To Serve Heaven
It is an uncommon thing to be chosen by angels, and those that are chosen are often marked out, blessed, and destined for great things. At least, that is what the angels will tell you. The truth is a little more complicated.
Regardless of how they feel about humans, angels understand that humans have something that angels never will. For all of their power and glory, they are pale shadows of what humanity can become, will become, if given enough time. For some, taking a servant, known as a Devotee, is a gift given to the incipient gods that humans represent: the loyalty and allegiance of an angel. For others, taking a Devotee is a chance to lay hands on a divine fire and to show humans that they are not all they may be and as such are lesser than angels. For these angels it represents an opportunity to enslave a nascent God.
Reasons for Taking a Devotee
The reasons an Angel would decide to take on a Devotee are nearly endless, but most angels choose to do so as a means of watching over them, and of ensuring people they care about, love, or need to protect have an extra measure of strength and power in case it is necessary. Others are more pragmatic, such as taking a Devotee to gain another source of power or companionship.
The Power of the Seals
Angelic Devotees may have gifts or powers of their own prior to becoming a Devotee, but when someone agrees to serve an Angel directly, the Angel is able to open their souls in order to receive the gifts and powers of Heaven, which are referred to as Seals. Each Seal is named after one of the Nine Princes of Heaven and invokes their glory and power, distilling certain passive benefits on the Devotee, as well as granting the Devotee a power that the Devotee can use at whim. It also grants the Angel a portion of the Prince's power, referred to as an Infusion. Angels can choose which seals to apply to their Devotees, based on desired effects or simple respect for the Prince the seal is named for.
Effects of the Seals
Upon granting the first Seal to a Devotee, the Angel and the Devotee gain a psychic connection which allows the Angel and the Devotee to be aware of what the other is feeling, what direction they are in, their emotional state, and general state of wellbeing. With each subsequent seal placed, up to a maximum of four seals, the connection deepens.
| Seal Number | Psychic Link | Physical Affects |
|---|---|---|
| One | Awareness - The Angel and the Devotee can sense each other's general direction, state of being, and what they are feeling. The closer the two are together, the more this sense expands and the more information it provides about the other. | The first seal marks the Devotee as something other than human and from the time they take the first seal until they die or are released, Devotees do not age. |
| Two | Insight - The Angel can see through the Devotee's eyes and hear with the Devotee's ears, accomplishing a limited sort of angelic possession which allows the Angel to witness everything the servant does. The Angel can channel its powers and abilities through the Devotee. | The Devotee's body now changes to reflect its status as an agent of the Divine. While they do not gain superhuman or supernatural physical enhancements, their complexions clear, their immune systems are boosted, and their physical capabilities exceed human normal without becoming super human. |
| Three | Mind Link - The Angel and the Devotee are connected mentally and are able to use their powers on each other without needing to see the other to do so. In addition, this bond grants the two of them telepathy, regardless of distance. | Devotees with a third seal gain an invisible aura which enhances their charisma, their powers of persuasion, and endows them with an air of trustworthiness. |
| Four | Soul Bound - The Angel and the Devotee are now essentially two parts of the same being, their souls melded together in a limited fashion. The Devotee gains the ability to channel its powers through the Angel. When in each other's presence, their powers grow stronger. | The Devotee can generate an aura of sanctity which exerts benediction in the same way as religious objects and tools of faith. (See Faith for more information.) |
Being a Devotee need not be a permanent thing. The Angel can unbind the seals from their Devotee if desired, and do not suffer beyond temporary emotional and psychological angst if their devotee dies while in service to the angel.
Divine Direction
Angels Above...
"11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."
~Holy Bible, Psalms 91: 11 & 12
...Beside....
...and always with you.
Other Types of Servants:
“We all are men, in our own natures frail, and capable of our flesh; few are angels.” ― William Shakespeare, Henry VIII
