Barbael, Kyriotate Archangel of Faith

By Eric A. Burns

**Flaming
Feather**

The World is made of many paths, but the destination is the same.

A shining cloud of icons and representations, Barbael is in many ways the perfect Kyriotate. He has taught her Servitors that even if two hundred people have a different perspective on one Truth, that Truth remains. Barbael devotes his considerable influence and interest to promoting the concept of Belief among the many disparate cultures and traditions on Earth.

Barbael and her followers believe in inclusionary systems, where many can come together in fellowship instead of following one true path. That has put the Archangel of Faith in conflict with his fellow Archangels more than once. However, she tends to accept the different points of view brought before him as valid, even if they rail against her. In recent centuries, he has expanded this philosophy into experiments in faith as fellowship rather than dogma. New England Transcendentalism, Unitarianism and Universalism have all been supported by Barbael's efforts, in an effort to continue to evolve the concept of Faith beyond dogma. This has not endeared Barbael to Laurence.

His Servitors work quietly on Earth and in Heaven, as Faith cannot be forced on the unbelievers. Where it is weak, the Faithful nurture it. Where it burns brightly, the Faithful add fuel to that fire. Acts of true faith attract their interest and support -- sometimes with radically different or even contradictory impulses. It is said that Servitors of Faith walked with Martin Luther King when he made nonviolent protests an act of faith, and said that Servitors of Faith rode with Suicide Bombers on buses in Jerusalem. Martyrs and peacemakers alike attract their attention. This causes some angels consternation, when they see different and even esoteric faiths receiving the support of the Faithful.

Dissonance Conditions

Faith requires something more than knowledge. It requires the acceptance in a person's heart of something they cannot prove, but simply know. Therefore, it is dissonant for Angels of Faith to provide concrete evidence of celestial or supernatural events.

Note this does not mean Angels of Faith cannot assume Celestial Form, use Songs or other miraculous powers, or otherwise act before humans (for example). What they cannot do is explain what they are and what the humans have seen. A human being who sees a Mercurian in celestial form is free to have his religious epiphany, but should not have it confirmed or denied by that Mercurian. Further, should any 'supernatural' action on the part of a Servitor of Faith be captured on film or otherwise provide evidence away from the event itself, the angel takes dissonance. Destroying such tangible evidence will remove the dissonance (though it's singularly hard to destroy an explanation without using a Song of Oblivion or performing a crude lobotomy on the person they explained the truth to).

Choir Attunements

Seraphim (Restricted): Faith and Belief are closely aligned. Accordingly, the Most Holy of Faith can pierce the web of words and formalities to the core beliefs of a person. When using their resonance, they not only learn whether or not a person is lying, they also learn what the person's actual beliefs on the subject are, assuming they have any. These do not have to be religious beliefs; casual and secular opinions are valid discoveries. The higher the check digit, the more detailed the learned beliefs are.

Cherubim: As expressions of Divine Love and Compassion, bound to the very concept of Faith, the Cherubim of Barbael are literally the answer to humanity's prayers. Whenever a mortal makes a sincere prayer for Heavenly intervention -- for any purpose, worthy or not -- a Cherub of Faith has a chance to hear that prayer the same way they hear disturbance. The prayer has a 'disturbance' equal to the mortal's Celestial Forces plus 3, for purposes of determining range and chance of perceiving the prayer. The GM may choose to add 1 point for exceptionally fervent prayers. If the Cherub succeeds in hearing a prayer, he knows exactly what is being prayed for. Please note that only prayers to God -- either in the abstract or in a specific Divine Religion) can be heard. A 'prayer' to the universe at large or to an Ethereal cannot be detected.

Ofanim: It is said that Faith can move Mountains -- for the Wheels of Barbael, this is the simple truth. An Ofanite of Faith may substitute a Will roll for any Strength roll he might make. He may also choose to use Will + Celestial Forces as his target number in Corporeal Combat, instead of Strength + Corporeal Forces. And, he may use a Will Roll to lift or throw an object or person within 10 x Celestial Forces yards as if using a Strength Roll. Note that the Ofanite's opponents get their normal chances to dodge or break out of a grapple, even if being held by the Ofanite's iron faith.

Elohim: One of the smallest choirs among the Faithful, the road of the ever-objective Elohim of Faith is a difficult, yet rewarding one. Elohim of Faith may, with a perception roll, determine if a target's decisions were guided by their beliefs, and if so what beliefs drove those decisions. Note that this isn't an automatic demon detector. Learning that a man stole a valuable diamond necklace because he truly believed it would give him favor from above could mean the man is actually a Demon of Theft, or a man in an odd cult of personality, or a simply delusional person, for example.

Malakim (Restricted): As harsh as the Word of God and as sharp as Occam's Razor, the Malakim of Barbael cleave lip service from core belief. They may use their resonance to determine their target's adherence (or lack thereof) to their faith and beliefs as well as their honor. They gain similar information to their target's honor, based on their check digit (so a CD of 1 yields the strongest adherence or failure in the person's faith for the past week, a 3 yields the 3 adherences or failures of the past year, and so on.) Note that the Malakite does not learn what that actual Faith is by this method. (So, for example, learning a man's greatest act of faith in the past week was killing a goat and reading its entrails might inform the Malakite's next move.)

Kyriotates (Restricted): It is said that faith can inspire great deeds, and the Dominations of Faith embody this simple truth. At the Kyriotate's discretion, when possessing a sentient person, the Kyriotate can choose to inhabit the person but not control their mind. The person cannot communicate with the angel within him, and still has complete control over his actions. However, he does feel an overwhelming sense of love and grace around him, and while the Kyriotate inhabits the person, he has use of the Kyriotate's statistics, including Body Hits. If the Kyriotate and the host have a skill in common, and the Kyriotate has a higher skill in it, the person may use the Kyriotate's skill level in place of it. Note that the Kyriotate must resonate the host a second time if he wants to take over entirely, and a failure causes the Kyriotate to be expelled. Also note that while the Kyriotate is not possessing the human, his dissonance conditions still apply -- the human must end at least as well off as when the Kyriotate first inhabited him. It commits the same number of Forces to inhabit a person as it would to possess him. Kyriotates cannot inhabit animals in this manner.

Mercurians (Restricted): Faith is inspired as much by ministry as by deed. The Intercessionists of Faith are devoted to spreading the word to all who will hear, and often have Roles as priests or ministers. Mercurians of Barbael can use their resonance to see how a person's faith and beliefs intertwines through his relationships -- and whether those relationships conflict with or support a person's faith. Note that the specifics of that faith are not revealed by this attunement.

Servitor Attunements

Absolution: It is a fact of life that the past cannot be changed. However, the pain of guilt can cut as deeply as the original sin. With this attunement, the Servitor of Faith can grant absolution and a sense of closure to a troubled soul. If the Servitor can convince a person to confide in him on the matters that weigh down on his soul for at least ten minutes, that person will find himself confessing all of the sins he believes he has committed. At the end of the confession, the Servitor of Faith may touch the person, filling him with a profound sense of absolution and grace. This feeling of warmth and forgiveness buoys the spirit for a number of days equal to the angel's Celestial Forces, unless the recipient commits some other act that seems sinful to him. What the person does after the feeling fades is up to him. Note that even if a Servitor absolves a person who has met their Fate, that Fate is still sealed and the person will be damned unless they meet their Destiny as well. It could be argued that an absolved man may be more willing to seek that Destiny, however.

Excommunication: With Faith comes the righteousness of the Lord. At a cost of 2 Essence, the angel may cast out a being in his presence. The target gets a Will roll to resist. If the Will roll is failed, the target will flee from the angel as quickly as they possibly can for a number of minutes equal to the angel's Celestial Forces.

Distinctions

Vassal of the Holy Spirit: Alive with the spirit of fellowship, this angel may, once per day, unite up to his Celestial Forces in people in common cause, granting them all +2 to any task related to a single goal until that goal has been met or 24 hours has passed.

Friend of the Faithful: This angel may tell, at a glance, if a person devoutly believes in God and Heaven.

Master of Divine Authority: Possessed of the majesty of Faith itself, the angel is cloaked in the authority of his position. This angel adds his Celestial Forces to any Emote, Fast Talk or Savoir Faire skill roll he makes.

Basic Rites



Chance of Invocation: 0 (One must seek Faith. It will not come easily)

Invocation Modifiers

+1 A holy symbol of a divine religion.
+2 A copy of a basic religious text, such as the Holy Bible, Talmud or Qu'ran.
+3 A congregation meeting in true religious fellowship.
+4 A major cathedral or other religious center.
+5 A consecrated altar more than 1,500 years old.
+6 Relics (bones) of a Martyr.

**Flaming
Feather**

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