Erelim: The Gardeners
By Michael Walton
Fleur barely held her tears in check as she surveyed the
ruins of the conservatory. Pieces of stems and leaves
mingled with broken glass from the windows and soil spilled
from overturned pots. She had spent twelve years making
this place of beauty, only to watch helplessly as a handful
of Calabim and warrior angels had wrecked it in under two
minutes.
It could have been worse, she said to herself, at least
the forces of Heaven won. Not for the first time, she
wondered if the Destiny of one man was really worth the
loss of this island of green in the heart of the city. She
sighed out a wordless prayer that Senator Reyes' protectors
would avoid collateral damage in the future. There was
nothing she could do for the dead plants, of course. Fleur
released her frustration as another sigh, then invoked her
Resonance to see what she could do for the survivors.
Oh, well, she thought, At least I know what I'll be
doing for the next twelve years.
The Erelim are charged with nurturing and healing. As
their secondary Choir name suggests, they are expert in
dealing with plants. Erelim mostly work behind the scenes
on the Corporeal plane; while other angels fight the war,
the Gardeners are busy tending the battlefield. While no
Gardeners have ever permanently left Novalis' service (no
other Word suits them as well, after all), the Archangel of
Flowers freely loans them to her less combative peers.
Children, Creation, Destiny, Dreams and Trade all have work
for these botanical angels from time to time. Even War has
employed Erelim on rare occasions; no one knows the value
of defensive landscaping better than Michael.
Resonance
Erelim Resonate with nurture. Their Resonance gives
them information about the condition of a living thing
within the angel's line of sight. Seeing through some kind
of technological device (i.e. a telescope or television)
doesn't count as line of sight for this purpose, but using
a Song of Sight does. Consult the chart below; each CD
includes the information gained from lesser results. This
heightened sense lasts for (Ethereal Forces) minutes. A
failed Resonance roll renders the Gardener's Resonance
inactive for a number of minutes equal to the CD.
Erelim Check Digit Results
- You know the subject's general state of physical health.
- You know one specific health problem that the subject
has (malnutrition, thirst, etc.). This tells you either
the most severe problem or the one that needs to be dealt
with first.
- As above, and you know the cause of the problem.
- You know the subject's general state of psychological
health.
- You are aware of the subject's most severe or most
urgent psychological problem (phobia, neurosis, normal
anxiety, etc.) and its cause.
- You know the subject's overall state of spiritual
health. This can tell you whether or not a Human is
suffering a crisis of faith, an angel is close to Falling
or a demon is ready to Redeem.
Dissonance
As agents of life, Erelim cannot cause death. They gain
a note of Dissonance for killing a Mortal or even for
dealing a mortal wound (this Dissonance goes away if the
angel can heal the victim before actual death occurs).
They can Vessel-kill demons (though most hate to do so),
but Soul-killing any being -- even the most irredeemable
demon -- causes them two notes of Dissonance. Erelim who
grow too fond of killing are in danger of becoming Decani.
An Erelite gains one note of Dissonance for each
instance of killing plants or animals. When killing
Humans, a Gardener gains a note of Dissonance for each
death. Setting off an explosive in the wrong place would
send one of these angels spinning into Hell.
Manner and Appearance
Erelim prefer Vessels with a wholesome, earthy
appearance. They echo the female principle of their
patroness and are almost always feminine. Their dress is
as casual as is appropriate (they often go nude when they
think they can get away with it) and they don't worry much
about style. Comfort and functionality are more important
to them. Most Erelim have a distinctive feature such as a
mole, buck teeth, prominent nose, etc. that would usually
be considered a flaw but which the angel somehow manages to
turn into a mark of unique beauty. Few would describe
these angels as sexy; they're perfectly happy to be cute.
Erelim and Mercurians have a mutual admiration society
that makes other angels long for insulin, but Gardeners are
uneasy around Cherubim and Malakim. Indeed, warrior angels
of any Choir make Erelim nervous. They tolerate fighters
who avoid deadly force, but killers disgust and frighten
them. This disdain for combat hardly indicates weakness,
however; Gardeners display persistence in the face of
adversity that draws admiration from the staunchest
warriors in Heaven. Cherubim, ironically enough, tend to
hold Erelim in high esteem.
The celestial forms of the Gardeners are treelike shapes
composed of white fire. They walk on flexible roots and
use their graceful branches as manipulative appendages.
The sound of wind moving through leaves or grass is music
to their ears.
Choir Attunement
Erelim of Flowers don't Disturb the Symphony when
playing any Song of Healing in the realm appropriate to the
Song played (i.e. playing Corporeal Healing on Earth).
This does mean that an Erelite in Hell or at an infernal
Tether can play the Celestial Song of Healing without
creating a Disturbance.
Discord: Green Thumb
This Discord can afflict any angel of Flowers or
Creation (not to mention certain Ethereals), but it is most
common among Erelim. The Discord causes plants in the
angel's immediate vicinity to grow with unusual speed. The
effective range of Green Thumb is (total Forces) feet
except where otherwise noted.
- Seeds will germinate or buds will bloom within an hour
of the angel's arrival.
- As above, but the effect occurs within minutes.
- Any plant the angel touches -- even a dead one --
immediately freshens up and starts to grow or bloom.
- As above, but it effects all plants within range.
- Mortals become mildly ill (-2 to the TN of all rolls) as
their intestinal flora multiply out of control. This
effect passes within a minute of the angel's departure.
- As above, but the effect also does damage (1 Body Hit
per minute). If a Mortal dies as a result of this damage,
the Erelite gains Dissonance as normal.
Back to the INC Mainpage.
Back to the Angels page.
Send mail to the Curator