Death -- the angel becomes immune to trauma. Azrael's malakite friends recorporealise 10xCelForces Yds away from their point of death, in an identical vessel (the old one disappears) 15-TotalForces minutes after death (15+ force angels reappear immediately) Master of God's Vengence -- This is the Biggie. A master of God's Vengence can, for the cost of 7 Essence, apply The Mark to a human within line of sight and earshot. In order to do this the angel must point to the human crying "! You are hated in God's sight, and shall heretofore bear His Mark." this statement will be comprehended by the target regardless of language or even deafness, although onlookers will only understand if they speak whatever language the angel uses. This does not grant the ability to _remove_ The Mark. Only the methods mentioned above can do that. Misuse of this attunement (ie not against someone fully deserving of Divine Vengence) results in immediately acruing 1 point of dissonance, 1 level of the Merciful discord, and Azrael's personal attentions. Relations Azrael gets on very well with the war faction, naturally. Novalis comes as close to outright hatred as it is possible for the archangel of flowers to get. Yves just smiles ineffably. Allied: Michael, Laurence, David, Gabriel, Dominic Associated: Janus, Jordi. Neutral: All others, except Hostile: Novalis, Blandine Basic rites: -- Sleep in a _consecrated_ cemetery for six hours -- Destroy an Undead +2 -- Kill a Marked human +3 essence Invocation chance: 0 Invocation modifiers +1 A corpse +2 A dead Demonic vessel or Destroyed Undead +3 The body of a Marked human, killed by your own hand +4 A Marked human, unrepentant, and continuing to offend God. +5 An act of Gross injustice, being perpetrated by an un-Marked human. +6 A grand act of vengance in progess