Adapted by Jon Walton

Jean knows that the Symphony is dying. He's run tests, massive numbers of tests. He's plotted out possible scenarios on volumes and volumes of graphs. He's run simulation after simulation and watched a million times over as the world implodes with the Symphony's last final kick. And, according to all the considerable information available to Lightning … they’ve already lost.

Still, that's not the kind of news that one brings to the Lightbringer. And so, day after day, year after year, over multiple millennia, Jean has had to lie.

"Yes, Lucifer, I'm sure there's something we can do to fix this mess." "Yes, sir, my Servitors are getting right on it." "No, sir, it won't be long now before we have the answer."

Of course, Elohim, the bastions of objectivity, aren’t good at being spin doctors, and Jean is especially bad at it. Many are the lines that have been etched in the once strong face of Lightning by years and years of knowing the truth, and yet being unable to speak it. Jean is, ultimately, a scientist and philosopher at heart and being Heaven’s "yes-man" is insufferable, but what other option does he have? The results of Lucifer knowing, for sure, that there was nothing anyone can do about the Symphony would be unimaginable. Would he try an all-out thrust to destroy the Exiles? Some mad attempt to reach the Higher Heavens? Suicide? No, whatever the consequences are for Jean, the information must be kept quiet, even from his own Servitors.

Like any old man, Jean has grown somewhat eccentric in his 'old age', especially as his Elohite objectivity has been rotting away with the Symphony. Jean now sees the Halls of Progress as a nice little bit of irony, since 'progress' itself has become meaningless in the face of Armageddon. His Servitors are no longer instructed to either help or hinder mankind's mad quest for technology, instead, Jean has made a return to his roots and the primordial power of Lightning itself.

Long before there were machines, there was still Jean. Way back when Gabriel was still fooling around with volcanoes and spending time under the earth’s crust or in the heart of the sun, Jean was the Wrath of God. The original interpretation of his Word had been literal and he flew over the face of the planet, riding the storms and hurling his thunderbolts. In that form, he had often been greatly honored by early peoples for his power and for his connection with life-giving rain. Of course, Jean was not all friendliness, either. His Lightning also fell on the wicked and the oppressive, showing them that the Almighty didn’t simply turn a blind eye to their actions. Later, as he turned to innovation and technology, Gabriel took over the old aspects of his Word, but still, through all the many millennia, those parts of Jean lay sleeping, there beneath all the smoke, engines, and circuits.

Now that facet is alive again. Without Eli, without Gabriel, without Blandine, without Yves, and without Janus, Jean has been forced to reassert his spiritual and dynamic powers. Along with the Light of Lucifer and the 'organized Chaos' of Demogorgon, the forces of Lightning are hoping to energize and bring insight to the dark and static thongs of humanity. Servitors of Lightning are supposed to fall upon an area like a thunderbolt, completely changing the lives of those around them to get people thinking and hopeful again. Lightning is now a symbol of power, awe, revelation, revitalizing energy, and instant change. Of course, Lucifer and Laurence don't totally approve on this approach, since they tend to like more docile humans, but they have let Jean be. The old man still has his usefulness … for now.

Meanwhile, as his Servitors struggle to electro-shock the world into some semblance of life, Jean himself sinks more and more into his own depression. He sits alone in his private chambers within Progress and goes further and further inward, wrapping around himself into a tight ball of self-punishment. In his treatment of himself, he is falling more and more into a Habbalite nature, while, on the rare occasion where he speaks with outsiders, he completely changes into the pillar of stability that other angels expect from him. What he says and what he feels have been totally divorced from each other, and, in order to hold onto what ever remains of his Elohite objectivity, things better stay that way.

It is Dissonant for Servitors of Jean to go for more than 24 hours without forcing someone to re-examine the way they are living, acting, or thinking. Significant change doesn’t have to result (though that is what is hoped for), the mortal (or immortal) must simply be made to confront themselves in a way that causes the possibility of change.

Obviously, these conditions are a rather new development and some of Jean’s older Servitors, especially the ones who have spent most of their time in the Halls of Progress, are still getting used to them. After millennia of only having to worry about the potential for mishandling of information, some of the ancient Servitors of Lightning are annoyed with having to go out and 'shock' someone (as the new Celestial wording goes). Moreover, Laurence has expressed concern that the change the 'Shockers' invoke isn’t always (or even often) one that upholds the existing social order. Of course, that is exactly what Jean intends, but he has been careful to explain himself in a more "Yes, sir" tone of voice to the Archangel of the Sword.

Lightning’s organization has gone through something of an overnight revolution. Since the most convenient targets for 'shocking' were often other Servitors of Lightning, the community in the Halls of Progress experienced for itself a sudden enlightenment, expanding of vision, and burst of energy.

Currently, Servitors of Lightning are organized in a modified 'cell' system, like many other revolutionary groups and secret societies (another thing that worries Laurence and Zadkiel). At the head of each cell is a 'muse' who is the head coordinator, sending out other members of the cell to inspire as best they can and transmitting messages from those higher up. Each muse, of course, is also part of his own cell, made up of other muses, which reports to its own muse. This grouping is continued up through many ranks until it reaches the top organizational cell, which reports directly to Jean himself, who is sometimes referred to as the Chief Muse.

Each layer of the hierarchy resembles every other part, so that, even though the structure is a standard pyramid, there is a much stronger feeling of camaraderie and equality. In fact, what started as a tongue-in-cheek practice of calling each other 'comrade' has quickly spread through the entire organization, until it is not uncommon to hear the Archangel referred to as Comrade Jean (even to his face). The Archangel of Lightning has taken this very well. It reminds him in many ways of how it was in the very early days, when all of the original angels worked to create the world in the first place, and so fits nicely with the 'retro' mood that he is currently in.

Jean’s Guardians, especially the Djinn-Cherubim, are the Tyler Durden’s of Tattered. Cherubim of Lightning are charged with revolutionizing the lives of their attuned … even when it may hurt a bit. Thusly, whenever the Cherub pushes their charge toward actions that result in physical or emotional pain, they gain no dissonance as long as the damage results in the long-term bettering of their attuned’s spiritual or moral well being.

The Wheels of Lightning are able to use their Resonance to map out someone else’s path from point A to point B … and know the quickest way to get them there. For example, if the Ofanite decides that a specific individual would be benefited by attending a certain lecture, being at a specific rally, or simply by visiting the slums of Sarajevo, the Wheel can learn the most expedient way of getting them there. For more obscure destinations (or for people who aren’t likely to go to them), the answer is often rather unhelpful ("Buy them a plane ticket and make sure they happen to be on the plane") or somewhat absurd ("Mail them there"). Of course, this often isn’t a major discouragement to the Ofanim, which means the International Postal Service has had some strange incidents of late.

Jean’s Barons are the temporary management help from Hell, joining organizations and then completely changing the way they operate. Forbidden by their nature and their Oaths from actively disturbing the pre-arranged social hierarchy, the Malakim are forced to work from inside, trying to create change along the normal, appropriate paths. The Barons of Lightning are big fans of the Democratic process and work to protect it from any corruption or distortion.

To aid them in their responsibilities, Malakim of Lightning automatically have a Role/2 as a member of every organization that doesn’t require a particular level of Status. This means that Jean’s Barons are most active among grassroots and local groups, operating at the base of the social ladder and slowly working upward. This is often distasteful to the more proper Malakim, who see this as 'beneath' them, but their arrogance usually drives them to work harder to raise the importance of their groups or to infiltrate groups operating at a higher Status level.

Where the other Servitors of Lightning may try to bring a little shock into the lives of those around them, Jean’s Elohim are Lightning. The typical Elohite obsession with their Word knows no bounds under the primordial Elohite Archangel and Jean’s Powers are among the happiest angels in all of the Host. Those individuals that Elohim 'Shockers' chose to inflict themselves on are often the most callous and unfeeling members of humanity, and it is on these people that the Powers’ 'Punisher' personae is let loose. Those who were formerly numb to the world are sent on an emotional roller coaster that they are not likely to forget, and the Elohim are there to feel every second of the jolt.

Jean’s Powers can choose to use their Resonance on a group of people (up to their Celestial Forces x10 in number) and find the one with the most wildly divergent emotional state at that particular moment. For instance, they could find the only happy person at a funeral or the most apathetic watcher of the Super Bowl. In the case where more than one person is equally distant from the others, the Elohite only gets information on one of them.

Jean’s Lilim can use their Resonance to discover just what it would take to get a person to completely change their lives for the better. For game purposes, this counts as a Need for the target to have his life revolutionized. Once they arrange for those things to happen, the Lilim can then extract a Geas in return, just like they would with any other Need.

Jean’s Kyriotates have the exact same Choir Attunement as in canon. It turned out to be way too useful to change. Besides, the Hives might have staged a protest just to keep it.

Mercurians of Lightning were the others to have their Attunement unchanged. Now, they are the spokesmen to the entire world, bringing Lightning’s revolution to every land, regardless of language barriers. Also, they tend to plant messages in the minds of those around them, encouraging them to think about things they wouldn’t normally have considered. Jean’s Mercurians are also able to use the Spellbound Attunement with their special form of telepathy.

Jean is currently in the process of gradually changing his Attunements to more directly reflect his Word-shift, but it is a slow process, as he is resisted by just about all his Servitors. In fact, the Ofanim complained so much about the loss of their Choir Attunement, that Jean was forced to reinstitute it as Ride the Lightning, below. Spellbound is a new example of the direction Jean seeks to go, but it may be a long time before the more technological Attunements are phased out.

Identical to Generator (In Nomine, p.123).

For 2 Essence, the angel can force a crowd to listen to what he’s saying. Though the people he targets might normally be apathetic or even hostile to the message he’s preaching, those that do not successfully resist with a Will roll will be held in rapt attention and will not be able to turn away until the angel is finished. Note this does not mean the people will agree with the angel or take his message seriously, just that they must listen. This Attunement works on a number of people up to the CDx20, but on an Intervention of either type, the angel will Spellbind everyone within hearing range, including those listening by television, radio broadcast, or any other technological medium.

Exactly the same as the original Ofanite of Lightning Attunement, except that all the numbers are doubled (speed of 200 yards x Corporeal Forces per round, lasts for 2x Ethereal Forces rounds), including the damage caused to entry and exit points (now 6d), due to the more powerful nature of this Servitor Attunement.

An extension of Ride the Lightning, this Attunement allows the angel to leave his vessel behind and manifest as energy traveling through any kind of electrical/mechanical systems, including transforming into light to travel through fiber-optic cables and the like. While inside any sort of network system, all Computer and Programming skills can be used as normal, except that they take half as long as normal. The angel must eventually return to his vessel, however, unless he wants to leave from a different point and manifest a second vessel, in which case the original vessel is lost for good.

Note that the angel must possess Ride the Lightning to use this Attunement, and that use of it does damage to entrance and exit points as normal. However, with the spending of 2 Essence, the angel can cause this damage to manifest as internal systems damage that is unapparent from simply looking at the machine (though it probably won’t work very well).

Like his Attunements, Jean’s Distinctions are going to undergo a gradual change to meet the needs of his new word. Currently, they are the same as they have always been, with the exception of his new master-level Distinction, which has caused something of a controversy ever since it was instituted. Note that, at this time, former Masters of the Machine are not being required to covert over to the new Distinction, since some attempts to do that have turned out badly. Jean is still conducting an investigation into what exactly went wrong.

Same as the canonical Distinction of the same name.

Same as the canonical Distinction of the same name.

Jean’s Master-level Servitors are all demons. It’s as simple as that. Instead of their normal resonance and dissonance conditions, they have those that would normally be reserved for their counterparts in a canon setting. For all intents and purposes, Jean’s Master-level Seraphs are Balseraphs. It’s just that they are not called that or even considered to be much different from other angels. Jean, himself, discovered this Distinction by accident, when doing some experiments on some particularly spiteful Djinn-Cherubim that were captured by the Sword and sent to him for 'medical evaluation'. It seems that Celestials can be built with their own personally Symphony, something that Jean thinks might have a great deal of promise, seeing as how the greater Symphony is collapsing. Still, further experimentation needs to be done. At this time, new candidates for Jeans Master-level Distinction are basically treated as experimental subjects, though still honored and treasured for their contributions. If the Symphony is to be saved, the Personal Symphony Project may be the answer, but, so far, the results have been … mixed.

For one thing, the Distinction doesn’t do much to Cherubim. In fact, it limits the amount of Attunements the angel can have, which doesn’t really make sense given the spectacular abilities this Distinction provides to Ofanim, Seraphim, and Mercurians. Also, Kyriotates tend to react especially bad to it, and simply become monsters that are impossible to deal with. Luckily, the first Kyriotate Master of the Coming Storm stayed in one host long enough to be destroyed, so any potential repercussions were avoided.

In the meantime, Jean makes deserving Kyriotates and Cherubim into Masters of the Machine, as per his old Attunement (IN p.123), and has promised them that he is working on resolving the few 'kinks' that exist in the newer version.

For those familiar with the canonical world, it is probably good for everyone involved that Jean has a subtle distaste for Malakim (due to his new Word-shift and the fact that Laurence is one) and that one of his Barons has not yet risen to become a new Master of the Coming Storm.

It is also important to note that there have never been any Master-level Lilim in the ranks of Lightning, though, with the recent Word-shift, the Charismatics are becoming rather popular Servitors. In the coming months, Jean may try making an especially deserving Lilim into a 'Mistress of the Coming Storm'. Depending on just what the results turn out to be, this could create something of an incident.

The Host

Allied: Israfel, Demogorgon

Associated: Lucifer

Neutral: Gebbeleth, Kobal

Disgusted by: Everyone else, except …

Enemy: Laurence (privately)

The Exiles

Allied: None

Associated: Blandine, David, Eli, Raphael

Disgusted by: Everyone else.

The Others

Allied: None

Associated: Gabriel

: Get someone to rethink their entire worldview.

: Convince someone to create positive change in the lives of others and see them do it.

: Spend an hour in a thunderstorm, on a cliff.

Jean does not allow himself to be personally summoned anymore, instead, his modifiers apply simply to getting his attention, at which point he will dispatch whatever and whomever he thinks is appropriate. Most often, one of his Distinguished Servitors will answer his calls, but other possibilities are open to the GM.

+1 A group of people watching "Fight Club"

+2 Someone speaking on a revolutionary text (Mao’s little red book, "Mien Kamf," or "Ishmael")

+3 A group actively working towards (and not just protesting for) social change

+4 A counselor working with more than 5 attempted-suicide cases

+5 An actual revolution by the middle or working classes

+6 A marked Exile who sincerely wants to join the Host

Jean used to be an optimist. It was his way of interpreting his Elohite nature of objectivity. No matter how bad things got, any reasonable angel could see that the Symphony would soon readjust itself and everything would go back to its proper place. After all, God had created the world and God was omniscient and infinitely wise. The Almighty would not have created a world that He knew was doomed to failure. At least, that’s what Jean used to think.

When the Revolution took place, Jean refused to assist either side and tried to get his angels to stay as neutral as possible. As far as he could tell, the Will of God wasn’t clearly on the side of Lucifer or the Michaelites, so Jean was loathe to support a cause that might not already have the backing of the Almighty. Still, surely God wouldn’t have allowed Lucifer to destroy Michael and the Metatron if that was not what was intended to happen? Right?

So, after Lucifer’s ultimate victory, the forces of Lightning put their support fully behind the victor (though it didn’t help the Revolution much then) and helped begin the long process of cleaning up the destruction in Heaven. Jean was sad to see many of his close companions (especially Eli and Raphael) descend into Exile in Hades, but what could he do? Better to stay in Heaven and help things as much as he could, then become a martyr along with them, unable to do anything.

Of course, as the centuries rolled along and the Exiles broke out of their prison, Jean has come to rethink that decision a thousand times over. It is clear to him now that Lucifer’s killing of Michael and the Metatron was not an act supported by the Almighty, since God has not been heard from since. Also, it became quickly clear that the side Jean had chosen was not, in all likelihood, the right one. Still, what could he do? The choice had been made and there was little turning back. In Heaven there remained the chance of being able to make a difference, in Exile, there was little but the company of those who had lost the War.

Despite all this, there isn't a day that goes by that Jean doesn't look down from his great observation tower in the Halls of Progress and wonder if Eli is feeling what he feels. Though the two Archangels always had different takes on things, Eli more enthusiastic and Jean more practical, the loss of the spark of creativity in Heaven is something that Jean has felt very deeply. The Archangel of Lightning would love to have a long talk with Eli about the ultimate fate of all Creation and what that means for God and His chosen sons. He also wants very much for Eli to point out all the flaws in his findings.

Jean first discovered the unraveling of the Symphony around 2000 BCE. Before then, there had been indications of things going wrong (the distortion evident in the Choirs, instances of Symphonic Discord, etc.) but the first real proof took a while to manifest itself. After that initial case, it was downhill all the way, as experiment after experiment yielded the same conclusions.

For millennia, the Archangel of Lightning wrestled wit how to respond to such overwhelming evidence. Unable to go public with something that everyone already suspected, the knowledge ate away inside him, slowly removing whatever emotions remained inside the Elohite. Today, Jean knows nothing but apathy, complacency, and a quiet dread. You could say that the only one who understands fear better than Jean is Beleth herself.

Nevertheless, Jean is trying very hard not to live out of that fear or allow it to spread to his Servitors. His current Word-shift is an effort on his part to go out with a bang, something he thinks God would appreciate. Just in case the Almighty is still watching, the Archangel of Lightning, for one, is not going to go gentle into that good night.

<Sidebar>

There are some things that Lucifer wants done, and he wants done right. One of the very first of these projects was given to Jean soon after it became apparent that divine religions were spawning ethereals. First of all, this new information, not surprisingly, wasn’t what Lucifer wanted to hear. Initially, the Lightbringer told Jean that he wanted the ethereal problem to be completely solved, with all the Essence going to correct places (i.e. Heaven). Once that proved to be an impossible command, the Lord’s Regent decided that he would be content as long as one little problem was taken care of.

Lucifer would not allow the possibility of an ethereal God.

It was as simple as that. If a bunch of dream-Forces became convinced that it was the Almighty, Laurence, Iblis, Zadkiel, and Magog would be personally dispatched to destroy it. However, Jean’s job in all of this, as the resident expert on everything, was to come up with a more permanent solution to this problem, since people weren’t simply going to stop worshiping the Ineffable Creator, even if he was currently ineffable even to Heaven.

Well, Jean did it.

However the mission was accomplished, the Archangel of Lightning assures Lucifer and the rest of Heaven that an ethereal incarnation of the Supreme Being is no longer a worry. And, unlike the rest of Jean’s typical "yes, sir" responses, the Greatest Seraph knows for a fact that Jean believes this to be true. So, it seems that the Archangel of Lightning has single-handedly solved one of the most potentially hazardous situations in existence, since none of his Servitors claim to have been involved in any research or work on 'The God Problem'. There was a period of about a week when Jean was not seen (a rare thing, back then), and then, when he returned, he just mentioned off-hand that the problem was no longer an issue. Though very suspicious about this, Lucifer and the rest of Heaven knew to leave well enough alone. Jean simply would have claimed that the process was far too complicated for them to understand and Lucifer would have definitely read that lie for what it was.

So, just how did Jean fix the God Problem?

A few clues present themselves. First, it was soon after Jean’s return from 'fixing God' that the Archangel began to think once again about the primordial aspects of his Word, something that would lead, many centuries later, to his shift back towards enlightenment and smiting. Also, over the centuries since the God Problem was solved, strange changes have taken place in Jean’s Celestial form. There is no doubt that the Archangel’s appearance has grown older and older as time goes one, reaching the point where other angels sometimes refer to him as 'The Old Man'. Additionally, Jean has taken to the habit of manifesting a long white beard, earning him the additional nickname of 'Santa Claus', but some more thoughtful members of the Host are beginning to suspect that these changes may not be something to laugh at. After all, is it a mere coincidence that Jean’s return to being the Wrath of God is heralded by his looking more and more like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?

</sidebar>

Jean is a mess. The Old Man is losing it and hardly ever goes out in public anymore. Sometimes, his own Servitors treat him as a dark secret or a dead founder of their movement, one whose words and ideals should be respected but who should not be allowed, under any circumstances, to have a direct hand in making day to day decisions.

To be honest, this suits Jean just fine.

Though there is no real way of determining such things in Tattered, the Archangel of Lightning is very, very close to being a Habbalite, if he hasn’t completely Fallen already. Whatever objectivity he once possessed is quickly disappearing and being replaced by an incredible amount of angst and self-pity. You could call Jean an introspective Habbalite, self-resonating most of the time to inflict certain emotions on himself, often just to prop up his fragile faith in his own Word.

Jean’s main purpose these days is to punish himself for failing in his duty to God and the Regent. All they asked of Jean was for him to find a way to save the world, and in the end he couldn’t deliver. In the darkest parts of his mind, then, the Archangel of Lightning sees everything as his fault. And he is going to personally make sure that he doesn’t get off easy for botching the most important job ever. Someone has to punish Jean for his transgressions and it might as well be himself.

The War is over, as far as Jean is concerned. And to the victors go the spoils. However, what happens in a War in which nobody wins? Neither the Exiles nor the Host have been able to halt the demise of everything that is, and that, in itself, has ended the War by rendering it meaningless.

Jean is no longer involved with fighting the War. He never attends Council meetings among the Host and has personally forbid his Servitors from going and voting in his stead (though this has happened from time to time, without Jean knowing). Instead, Jean focuses on himself in a kind of depressed Narcissism, drawing further and further into his own mind.

But, Jean has lied to Lucifer and Laurence for untold millennia now, and he knows that, when they come calling, he has to put up some kind of display that shows he is still doing something. However, what Jean couldn’t do was continue to fret about micromanaging the technological secrets of Heaven and Earth. With the end of the world on the way, that would be idiotic. What did it matter if Heaven’s top military technologies leaked out to the Corporeal plane? Even if the world’s nations annihilated themselves, it would only be a hastening in the end. The world would go out with a bang instead of a whimper.

So, Jean protests to Lucifer and Laurence that he is very busy, oh so very busy, in completing the massive Word-shift that he is in the middle of. And sure, this is true in some respects, but mostly it is a construct to keep Heaven off his back. In reality, his most powerful Servitors are the ones who are doing the bulk of the work, while Jean sits in his private chambers, alone and apathetic.

What Jean wants at this point is to make a difference. Since the end cannot be turned away from, the only thing worth doing is to have an impact while things last. This is the only war that is worth fighting for.

The Host

Andrealphus: "It’s too late for love. If love makes the world go round, then it is simply spinning from momentum alone, the memory enough to keep it going … but just barely."

Beleth: "Some would argue that there is already enough fear in the world. I would agree. However, there is not enough fear in Heaven. Otherwise, we might have avoided this mess by being driven to greater lengths, instead of averting our gaze to the downward spiral."

Beth: "You can’t micromanage your piece of the War like you would a library or a machine. I discovered that the hard way. Beth still hasn’t yet."

Christopher: "Kobal’s child is a misguided attempt to restore something long lost to the Symphony. I am already beginning to dread what will happen to her in the end, but it will not be a pretty sight."

Demogorgon: "Though he may not know it, he has become the chief among my Servitors and still serves Lightning in his own way. Though sometimes I may dislike his methods and the fact that his actions do considerable harm to Israfel, some suffering is unavoidable. The Archangel of Chaos is Lightning’s 'Black Prince of Wales' grown up to be a true king, and I look forward to our continuing relationship."

Eve: "Not even worth mentioning. Sure, I never stand up to anyone either, but that is because I know that it doesn’t matter. Eve seems to find a perverse pleasure in being spineless."

Gebbeleth: "He is intentionally misleading about what he knows. However, considering the secrets that I have unearthed on my own, his keeping things from us may be a blessing, in the end. He has seen whatever remains of the Higher Heavens and it has given him purpose. Let us hope it is not simply the courage of a man who knows he is going to die."

Iblis: "Without the Almighty, his Word means nothing. We were only made to reflect the magnificence of the divine, not to manifest it ourselves. Mirrors are of little use in the dark."

Israfel: "Lucifer has crucified her on her Word so that he can see just how much it hurts. These kind of experiments will never receive my support. She is the embodiment of all that we should be fighting for, but her very existence shows us that it is a losing battle."

Jean: "As for myself? Tell them that I am. That will suffice."

Kobal: "He has, in the face of Armageddon, suggested a response that is very appropriate. Ironic laughter in the face of the end times is what keeps us all sane. Well … at least, it keeps some of us sane."

Laurence: "The prime example of what happens when a Malakite is in charge. Without him as Heaven’s Second-in-Command, there might have been a chance. As things are …"

Lucifer: "The Son of Mourning. A mass of arrogance, idealism, crushed dreams, anger, melancholy, and stubbornness. I have not yet decided if I will pity him in the end."

Malphas: "Poor didymus Malphas. A sign of the End Times, no question about it. If it had only been apparent earlier."

Marc: "The Archangel of Bootlicking and Handshaking. I may be a Yes-Man, but at least I do it because I have no backbone."

Zadkiel: "What do I think of Zadkiel? (grumble) Next?"

The Exiles

Baal: "A fool. There are no words to say just how incompetent the ‘leader’ of the Exiles is. He thinks the world can be saved by going out and playing soldier or by destroying Lucifer. Doesn’t he understand that everything, everything that this world represents, rests in the hands of the Lightbringer?"

Blandine: "In that sleep of death, what Dreams may come? None. None at all. I would cry for her, but I have no tears left to spare."

David: "He knows. Unlike every other being in this entire rotten existence, David knows how things stand. I didn’t have to tell him. He felt it in his gut and recognized the feeling for himself. For that alone, he deserves my respect."

Dominique: "Without God, all Justice is also gone from the world. The only judgment we have to look forward to is the Final Judgment."

Eli: "Currently, aside from Lucifer himself, Eli is the being with the most to gain or lose. Does he not realize that Creation and Light are the twin inheritors of what was left behind by Metatron and Yves? He is one of the greatest beings that ever lived, yet he does nothing. I do not understand why."

Haagenti: "All energy but no substance. Enthusiasm will not cure the world’s ills."

Lilith: "It should have told us something when the First Family was dysfunctional. Why they are still around is a question that even I can’t answer."

Malphas: "Factionalism is death."

Novalis: "Another face I wouldn’t mind seeing again. She has grown quieter over the years, but she is still a tough old bird. One of the few rocks of sanity in a sea of idealists and fools."

Nybbas: "A fitting son of his father. Equally dense, idealistic, and meteoric in his rise. One more star that will soon reach its apex. And it is a long way down."

Ogiel: "He is a tale to frighten children with. If he only knew the futility of his existence."

Raphael: "My sweet sister. Time has been as rough on you as it has on me. I only wish that I could send you a few words of the mistakes I’ve made in my long, long existence. But you probably know them already. No wonder, then, that we are on opposite sides."

Uriel: "The ideals he stands for have not existed since the death of Yves. He is a lingering shell who has miraculously survived all this time. It shouldn’t be long now."

Vapula: "Does he think that I don’t know? SCIENCE! and Lightning are bound together like two sides of the same coin. I can still feel his movements like a knot twisting in my stomach. He fails to understand that this is an aborted universe that wasn’t meant to live. No pieces of it should escape to contaminate whatever exists beyond. It doesn’t matter, though. He cannot succeed."

The Others

Beelzebub: "A clear sign to us all that the Regent’s unquestionable wisdom is a sham. Those shoes were not meant to be filled."

Fleurity: "Morphine for the pains of the world."

Gabriel: "I miss the sound of her voice. But, if she were here, I’m sure she would be spouting prophecies of doom. Those are the only prophecies that are left to me made. Actually, rethinking things a bit, what I really miss is the sound of his voice."

Jordi: "An abomination. He learned too much from Lucifer in those early days and now he shares the Lightbringer’s arrogance and despotism. Plans are underway to separate him from the world. It will not matter in the end, but I will not die with a Kyriotate making a mockery of the world."

Mariel: "She has made the sad mistake of building a glass house and hoping that she will be safe inside. When there is no future, little one, you cannot hide in the past."

White Star: "The children of Blandine do not belong in this world. They are the true children of light, but they will be snuffed out without a thought. White Star thinks he can transcend this world and find the song that plays forever. It’s too bad that the song he seeks is merely God singing to the universe before He puts it to sleep."