No one saw this coming.
A group from Belial's realm approached Gabriel's
Volcano under a banner of peace. Such
things were not entirely uncommon; both sides sent messengers to each other and
for the most part they were not remarked on.
But this was a bit bigger than normal. There were about twenty of them, including
five Lilim, being led by a hooded and robed figure. Just about every angel in
the Volcano came out to witness what was going on.
The leader of the group stopped them with a gesture
and called out that he sought an audience with Gabriel. Soldekai answered the call and demanded to
know who he was addressing and why he should be allowed entry. The figure leaned close and whispered
something in the Virtue's ear.
Soldekai's eyes widened and he took off as fast as
he could. Within a minute Gabriel
herself was before this figure in her terrible glory. The other demons as well
as the angels who were watching the events felt terror as Gabriel stood before
the figure in her glory as God's Avenger.
The demon's response was quite simple. He threw back his hood and revealed his
face. And then Belial, Demon Prince of
Infernal Fire dropped to his knees in front of her. His cracked and sorrowful voice carried perfectly in the silence
that seemed to engulf Heaven.
"Archangel Gabriel, I beg forgiveness for what
I have done. I repent and humbly ask to
serve you again."
Time stood still as Gabriel heard Belial's
words. Her flaming sword was still
poised to strike him down and her Servitors looked at the group of demons that
came with Belial in anticipation. And
then the sword was sheathed and the Archangel of Fire was lifting Belial to his
feet and guiding him into the volcano.
Word of what had happened spread through Heaven
faster than a Wheel. Dominic arrived
within half an hour later and took Belial to the Seraphim Council himself. The demons who came with Belial were in turn
interrogated by triads of Judgment and were turned over to Gabriel. Rumors flew
throughout the Celestial Realm about what was going on, each one contradicting
the other.
When Dominic emerged with a Redeemed Belial, all
eyes on Heaven looked on in wonder. The
Archangel of Judgment said only one thing before returning to his Cathedral.
"I present Belial, the Archangel of Cleansing."
Things have taken a turn for the interesting in
Heaven.
By Cameron McCurry
The world is a place of beauty. We must care for it and remove the taint of
corruption that festers on it.
The Redemption of Belial has definitely shaken
things up in Hell and Heaven. Kronos
has locked himself in his Archives trying to find where he missed this. Asmodeus' shriek of anger was heard
throughout most of Hell and his Servitors are even more terrified of him than
they were before. Baal has publicly
condemned Belial for his actions, but is privately relieved that Hell's loose
cannon is no longer an issue. Lucifer has said nothing more than promising a
suitable punishment for the traitor Prince.
Two demons are making a play for the vacant Word but they are forced to
move cautiously after seeing what happened to the other two who have already
approached the Prince of Darkness.
Lucifer liquefied one and stripped the other one down to a Remnant that
he banished to Earth.
In Heaven, things are no less confused. Gabriel's sanity has been restored with the
end of the Word Friction between her and Belial and she has accepted him as
happily as she used to curse him. Yves,
likeKronos, is puzzled at this turn of events but he accepts it happily.
Novalis has found the new Archangel willing to use less violent tactics in
dealing with Hell and is advising him as he attempts to build up his followers.
Belial's new place in the Symphony is working
closely with Gabriel's troops. Where
Gabriel focuses on the cruel, Belial focuses on cleansing the corrupt. The angels of Fire go in and destroy the
evil and the angels of Cleansing stay behind to make sure that all traces of
evil have been removed. The tactic is
beginning to show some impressive results such as the conversion of several
former Tethers to Infernal Fire to his service or Gabriel's.
The Archangel of Cleansing is as enthusiastic as any
member of his Choir. He has thrown
himself into his new task with a passion matched only by Gabriel. Dominic has been keeping a close watch on
him, but even that is being gradually eased.
But why did Belial turn from Hell and seek
Redemption? There are only three beings
that truly understand why: Gabriel, Dominic and Novalis. And none of them have volunteered the
information, saying only that it will be revealed when he chooses to reveal it.
It is Dissonant for an angel of Cleansing to not
oppose the corrupt. They don't have to
use violence or fight openly against them, but they cannot sit and do
nothing. Belial is quick to recall any
Servitor that is becoming too Dissonant back to Heaven for cleansing.
Belial's Seraphim are charged with openly exposing
the corrupt. They tend to gravitate
towards jobs that help them to get their message out to the most people, such
as journalists (Newspaper only of course), paralegals, and middle management
positions in certain companies. With a
glance, they know the true name of any corrupt person they see. The information is passed along to other
angels of Cleansing.
Cherubim of Cleansing are sent to guard humans that
expose corruption. They add their
Corporeal Forces to any roll in combat that is done to protect their ward. Along with the handful of Soldiers of
Cleansing and Fire, they run underground railroads and witness protection
programs that get these people and their families out of harm's way.
While other angels of Cleansing target corrupt
people, the Wheels of Belial go after buildings that are harmful such as waste
plants that pollute towns, brothels that enslave children and drug dens. They can find the weakest points in any of
those structures and bring them down. They typically take roles in demolition
and blasting to help acquire materials.
Belial's Elohim are sent to Earth as doctors,
therapists, psychologists... any profession that allows them to work one on one
with those who are in need of Cleansing.
They add their Ethereal Forces to any non-violent action that helps
people "see the light."
Just like Gabriel's Malakim, these dark angels are
sent after specific targets. Any direct
action that they take against their targets will not disturb the Symphony at
all including killing. They are sent in
only as a last resort. Belial only has
ten Virtues in his service and they were sent from Flowers and Fire.
The five Lilim that followed Belial to Heaven are
the only Gifters currently in his service.
They add their Celestial Forces to using a Geas against the corrupt for
any favor that makes them do good. A
lot of companies seem to be making large charitable donations of money and time
lately...
The
Dominations of Belial are able to automatically possess the corrupt without
them knowing about it (Roll for check digit, however). The angel typically lets
the host go about his life, but acts as a voice of conscience and urges them to
make amends for whatever earned them the attention of Belial. They typically work with the Elohim of
Cleansing for rehabilitation.
The Friends of Man befriend the corrupt. They are the ones that visit their homes,
hang out with them in bars and any other situation where they can be a
sympathetic ear. Their Resonance
automatically succeeds in reading the corrupt, with only the check digit
needing to be rolled. Sometimes, having
a good friend makes all the difference in someone's life.
: Spend 4 hours cleaning an area (Road, building,
parking lot)
: Spend 8 hours meditating
+1 A city block that the angel cleaned
+2 A lock of hair from someone the angel saved from
the corrupt (Must be given freely)
+3 A holy book from someone who truly believes (Must
be given freely)
+4 A collection of written evidence against someone
the angel is targeting (At least 100 pages worth)
+5 A former demon of Infernal Fire who wishes to
Redeem
+6 Soul killing a Distincted demon
Distinctions
With a touch, the angel can clean water, plants and
food that has been tainted.
The aura these angels give off can be felt by those
who oppose the corrupt. They draw
courage from their presence and feel the strength to carry on.
These angels know at a glance exactly what it would
take to cause a corrupt human to redeem and what it would take to destroy their
lives completely. They typically use
this knowledge to offer the corrupt one last chance at salvation.
Allied:
Gabriel, Novalis
Associated: David, Dominic. All others are Neutral
except
Hostile: Jordi
Blandine: "His turning from Hell was soothing
to Gabriel's mind, for which I am grateful.
I will watch closely to see how this develops." "I never
really had many dealings with her or Beleth.
She is far more quiet and subtle than the Princess of Nightmares
though."
Christopher:
"There are many souls in my House that were sent there because of
Belial's demons. Although I am glad
he's Redeemed, I am not going to be quick to extend the olive branch." "Earning
his trust is going to be difficult. As
a Demon Prince, I dismissed him as a weakling.
Meeting him face to face has proven me wrong."
David:
"I saw his Redemption as it took place. It was agonizing and lasted so long, I didn't expect him to
live. And he bore it without complaint
or crying out. That answers many
arguments I could have made about accepting him." "David was among
the first to welcome me when my own Cleansing was done. Although I do not use methods as violent as
his, I appreciate his wise counsel."
Dominic:
"God has judged him and restored him to his true nature. Any other statements about him are
meaningless. Let him now be judged as
an angel of the Lord." "The Archangel of Judgment was honest with
me about my chances of survival. He
doesn't trust me completely, but he has let it be known that I now have a clean
slate."
Eli (Yes, someone managed to track him down and talk
to him about the matter): "No
kidding?!? He's back? How wonderful! He was always a smart little angel. Glad to hear it." "He showed up once when I was on
Earth to talk to me. He's rightfully
cautious, but accepts my return."
Gabriel: "My beloved son has come back! My mind is at peace now that we are not
fighting for control over the Word of Fire.
Now my work can continue!" "Gabriel, I cannot repent enough
over what I was. Your unconditional
love and forgiveness has soothed me. I
shall never turn against you!"
Janus: "Let's see. A Redemption of a Demon
Prince which shakes up Heaven AND Hell and you want to know my opinion of
it? Come on. Glad he's back though." "The Archangel of the Wind
is tough to figure out. He argued viciously in the Seraphim Council that I
should be destroyed, then just as fiercely welcomed me into Heaven."
Jean:
"I have recorded the shift in the Symphony brought about by the end
of the Word opposition between Belial and Gabriel and have it available for
others to read. I shall wait and see
what happens with him." "I have been talking with him from time to
time to see the wonders of his Hall. He
is more focused than Vapula and better able to explain the way things
work."
Jordi: "Yes, he is Redeemed. Yes, he is an Archangel. Yes, he was responsible for the destruction
of habitats and the deaths of many species in the name of his former Word. Go away." "He hates me more
passionately than when I was in Hell. I
shall continue to try bridging the gap between us and work on helping his
Servitors as best I can."
Khalid:
"It is the will of Allah. I shall not question, nor shall I turn
him away if he wishes to speak." "I hope with him I have a new
ally."
Laurence: "He has been Redeemed and accepts my
authority. I shall judge him on his
merits." "The Lord Commander is far more intimidating than I
imagined. He is keeping a sharper eye
on me than Dominic is, but I won't complain.
I have not yet earned his trust."
Litheroy:
"The return of one of the first of the Fallen is joyous news. I hope to learn more about Hell when things
calm down." "She interrogated me in the Seraphim Council. I felt her eyes bore into me as she sought
the Truth behind my Redemption. When
she saw it, I felt that I had passed a great test."
Marc:
"I was pretty skeptical at first at the idea that Belial would have
Redeemed. But here he is, and his
Servitors are doing wonders for honest business." "He seems
constantly distracted by what is going on in the world. But he gave me a few of his Servitors as
Temps to help build my organization which I appreciate."
Michael: (Wipes
away tears from laughing so hard) "I swear I could hear Baal from
here. He may be relieved at getting rid
of Belial, but he's going to hate the loss of his best shock troops. As for Belial, I have talked to David and
Novalis about him. I'll give him a
chance." "Meeting Michael was almost as terrifying as seeing
Gabriel again. I have pledged my people
to help his in any way we can."
Novalis:
"He is trying to atone for millennia of wrongs. To my surprise, his approach to Cleansing is
less violent than I expected. I shall
help him through his transition here and try to get others to see that he has
truly repented." "Novalis was the first to welcome me home. Much to my shock, she has advised me on how
to take less violent paths to solve problems and has given me a few of her
Malakim as Servitors. That kindness
shall always be remembered."
Yves:
"Although I did not truly see this happening, I am overjoyed that
it did. I shall watch his new path with
a great deal of interest." "The
Archangel of Destiny has said little to me since I arrived here. I do not see that as hostility; he seems to
think that anything that could be said to me about returning here has already
been said."
Zadkiel:
"It is a great day when a demon finds Heaven. I have seen his Servitors protect those who
fight the corrupt on Earth. That in
itself eases my worry about allowing him in here." "When I was a Demon Prince, I heard
tales of her Servitors standing their ground against my demons and not giving
up until their last drop of blood had been spilled. I would kill them for showing such fear, but now I understand it
better. I am honored that she treats me
as an ally."