Break Moe's Brain: Belial, Archangel of the Flame

By Manny Nepomuceno

**Flaming
Feather**

The world is energy, hot and quick.

Ancient and inscrutable, Belial stands as a monument to the faith of Heaven in its ultimate victory against Hell. In the days of the Fall, when the Lightbringer brought many of his fellow angels to temptation, Belial alone stood untested against the seduction of the Darkness and thus faced his former comrades and master. With the help of Uriel, Archangel of Purity, he defeated Gabriel and was raised to Archangel by a grateful Seraphim Council.

As Archangel of the Flame, Belial is charged with Gabriel's ancient duties of being God's messenger and his scourge -- although the task of prophecy, apparently, is not his to bear. As such, he and his face the Prince of Fire day after day, seeking to end the bitter conflict that lies at the heart of their rivalry. He has, admittedly, not given up on Gabriel's return to Heaven's graces, although his close friends Dominic and Laurence have repeatedly urged him to. In the meantime, the angels of the Flame struggle to keep the spark of divinity alive in mankind, and to keep mankind from burning in the pits of Hell. He understands the need to burn with devotion, but is himself essentially as passionless as any Elohite.

Belial has no preference as to his form on Earth, although he has been known, in times past, to favor the vessel of a reputable scientist who worked on the Manhattan Project. When he contacts his Servitors it is always without regard for their current project or assignment; he is always too caught up in the essentials of the moment to care. Still, he has been known to "lend a hand" when things get too rough for his Servitors...although what follows has often been described as being far, far worse than anything his angels could have done alone. Constant as a candle flame in a darkened room, the Archangel of the Flame strives daily to fill the roles Gabriel left behind, keeping his own devotion to this long-lost master a secret from himself and from those who follow his path. It remains to be seen whether this devotion is mere fuel for the pyre of his undoing.

Dissonance

The cruel must feel Belial's flame and be purified. Belial's angels cannot shirk from their duties as Heaven's scourges: the cruel must feel God's wrath within three days or the angel will gain dissonance. Punishing the cruel will remove the dissonance, but any dissonance beyond the first note must be removed another way.

Choir Attunements

Choir Attunements are essentially unchanged from their canonical attunements (see IN) except for the following attunement:

Malakim (partially restricted): In exchange for the oath "Suffer not a prophet to live", Malakim of the Flame can, on a succesful Perception roll, identify Prophets. They are adept at identifying those who exercise sexual cruelties, and consider it their responsibility to teach such perverts a lesson.

Angels of other Choirs taking this attunement will be able to spot the cruel, but will not be granted the ability to identify Prophets.

Servitor Attunements

Flamestrike: As per Gabriel's canonical Smite attunement (see IN).

Pyrokinesis: For a minimum of 1 Essence, an angel of the Flame can generate fire from nothingness. The amount of flame and its intensity will determine the amount of Essence that is required to facilitate the use of this attunement.

Distinctions

Vassal of the Flame: Fires within a fifty-foot radius of a Vassal of the Flame will not burn without his express permission.

Friend of Fire: A Friend of Fire can bend flame to his will, ordering it to do his bidding on a successful Will roll.

Master of the Torch: On a successful Will roll, A Master of the Torch can order a fire to restore what it has consumed within the last 24 hours.

Relations

Dovetailing cleanly with Belial's responsibilities are those of Dominic, Archangel of Judgment, one of Belial's strongest supporters since the days of the Fall. Alone of the Archangels in Heaven, Khalid has earned Belial's mistrust, mostly because the Archangel of Faith insists that the Prince of Fire was right in dictating the Koran to Mohammed.

Allied: Dominic, Laurence (Dominic is allied with Belial)
Associated: Eli, Janus (David, Eli, Laurence and Janus are associated with Belial)
Neutral: All else, except
Hostile: Khalid (Khalid is hostile to Belial)
Enemy: Gabriel (Gabriel considers Belial an enemy)

Rites



Expanded Rites



Chance of Invocation: 3

Invocation Modifiers

+1 A copy of the Torah or the Bible
+2 A large bonfire
+3 One hundred lit candles
+4 The blood of a betrayer
+5 A flamethrower
+6 A nuclear reactor

**Flaming
Feather**

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