Ephesus

Bright Lilim of Destiny

By Manny Nepumecino

Corporeal Forces: 3		Strength: 6		Agility: 6
Ethereal Forces: 3		Intelligence: 8		Precision: 4
Celestial Forces: 3		Will: 5		Perception: 7
Word-Forces: N/A

Skills: Fighting (Jujitsu)/3, Small Weapon (Pistol)/2, Knowledge (American History/3, Egyptian History/1), Languages (English/4), Move Silently/2, Detect Lies/2, Tactics/3

Songs: Tongues (Celestial/2)

Attunements: Bright Lilim of Knowledge*, Bright Lilim of Destiny

Extra Rites: None

Vessels: Human female/2 (Middle-aged Caucasian woman)

Roles: "Sylvia Lane" (History professor)/2, Status 3

Dissonance: 0

Discord: None

Artifacts: None


* Bright Lilim of Knowledge: Ephesus can receives a bonus equal to her Ethereal Forces when using her resonance to determine what knowledge or information a person Needs.

At one point, it seemed as though there would be no end to the pain; no end at all. Through eyes dimmed with tears, he glared ­- or tried to glare -­ at the tall, well-dressed woman smoking quietly in the poorly lit room. He was conscious of the cold metal collar around his neck, aware that it must be the artifact keeping him bound to the chair beneath him. The smell of his own blood was thick in the air; he almost gagged when he thought he smelled something else -­ this wasn t part of the plan, not part of the plan at all.

The woman smiled at him. "Too bad you weren't born a Calabite, Merchiel, or you'd have that collar off in no time. In the meantime, why don't we have a chat before the Malakim arrive...for old times' sake. It s been ages." She blew a smoke ring in his direction. Merchiel blanched. "Ephesus?" he choked. "That's right, Merchiel. And it s time to settle old scores." Her eyes gleamed wickedly as she reached for the knife on the table.

Ephesus began life as a Lilim of Secrets ­- bound to Gebbeleth at her creation and given only the briefest of introductions before she was shamed, hurt and broken at the hands of Merchiel, a Habbalite who would be her teacher and master for the next century. She worked hard to please Merchiel and Gebbeleth, and after years of back-breaking toil, she found herself on Earth, in a vessel, with none but the most fragile of Geases to keep her bound to Hell. She did the only thing she could think of doing, once she'd slipped past Merchiel's watchful eye -­ run to the nearest angelic Tether and request asylum. She felt the light of Heaven burning her as she stepped into the Tether's grounds, but the fear of being caught and the terror at returning to Hell as Merchiel's plaything kept her from turning back. To her surprise, the Archangel Raphael herself was at the Tether when she came calling ­- prompted, she later learned, by the mysterious Yves, Archangel of Destiny. Raphael listened to her request with deep compassion, but in the end flatly refused Ephesus. There were too many unknown variables ­- Heaven had never redeemed a Lilim, she was still Geased to Gebbeleth, and clearly Ephesus was not seeking Heaven for selfless reasons. The Daughter was not turned away, however...two Cherubim and a Malakite were assigned to protect her while she learned to become selfless.

A decade later, Ephesus became the first Lilim to be redeemed by an Archangel. As the first Bright Lilim, she set the standard against which all other Brights would be measured. While her Discord weighed heavily on her soul, she served the Archangel of Knowledge with all her strength...fearing only that her former Superior would one day call in the Geases she still owed him. Fortunately for her, the Prince of Secrets seemed uninterested in invoking her Geases, and left her alone. Merchiel, on the other hand, was said to be searching high and low for the Tempter who had betrayed him. Ephesus stayed in Heaven, educating fresh relievers about life in Hell and providing valuable insights into the mind of a Lilim for Heaven's warriors. The death of Raphael was a wake-up call for Ephesus. There was a War being fought and while she was finally on the right side, she was not on its front lines. Quietly, she spoke to some Malakim of the Sword, who agreed to train her in the martial arts. She spent the next few years learning how to fight and adjusting to life under her new Superior, Yves. She still mourned Raphael, however, and swore revenge on Lucifer and his minions for her Archangel's death. Ephesus currently spends much of her time on Earth, slaying demonkind wherever she finds it. She has a Role as a slightly batty history professor-cum-archeologist, which allows her some eccentricities and gives her enough leeway to hunt demons and to guide mortals to their destinies.

While she serves a traditionally non-warrior Archangel, she has earned the respect of a great many Servitors of War and the Sword. Yves, for his part, understands her Need to kill demons, and even instructs his Malakim to work closely with her. After all, she knows the enemy better than they do. Recently, in what she considers a prime example of divine intervention, Ephesus's most heartfelt prayers were answered. The first Bright felt her Geases to Gebbeleth vanish... and rejoiced, weeping, as she understood what it meant to be truly Free.

(Ephesus is identified in the IPG as the first Lilim to be redeemed. Her attunement from Knowledge is conjectural and is calculated at 5 CP for point-balancing purposes. If the GM allows the Knowledge attunement, Ephesus can be considered a balanced starting character.)

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