The relationship between the Host and the Loa has always been … delicate. Even now, the Purity Crusade is a sensitive subject among many angels: the Council itself is divided between those who would add them to the Ban and those who are more concerned with results than ideology. More importantly, those Soldiers of God that also practice Voudon or Santeria are often on the front lines of the War, and serving well. Alienating them might prove counterproductive. However, when all is said and done, the Loa are ethereal spirits, and thus subject to prejudice and persecution if they step outside the rigid lines imposed upon them by Heaven. They often are, anyway, but there is definitely persecution, and then there is persecution. Maintaining their precarious position is a constant struggle.

One of the perennial issues is the creation of new Loa. Voudon is a syncretic religion, which means (among other things) that its deities are in a state of constant flux, waxing and waning… and sometimes springing out from nowhere. Heaven disapproves of this, to put it mildly, but again is unwilling to frivolously throw away some of its best mortal servants. The Loa, for their part, recognize that too much provocation might cause the Host to reassess matters.

This is precisely the sort of situation that eventually gets resolved through informal understandings and semi-traditions. In this case, what has happened is that, every so often, the Loa will add one to their number. Not very often: about every decade or so, and the new ethereal spirit will be recognizably at least associated with a divine religion. The Host grumbles, possibly makes hostile motions for a while, but never does anything official or drastic. They could, you know, but they simply do not choose to do so at this time. Everybody goes about his, her or its business.

This has been going on for several centuries, and it's still a nerve-wracking experience for the ethereals - but a necessary one. Their religion needs to adapt alongside their worshippers if they're to survive. Unfortunately, this decade's Choice is going to be especially tense. You see, there's more than one candidate, and both of them are simultaneously 'favored' and opposed by factions within the Host.

These days, most potential ethereal candidates aren't necessarily what mortals would consider religious icons (to give you an idea, the last Loa incorporated into the pantheon was Elvis Presley). The front runner was, until quite recently, a spirit masquerading as the martyred John F. Kennedy: he had made some inroads as an avatar of the Sacred King, killed for his people and his blood shed to rejuvenate the land. He was also doing quite well in encouraging civic pride and national solidarity, which actually caused David to have an opinion for once. Unfortunately, JFK was at least a nominal Catholic, which is enough to make Laurence snarl even more loudly than normal.

The Loa aren't fools, so this would normally mean that their backup candidate would be a shoo-in. Said candidate is a representation of Abraham Lincoln, who was quietly fostering the concepts of freedom and equal rights. Blandine's quite fond of him, actually, and the actual Lincoln just laughed when someone tracked him down in Gabriel's Volcano and asked him about it. Alas, Michael has made it clear that he thinks that Uncle Sam is the only rational choice…

You get the picture. The Loa have determined that the only way to resolve the situation is to gather together and, well, vote. Traditionally, they prefer to be on the corporeal plane when making such decisions (it's thought that a physical presence allows them to better gauge what their human worshippers really desire in a god). They'll be using the holiday of Casse Gateau to mask their presence as they walk among their devotees and debate. Needless to say, there'll be a few angels as well, to explain precisely why the Loa should choose for or against a particular candidate. Kyriotates will be at an advantage here, as the Loa will be popping in and out of hosts more or less at random. Trying to keep up with them should be fun, and remember: your Archangel is counting on you. Even if you're not sure whether it's more important to get the least-objectionable candidate in, prevent the most-objectionable candidate from doing same, or just sabotage the whole process and force a long-coming showdown. Isn't politics fun?

What, you want to know about Hell's role in all of this? Don't you think that the situation's tense enough? Besides, there really isn't much the Diabolicals need to do here, except keep stirring the pot. The Loa are supposed to be working for Beleth and Nybbas, after all: keep pushing at things, throw in a monkey wrench or two, and that just might eventually come to pass…