Satan's Gambit (The Barrier War Book 3) (89 page)

It is worth
noting that the dominance inherent in
shaishisii
has application in
interactions between mortals and immortals as well. Mortals are not immune to
the control exerted by the will of an immortal in their presence, though no
suggestion has ever been made that a mortal might somehow engage in true
shaishisii
and potentially overpower an immortal. Lacking an immortal
āyus
of
their own, mortals (and their souls that reside in Heaven and Hell) are largely
at the whim of any immortal powerful enough to desire compel their obedience.

III
.
 
Heaven

As has been
noted previously, the angelic social hierarchy is primarily based on the
strength of the individual’s
āyus
, with the more powerful angels
ascending to higher Choirs than their weaker brethren. Many angels who attain
enough power will choose not to ascend and prefer instead to remain in their
current Choir for a time. Should the power disparity continue to grow, however,
the angel will generally opt to ascend eventually.

There are seven
Choirs of angels, each sharing several traits, skills, or other characteristics
that tend to distinguish its members from other Choirs. The three lowest Choirs
(Erelim, Parasim, and Sarim) rarely contain angels who have sufficient
āyus
to have Awakened to an individual identity and named themselves. They are also
the most populous of Choirs – the higher an angel ascends in Heaven, the fewer
peers he has among his new Choir. Lower Choirs genese regularly (at least
during wartime when numbers must be replenished), which helps account for the
relative scarcity of individuality among their ranks.

Seraph/Seraphim
– Seraphim are the elite Choir of angels and
hold the highest positions of power and authority in Heaven. They are tasked
with the oversight of the immortal plane as well as the safety of its
inhabitants, angelic and blessed dead alike. Seraphim were most often in direct
contact with God during the early days of existence when the deity was
regularly amongst them, and most were given specific tasks and duties to
perform by God Himself. Without exception, Seraphim appear as six-winged
humanoids and are considered the most beautiful of all angels, even by the
superior standards of the immortals. Beyond that shared trait, there is little
if any consistency in their choice of garb, coloration, armament, or
temperament.

Dominions
– Second in strength only to the Seraphim, Dominions
occupy most of the command positions in the Heavenly Hosts not filled by their
higher brethren. There is little consistency in their garb and armament, as any
angel to have achieved this Choir has long since thrown off the vestiges of
conformity that so mark the lower ranks. The only exception is the preference
for and near universality of an extra pair of wings – only a handful of
Dominions since the beginning of time have foregone the four-wing appearance of
their brethren.

Powers
– Powers are usually tasked with mid-level command
positions in the Heavenly Hosts, and they are typically responsible for keeping
the peace amongst the blessed dead. Even in Heaven, conflicts and difficulties
arise amidst recalcitrant mortals that have to be dealt with to ensure peace
and harmony in the immortal plane. Powers are notorious for their general lack
of humor, which some scholars have blamed on having to deal so frequently with
eons of squabbles between the blessed dead. Angels of this Choir often prefer
to appear as a gaseous haze, like smoke given humanoid form. Their wings are
usually asolved, but many forego the use of wings, especially those who eschew
humanoid form altogether and instead resemble an amorphous cloud. Those who
prefer humanoid form (whether solid or gaseous) often arm themselves with
weapons and armor of all sorts (sometimes influenced by the combat styles of
the mortal souls they interact with), while those who remain insubstantial
usually just use weapons created from their own
āyus
during combat.

Cherub/Cherubim
– Angels who have not yet attained sufficient strength
to Awaken will generally do so once they ascend to the Choir of Cherubim. A
Cherub without a name is considered a rarity, almost as uncommon as a Parasim
or Sarim who
has
one. Cherubim are the first ranks of the elite warriors
of Heaven, and as such they garb themselves in armor made from true metal at
the Anvil of Heaven. This offers them a tremendous protective advantage in
combat against lesser immortals and is virtually a requirement to survive a
battle against a stronger one. Metallic weapons offer similar advantages when
on the offensive. Most Cherubim choose to craft their own weapons and armor by
hand, under the guidance of the Dominion blacksmith Dem and his assistants. The
most popular style of armor among Cherubim consists of form-fitting platemail
with minimal protection at the joints to prevent restricting their motions.
Cherubim are rarely found without a bow, but there is little consistency in
their choice of close-quarters weaponry.

Erelim
– Erelim (and some Parasim) are typically the aerial
warriors of Heaven and as such are almost never to be found without their wings
asolved. Some have even expressed a preference for flight over any land-based
movement and will only set foot on the ground of Heaven when absolutely
necessary. Erelim appear mostly as winged humans garbed in tightly fitted folds
of white cloth, occasionally with flowing, colored tabards that may be
discarded during combat. While close-quarters aerial combat is almost
inevitable in a war among immortals, Erelim are typically armed with bows and
take advantage of the freedom offered by the skies to attack from great
distances. When hand-to-hand combat is required, they resort to a variety of
swords, daggers, axes, and other bladed weapons that are easily wielded in flight.

Parasim
– Augmented by the ranks of the Sarim, Parasim make up
the bulk of the ground-based soldiers in battle. Beyond their general choice
for weaponry, there is physically little to distinguish Parasim from their
Erelim brethren. Like Erelim they are humanoid and rarely seen with their wings
dekinted, but Parasim often opt to appear with leathery armor and arm
themselves with long swords, spears, and other polearms they create from their
own
āyus
.

Sarim
– Weakest of the angelic Choirs, Sarim are conversely
generally among the strongest healers. There are notable healers amidst the
higher Choirs, to be sure, but a Sarim of only middling strength will have
greater healing abilities than any higher angel who has not made such healing a
focus. Indeed, most of the best healers among higher Choirs were originally
Sarim who ascended. Their combat skills are rudimentary compared to their
higher brethren, and their primary role in battle (aside from healing) is akin
to what mortal commanders refer to as “cannon fodder”. Sarim typically appear
as slender humanoids, often almost elven in appearance, garbed in flowing white
robes and armed with close-range weapons they create from their own
āyus
.
The presence or absence of wings seems to be mostly an afterthought unless
specifically ordered one way or another by a ranking angel.

IV
.
 
Hell

There are many
different species of demons found in Hell, not all of which have been
catalogued in Heaven. Many simply don’t have a large enough population to have
been taken note of, others are recent creations resulting from shared
adaptations amidst a population of an existing species. Unlike angels, demons
do not rank themselves socially into formal hierarchies, but they rely wholly
on strength to enforce discipline (or at least obedience) among their ranks.
The cutthroat nature of demonic culture ensures a high attrition rate in nearly
every aspect of their society, which helps account for the relative scarcity of
demons who attain sufficient strength to Awaken. Lesser demons are forced to
genese replacements for those destroyed in squabbles between various factions,
and many who rise too quickly are seen as threats by their superiors and
subsequently eliminated.

There are few
variations in appearance between members of the same species beyond skin tone
and the occasional inclusion or absence of wings and other trivialities, and
few demons, except the most powerful, arm themselves with any sort of weapon or
armor, relying instead on hide, tooth, and claw in battle.

Demon Princes/Lords
– Demon princes were already the most
powerful demons in Pleroma at the moment of their awakening at the dawn of
existence. Their appearances vary greatly, from humanoid to monstrous, small to
gargantuan, but each is wholly devoted to his own survival and the attainment
of further power. Demon lords began their existence as lesser demons and
attained sufficient strength that they forced the demon princes to acknowledge
them as equals. Most demon lords retain some physical traits of their origins, but
more than one has cast aside all vestiges of its heritage as though loath to
accept such common beginnings.

Daemelans
– Though few in number, daemelans are among the most
powerful demons in Hell. An unknown flaw in their species has prevented all but
one from fully Awakening. (Bau was not only the sole daemelan to Awaken, he
simultaneously achieved the rank of Demon Lord, a rare accomplishment in
itself.) Daemelans stand between ten to twelve feet tall, with a four-armed
humanoid torso atop a scaled, equine-like body with cloven hooves. Unlike most
demons, daemelans arm themselves with massive weapons forged from steel, from
eight-foot hammers to swords with foot-wide blades. The few dozen daemelans
that survived the Great Schism serve exclusively as personal bodyguards to the
King of Demons, and their population has been kept under strict control to keep
them in line.

Balrogs
– Balrogs typically serve in positions of authority in
demonic forces and keep demons and damned souls alike in-line through brute
force. The horned demons are heavily muscled, nearly always winged, and arm
themselves with whips woven from leather cut from the flesh of the damned, or
else from another demon. (Some even cut the flesh from their own bodies.)

Drolkuls
– These four-armed demons serve as the lowest level of
authority in most demonic forces and are ubiquitous throughout the infernal
plane. They are capable of tunneling through solid rock at speeds the finest
dwarven miners can only dream of.

Childris
– Childris are among the most-feared of all demon
species due to their speed and ruthlessness in battle. They closely resemble
the Lokkan creature known as the praying mantis, though they are as tall as an
average human. Their thick, chitinous armor protects every inch of their
bodies, and they commonly carry short spears made from the same substance that
are thrown into battle before they close to attack with sword-like upper limbs.

Bloodhawks
– Bloodhawks are minor demons that form the bulk of
any aerial forces. They breed prodigiously and fly in vast swarms, overpowering
their foes through sheer numerical advantage. Their wings are featherless and
covered in the same leathery skin that coats their bodies. Bloodhawks are
approximately the size of a Lokkan deer, with short hind legs and long tails
used in combat and flight. Foreclaws are optional and may be created or removed
at need.

Gremlins
– As gnomes are the creative builders in the mortal
world, so are gremlins the engineers and mechanical minds of the demon realm, as
well as its janitors and jailers. They sometimes act as minor overseers for
bloodhawks, but more often they build structures at the behest of more powerful
demons, create and maintain mechanical constructs of war, and ensure the smooth
functions of all aspects of demonic society. Due to their relative
intelligence, they are more reliable than the bloodthirsty drolkuls for certain
responsibilities, though their comparative weakness makes them ill-suited for
commanding any but the weakest of demons in battle.

Hellhounds
– The hounds of Hell are among the least intelligent
of all demons and are little better than the true mortal canines they resemble.
Hellhounds run in packs led by an alpha demon, which is usually smarter and/or
more powerful than its subordinates, and hellhounds will only follow an alpha
raised from their own pack. Pack mates are virtually identical, but the
physical traits from one pack to another may vary greatly. The differences
between packs are significant enough that Heavenly scholars have speculated
they might qualify as distinct subspecies. Most hellhounds are the size of
Lokkan greyhounds or retrievers, but it is not unknown for one (particularly
the pack’s alpha) to grow as large as a pony.

Imps
– Imps are minor demons that act as the scavengers of Hell.
The small demons are virtually mindless and feed off the lingering bodies of
other demons and souls cast aside by more powerful creatures. They have
cat-like faces with crimson eyes and leathery skin, and bat-like wings extend
down from small, clawed hands. No known imp has ever reached the point of
individual awareness and personality to Awaken.

The Great Schism

I.
Dawn of the Immortals

II.
Pleroma

III.
War of the Immortals

IV.
The Sundering