In many ways, the Archangel of Creation is both the easiest Archangel to understand, and the hardest. It all depends on how you look at it. Or how it looks at you.

Eli is a living bundle of contradictions: straightforward and subtle, forgiving and relentless, the center of every party and the lonely figure looking on from the outside. When asked, the Archangel calmly avers that all apparent contradictions can be resolved by meditation on the nature of Creation, and its ultimate inclusiveness. Only by experiencing all points of view - including the one on the inside - may one truly understand. Most of the Host can at least acknowledge the point.

It's Eli's habit of doing sixteen mutually contradictory things at once that causes the headaches...

Nothing. There may be an action or two out there that is the antithesis of Creation, but nobody's ever been able to find one - and it's usually considered a good idea not to try too hard. Eli can be a little testy when people kick too hard at the universe's metaphorical foundations.

Creationers are gregarious, and their hierarchy takes this into account. The actual rank of a Servitor of Eli is only half determined by where they fit into the organizational chart: the other half is dependent on personal favors, influence, mutual hobbies and personal charisma. However, formal rank is important: if nothing else, it defines a Servitor's job. New angels serving Creation tend to be very good at one thing. Promotion comes from demonstrating that one is very good at other things, too. The most powerful Servitors of Creation seem to be very good at just about everything.

Eli does not offer soft duty to its Servitors: the hours are long (angels don't need to sleep, after all) and the workload is usually immense. Angels of Creation are expected to hit the ground running and keep up the pace for as long as it takes. However, they also get good logistical backup and proper recognition for good service: Eli is also careful to not assign more work than any particular Servitor can handle. Still, there are many former Servitors of Creation serving other Words. Whether this is an annoyance to the Archangel of Creation is an open question: there's always been a faint suggestion that it complains about the problem merely for form's sake...

All Servitors of Creation must buy Enchantment/3 (paid for normally). The bonuses for artifact creation found in the Liber Reliquarum remain in effect for Servitors of Creation.

Unchanged from canonical Seraph of Creation Attunement.

Cherubim of Creation add their Ethereal Forces to their Emote, Lying, Move Silently and Tactics skills, provided that they are using these skills to protect/hide their attuned.

Ofanim of Creation may choose to add their Ethereal Forces to the CD of their resonance rolls: this must be declared before the roll, as it will affect the chance of an Infernal Intervention. You dive into the Symphony at your own peril...

Unchanged from the canonical Elohite of Creation Attunement.

Unchanged from the canonical Malakite of Creation Attunement.

Kyriotates can possess ... anything. If they possess inanimate objects, they lose all movement (unless the object is capable of independent action) and/or sensory input (except touch) that the item could not normally 'perceive'. For example, a Kyriotate of Creation that possesses a gun cannot see or hear, and could not cause it to fire - but it would be able to feel what it is like to be fired.

This Attunement is available to other Choirs, provided that they know the Song of Possession (in this case, roll normally to activate the Song and ignore the restriction on inanimate objects).

Bright Lilim (restricted)

Bright Lilim of Creation are rare, rare, rare: Lilith loathes them with a passion, for some reason. Possibly it's because of the fact that they can reproduce...

Unchanged from the canonical Mercurian of Creation Attunement.

Angels with this Attunement may create corporeal artifacts, simply by using them for a month and making a Will Roll. A successful roll will create an artifact/1; further use and Will Rolls (at -1 for every level above 1) will boost the artifact further. A roll that fails by more than 4 will destroy the artifact.

The angel may look at a substance or object and analyze it with a successful Perception roll. Use the CD to determine the detail of the information gained. For example, a CD of 1 on a glass of unidentified liquid will reveal that it's beer, while a CD of 6 will provide a detailed breakdown on the molecular structure of the various esters and chemicals that make it up. Note, though, that this Attunement will not tell you whether it's good beer, except by inference...

Unchanged from the canonical Transubstantiation Attunement.

Everything likes these angels: they have a +2 to all reaction rolls from living creatures, and are considered to have automatically and successfully performed routine maintenance on any equipment that they regularly use or carry.

An angel with this Distinction officially has a level/0 in all skills (meaning, essentially, that no penalties will arise from default use): they also add the appropriate Forces to the CD of successful skill rolls (this will not affect interventions).

Most of the other Superiors are on fairly decent terms with the Archangel of Creation ... they think. Eli's not the easiest entity to predict: it's been known to suddenly change opinions and goals without telling anyone first. Most Archangels recognize that this is due to Eli's excellent information sources, and not to any sort of lack of focus - but it's still annoying at times.

Eli tends to take a neutral position in most Council debates: while it supports Novalis in her efforts for more demonic Redemptions (and Blandine in general), the Archangel of Creation also favors a general increase in military operations. Eli also usually supports the relatively few initiatives that Jordi brings before the Council.

Allied: Blandine, Jordi (Blandine is Associated with Eli)

Associated: Laurence, Novalis, Yves (These Archangels are also Associated with Eli)

Neutral: All others

Hostile: No one (No one is particularly Hostile to Eli)

Blandine: "On the one hand, Eli is usually happy to provide assistance in the Marches: on the other, it doesn't always tell me first. It does try to, though, so I suppose Eli can be forgiven for its occasional bouts of over-enthusiasm." "The Marches are part of Creation - and so are its inhabitants. An ethereal is just as 'real' as a corporeal, so why not treat it as such? I think Blandine would agree with that - and I wish that I could think of something that would make her less sad."

David: "Eli is a touch too fluid for its Word: it should try to focus more and embrace less. It knows the virtues of unity, but must learn that you don't need a dire emergency as a justification to stand by your brothers." "There's a reason why stone is used as a building material on Earth: it's strong, stable and unyielding. David is the same way, and we all know it. But stone is not always the right material to use when you're building a structure."

Dominic: "A little too quick to forgive and forget: the first is fine, provided that it's sincere, but the second is not. I dislike Eli's tendency towards arrogance, as well. Its Word does not give him special privileges." "Dominic is ... stunted. He's had to deliberately cut off every piece of his personality and soul that wouldn't fit his mission. Worse, it was the right thing to do: God help us all, we needed him stunted and monomaniacal. I try to remember that when he's being especially tiresome."

Gabriel: "It can dive into the world, becoming one with it. It should take care not to lose itself, once there..." "I have watched her slip into her madness for so long, now. The universe itself cries out against what has been done to her. Yes, I am speaking from personal experience, here. It's long past time that this was resolved."

Janus: "I don't understand it at all, but it looks like it's having fun, and that's the point, right?" "Unlike Janus, I'm not chaotic: I may look like it, but that's only because not all of the things that affect me are obvious. Personally, I find it messy, but Janus seems to like it, so who am I to judge?"

Jean: "There are times when its input is extremely germane, and there are times when Eli is a distraction. The only way to find out which is to experiment: more consistent results would be useful, but not likely to occur any time in the near future." "Actually, he's very helpful: I can experience a process, but Jean's better at explaining it to others. Which methodology is better depends on circumstances."

Jordi: "I have always been able to express my concerns or opinions to the Archangel of Creation: it understands in seconds what it takes others days or months to dimly comprehend. Even when Eli does not agree with me, it will happily and accurately translate my position into something that the Council can understand. This is a good thing." "The Council thinks in one way, more or less, and Jordi thinks in another. Luckily, I usually can work out the sense of what Jordi is saying - and he makes a lot of sense, sometimes. I don't mind being an interpreter, but I do wish that one side or the other would at least try to make my help redundant."

Laurence: "No complaints from me: Eli only tries to joggle my elbow when it knows something that I don't - and, unlike certain others, it almost never does so frivolously." "I prefer his methods to that of his predecessors: Michael was too ready to subordinate strategy to tactics, and Uriel ... well, the less said about him, the better. Laurence is really the best one to handle the larger picture of the War."

Marc: "When Eli acquires an interesting tidbit of information, it passes it along to me. Other than that, it and I really don't have too much of a relationship: Eli's a bit too protean for me to get a handle on its personality. We can still do business, of course - we just don't socialize too much." "He's reasonable, clever and very good at what he does. I'm not about to try to do his job for him - especially when I wouldn't be as good at it. I worry sometimes about whether he's enjoying the symbols of his work too much, but he's been able to handle it so far."

Michael: "Eli's got no staying power and less ruthlessness, except when it comes to its favorite obsessions. On the other hand, its Servitors can be very, very useful, so I usually let things slide. I'd be nice to a purple-assed baboon if it could set up supply lines at the drop of a hat..." "Extremely good at a very narrow field of endeavor. Now that Laurence is running things, most of my major objections to him have gone away."

Novalis: "I'm glad that it's doing what it's doing to aid my task: I just wish that Eli would see that its sitting on the fence is only prolonging the War. I can't force Eli to fully agree with me, though, and I wouldn't, even if I could. At least it listens." "In her field, she reigns supreme ... and her field is larger than certain of my colleagues might think. When she's right and they're wrong, I say so. Besides, when she dimples at you, it's very hard to say no."

Yves: "All of us are our Words: it's just easier to see with Eli. I am glad that it keeps such an intimate connection with the world: I trust that it will not, in the process, lose sight of the greater picture." "When I am deep in some aspect of Creation, so overcome with the beauty and wonder of it that I am about to burst, I turn around ... and there Yves is, quietly smoking one of those awful cigarettes of his and nodding in shared appreciation. I never have to explain anything to him, and that's wonderful."

Eli's paramount concern about the War is that the conflict does not end up negating the Universe or any significant proportion thereof. This is not to say that the Archangel of Creation doesn't care about anything else: it's just that it doesn't worry about most of them. In Eli's view, every Archangel has a specific job ... and Eli's is to make sure that reality doesn't go down the metaphorical drain. Everything else is pretty much a secondary objective.

Of course, maintaining the status quo is nice, but improving it is better. Servitors of Creation have all been tasked with making things better, on a variety of levels. Some repair, some create ... and some weed out particularly obnoxious Demonic influences. In their copious free time, they get to help Servitors of other Words in their duties. Eli is very big on cooperation and preventive maintenance.

Eli's servants are usually given specific jobs and/or areas of oversight, and are expected and encouraged to use their own judgement on how to go about doing them. If this means recruiting Soldiers (or angels from other Words), fine: if it means using pliable agents from the Other Side ... well, there had better be a good reason, and don't expect the Archangel to cover your posterior if things blow up in your face. The Inquisition is there for a reason, after all. Eli will keep you out of trouble if you happen to be right, but playing with fire has consequences.

It should be noted that, should a Servitor of Creation be found to be accepting assistance from Servitors of either Technology or Fate, no matter how benign, he will be lucky if the Inquisition catches up to him before Eli does. The Archangel of Creation absolutely loathes Vapula and Kronos (in that order) - and is said to slightly fear what the former could be capable of, as well. Cleanly wrecking the plans of Technology is always a good way to win Eli's favor.

Every Servitor of Creation is given a Rite that reflects its duties. In general, this will involve some sort of activity that fosters creativity or building, and can be used twice per day. Note that these Rites may not be unique (for example, many Creationers in the publishing business have the Rite 'Give an honest critique of a literary work'), but will be fairly specific. Servitors that switch duties switch Rites: if the Creationer can still use the old one, Eli will often let the angel keep it as a minor reward.

Eli also gives to all his Servitors the "successful use of 3 Artistic/Craft skills in a row" Rite found in the canonical Eli description.

+2 The workshop of an artist.

+3 A place where a new work of art or craft is being displayed for the first time.

+4 A sincerely penitent demon seeking Redemption.

+5 The site of a former Infernal Tether, provided that it is now a place of creation.

+6 Something unique - by Eli's standards.

Eli was the First Kyriotate ever created, and is thus in many ways a template for the Choir: it combines a dizzying number of viewpoints and attitudes in one personality. The first thing others get upon meeting it is a sense that in many ways Eli is the corporeal Universe's mouth. Yves may speak for God; Blandine may have the Marches sing through her soul; Jean may be an expression of the mechanics of the physical universe - but Eli is the one who can speak of what it feels like to be a star or planet or small gray stone.

This link explains a good part of Eli's own particular quirks. For one thing, the Archangel tends to be fairly chaotic to speak with: there's so many things going on at any given time, and the various aspects of its psyche have a moderately independent existence. Sometimes the aspect desperately needed right now is the one talking to someone else: Eli will have another part of itself continue the conversation, but the new aspect may not be fully informed...

This has led detractors to suggest that the Archangel of Creation lacks focus. It's true, depending on how you define the term: Eli has a lot to watch over, and even it cannot give its full attention to everything at the same time. It copes by casting as wide a net as possible ... and dropping everything unimportant when a crisis comes up. Most other Superiors say that they wish Eli would pay more attention to things, but the few times that it concentrates on only one thing has been disconcerting to even them. Being the object of Eli's sole scrutiny can cause the average celestial's ears to bleed.

Fortunately or unfortunately, it takes a lot to get that level of attention: the Archangel of Creation reserves it for acts of negation. 'Negation' is a fairly important term in the Creationer's lexicon: they use it to refer to the utter obliteration of something. Death is not negation: the body is still there, its molecules still in existence, and the soul is merely translated into a new form. Even soul-death does not destroy Forces (although the loss of a unique pattern is to be mourned): to negate an item, one must remove it completely from the universes.

This sort of thing is rare, and Eli does its best to keep it that way. Its earliest foe was Mariel, and the battles between Oblivion and Creation were notable for their utter lack of mercy on either side. Dominic is not certain, even today, about whether Eli provided any covert assistance in her removal. These days, the primary foe is deemed to be Vapula: the Prince of Technology may not be intending to obliterate the world (should such a thing be even possible), but Eli has little faith in Vapula's ability to avoid doing it accidentally.

The other thing to really note about Eli is its - well, 'arrogance' may not be the best world. 'Unconscious air of good-natured superiority' is a better description. From Eli's point of view, the Word of Creation is one of the four or five Words that really matter: the others are useful and important, of course, but Heaven could lose Stone or Flowers and still remain a going concern. To lose Creation would be to lose one of the pillars of the universe. Thankfully, there's no danger of that happening any time soon - one of the nice things about having a starkly necessary Word is that it gives one many subtle and unseen protections - but there's a certain satisfaction in knowing that doing your job well is very important. It may also be extremely nerve-wracking, perhaps, but still a satisfaction.