Angels come from the Realm of Light and unlike Demons do not have a hierarchy based on strength. Their power is derived through Light Magic the main source of which lies in their native realm.
Other sources of energy an Angel can use come from include:-
- Positive energies – created by mortals, Angels can turn this into Light Magic when close by. This energy though has to be used in the Mortal Realm since it cannot pass into the Light Realm.
- Followers of “Light Based” religions – Collectively they generate a type of “Light Energy” which can flow into the Light Realm where it becomes Light Magic.
Note: Unlike Demons, Angels share their power and so have no need to have their own followers. However if a follower of Light based religion, someone they consider having a Pure Heart is attacked or even killed by a mortal working for a Demon then they can be provoked into retaliating.
Also Note: They also do not use mortal souls that pass into their realm. Most all allowed to live in peace in a non-corporeal form in the Realm of Light although some individuals may be selected to become Angels.
Just like Demons, Angels can travel from the realm of light to the mortal realm. Also like Demons when they pass through the mystical barrier that separates the Light Realm from the Mortal and Spirit realms they have to assume a physical form. However Angels can choose to appear in their natural winged form or completely disguise themselves as mortal. In their true form, they create an aura of “light”, which has a positive effect on any person in the mortal realm which can cause them to act favourably.
War with the Demons
For many aeons the Angels were at war with the Demons. The Angels deplored the way that Demons used mortal souls as sources of power in the Dark Realm. They believed that upon death a mortal soul should be free to live in peace. Unable to reach a compromise with the Demons, the Angels decided to fight them for the souls resulting in the bitter war between their races.
So entrenched in eliminating the other side that both parties became blind to the fact that mortals were being killed. An ancient Angel realised that if they continued to keep the wars going then they would wipe out mortals which would in turn wipe them from existence.To force a peace the Angel merged with his Demonic opposite and became the Gatekeeper in order to create the Spirit Realm which denied either side from taking souls.
The Truce
The Archangels were furious at the Gatekeeper because now all the souls were trapped, meaning they could not live in peace as intended. The Gatekeeper in response presented a compromise to both sides. Since he controlled the Souls and was both Demon and Angel then he could make a fair judgement on whether a soul should go to the Realm of Light or the Realm of Dark.
Though this was the main reason for the war, the Gatekeeper suggested that there were other issues that need to be resolved. The Angels were dissatisfied at the fact that Demons forced mortals into following them. The Demons countered with the fact that they had only done this because the Angels visited the Mortal realm in their true form and denied them followers.
The Gatekeeper looked at the evidence and suggested that the resolution lay in giving mortals free will. Though the Angels had claimed to be working in the best interests of mortals they could not deny the fact that in having mortals fall under their control because of their “light” they were denying free will.
The Angels therefore agreed to limit visits to the mortal realm in their true guises and allow the Gatekeeper to manage mortal souls, providing that Demons did not directly interfere in the lives of mortals . Though the truce was agreed over time the Angels noticed that Demons were frequently visiting the Mortal Realm, and chose to do the same. By hiding their wing form they did not break their agreement
The Gatekeeper as Arbitrator
A secondary role the Gatekeeper performs in that of an arbitrator and Angels will approach him if they think individual Demons are breaking they agreement. Admittedly both Demons and Angels know that both sides have visited the mortal realm but because this has been little more than observations neither side has considered going to war. However the Angels are not stupid and are aware of a number of Demons finding ways to deliberately circumventing the truce with various schemes which involve manipulating free will but since free will is not directly altered which technically is not covered by the agreement in place.
When the boundaries are pushed to far, the Angels can demand the Rite of Blood whereby if the Gatekeeper rules and Demon is guilty then he or she will receive the Mark of Blood and can be hunted in the Mortal Realm by Angels without fear of reprisals . The same though can happen to Angels found breaking the agreement. Though most obey the rules such an act is not uncommon because not all Angels are happy to stand by and let Demons make use of proxies, and half demons and have chosen to turn renegade and put an end to the evil games. Angels do not make such choices lightly but if a “pure” soul has been killed or corrupted then that is enough to trigger some into reacting.
Light Realm Justice
Just as the Demons do not like anyone decided the fate of one of their own through the Rite of Blood, Angels are the same and prefer to take care of their own problems. One of the most severe punishments for an Angel is to have their “wings” taken from them, preventing entry into the Light Realm and take on human form. “De-powered” Angels have to prove themselves worthy before being given their wings back. Whilst they lose much of their power they still retain an ability to “detect” sources of evil. As technically they no longer possess a soul Demons often overlook them.
Death Angels are one of the few who do not get punished. They are tasked with ensuring that “good” souls are delivered to the Gatekeeper. Sometimes they collect early which angers Demons as it is seen as potentially stealing from them .
About the only Angels that Demons will “normally” accept in the mortal realm are the hunter angels who hunt down Angels breaking the rules. In turn Angels will accept the presence of their demonic counterparts when looking for renegades.
Angel Births
The light realm can only support a finite number of Angels so for a new Angel to be “born” it means that another Angel must have ceased to exist. At first this occurred in battle but following the truce with Demons the only way for an Angel to die is through self sacrifice or being punished and turned mortal. When a place appears, Angels are formed through a creation ceremony conducted by Archangels who use light magic to rebuild their number. Once protecting souls of light became a bigger priority than battling with Demons, Archangels started to combine this light magic with a human soul sent to the Light Realm. The human would thus be reborn. Using a human soul as a template gave the new Angel the “experience” of what would be faced in the mortal realm which in the past had to be learned.
Though made from a human soul a new Angel is a being of pure light and should not be confused with Half Angels, the product of an Angel and a human producing a child.
Angel Types
There are several recognised types of Angels that come from the Light Realm
- Archangels – They are Guardians of the light Realm, extremely old and Ancient
- Death Angels – Can take and remove souls from the Spirit Realm with the permission of the Gate Keeper. Their purpose is to ensure that an important life is not taken too early by evil means.
- Guardian Angels – These are charged with protecting important mortals with a destiny.
- Warrior Angels – These Angels are soldiers and normal purpose is to deal with demon threats in the mortal realm
Angels and Abilities
Angels in the mortal realm possess the following:-
- Able to detect evil and dark magic.
- Make humans sympathetic to their cause due to the aura that surrounds them.
- Mastery of light magic, although they rarely use it.
- Skilled Warriors – most Angels use traditional type of weapons for dispatching enemies.
- Mortal Premonitions – Angels exist out of space time and have a limited means to see the future. They can pass this information on to mortals via imagery into the human mind or by “whispering”. or by leaving “signs” of an immediate threat to life. A more extreme form of this is placing a mortal in a pocket dimension. An angel must be in the mortal realm to do this and have a very good reason to “save” a mortal from harm, since it breaks natural order. Normally the Gatekeeper will demand one life to be exchanged for another to maintain the balance. Death Angels are adept at swapping “fates” in this manner. Whilst Demons have no objections to the souls of good people being exchanged, using Premonitions as a means to communicate with mortals is considered breaking their truce.
- Aura Burst – Analogous to a Demon’s blinking. A method of moving from the mortal realm to the realm of light. Can also be used in the mortal realm as a method of travel without using their wings. Whereas Demons teleport by moving quickly from the mortal-dark-mortal realms, Angels can more from points in the mortal realm first. They can even bring mortal on the journey if the need arises. Angels tend to avoid using the Aura burst when they can use their wings for travel, as light magic emitted is emitted at the start and end points of the journey and is easily detected. Evil beings can set an ambush when the Angel exits the portal
- Pocket Dimension Creation – A few extremely powerful Angels and Demons have the means to create “pocket” dimensions which exist in the mortal realm outside the normal time frame (but are not in another reality like a parallel universe). Such creations allow them to hide physical objects/people from the mortal realm for their own purposes. Normally building such a creation comes at the cost of expending a vast amount of magical power which can never be recovered as long as the Pocket Dimension exists for it will continue to drain energy off the host. For this reason they are often collapsed by the original creator as a means to recover magical energy. At such times anything magical contained in the dimension will be ejected to the mortal realm but eveything else is destroyed. This destruction also happens if the original creator is vanquished.
The exception to the rule, is pocket dimensions created around a magical source in the mortal realm. These become self sustaining so do not have the disadvantage of stealing their creator’s magic. They have a disadvantage in that they have at least one access point that is fixed to a location in the mortal realm. They can have more than one means of entry and exit like any other pocket dimension which uses magical portals, but any fixed location makes gaining entry from uninvited guests all that much easier. Though access points can be hidden once the location of a fixed entry point is discovered they can be attacked until breached. As with other pocket dimensions, the creator can still choose to collapse them at will. However if the creator is vanquished they do not collapse on their own.
Any being capable of creating a pocket dimension can enter another one not of their making. For this reason both Angels and Demons rarely enter their own pocket dimensions since their presence can be detected in the mortal realm and used to find an access point or portal. Those without a fixed access point are much harder to breach since all their access points can continuously shift around in the mortal realm. In both cases the means to gain entry (or leave) is often protected by enchantments. Fixed access points often employ mazes and inpenetrable barriers and these along with portals often have magical traps as a safeguard. A similar system can be created inside a pocket dimension to prevent something leaving.
Powerful magic users can break through such protections but few mortals are capable of having that power. In general an Angel creating a pocket dimension to hide people is very rare since it is considered interfering in the lives of mortals. Angels therefore usually only create pocket dimensions as a means to hide dangerous magical artefacts since they cannot be destoyed or taken to the light realm.
Further Reading
For information regarding individual angels or groups click on this.
