Seraphim, The Most Holy

        The Seraphim are the holiest of the Choirs, and the most removed from humanity. Their Resonance is for truth, both in the relative and absolute sense. Perceptive Seraphim can tell when someone is lying, and what the truth of the matter is. It is dissonant for a Seraph to lie.

        Seraphim in celestial form appear as winged serpents with six eyes. Their mortal forms tend to be tall and thin, well tended and neat. Seraphim have an affinity for stringed instruments, from harps to violins.

        Seraphim who Fall become Balseraphs.

 Cherubim, The Guardians

        The Cherubim are the guardian angels. Stout and dedicated, their duty is to protect those things that are deemed important by Heaven. Their Resonance is for attunement. They can link themselves to a person or thing they touch, and from then on sense the general location and state of being of the attuned. It is dissonant for a Cherub to do or allow harm to come to their attuned. It is also dissonant for a Cherub to betray himself, his ideals, or others.

        Cherubim in celestial form appear as enormous winged animals - apes, bears, lions, etc. - surrounded by golden halos of light. Their mortal forms tend to be stocky, powerful and rugged. Cherubim have an affinity for horns - both brass and the occasional saxaphone.

        Cherubim who fall become Djinn.

 Ofanim, The Wheels

        The Ofanim are motion. Never still, never resting, they are continually in motion. This motive force applies both in form, thought and attitude. The Ofanim are manic, mercurial and never, ever still. Their Resonance is for motion. They can sense the quickest route to any destination, move like greased quicksilver and when in their celetial forms they are able to move at incredible speeds. It is dissonant for the Ofanim to be motionless. To choose to remain motionless when the option exists for them to move is dissonant. They are terrified by imprisionment, physical or otherwise.

        Ofanim appear as great wheels of holy fire, blazing across the sky. Their mortal shells reflect their need to never be still. Often wide eyed, manic looking, they strike most people as mad, or driven. Their musical affinity tends towards the percussive - this can be anything from a snare drum and cymbals to heavy beat Techno played at three times normal speed.

        Ofanim who fall become Calabim.

 Elohim, The Powers

        The Elohim are the balancing point in the angelic host. They are always calm and self-posessed, observant of the people around them. Their Resonance is for emotion -- by looking at a person they can get a glimpse into the person's psyche. They can perceive the emotions of the moment, and more perceptive Elohim can infer motivations and potential reactions to actions by the observed. The Elohim must remain objective -- they can see emotion, but should not allow their point of view to be swayed by it. It is dissonant for the Elohim to become partisian for any reason. Elohim can feel emotion, but must be careful not to allow it to affect their judgement.

        Elohim in celestial form appear as sexless humanoids. Thin necks support hairless heads with large perceptive eyes. Their vessels tend to fill the gamut of body and clothing types -- after all, no shape is superior to another in all ways. Their musical attunement tends towards chimes, bells and xylophones.

        Elohim who fall become Habbalah.

Malakim, The Virtues

        The Malakim are heaven's avenging angels. Born during the chaos and strife of the Revolution, when Lucifer rose up against heaven, the Malakim as a choir are the primary demon hunters and warriors of the Host. They can and do have other tasks, and are not the only angels that fight demons, but by and large, Malakim are the angels best known for dealing out destruction and misery on the deserving. Their Resonance is for honor - they can tell at a glance how honorable or how selfish a person is. But their deep understanding of honor and dishonor fills them with a desire to have honor in themselves. All Malakim have at least four sworn oaths, and most have more. Two oaths are constants. The first is that, if it is the Malakite's choice, he will not suffer an evil to live. The second oath is one to never surrender in a fight or retreat from the forces of Hell. It is dissonant for Malakim to violate any of their oaths.

        Because of their fervor in fighting the forces of Hell, Malakim tend to suffer corporeal death fairly often. Unlike other angels, the Malakim do not suffer from Trauma, and can return to the fray with terrifying rapidity, particularly if they have an extra Vessel. Their celestial appearance is that of shadowy humans, bound with gleaming silver chains that represent their oaths. The black feathered wings of the Malakim gleam purple in light. Their vessels tend to vary. They generally choose forms that work for the job they are doing. However, the Malakim do like to wear leather and animal skins -- preferrably of something they themselves have hunted. The musical affinity of the Malakim is for the instruments of war, and the clashing of weapons.

        Malakim do not Fall as they're usually killed by their fellow Malakim before they get close. Thus, they have no demonic equivalent.

Kyriotates, The Dominations

        The Kyriotates are the most alien choir of angels. Formless and everchanging, they almost never posses physical forms of their own. Rather, they borrow the flesh of others, both human and animal. The Resonance of the Kyriotates is for multiplicity. They can possess multiple vessels at once, but rarely stay with a single vessel for more than a few days. While someone is posessed by a Kyriotate, they are unaware of what is happening with their body -- the soul of the vessel is instead sent to the Marches (the realm of dreams), and will return with no memory of what happened once the Kyriotate leaves the host. It is dissonant for a Kyriotate to leave a host worse off than when the Kyriotate possessed it. Because of this, Kyriotates try to take good care of their hosts, improving their lives.

        Kyriotates in celestial form appear as a floating cloud of limbs, mouthes and eyes that constantly shift and change. Humans who witness a Kyriotate in celestial form are often stunned into a state of shock. As above, the corporeal vessel of a Kyriotate is potentially anyone and everyone. Kyriotates cannot remain on the Corporeal plane for long without a vessel.

        Fallen Kyriotates become Shedim.

Mercurians, The Friends of Man

        The Mercurians are the most human of the choirs. They are the ones most able to relate to humans, and to serve as diplomats. Their Resonance is for the patterns of politics and relationships. They are capable of looking over a room of people and quickly sorting out how all the different relationships between the people there work - who has control, who serves and so forth. When dealing with a specific person, a Mercurian can get an understanding of the relationships and responsibilites the person has and the importance of them in that person's life. In general, Mercurians are very sympathetic to humanity. In fact, it is dissonant for a Mercurian to be violent towards a human. Violence is the antithesis of politics and diplomacy, so resorting to it in dealing with humans goes against the very nature of the Mercurians. However, it is not dissonant for Mercurians to be violent towards demons or other non-human beings, and some take great relish in hurting their demonic counterparts.

        The celestial form of the Mercurians is closest to the traditional 'angel' image in modern thought. They appear as winged humans, almost always smiling and with a compassionate gleam in their eyes. Their vessels tend to be attractive, and they take great care in their appearance. Generally, a Mercurian dresses well, and if they can't be the best dressed, they'll certainly have the most style. The musical bent of the Mercurians is for the instrument of humanity - singing, clapping or stomping the feet.

        Mercurians who fall become Impudites.