Angel Spheres and Ranks:
1st Sphere: (They're clustered around the central core of purity. Live ONLY in Heaven... NOT AVAILABLE FOR PLAYERS! NPCS ONLY!)
1.) Seraphim- The uppermost section of the hierarchy, these are the angels closest to the throne of God. It is they who unceasingly chant the Trisagion, "Holy, holy, holy..." and encircle the throne, existing off the love emanated by God. It is this fiery love which gives them the term 'fiery serpents'. In this form of fiery serpents, it is said that the light they give off is so intense, that not even other divine beings may look upon them. There is said to be four of these angelic beings. They are listed as the four holy beasts in the book of Revelation and are also described as angels with four faces and six wings. Seraphim have six wings, two cover their faces, two cover their feet, and two are for flying.
2.) Cherubim- Second to only the seraphim, the Cherubim hold the knowledge of God. It is also they who are often sent to earth with the greatest of tasks; the expulsion of Man from the Garden of Eden and the Annunciation of Christ were both performed by Cherubim. Spirits of the Harmonies. The guardians of the fixed stars, keepers of celestial records, bestowers of knowledge. Chief rulers are Ophaniel, Rikbiel, and Zophiel. The Cherubim are pictured as huge, winged creatures with leonine or human faces, bodies of bulls or sphinxes, eagles, etc.
3.) Ophanim- They are the Angels of pure Humility, Peace and Submisssion. They reside in the area of the cosmos where material form begins to take shape. The lower Choir of Angels need the them to access God. Also known as the 'Thrones', these angels serve the primary function of being God's chariot. But besides this, they are also noted as being the dispensers of God's judgment; acting with impartialness and humility to bring about the desires of the Lord. Having the most bizarre physical appearance of the celestial host, they are described a great wheels, covered with a great many eyes and glowing with light. One explanation given for this (besides them acting as God's chariot), is that they mark the end of the first Choir, where the emanations of God begin to take on more material forms and as such exist in a state of transition.
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2nd Sphere: (All Orders within this Triad strive to balance or reconcile such opposites as good and bad, matter and spirit and higher and lower, thus risking corruption in doing so. Occupy Heaven and Limbo... occasionally go as far as the Gates of Hell)
1.) Dominions- Act as a sort of middle management between the upper choir and the lower, holding the task of regulating the duties of lower angels. They receive their orders from the seraphim and cherubim and are responsible for ensuring that the cosmos remains in order. It is only with extreme rarity that the dominations make themselves physically known to mortals, instead quietly concerning themselves with the details of existence. Spirits of Wisdom, through them is manifested the Majesty of God. They hold an orb or sceptre as an emblem of authority, and in Hebraic lore, the chief of this order is named Hashmal or Zadkiel. (NOTE: Think of them as Generals or Marshalls with their own armies of the other 2 ranks)
2.) Virtues- Given to two main tasks, the virtues not only are concerned with maintaining the aspects of the natural world, but also with bestowing blessings upon the material world as well. In their first task, they preside over the movements of the celestial bodies as well as events of weather including rain, snow, wind and the like. In the second, it is they who take the orders given to them and in turn convert them into miracles for God's favored. Variant names for them include the Malakim and the Tarshishim. Virtues are known as the Spirits of Motion and control the elements. They are sometimes referred to as "the shining ones." They govern all nature. They have control over seasons, stars, moon; even the sun is subject to their command. They are also in charge of miracles and provide courage, grace, and valor. (NOTE: Think of them moreso as the 'mage' or 'cleric' class)
3.) Powers- Spirits of Form. Holding one of the most dangerous tasks, the powers are responsible for maintaining the border between Heaven and Earth. Acting as a sort of elite guard, they constantly watch for demonic attack, and are the major line of defense and battle during heavenly warfare. They are also tasked with guarding the celestial byways between the two realms and ensuring that souls which leave the mortal world reach heaven safely. Perhaps not surpassingly, given their proximity to the nether regions, there are more angels from the ranks of the powers listed as fallen than from any other member of the hierarchy. (NOTE: Think of them as the 'warrior' or 'knight' class)
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3rd Sphere: (Most exposed and vulnerable to any corrosion of flesh. Angels from these Orders are most well known to us simply because they are most like us. Occupy the Mortal World for the most part)
1.) Principalities- The head of the final choir, the principalities watch over the mortal world directly, guiding and protecting the earth's nations, cities and towns. Also, they are given to the protection of religion and of politics. As such, they are assumed to be given more freedom to act than the lesser angels below them and are responsible for carrying out divine acts concerning their area of jurisdiction. Finally, they are given to the task of managing the duties of the angels. Spirits of Personality or Time. Protectors of religion. Nisroc, in Milton, is "of principalities the prime," and others, according to various sources, are named Requel, Anael, and Cerviel. (NOTE: They're like the Dominions... except the Mortal World and all its inhabitants are ist priority. Heaven, Limbo, and Hell are NOT)
2.) Archangels- Fire Spirits. Angels above the order of Angels. It also serves to designate a specific rank of angels in the angelic heirarchy. The term Archangels refers to the greater angels such as Michael and Gabriel, known also as chief princes. The order can also refer to the angels who stand at the throne of God, thus being the higher angel ranking. While also listed as a way of defining an especially important angel, the term archangel is used here as the second to last rank in the celestial hierarchy. The confusion comes mainly from the ancient Hebraic way of defining angels which was simple angel and archangel. It was not until later that the hierarchy was defined, and many of the angels previous named as simply archangels were given new posts. Despite this, as a class the archangels are tasked with not only watching the duties of the angels, but also acting as the leaders in the divine army during battle. (NOTE: Archangels are considered a cross between Powers and Virtues, but weaker... think of them as hybrid of the both but technically weaker)
3.) Guardians- Sons of life or of twilight. A rank which intermediates between God and Man. Angels are closest to earth and earthly matters, whereas the archangels have more to do with the heavenly realm. Both orders are very similar and they often cross in their duties with each other. The least (if one could say that about any angelic being) in the hierarchy, angels are given to two major tasks. First, they are responsible for watching over the affairs of mortals in a more direct manner than the principalities. Instead of watching entire nations, angels watch over households and individual souls, guiding them subtlety and keeping them safe from demonic attack. Also, they are the carriers of God's word to mankind, acting as messengers and couriers to both God and the upper ranks of angelkind as well. In Hebrew, they are called mal'akh, meaning "messenger", in Persian the word is angaros or "courier". (NOTE: Lowest ranked, but still very important... everyone has a Guardian Angel, they are also known for having the most powerful of 'support class' gifts. They are the most humanlike and compassionate by nature). |