mandag den 17. marts 2014

The Saints of Heaven

If any mortals had actually met an arch-angel while they were still alive, and spent some time with him, they wouldn't be so quick to bow down and idolize them. The angels might represent the virtues, all the goody stuff, but embody them, they sure don't. Cold and distant characterize them much better than kind and helpful.
 -Asmodeus, allegedly
The common perception is that the Saints of Heaven are the arch-angels that run Heaven for Bahamut. Each is associated with some virtues, each have a specific role in Heaven.

Saint Michael the Arch-angel
Chastity, knowledge, honesty and wisdom
Also called Heaven's General. Commonly seen as the most powerful of the angels, and the right hand of Bahamut. In some areas of Gemnos, he is more widely worshipped than the gods. According to lore, Michael is the leader of the armies of angels. While angels rarely ever fight battles as us humans understand it, he is the strategist behind every move and plan they hatch.

Saint Gabriel the Arch-angel
Temperance, justice, honor, self control
Commonly named the Judge but also the Merchant - Gabriel is the one in charge of bargaining for the souls that go to Heaven. He is the final arbiter whether Heaven will haggle for your soul or not. Quite a few pay at least lip service to him just for that. Gabriel is therefore mostly found in the Underworld,  although he leaves most of the haggling with the infernal opposites to angelic delegates.

Saint Raphael the Arch-angel:
Humility, bravery, modesty
Saint Raphael the Protector, as the name implies, is the angel in charge of the security of Heaven, or in other words, he protects the gates of Heaven. It is said he knows everything that goes on everywhere in Heaven. No one can sneak in, no one can do anything without Raphael knowing about it. Whether he acts on it, only Bahamut knows.

Saint Azrael the Arch-angel
Peace, mercy, suffering
Nicknamed the Angel of Death, Azrael's job description is much less sinister than the name would imply. Once Gabriel has won a soul, Azrael is the one to come get it, or at least he is in charge of the someone coming to get it. Seeing Azrael while alive is considered one of the greatest things for worshippers of Bahamut, as it indicates that their faith has been so strong that they are skipping the Underworld part of their transcendence and move directly to being reborn in Heaven. Some souls are just not worth haggling over.

Saint Uriel the Arch-angel
Charity, benevolence, generosity, sacrifice
After Michael and Gabriel, Uriel is the arch-angel with the largest following. Called the Teacher, because, according to the Writings of Bahamut, he walks the earth, at the behest of Bahamut, teaching mortals the word of Bahamut, the only sure way to end up in Heaven. There are literally thousands of stories about the travels of Saint Uriel, and he alone is the reason why very few Bahamut worshipers will turn away a wayward soul in need of shelter or food. Because it just might be Saint Uriel in disguise.

Saint Lucifer the Arch-angel
Kindness, satisfaction, loyalty, compassion
Saint Lucifer is the Caretaker. Once souls arrive in Heaven, they need some looking after, someone to  show them the ropes of immortality and eternity. That's Lucifer. Seen as the embodiment of all that is good, Lucifer is none the less surrounded by a lot of controversy. Some lore seems to suggest that Saint Lucifer hasn't always been angel, but instead he was born a devil. However, thousands of years ago, something happened after a chance encounter between Lucifer and Bahamut, and the devil changed his ways so much, that Bahamut elevated him to arch-angel. Of course, that is probably neither accurate nor the whole story, but that is what some mortals claim.

Saint Amesha the Arch-angel
Diligence, Persistence, effort, ethics
Saint Amesha, the only angel portrayed as a female, is most often called the Messenger. Not much is known about her place, other than she seems to run communications between Bahamut and the other arch-angels, and even sometimes, between Bahamut and the mortals. Some sages believe her to be nothing more than a glorified messenger-girl, others call her the true right hand of Bahamut, since everything he wills go through her, whether it be instructions to the angels or guidelines to his church.

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