Adapted by James Walker

- Byrhtwold, from The Battle of Maldon.

As the Symphony unravels, Baal strives to make amends for the damage done by the Rebellion. He fights without hope of victory, but knowing that to give up would shame the memory of his friend and mentor Michael. Other Archangels may scheme for victory - Baal throws himself into the most desperate battles, the forlorn hopes and last stands that must be won if the Host is to be stopped from destroying the Exiles; must be won to prevent entropy destroying the Symphony.

It is dissonant for a Servitor of Valor (also known as Brave Hearts, Champions, Heroes or Worthies) to avoid or abandon any action (including combat, rushing into a burning building to rescue a child or even just criticizing a superior officer) due to fear for their safety or of embarrassment. If they discover a better way to achieve their goals they may abandon the action without attracting dissonance. If a Servitor of Valor is forced to flee by supernatural means (e.g. the Ethereal Song of Darkness) the dissonance can be removed by killing the being that caused the Heroes' Fear.

Although Baal uses a formal military structure wherever he holds a region outright, most of his Worthies on the Corporeal Realm are organized in a cell structure (as they must operate in enemy territory). Servitors are expected to question unusual orders and to use their discretion in the field: failure to do so could indicate dissonance - or worse, could cause a mission to fail. Although the Champions are expected to obey a chain of command, the known heroics of Distincted Brave Hearts means that their subordinates tend to follow orders not because of their commander's rank but more through a desire to follow in the footsteps of their heroic leader.

Baal's organization has three arms:

The Skalds are responsible for spreading tales of Valor and generally encouraging heroism. They are responsible for the damned in Baal's Cathedral, and work closely with the Servitors of Novalis, Nybbas & Raphael. Most of Baal's Mercurians belong to this arm.

The Warriors withstand the Host. They may be found anywhere that the Exiles have a presence, protecting their fellows. They are also responsible for maintaining the cells operating in enemy territory. The Warriors have the bulk of Baal's Seraphim and Malakim.

The Foremost lead rescue attempts, whether rescuing a drowning mortal or reinforcing a hard-pressed force of Warriors. Cherubim & Ofanim are especially common in this arm.

The other Choirs are evenly spread among the three arms. A member of any Choir can join any arm.

Baal's angels can never have the Cowardly Discord - if they would acquire it, replace it with a suitable Fear.

Baal's Seraphim commit themselves completely to every combat, making their attacks difficult to avoid - their opponent must subtract the angels' Corporeal Forces from any attempt to Dodge their overwhelming attacks.

The most courageous of their Choir, these angels can choose to attune themselves to the nearest unknown human who needs their protection. The human, who will be within a mile, will be in danger in the near (but not immediate) future - the danger will normally be a physical threat, but can be anything. Unless the Cherub renews the attunement, the attunement will fade when the danger passes. Cherubim-Djinn will occasionally allow their attuned to die and then follow the murderer (assuming there is one) home, seeking to design an appropriate revenge.

The Wheels of Valor are incredibly skilled at blocking and parrying, adding their Corporeal Forces to Dodge one unarmed, melee or hurled weapon attack every round - either their own Dodge or the Dodge of an ally within (Ethereal Forces) feet.

The Powers of Valor can look into people's eyes and see their courage and commitment to a situation. If someone is willing to kill or die, these angels will know it. Some of Baal's Powers have acquired the Fear Discord, finding that needing to overcome the Discord helps them embody the Word of Valor.

Malakim of Valor can hear the sound of danger sweeping through the Symphony, beginning as many minutes a head of time as they have Corporeal Forces. Note that this will detect any danger; a car accident will trigger this attunement just as easily as a combat. Because of the degradation of the Symphony, this attunement will not reliably detect a threat to the Malakite - it seems to think that he'll be able to look after himself! It will always detect a threat to another person that the Malakite will be able to reach in time to rescue. And yes, if two dangers exist simultaneously, the Malakite will detect both - and have to choose which to ignore, without knowing the nature of the dangers.

The support of a Gifter of Valor strengthens the Will and renews hope. If a Lilim Geases herself to aid another, that individual gains a bonus to all Will rolls equal to the level of the Geas. A non-Lilim with this attunement does not gain the ability to Geas himself, but if he geases himself to a Lilim the Lilim does gain the bonus to Will rolls. If multiple Warriors owe Geases, the Will bonus is equal to the highest Geas.

In memory of Baal's self-exile, Dominions of Valor are granted the ability to enter Limbo from any plane with a successful Will roll - this removes all of their Forces to Limbo. While there they can craft vessels using the same rules as other angels; however using these Vessels ties up Forces which do not become available until the Kyriotate abandons the Vessel. Abandoning the Vessel causes it to disperse into the Symphony, forever gone. (If the Kyriotate chooses to accept Discord to reduce the cost of the vessel, the Discord fades when the Vessel is abandoned).

Baal's Mercurians reward protective feelings. The first time a human seeks to protect the angel, the human gains a pool of Essence equal to the angel's Role, which may only be spent on actions directed towards protecting the angel. A Mercurian (only) may use his resonance to create a Role equal to the CD - this Role has no effects beyond providing the human with Essence. Angels with this Attunement tend to prefer child-vessels.

Although Baal has no Menunim, Blandine has loaned them to him often enough for him to design an Attunement for them. Whenever the Menunite detects a hope or despair they automatically know whether the human has the courage to withstand the despair or strive towards the hope. Additionally, Menunim gain a +1 bonus for attempts to bolster a human's resolve for every Attunement of Valor they possess (including this one). Baal also grants a variant of this attunement to any Timerite who has the courage to join the Exiles.

(Sidebar)

Baal and Blandine

Baal's Menunite Attunement has inspired continual rumors regarding Baal's feelings for Blandine. Officially, the Attunement exists as a reward for the continual Valor the Menunim have shown; as War Leader of the Exiles, Baal considered it his responsibility to reward them. Similarly, the special attention he pays to Blandine during meetings of the Exiles is explained as necessary to ensure that Blandine's inability to speak does not cost the Exiles the her valuable counsel. And, of course, the priority Baal places on having Soldiers learn Lucid Dreaming is necessary to prevent humans loyal to the Exiles falling into the hands of Laurence after they die.

Naturally, none of the explanations have slowed the rumors in the slightest.

(/Sidebar)

This Attunement allows the Brave heart to attack multiple opponents in the same round. For a cost of two Essence (spent at the end of the round), the Champion gains a free attack against each opponent who has attacked him that round.

This Attunement is granted in a formal ceremony that uses the sword that Baal seized from Laurence before choosing Exile. The angel possessing the Attunement cannot be kept from any cache of weapons. Whether he wants to raid a military warehouse or locate a terrorist's supply of C5, all mundane security measures (including secrecy) effectively cease to exist for the angel. Security guards will cheerfully wave him towards the suddenly unlocked door, the keypad will recognize whatever code he elects to try, he will stumble over the cache while searching, and so on. He may take other people with him by spending 1 Essence per person. By spending 5 essence, he may seize a random weapon held by a non-realized vessel or stored using the Scabbard Attunement, if he already has reason to suspect that his target possesses either another vessel or the Laurencian Attunement. This Attunement will not help the angel acquire a weapon which is currently being held or used.

This attunement allows the angel to commit himself totally to a fight. Before or during the first round of a fight, the angel must declare that he is invoking this Attunement, and spend 2 essence. For the remainder of the fight, the angel is immune to stunning and will remain conscious even below zero hits. The demon can keep fighting until he reaches negative (Strength times vessel level) Body hits, whereupon his vessel/host will expire and he will suffer Trauma (or dissonance, for a Shedite) or negative Intelligence Mind hits, whereupon he will be knocked unconscious, taking two levels of Ethereal Discord.

However, any excess damage done to the angels' vessel for the rest of that round will be counted against the angel as Soul hits (Angels of Glory are infamous for firing bazookas into the corpses of Warriors, hoping to Soul kill their opponents).

An Angel reduced below zero hits, but not killed, will fall unconscious immediately when the fight ends.

The angel may trade his Strength, Agility and/or Precision with another willing subject within line of sight. This is most frequently done to strengthen Soldiers of Valor before sending them to kill other humans, but has many other uses. A mundane's attributes can be increased without asking his permission, so the Champions (especially Cherubs) often find it amusing to strengthen a human who is about to be bullied/mugged or whatever and then stand back and enjoy watching the fight. Baal himself uses this Attunement when he knows that he will be tied up in Hades for some time (generally for sessions of the Mercurian Council): he prefers to grant his might to relievers - the havoc they wreak tends to be amusing. The angel may end the effect with a Will roll.

Especially popular with Cherubim, this Attunement penalizes attempts to ignore the Champion during a fight. Any opponent who can attack the Champion has a -2 penalty to any attacks on anyone other than the Champion until the Champion has been defeated. If multiple Warriors have this Attunement there is no penalty for ignoring one (or more) to attack another; however, the penalty is cumulative when attacking an opponent without this Attunement.

Regularly dying in battle has allowed the Brave Hearts to persuade the Symphony that they have just died with a Will Roll. Success causes the angel to assume their Celestial Form without disturbance or essence expenditure; if the angel remains in celestial form for more than (10 x Celestial Forces) minutes, he will be drawn to the Gates of Hades as if he were a Damned Soul. This Attunement does NOT send the angel into Trauma.

The Vassal glows with the confidence of battles won and foes overcome. In social settings the Vassal gains +1 Charisma; in combat his attacks are spectacularly impressive - any enemy who sees the Vassal deliver an attack doing damage greater than their total Forces must make a Will Roll at -2 or flee. The Vassal's opponents additionally gain a penalty to the Will roll equal to their highest level of Fear Discord.

Servitors of this rank are immune to the effects of fear (natural or otherwise) as soon as they commit to a fight.

Servitors of this rank may give the above ability to their comrades in arms for a single combat.

A Herald is responsible for coordinating operations with another Archangel. One exists for each other Exiled Archangel; characters aspiring to this title will need to either persuade an Archangel to join the Exiles or to befriend an angel who is likely to be promoted to Archangel in the future. This rank does not grant any additional powers: however, most angels with the Distinction have a complete set of the other Archangel's Attunements and will hold a Word which overlaps Valor and the Word of the other Archangel. Most of Baal's Heralds are angels who remained loyal to Heaven during the Revolution and only rejoined Baal after his self-exile - they tend to be better received by the other Exiles. 'Honorary' Heralds exist, coordinating activities with the Servitors of destroyed and/or missing Archangels, or with angels approaching Superior level (e.g., Soldekai). They outrank a Master of Valor, but are outranked by true Heralds and by Guards.

Baal's Heralds are the only angels Baal would consider recommending to the Mercurian Council for promotion to Archangel.

Baal has a 'bodyguard' composed solely of those angels who fought beside him during the Revolution and then choose to join him in Exile. These angels are all incredibly powerful, Word-bound Warriors who other Champions obey without question - except for the Heralds (there tends to be bad blood between the two groups). Natural attrition has reduced the Guard to less than a score of angels. They are frequently given command of specific operations that involve multiple continents - or Realms of existence.

Exiles:

Allied - Novalis, Ogiel

Associated - All the rest except:

Neutral (verging on Hostile) - Vapula

The Host:

Neutral - Asmodeus, Christopher, Iblis, Marc, Jean

Hostile - All the others except:

Enemy - Beelzebub, Demogorgon, Laurence, Lucifer

Other Superiors:

Allied - Gabriel

Associated - Fleurity, Mariel

Neutral - (friendly but uncertain) White Star

Enemy - Jordi

Other Non-Superiors

Allied - Soldekai

Associated - Adam, Abel (although Baal has no contact with either, they both meet with his approval)

Neutral - Armin (although an Ally, his plans will reduce the amount of Valor encouraged by Dreams)

Hostile - Cain, Magog, Mammon

Enemy - Teriel

(Sidebar)

Iblis' decision to interpret his Word to only consider victory Glorious has benefited Baal greatly. For example, the Battle of Maldon and the Charge of the Light Brigade are the two most famous events that have netted Baal Tethers that Iblis could easily have acquired. Baal also gains Essence every time humans commemorate a glorious but unsuccessful hero. Iblis, however, finds it difficult to wrest tethers of heroic victory from Baal. This imbalance is largely responsible for Iblis' hostility being met by Baal's tolerance - and even friendship.

(/sidebar)

: Enter a battle with one or more members of the Host.

: Rescue a mortal from deadly danger.

: Inspire courage in a mortal or allied Celestial.

: Attend a memorial service.

: Champion the cause of a brave mortal.

: Die valiantly in battle [+4, which is automatically spent on the angels' first roll to end Trauma].

: Fight a non-fatal duel with an Ethereal famous for their bravery.

: Kill a servitor of Chaos, Light or War [+3].

: Record the tale of a Valiant deed in song, poetry or literature.

: Sing the praises of a hero.

: Stare down an better-armed opponent.

: Yield to a brave opponent [-1, this is a 'worship' rite, sending essence back to Baal.]

(Sidebar)

Baal developed his Worship Rite to commemorate Michael's' decision to yield during their first fight. The Rite is very popular with undercover angels who cannot spend their Essence due to the risk of the disturbance being detected by The Sword. Angels with the Rite often acquire Roles as coaches or martial arts instructors, as allowing a student to win - so long as they are performing to their maximum - fulfils both the Rite and the obligations of the teacher. Some angels insist that mortals learn a lesson better if this Rite is involved. Humans are often granted the Rite, especially those who are being considered for Attunements, or mundanes who lack the Precision necessary to effectively use their own Essence. Mundane worshippers of Baal are often granted the Rite as part of religious ceremonies; a number of martial religious cults have Champions as patrons who defend and teach the 'believers' in return for regular use of the Rite. The 'true believers' rarely see the arrangement in such a mercenary light, of course.

Note that the Rite does not require combat - yielding to an argument or protest can also fulfil it.

(/Sidebar)

Add 2 both to the chance of invocation and CD of the summoning roll if the summoner needs rescuing.

+1 a weapon captured from the Host.

+2 the tomb of one whom died to protect others.

+3 a mortal hero.

+4 a memorial service.

+5 while engaging in mortal battle.

+6 the Remnant of an angel who died valiantly.

Before the Rebellion, no one had the power to withstand Michael. This was a problem, as Michael considered his way the only way, and his way was Trial By Combat. Sure, Michael was careful to pull his blows when dealing with his weaker brethren, but what Michael considered a 'gentle drubbing' tended to leave lesser angels with serious physical and psychological scars - he simply couldn't understand how much weaker his opponents were. Finally, when Michael's bullishness endangered a project that more peaceful angels had spent eons on, Baal challenged Michael, demanding that Michael back down.

Baal was repeatedly pounded into the ground by Michael, only to get up again for another round of combat. Finally, impressed by Baal's courage and afraid that he would soul-kill his younger brother, Michael agreed to yield. Baal was the hero of the day, carried into the Council Spires by jubilant angels and granted the Word of Valor. Later that day God granted him the title of Archangel. Shaking his head in disbelief Michael decided to train Baal so that his next battle would be won by skill, rather than his opponents' mercy.

And so Baal settled into the routine that he would follow until the Rebellion. Weaker angels would seek him out to champion their cause against Michael, a task he never refused. When no causes needed to be championed (and in those peaceful days, centuries could pass without the need) he spent his days in the Groves training with Michael. Baal was proud and happy; all of Heaven needed him to champion them against Michael - Michael needed him to avoid casually ruining another angels' work, and to understand his fellow angels. Also, Baal was one of the few angels that Michael could call his friend.

Then Lucifer called. He spoke of how humans had usurped the rightful place of the angels as the Chosen Ones of God, of how they were ignored, cast aside. He reminded Baal of Jordi's desire to destroy humanity that Michael had stopped - a sore spot with Baal, as Jordi's failure to ask Baal for aid rankled. He spoke of his plans to rebel, to challenge God himself. Of his need to face Michael, God's Champion. He too would need a champion. Would Baal face Michael for Lucifer, as he had for so many others? Would the Champion of the Angels face God's Champion?

'Of course' Baal replied. 'I will always defend my fellow angels.'

The Rebellion was a disaster. Baal had planned to chase off the weaker angels, relying on terror and the Fear Beleth provided to scatter them so that the handful of more powerful angels could be beaten into submission. Instead of fleeing, the weaker angels sought out their Archangels and were ordered into combat. What had started as a coup degenerated into a riot and then into all out war.

Horrified, Baal realized that Michael would blame Lucifer for the carnage, and would not stop until Lucifer was destroyed. Desperately he sought Lucifer, to protect him from Michael's rage. He found them, but the path was blocked by David, who was berserk from the pain of the deaths of his attuned angels. The two mighty warriors battered each other until Baal's greater speed allowed him to slip past - to watch Lucifer kill Michael.

In shock, Baal stepped forward. He had failed Michael; failed so many of his fellow angels. The carnage that wracked Heaven was his fault. But he could not give up; his Word would not permit it. For Laurence stood before Lucifer, and there was no way that the boy could stand against the Lightbringer. Baal stepped forward to defend the youngster - and watched in horror as the whelp knelt and swore allegiance to Michael's murderer.

Dazed and confused, Baal let himself be guided to the Council Spires, waited as the surviving Loyalists were gathered before them, nodded as Lucifer praised his bravery, listened listlessly as Lucifer explained his terms to the prisoners. He felt his pulse quicken as Laurence suggested that the Loyalists who refused to accept exile be put to the Sword. Although most of the Loyalists followed Yves and Raphael, others muttered among themselves. Why should they trust Lucifer? Suppose it was a trap, a chance to destroy them more easily? Far better, surely, to fight here! They would still die but they would have the chance to take a few of God's enemies with them...

The murmurs stopped as Baal rose to his feet and strode across the room to Laurence. Silently he gestured for Laurence's sword. The Malakite grinned and with a flourish passed Baal the blade. Baal nodded his thanks, examined the blade before sheathing it - and then buried his mighty fist into Laurence's face. As the new Archangel of The Sword was knocked to the floor, Baal stepped down to join the Exiles. Dominique managed a half-smile. Novalis stepped forward and gingerly offered him a hug. David glared at him, not bothering to hide his anger, or the wounds that Baal had inflicted on him. The others stood there, still too stunned by the Rebellion to do anything.

Behind him, Laurence struggled to his feet, spitting teeth. "My Sword!"

"Will be returned, whenever you want it - blade first."

Baal watched over the Exiles as they were herded into Hades. He worked in Hades, trying to help Novalis to stay strong, to be brave, as she sought to heal and encourage the others. He sought to earn the forgiveness of those he had failed - although he will never forgive himself. He vowed to keep alive the memories of the heroes who had died fighting for God. Especially the memories of his friend Michael.

And he encouraged bravery as the Symphony began to unravel.

God is Dead; Baal is sure of that. The loss of Michael, of Metatron, of Yves - all in Baal's mind is proof of God's death. Proof of Baal's guilt. Proof that there is no chance of victory, of hope, of redemption. But he still has his memories, memories of the time when he was proud and true and loyally served God, trained and worked and played with Michael. Baal lives for his memories now. All he desires is to create a memorial to Michael and to God (he has blurred the two now, and tends to think of them as the same person) that will last for all eternity. And the only memorial that Baal thinks could be worthy of his old friend is - the Symphony. Yes, the entire fabric of it: the bright, beautiful tapestry of hopes and joys and fears that God so lovingly made. And so Baal battles to dedicate his memorial to his old friend and God, cleansing it of the traitors and trying to stop it unraveling. Battles bravely, as his nature, as Michael would have.

Often his courage inspires others enough to feel that maybe there is hope. Baal knows better, but does not disillusion them. Better that they feel a little courage and so live up to the mighty, courageous God who made them.

Michael would have liked that.

Baal's guilt and shame is based on his pride - he does not believe that anyone else's actions really matter, it is his actions that have determined the history of the Symphony. He believes that his failure to help Michael was the cause of everything that is wrong with the Symphony, and is determined to either correct the problem, or die in the attempt. He is conscious of his role as the mightiest of the Exiles, and brooks no challenge to his title of war leader.

Deep in his heart, Baal does not believe that he can lose. Intellectually he is aware that he is fighting for a doomed cause, of course, and he will not deny this if asked. But when faced by the day to day business of the War, or better yet, when he takes up his weapons and fights, Baal is confident and sure - and at peace for a short while. When the combat is over, however, his gloom returns, as he reflects on his guilt. In his heart, he longs for a hero's death in battle, to expunge his guilt with his own blood - but he knows his Word well enough to know that doing so unnecessarily would actually be cowardly, as he would be abandoning those who Need him.

Valor is more than courage - it is valuable courage. To risk one's life to save a child or stand up for the truth is Valorous - bravado like a game of Russian roulette or a duel over a matter that could have been avoided with an apology merely attracts Baal's scorn. This means that Baal needs others; without the weak, he cannot be strong. The person he needs most, of course, is Michael, which is the cause of his great depression. In addition to being Valorous, Baal must encourage Valor, and so works closely with Novalis to build up the weak and wounded.

As War Leader, Baal must juggle the needs of the Exiles to defeat Heaven, protect their Words and to prevent the Symphony unraveling. Baal directs the War in the Corporeal Realm, and works with Ogiel to co-ordinate the War throughout the Symphony. The fact that both Ogiel and Baal consider the question of "What would Michael have done?" to be more important than anything else simplifies discussions. They tend to plan together and then present their plans to the Mercurian Council as a fait accompli, which does not endear them to the other Archangels. Fortunately Baal has learned to value the abilities of his fellows and seeks to make his plans as palatable to them as possible.

In the Marches Baal seeks to stymie Heaven, and to create as many Dream Soldiers as possible - every time one of his Soldiers goes to Heaven -and Laurence's control -is a slap in the face for Baal, so he encourages the existence of dream-Shades, who are assigned to Blandine. His Soldiers are warned that Lucifer controls Heaven, and they naturally seek to hurt Lucifer as much as possible when they get there - Zadkiel and Laurence destroy most of them, but Baal still has a handful of agents there.

In Hades Baal works closely with Novalis to 'lick into shape' the Damned - a task they originally performed at Yves' bidding. It is an unpleasant truth that some truly evil people have had great physical courage, allowing Baal to recruit from the ranks of the Damned. Baal's training ground in Hades (deliberately modeled after Michael's war camp in The Groves) is awash with the tacticians and strategists of human history. Julius Caesar confers with Napoleon, Donitz & Yamamoto scheme to thwart the plans of the 'battleship Admirals'. And when he gets a spare moment away from scheming with the Bomber Barons, Hermann Goering still throws wild parties. Less skilled but equally courageous Damned Souls help drive the more fearful through tests designed to bring out any latent courage in the Damned, while War Games are continually staged in replicas of Earthly cities to train angels for Corporeal service. Additionally, a handful of trusted souls are permitted to help maintain Michael's Grove. (The Grove is the memorial Baal keeps from which to venerate his dead brother; those souls who cannot bear to remain sentient are brought here and transformed into trees by Novalis). Before the First Incursion, Baal had already mapped the Lower Levels of Hades and begun indoctrinating the Damned into beliefs that would painfully Word-Shift the Word-bound members of the Host. These projects continue; top secret projects are housed in the Lower Levels, while Baal continues to tinker with the Words of his foes.

Baal is continually busy, finding relief from his guilt in the day to day running of the War. The fact that this brings him peace, and that he cannot completely suppress his in-built expectation of victory, has often been noted by the Exiled Elohim, who mistakenly believe that Baal can win. In deference to his refusal to admit the possibility of victory, they say nothing, assuming that the plan for victory must remain completely secret; nonetheless, most of the optimism in Hades is based on this misinterpretation of Baal's mindset.

(Sidebar)

"And Baal, seeing things through the lens of Valor, thinks humans can perhaps even exceed angels when it comes to the capacity for heroism, since they have greater odds to overcome and have more to lose. After all, if angels lose a vessel they simply can get another. As far as humans know, if they lose their lives then they can't come back. Risking your life in the later circumstance would be more heroic."

The Exiles:

Blandine - "'Night has fallen, and the nightmare has begun...' - Dear Lord, how did I fail my little sister so badly? But I know how, I know. But I don't know how to touch her. All I can do is fight for her."

David - "He can never truly forgive me. This proves that his vision is clear and unclouded. But he is difficult to work with. Aid the Council when you can, and especially support Schryk & Ullienders."

Dominique - "Fighting for justice gives value to courage, making it Valorous. Besides, she welcomed me back. I must have faith that her welcome was truly Just."

Eli - "I set him the task of repairing the Symphony. He has worked unceasingly at that task ever since. I can ask no more. But he does so more!"

Haagenti - "Vigorous, enthusiastic and determined. And completely infuriating! He reminds me of what I was like when I was younger... how to prevent him making the mistakes I made? Now I understand how Michael felt..."

Lilith - "She risked all to break us out of Hades. We must return the favor by freeing the humans trapped in Heaven."

Malphas - "The youngster strives to be independent, to strike back at Lucifer; he is nobler than our fellow Archangels realize."

Novalis - "Ah, my dearest one, you are the embrace of forgiveness, the embrace of death; everything I desire is enfolded in your arms."

Nybbas - "He boldly spreads the truth, and things that should be true - but aren't. Still, he is a brave and loyal ally, and I value the intelligence he gathers."

Ogiel - "Loyal, trustworthy and true. He is all that Michael wanted him to be - all that I should have been. How proud Michael would have been to see him!"

Raphael - "She is useful. Very useful. But how can she know so much and still fear death? Her fear may yet cost us everything."

Uriel - "His bravery and skill is excellent. His hatred of traitors in commendable. I will, of course, help him destroy Laurence. But can Purity tolerate my failings?"

Vapula - "Yes, I know of his schemes, abandoning God's creation, seeking hope elsewhere. To what point? Where is the meaning in a life of exile from God's creation? Better to die defending it than to live abandoning it. [Pauses] Forget little one; you don't need to know that, so you don't know..."

The Host:

Andrealphus - "Blandine needs you, you useless piece of trash! How long must I chastise you before you will do your duty!"

Asmodeus - "He plays well, too well. So often one of our victories serves only to remove one of his rivals, or else to strengthen his power. Zadkiel and Laurence are merely his tools - perhaps Lucifer is as well. On the upside, he will smuggle humans out of Heaven - he saved many of my Soldiers. I will save my energy for clearer threats."

Beleth - "As Valor overcomes Fear, I overcome Beleth. But Blandine needs her - dare I destroy Beleth? Though she deserves it - her Word failed us during the Uprising, and that failure cost countless lives."

Beth - "If she destroys or loses the records of Michael, I will carve out her kidneys and leave her to bleed to death on top of her books. Barring that, Lucifer's card girl can be ignored. (Grins) Janus gave me the original copy of The Art of War as a gift - Beth can howl to the moon! - She's not getting it back."

Christopher - "She still does not understand. I will not punish a child for her elders' sins. But she grows older every day, despite her Word. Soon she will understand. Will she have either the courage to aid us, or else the wisdom to join Fleurity? If not..."

Demogorgon - "Blasphemous lout! Does he really believe that I will tolerate a universe that perpetually hangs on the edge of destruction? He may teeter on the edge of oblivion if he wishes - if he does I will give him a push."

Eve: "For over a thousand years, I forgave her worship of the Morning Star, as it was based on ignorance. Now she is wiser, and her actions have no excuse. She has betrayed her God, her race, her children; and the penalty for treason is death."

Gebbeleth - "Mysteries? There are none. Gebbeleth was maddened by the sight of the destruction in the Higher Heavens, and is insensible in his madness. In a way, I envy him."

Iblis - "He followed me in all things. So when I rebelled against my Lord and master, he rebelled against his. I miss him. Soon I shall teach him to rebel against his current master, and we shall cast down Lucifer, and I will offer Iblis the Throne of God. If he has the virtue to refuse it, then I shall spare his life and embrace him as my brother."

Israfel - "She bleeds with the Symphony. To heal she will have to sacrifice her very existence to save her Word. If she has the courage: if not, she is doomed."

Jean - "The doddering fool runs his tests and repeats his experiments while the Symphony dies around him. No matter; he is harmless and his work reduces the amount of research that greater Archangels will need to do."

Kobal - "Although it takes courage to humiliate one's self so completely, doing so is of no value; True Laughter died with the Revolution. Kobal should have died with his Word; he just hangs around like the long boring joke that he is."

Laurence - "A Sword is merely a tool, that kills at the direction of its' wielder. Laurence is the mindless tool of Lucifer. When Laurence has fulfilled his task, what scabbard does Lucifer plan to rest him in, I wonder? No matter; long before then I will break Laurence as I have broken so many swords."

Lucifer - [Baal looks at you, hatred blazing in his eyes, and then looks away. By the time you have stopped shaking, he is talking about something else.]

Malphas - "An open enemy, despite his foolish belief that he is a master at underhanded manipulation. Destroying him will be a long and hard but very productive task. I look forward to it."

Marc - "Long before the Revolution, he needed to put a value on courage, honor and respect. He failed, so he came to me. I tried to teach him that they were priceless. I failed, it seems. He treats them as worthless. Nonetheless, I deal with him when I must."

Zadkiel - "We have her. She has pushed herself too far, spread her resources too thin, and sent too many agents into Hades. Another two, maybe three centuries and she is doomed. Which is good. Hating me I could understand, but her hatred of Novalis must be punished."

The Others:

Adam - "One of God's finest creations. If the rift between Adam and Lilith could be healed, they would be an unbeatable team. But that task is beyond my skill; perhaps Novalis & Nybbas..."

Beelzebub - "Pitiful fool, seeking to fill Michael's shoes - outnumbered, outgunned and grieving, we are still more than a match for this yapping pup. The existence of this swashbuckling poseur is an insult that I intend to expunge."

Fleurity - "The child is in over his head, but struggles on valiantly. We must aid him, we must!"

Gabriel - "Michael sacrificed himself to save Gabriel - what greater proof could we have of Gabriel's importance?"

Jordi - "He betrayed his Word when he aided Lucifer against Michael; that was a dominance fight, and should have been fought without Jordi's meddlesome interference. Perhaps he was still furious because Michael stopped him from destroying humanity; perhaps I should have defended Jordi then; but we could not have let him destroy the humans. No, surely not. Jordi's actions have been punished by his madness - now I must put down the rabid creature."

Mariel - "She understands, and I must protect her. But the corruption of the Symphony has corrupted her memories; she even believes that my memories of Michael are inaccurate!"

Soldekai - "He defends his Mistresses' Cathedral with skill and dedication. [Pauses] Would you like to be assigned there for a few years? You will learn much!"

White Star - "An enigma - I wish that Yves had spoken about him. But I will trust Blandine's Dream for him."

Michael, then God, now Lucifer - Baal doesn't care about politics, morality or the fact that the Symphony is degrading: his only concern is to show that he is tougher than anyone else. He still acts the same way, but his 'guilt' is merely a cover that allows him to continue to fight the most powerful beings in existence and prove that he is the greatest warrior in all creation. Lesser opponents, such as Iblis, are being deliberately encouraged to grow stronger so that when Baal finally destroys them it will look more impressive.

"Champion of the Angels" Lucifer called him, but suppose the title was given to Baal by Yves? This Baal will defend anyone who lacks the power to do what they think is right - He'd even support Laurence in an inquisition against an Archangel beyond the Swords' influence (e.g. Kobal). Baal's Cathedral is a sanctuary where any angel may come to petition for aid, and he has a similar Cathedral in Broceliande to accept petitions from humans & ethereals. Of course, the title is 'Champion of ANGELS', so when forced to choose, Baal must always support an angel over a human or ethereal - difficult for the War Leader of the Exiles, but nothing in Tattered is easy. Humans and ethereals had just better make sure that another angel is championing their cause so that Baal can champion the angel... angels of Justice might be present in Baal's Cathedrals, ready to fulfill this function for Just causes.

So Baal threw everything away to accept self-exile. Yeah, right. Surely it's far more reasonable to assume that Lucifer asked Baal to infiltrate the Exiles, to make sure that they will never be a threat? After all, the existence of the Exiles gives Heaven a scapegoat, is it really in Heaven's political interests to end the War? And, of course, this explains why Baal will openly admit that the Exiles are doomed but believes in his heart that he'll win - he's on the other side, he'll win BECAUSE the Exiles are doomed.

And Vapula's lifeboat - well, it'll be a shock to Vapula to watch Lucifer, Baal and their cronies crowd in, waving goodbye to Vapula and his selected few - Kobal should enjoy the laugh...

Thanks to Benjamin Acosta, Maurice Lane & Elizabeth McCoy for their help.