By Cameron McCurry
Love may not make the world go around, but it does
bring joy to those in it.
Andrealphus was a Mercurian when he was first
formed. He focused on the concept of
Love when it was introduced. As an
Intercessionist, he could appreciate the powerful bond that love could
form. When humans began to understand
the concept, he worked silently amongst them and encouraged love to blossom.
Then the Morningstar came and spoke with him. The Archangel of Light taught the Archangel
of Love about the darker pleasures that could be had. The Mercurian began to believe in Lucifer's vision for the
future; he could sense the truth behind what he was offering and he sided with
the Lightbringer.
The Rebellion opened his eyes and ripped away
Andrealphus' self-deception. The hatred that spilled out between angels showed
him that Lucifer offered nothing but lies.
He saw clearly that the pleasures he enjoyed and the thoughts of using
people for his own delight was wrong.
And with that knowledge came anger.
Anger at being used, anger at being manipulated, and anger with himself
at putting his selfish interests over his Word.
The shriek of rage that Andrealphus let out was the
very embodiment of Love that had been scorned and betrayed. Fighters on both sides stopped to hear it as
it echoed throughout the Eternal City.
And when it was done, Andrealphus stood before them
with black wings and bright silver chains that had taken other angels that
day. And then he lashed out at the
fallen angels with murder in his eyes.
The Archangel of Love nearly died in that
battle. Spurred on by his sense of
shame at his disgrace and his renewed love of Heaven, Andrealphus threw himself
into the worst of the fighting. When
the last of the Fallen had left Heaven, Michael found Andrealphus in a bloody
heap on the ground. Without a word, he
lifted him up and carried him to the Cathedral of Love to be healed.
Andrealphus works to reinforce the positive bonds of
love on Earth. Whether love from a
parent to a child, between two people in an intimate relationship, for one's
community, or for God and Heaven, he and his Servitors work hard to teach
people about selflessly pledging yourself to something other than
self-interest. And when someone feels
the harsh sting of love that has died, they teach people how to face the pain
and find the strength to go on. They
also fight mercilessly against those who manipulate people with false
affection. And against demons, who
stand as the rejection of the love of God, the Servitors of Love are some of
the more ruthless opponents on Earth.
It is Dissonant for a Servitor of Love to mistreat
the humans that they associate with. If
they use humans for selfish aims or abuse the trust that they earn, they will
earn dissonance.
Seraphim (Restricted)
The Most Holy in service to Love tend to work with
people that devote themselves to others (Priests, social workers, etc.). Through a successful Resonance, they know if
a person is truly dedicated to what they are doing or if they are pursuing it
for selfish aims.
Cherubim (Restricted)
Andrealphus' Cherubim are among the most loving of
his Servitors. They seek out those who
have been harmed by love and heal their pain through friendship and building up
trust. With a check digit of 6 on a
Resonance roll, the Cherub knows the true name of the person who caused the
attuned pain. Demons that mistreat
humans have found themselves to be the targets of enraged Cherubim.
Ofanim of Love are Andrealphus' messengers,
go-betweens and, ahem, 'chaperones'.
They add their Ethereal Forces to any resonance or skill roll that aids
or allows two lovers to communicate or meet.
Due to the rather emotional associations with the
Word of Love, Andrealphus has few Powers in his service. Those who do serve him are gifted with the
ability to (by making a Perception roll) create a glamour that shows a person's
'true face'. This true face will
reflect the person's inner personality and habits: good people become
beautiful, bad ones become ugly. This
glamour will only be visible to one other person (chosen when the glamour is
invoked).
Malakim (Restricted)
Malakim of Love can see dishonorable acts caused by
abuse of trust or love. They home in on
sexual predators and child abusers like a shark to prey.
Bright Lilim (Restricted)
Andrealphus has the most Bright Lilim in his
service. The Gifters see him as a
father figure who loves them deeply and they return that love completely, something
that causes the Lilim in Hell to loathe them.
They add their Celestial Forces towards invoking a Geas that furthers
the Word of Love. Making someone
working long hours leave early to be with his family, getting two friends to
try reconciling their differences, and suggesting a woman to visit her father
in a nursing home are some examples.
The Geas will NOT force someone to love another as love is not about
compulsion.
Kyriotate (Restricted)
Andrealphus' Dominations can automatically possess
anyone who has died for True Love. The
target retains overt control of his or her actions and memories, but the
Kyriotate may substitute its hits (and freely use supernatural powers, provided
that said powers are used to reunite the lovers). This possession lasts just long enough for the lovers to reunite,
say their farewells and - most importantly - kiss. Delaying the reuniting of the lovers is, of course, dissonant...
Mercurians of Love can discover Soul Mates by making
a resonance roll. Use the CD to
determine the information gathered: a CD of 1 will simply indicate whether the
target has a Soul Mate, while a 6 provides the name and address...
By making an Intelligence roll, the angel may 'loan'
to a human his or her target numbers in the following skills: Musical
Instrument, Singing, Savoir Faire and/or Emote (expression of emotions
only). The effects last for CD
minutes. Note that the Seduction skill
is NOT lent out...
By spending 2 Essence, the angel can transform any
setting into something highly romantic.
This will result in a general plus to reactions equal to + (the angel's
Ethereal Forces). The effects last for
4 hours.
The angel may give life force to any entity that he
or she truly loves. Any sort of hits
may be replenished in this way - but the angel must always sacrifice Soul Hits,
and these Soul Hits cannot be healed short of another use of Heart's Blood,
intervention of an Archangel or a Divine Intervention.
With the expenditure of 4 Essence, the angel can
cause a despondent human to feel love and comfort strong enough to help pull
them through. The effect lasts for one hour and the angel also knows the name
of someone who would be able to help the person. The Servitors of Love use that hour to get in contact with that
person.
For 3 Essence, the angel can touch someone who is
suffering a broken heart and learn exactly what will get them to recover. The angel will not hesitate to use what he
finds out to help the person, even if it involves a tough love approach.
At a glance, the angel can recognize any threat to
any loving relationship that they are working on developing. This is particularly dangerous to Servitors
of Factions, as a few have learned to their sorrow.
: Spend two hours with a group of dear friends (4 or
more people)
: Spend an hour engaged in consensual sex
+1: An original love poem
+2: A love letter sent from over 500 miles away
+3: In the presence of someone falling in love for
the first time
+4: A family reunion of more than 20 people
+5: Being with two enemies that have reconciled
their differences and have formed a genuine friendship.
+6: A wedding between two people the angel brought
together with more than 50 people in attendance
A Malakite that is a member of the Peace Faction may seem odd, but it works well for Andrealphus. He doesn't feel animosity towards any Archangel; any personal disagreements that he might feel towards someone cannot overwhelm his love for them. David and Novalis are his strongest supporters; Love between people and groups can reinforce unity and his peaceful approach to things sits well with the Archangel of Flowers. Dominic is wary around him. He may be a Malakite, but he sided at first with the enemy.
Allied: David, Novalis, Christopher
Associated: Michael, Zadkiel
Hostile: No one