Angels
From Beyond The Rift Wiki
Angels are nonhuman beings that are on the planet to keep the balance of the world from falling into evil.
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[edit] Misconceptions
These angels are not in servitude to a higher power. They are not necessarily kind and generous. Each has their own personality. They do not watch lovingly from a distance. These angels feel, they hate and love, gain relationships and lose relationships, they have sex, do drugs, and get into a lot of trouble. They do not know everything. They do not necessarily have unwavering faith or optimism. They lose people that they love and sacrifice much for the good of a race that, for the most part, doesn't even know of their existence.
They are not immortal. Their skin is as paper delicate as human skin.
They will bleed. They will die.
[edit] Physiology
Until adolescence, angels are biologically human. Either both of their parents are angels, or one is an angel and the other a human, in which case there is a 50% chance that the child will be an angel, too. There are no half angel, half human beings. However, there are half angel, half demon beings called Nephilim.
At sixteen, they go through the painful process of becoming an angel, which involves their organs and very blood changing and wings growing on their back. The process lasts from 24-48 hours. Shortly after an angel gains his or her wings, they discover their calling or what kind of angel they are. The kind has nothing to do with what they want or the kind of angel their parents are.
Angels look human, except for their wings, which can be any color, style, or size. The wings are most often hidden, however, as the normal human knows nothing of their existence. The wings simply disappear into the angel's back, leaving only a scar, tattoo, or other mark to represent their presence. The process of hiding one's wings is painful, but short. The older an angel is, the more experienced they are with this and the less time it takes for them to hide their wings. When highly emotional, especially scared or angry, angels tend to feel the need to let out their wings, and if they keep their wings in at such times, it usually results in a dull pain like a muscle ache in their shoulders.
At the age of twenty, an angel's aging slows down. They are not immortal, but they can live for up to two thousand years (most don't make it that far). Exactly how fast they age after twenty depends largely on the individual and their lifestyle, so older angels who are around the same age can actually look drastically different in age in some circumstances. Although angels are harder to kill than humans, not susceptible to their diseases for the most part, they can still be killed relatively easily. Shower them with bullets, push them off the top of a skyscraper, and the probability that they will survive is slim.
Angels have a normal temperature of 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit, and a normal pulse rate of 45-55 bpm. They can go without breathing for up to two hours, and when they do breathe, their lungs take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Their organs are similar to a human's, but at the same time, very different, to the point that angels cannot go to any normal hospital, because most human doctors won't understand the differences and how to adjust their treatments accordingly. Their blood is a pearly white.
The body temperature in angels in a state of sexual arousal rises to approximately human standards.
[edit] Abilities
All angels are faster and stronger than humans, even if they don't look it, which is part of their strength. It's hard to expect an angel that looks like a small girl, punching and knocking out a six foot muscle builder, but it can happen.
Angels can sense danger. They also recognize other species in any form, except demons, who initially appear human even to them (a first angel can always recognize a demon). After some time, most angels tend to get a sense that something is different.
In order for their power to be used to its fullest abilities, for them to be their fastest and strongest, they must have their wings out. An angel with their wings out and in full fight mode can recognize a demon.
Their other abilities tend to be specific to their calling.
Angels by nature are bound to do good, or at least not do anything inherently evil. When they lie, steal, hurt, or do anything that could potentially be considered 'evil' or wrong, it causes them great pain. The killing of an innocent will strip an angel of their wings and leave them completely human, nearly instantly. Of course, the lines between what is innocent and what isn't can occasionally be blurred.
Angels can also choose not to be an angel anymore by literally falling from a cliff, building, or other tall structure by choice. It often results in death, but sometimes the fallen angel will survive, heavily injured, and human again.
The only power that remains with a fallen angel is the ability to recognize different species. All other powers have been stripped away.
[edit] Types
[edit] First Angels
There are only ten of them on the planet. Physically, they look as if they are in their thirties or forties, but in actuality, they are at least 900 years old. The first angels are not literally the first angels to have walked the planet. It's more that these angels have survived longer than all of the rest and so they are referred to firsts, because in comparison to their fellow angels, they were first.
At age 900, angels lose their calling for a First calling. They gain considerable insight about the world, especially the spiritual world, which up to now has remained completely in the dark to them. They run the angel-based corporations and act as the closest thing that angels have to a leader. They are generally respected by near anyone who knows of their existence. They can tell with a look not only who is an angel, but what kind of angel they are.
Firsts have some psychic (telepathic and telekinetic) ability that varies from First Angel to First Angel.
Angels that are NOT First Angels only recognize it as specifically a First Angel when the First Angel starts using their name and knowing things that they have not been informed on, and that a normal angel wouldn't just know. Non-First Angel angels... know when someone else is an angel, but they can't tell type.
-Flaws: They don't know everything, but they've been around so long that sometimes think they do so they tend to be arrogant and unapproachable by those they consider 'lesser'. There's an unmistakable round gold glow over their heads. When it's sunny out it's hard to see, but in the dark or cloudy day, it is especially apparent. This is undoubtedly where halos came from. They are often weary from years of living. Not guardian angels (Brando is the last exception on this), angels of death, or angels of vengeance, as those types never last that long.
- See also: First Angels
[edit] Archangels
Hunters. Archangels exist to destroy demons: that is their one purpose. At age 13, they tend to be taller and more muscular than their peers, and by twenty they are incredibly strong and a formidable opponent to whoever they might be hunting. They are the strongest type of angel. They are made for battle. They travel often, always looking for their next kill.
Archangels heal faster than most angels, and while they don't recognize a demon immediately as a demon... they are more likely to get a strange feeling, that something's off from demons who will initially seem human. Generally, they look for suspicious activity, catch a demon in the act, and once they've locked onto their 'scent' they begin the hunt for that specific demon.
Oftentimes, archangels are utilized in the grander scheme of wars.
-Flaws: Archangels don't make relationships easily, because they tend to be so obsessed with the hunt. They grow restless if they're stuck somewhere doing nothing, and often have difficulty staying in one city for long, unless the area is heavily populated by demons. Occasionally, they can be oblivious to non-demon related issues.
[edit] Guardian Angels
They are assigned to protect one being, for reasons beyond their knowledge or control. Often, they wander listlessly through life, until they run across them and they know the moment that they look into their ward's eyes for the first time that this is who they are meant to protect (not always human).
The angel remains with the being until the being dies or the angel dies protecting them. Most angels fall or die shortly after they lose their first ward. The connection is so strong it's like they die themselves, and often will go into a personal hell of sorts at their failure. Others manage to eventually continue on to find another ward to protect.
Two is the usual number for angels who go above and beyond. Five is the current record (held by our very own Brando, RIP).
-Flaws: Whether they want to or not, they become deeply connected to who or what they are trying to protect, and they really have no control over who their ward is. Sometimes they don't fit up well, personality wise. Also, it's painful to try to separate from them. They often sacrifice themselves for the sake of who they're guarding and are more concerned with protecting their ward, than anything else so they can be hard to utilize in war situations.
[edit] Angel of Death
These angels help people's spirits pass as comfortably as possible. They comfort them, stay with them, and lead them in the correct direction. Often they take the pain from the one who is dying on themselves, so the dead spirit can focus on moving on. An angel of death will see someone's death before it happens. When they look the person in the eyes, usually up to a week beforehand, they see this death in great detail, but for the most part are helpless to do anything against it. At this point, they can only be seen by the one who's dying and other angels, demons, and people connected with the supernatural.
There are two types of Angels of Death: the one for unnatural deaths (murders and suicides) and the one for natural deaths (disease, old age, etc). Usually, only two exist in a city, one of each type.
In rare moments, in deaths that involve a demon doing the killing, a death that an angel sees can be changed or averted, but something (usually the demon) must die in the place to keep the correct balance.
-Flaws: It tends to be very emotionally draining. The drain makes many angels go crazy, gain addictions, get depressed, or choose to fall, but trying to deny, to leave after you've seen a death is impossible. The pain cripples an angel, until they have no choice but to return to the one who is fated to die.
[edit] Angel of Vengeance
Assigned to a certain group to hunt. The angel of vengeance is the youngest kind of angel. It's the only type that hasn't been around since the beginning.
The angel of vengeance type develops from an angel who is originally meant to be an archangel. However, thirteen years is a long time to live through, and some angels see or experience evil that make turn them against a different group, instead of the demons (child molesters, rapists, abusers, werewolves, vampires, etc. - it depends on what the angel has been through).
-Flaws: Bound to their group. They are not nearly as strong as archangels. They have had a painful past as humans and they often end up looking down on the entire species that they're set to hunt. These angels are most likely to murder an innocent and lose their wings because of it.
[edit] Angel of Knowledge
Record-keepers, tracking the course of both human and supernatural history. While they don't actually have precognition, some believe they do because they can generally figure out what's going to happen based on the patterns of history. Even before they change into angels, they're generally the kids that are wise beyond their years. Most of them are good with advice. There are record keepers for certain regions; one may only work with a certain large city, while another one may watch over a few small towns that are near each other. The previous record-keeper's books get handed down to the new record-keeper for that area when they die. They would also have access to each other's books.
-Flaws: Many of them become detached; they may realize something bad is going to happen, but they'll rarely step in and stop it. They can be a bit elitist, looking down on others - especially humans, but some even look down on other, more active angels.
[edit] Children's Angel
Similar to Guardian Angels, except instead of one specific person to watch, they watch over all children. They're only seen by children and angels/people connected to the supernatural for the most part. Some Children's Angels have learned how to turn this off and on, and can be seen by more people. They're usually thought of by adults (including children they protected once they've grown up) as imaginary friends.
-Flaws: Most of them have a childish mindset, due to spending so much time around kids. They get attached quickly and easily - not just to children (and almost all children), but to other angels, humans touched by the supernatural, and, on occasion, human adults.
[edit] Angels of Healing
Healers, obviously. They can sense pain and sickness in people around them, and when they touch a person's bare skin, they can heal them of... pretty much anything that's wrong with them. Younger angels can't control this - they touch someone, and the healing just sort of happens automatically. As they get older, they develop the ability to control it, to not heal someone if they choose, or consciously direct the healing.
Healing people drains them, and whatever injury or sickness they're healing a person of gets transferred to them - less so for a more experience angel, but even then, it can't be avoided entirely. They are one of the least common types of angels.
-Flaws: They have a natural aversion to violence, and because they can sense pain and sickness, will often heal people regardless of whose side they're on, because it hurts to feel people around them in pain. They're often smaller and weaker than most angels, constantly sickly because of the effort of healing. They tend to age faster than other angels, due to the stress healing puts on their bodies.
Big, huge thank to enterincolor for her help coming up with some of the angels!
