Created by: "Leath Sheales (Leathal Weapon)" <938269@wrpc.riv.csu.edu.au>
The Elohite Charon has been around for a very long time. Not as long
as Yves or Michael, but certainly not long after. No one (except God) quite
remembers when he appeared, but he has been in the background for as long
as they can remember. He was not the original Archangel of Death, but came
into being when Azrael, the original Archangel of Death, underwent an unknown
change and disappeared from Heavenly society. Soon after Charon was appointed
Archangel by God, Saminga appeared and clawed his way up to be Hell's Prince
of Death. No one is quite sure of the relationship shared between the two
but it is this uncertainty that makes Charon a power behind the scenes,
never quite popular with the others (especially Dominic).
Another source of distrust among the Archangels is their failure to comprehend
why Charon goes to such great lengths to ease the transition for souls
of humans when a large number of them are bound for Hell anyway. Charon
appreciates their confusion but says nothing to them on the matter.
When encountered, Charon's favourite forms are that of a kindly old man
with white hair and an open face, or as a black-robed 9 foot tall skeleton
with a large incredibly sharp scythe.
It is Dissonant for any of Charon's followers to work to prevent or to hasten any human's death by natural means. Natural means include old age and disease as well as others. This does not apply to preventing unnatural causes such as violence, murder, or Celestial interference. Note that accidental death due to car accidents, poisoning etc. unless purposely created, may or may not be natural (GMs decision). It becomes the Angel's discretion whether or not to help, but sometimes a person is Destined/Fated to end this way and if prevented by one of Charon's followers they will have to answer to him. Most of his followers take what appears to outsiders to be a callous view in these terms, as they are not willing to cross their master. Note that switching off a life support machine or similar is not considered to generate Dissonance or Charon's disapproval if requested by the patient (Charon views such devices as instruments of Vapula anyway).
These followers of Charon may look into a human's soul and see how far progressed they have progressed along their Destiny or Fate. They will not learn what exactly these are, but will know if the person has been following a path and for how long. This also allows them to see if any celestial interference has occurred up to this point in their lives, but will not reveal the source.
These guardians may attune themselves to a terminally ill patient. They will know exactly how long this person will naturally survive and may comfort them to the end. The Cherub may do this to as many patients as they desire (up to their Forces), but the first attunement does not count towards their limit (it is 'free'). They do not gain Dissonance for these people dying naturally, in fact, they gain a point of Essence when the person dies if they have provided comfort in their last days (GMs discretion).
The Ofanim of Charon may sense the imminent unnatural death of a human. This human will die within minutes if the Angel does not intervene. They will also see the best way to get to the person before they die. They will know nothing about how the person is about to die, it may be as simple as a car accident, or a horde of Demons may be about to kill the human. The Angel is not obliged to act on their knowledge, but if they ignore the call too often, they will be required to explain why to Charon.
By talking to a dying person at length, these servants may assess any sins the person thinks they have and allow them to repent before death in order to gain a better chance at ascending into Heaven. They can not force a subject to repent, it must be of their own free will, but the Elohim will know if the subject is lying about repenting. The subject must be made to fully understand the pain and suffering they caused by their sins and be sorry for them in order to repent. If the subject repents before death, the Angel gains 1 Essence per sin repented. This gift can not be accomplished with simple die rolls, and must be roleplayed with the GM.
These warriors of Charon will not suffer an undead to 'live'. They may automatically sense the exact direction and general distance to any undead within 500 yards, and use this ability to track them. Obviously, very few agents of Saminga can operate successfully with Charon's Malakim in town.
These bodiless Angels may possess a dying person or persons. While doing this, they do not 'push out' the owner's mind, rather they share it. They are able to block the pain and misery the person feels as long as they share their body. In this manner, they are able to grant the person one last 'go' at life. They cannot extend the person's life by any means through this ability. They will sense when the subject's last hours arrive, and generally go 'all out' to ensure the subject has a good time. They do not gain Dissonance for these vessels deteriorating naturally or through enjoying themselves when they leave just prior to death.
These caring Angels are able to manifest their Celestial form in front
of a dying person at no cost and with no disturbance to the Symphony. The
dying human will automatically be able to see and hear the Angel, and may
interact with it. The Mercurain is under no obligation to reassure the
person, some even terrorise the 'unworthy'. The Angel must be alone with
the dying person to use this ability, but they are able to maintain it
if others enter the room afterwards, they are simply invisible to all others.
Note that servants of Charon from different Choirs generally work very
well as teams. For example, a Cherub may attune itself to a patient to
provide comfort while an Elohim allows that person to repent. Finally,
just before death a Mercurian may manifest to reassure the human that everything
will be alright.
The servant of Charon may spend 1 Essence and make a Will roll for a dying human to render them immune to any further Celestial interference (Angelic or Demonic) before their death (short of Archangel/ Demon Prince intervention). Any power or simple attempt by a Celestial to interact with the human will automatically fail unless they succeed in a Will roll with the Angel's Forces as a negative modifier. This power has thwarted many a last minute Demonic (or Angelic) plan. The followers of Charon are immune to this power. The human is free to die as the Symphony has dictated.
The servant may look into the soul of a human and determine if they have been previously reincarnated. If so, they may gain brief glimpses of these lives, which may help them to interact with the person in this life (use the Angel's Perception as a positive modifier).
These titles awarded by Charon refer to the progress of his Angels along the Path of the Dead, that tunnel with the light at the end that humans must follow upon their deaths to reach Heaven.
These Angels may see the souls of living things as clearly as they see the corporeal bodies. The colours, shades and patterns tell the Angel much about the person's health, current emotional state, and the amount of Divine or Infernal influence that has personally touched that person's life. How the Angel interprets this information is entirely up to them.
If in the presence of someone who has just died, the Wanderer may guide their soul along the Path, leading them more easily to Heaven. The journey takes 1D minutes, during which time the Angel's corporeal vessel sits motionless beside the deceased. By successfully guiding the soul, the Angel gains 1 Essence.
These Angels may return lost souls (ghosts) to the Path. By making a Will roll the Angel may create a golden sphere around themself with a radius equal to their Forces multiplied by the Check Digit in yards. This sphere is invisible to all except lost souls, followers of Charon and the undead. Lost souls automatically find the Path through the Angel and ascend to Heaven. Any undead caught within the sphere must succeed in a Will roll with the Check Digit of the Angel's roll a negative modifier or instantly crumble to dust (be destroyed). The sphere lasts for the Angel's Forces in minutes. This gift makes Charon's Guides very effective 'Ghostbusters'.
Charon does not have great relations with most of the other major Archangels.
He doesn't really care about them, and they ignore him. He gets on well
with Yves, who understands that all human's Destinies or Fates must end
with death, and enjoys the company of Blandine, for what is death but a
never ending dream? He is openly hostile to Dominic, who still suspects
him of some treachery. Although not hostile with Laurence or Michael, he
is annoyed with them because they and their followers send so many souls
to Heaven for him to care for. This is summarised below.
Allied: Yves.
Associated: Blandine.
Hostile: Dominic.
Annoyed: Laurence, Michael.
Neutral: All others.
Charon realises that he has fewer followers today and wishes to help them, but with the constant influx of souls he is very busy.
+1 : In a funeral home.
+2 : In a morgue.
+3 : In the presence of a recently departed (death bed).
+4 : Putting flowers on at least 100 graves.
+5 : Donating a headstone, grave, or coffin to a family who could not afford it and requires one.
+6 : Having recently (24 hours) helped a soul along the Path.
Note that Charon is just as likely to pull his servant's soul along the
Path at breakneck speeds to meet with him as he is to corporeally manifest
near them. They will feel intense acceleration and appear in his domain.
Their vessel will remain in a trance until they follow the Path back down
to it.
This apparently infinite cemetery always has beautiful weather, well
tended grass, gentle hills and headstones as far as the eye can see.
Every person who has ever died has a headstone here. On each one is listed
in engraved script their true name, date of death, and a brief cause of
death. They also have the destination of the soul (Heaven, Hell or Reincarnated)
and some poetry filled with joy or despair (depending on where they are).
No one has an unmarked grave here, and every soul that has died is remembered.
An Angel may try to locate specific headstones in order to gain an insight
into that person and their current location. However, much like Yves' Library,
the headstones are not arranged in any distinct pattern. It may take some
time to find the desired headstone (see Yves' description for an idea).
Alternatively, a favoured servant may ask Charon to guide, as he knows
the name of everyone who died, but remember he is very busy.
Every servant of Charon has a tomb in the 'centre' of the Cemetery overlooking
the grounds. Their Hearts are stored in their own personal tomb, but they
may ask Charon's permission to move it to be with friends.
The Question: "I like the description of Charon very
much. Only I don't see much purpose to his being the second Angel of Death
and the vanishment of Azrael. If it were up to me, I'd let him be the first
and only, named "Azrael," and only slightly younger than Yves
and Eli."
The Response: "Thanks. The reason I had him as the second
Angel of Death (AoD) is because of the background as it appeared in my
mind. This is the reasoning (feel free to change it if you don't like it).
IMO, back when it all began, Azrael was THE AoD. He represented all death
to all living things (including some Angels). But when the war came and
Lucifer rebelled, Azrael realised that the time for death being pure was
over. Now that places for both good and evil existed, Azrael knew that
there would be 'good' deaths, such as natural causes and old age, and there
would be 'evil' deaths, such as assassination and murder.
Therefore, in an agreement between himself and God (known only to those
two, and maybe Yves), he had his Celestial Forces divided into smaller
beings. The good side became Charon, and was appointed the new Archangel
of Death by God. The bad side fled to Hell, where it quickly ascended the
infernal ladder to be Saminga, Demon Prince of Death. This is why Saminga
doesn't want Lucifer's job, he was created for death and that's all he
wants. Likewise, Charon doesn't want any more power in Heaven beyond that
necessary to run his affairs, although arguably his Word makes him one
of the most important Angels in the grand scheme.
Now none of the others know this, and all would be worried if they realised
the grand plan God allowed in the purposeful corruption of part of one
of his more powerful Archangels, and Hell would be taken aback if they
knew their demon Prince of Death was designed by God specifically for that
role.
Anyway, that's a (reasonably) brief reason why I made Charon the second
AoD. Any thoughts?"