Seraphim (Lore)

Introduction

Seraphim are beings of light who are the denizens of the Lucent. Dedicated to the ideals of order, they are the opposite of Demons, and have fought against them since the dawn of creation of the Uldyssian. Seraphim are birthed from the Arch, though only during moments of perfect harmony in the Lucent, through a process called the Lightsong. The amount of Seraphim the Lightsong can give birth to is finite—it is a case of them embodying a set amount of Illumin's power. If a Seraphim is killed, a replacement Seraphim will be created by the Arch, but such an Seraphim is still a different individual from the one they are replacing. The replacement Seraphim is not born instantaneously.

Seraphim possess great strength far above that of a human, but some Seraphim are stronger than others depending on their significance, their rank in the chain of command, or simply their nature as an Seraphim. When wounded, a substance akin to 'liquid light' spills from a Seraphim's wound. Seraphim do not require sleep or food, and instead draw their lifeforce from the Arch. If this connection is severed or corrupted, Seraphim can be incapacitated and rendered unconscious. Seraphim possess a sense of smell, and their eyesight is superior to humans in most regards. As with Demons, angels carry essence within themselves. The essence of a Seraphim is called Grace.

Governance

Governance: Council.

Head: Luminous Council.

Capital: None.

Population: It is unclear how many Seraphim there are in the Lucent.

Realm: The Lucent is the birthplace of the Seraphim. It is an ageless, ethereal, holy realm of Illumin, intended to be the home-realm of both himself and his Seraphim. It serves as a dwelling place and a base of operations for all Seraphim.

Details

Languages: Seraphim speak the Lucian language. They are omnilingual and can speak every language spoken by other races. Even recently made up languages can be understood by Seraphim since they can understand the meaning and intent behind the word.

Religion: None.

Biology

Physiology: Seraphim stand taller than the average man. Their hair can range in shades even though they tend to have lighter colors between white and light brown. Seraphim have blue and gold eyes of many shades from light to dark. Other than that, Seraphim have large white feathered wings which they can materialize that span equal to their height. Most Seraphim have two wings, but more powerful ones can have even four or six wings.

Physique: Seraphim are in general 2 meters tall. It is unclear how much they would weigh in average.

Lifespan: Seraphim are immortal beings, unless they meet their demise in battle.

Psychology: Seraphim are inherently good. They're all lawful good. They can not help it and will always act in a fashion according to this alignment. It is rare, but there are Seraphim out there who are not good. However, when a Seraphim loses their touch with good, they also lose some of their abilities. They become an outcast and pariah and can never return to the Lucent again.

Lore

Culture: In the eyes of some, Seraphim are, in their own way, no better than Demons. While Seraphim naturally gravitate towards unification, their rigid ideals do not allow them to adapt to changing circumstances easily. The existence of humanity is one such example, and Seraphim have displayed different reactions to their existence, even going so far as to advocate their eradication while others have even turned on their own brethren on humanity's behalf.

Unlike Demons, who war among themselves, Seraphim seek to exist in harmony among their own kind. In battle, Seraphim adhere to strict militaristic principles, and believe that only strict discipline can properly restore order to the realms. Seraphim, and their ideals, can basically be thought of as 'good,' though angels can still take these concepts too far, as demonstrated in the first war about Earthland, and in its aftermath where, with the conflict having reached stalemate, such dedication to order led to stagnation in Lucent.

Seraphim act according to the Luminous Council. They consider themselves family to one another, referring to each other as brothers and sisters. The Seraphim also refer to Illumin as their father. Even though Illumin is their 'father', most Seraphim have never actually seen Illumin or his true face.

History: It is not sure when the Lucent came into existence, but it predates the creation of Earthland. Illumin is the most powerful being that came into existence in this realm and managed to create new beings, the Seraphim, in there that would heed to his commands. Illumin disappeared, but the Seraphim managed to govern themselves in the form of the Luminous Council.

For eons, Seraphim and Demons waged the Eternal Conflict, as both sides fought for control of the Uldyssian, a powerful artifact that could create worlds and serve as a key to enter other realms easily. However, the archangel Emperael, who grew tired of this war, led a group of like-minded Seraphim and Demons with Lailana, a Demon Lord and daughter of an Elder Demon, to steal the Uldyssian and hide it on another realm to co-exist peacefully and escape from the conflict. In the Uldyssian's absence, the Eternal Conflict ground to a halt, as both sides were left without a goal.

Eventually the Lucent and the Abyss would come to take notice upon Earthland, the world Emperael and Lailana disappeared to with the Uldyssian. The world was populated by many races. Both sides dispatched their armies to cleanse the world to find the Uldyssian, resulting in a three way battle between the Lucent, the Abyss, and Earthland. Many casualties were suffered on all sides. Neither side did expect some of the Earthland races to be so powerful and realized that they had to forge alliances quickly in order to progress their search.

Some races agreed with the proposals offered to them from either faction and quickly sided themselves. One of the most largest races in numbers, Man, was not included for they were considered weak, fragile, stupid, sly, and cowardly compared to many other races on Earthland. It would take too much time to properly train them in order to utilize them in the war. Time neither sides were willing to invest. On the other hand, it would be a catastrophic for both sides if the other side did intend to do it in secret. To ensure that this did not happen, both Seraphim and Demon had a few of their own infiltrate Man to keep an eye on them and see if they were secretly being trained by the other side.

It should be noted that only a few races sided with the Seraphim or the Demons, and even it was often only a small part of the race that helped them out. Quickly, the other races began to see what it would mean to side with either the Seraphim or Demons. None of these races survived to live the tale and became completely extinct during the war. There was only one final option left, Mankind. Their numbers were great and if properly utilized even a fraction of them could turn the tides of war in the favor of the Seraphim or Demons.

Thus the Demons were quick taught some of the humans the Dark Arts and forbidden knowledge. Eagerly they accepted what the Demons had to offer because they were tired of being helpless. Their display of power resulted into other humans being interested as well. Since it became clear to the Seraphim that the Uldyssian was no longer on Earthland, they no longer cared about remaining there nor about continuing the battle against the Demons on Earthland.

But, there were a few Seraphim with a different opinion. Nathael began to fell compassion for Man. Indeed, they could be sly and cowardly. But, they were also capable of love, kindness and sacrifice. This swayed Nathael to stay behind along with a few others and to return to the Lucent as last. In the little amount of time they had left before everyone had to be back in the Lucent, Nathael and the others taught some of Man the virtues of Illumin. To their surprise they listened carefully and asked many questions. As Nathael's time neared to return he felt even more hesitant for everything that had taught Man on the western coast of the continent would all be lost if they all perished.

Man seemed not be capable of using magic. Nathael made a bold decision and bestowed his Grace into a few human to grant them extraordinary abilities and protect Mankind in this ongoing war. Nathael kept on pouring more and more till he could no more. He understood that with his last brethren gone, he had no way of entering the Lucent anymore and that he would perish on Earthland. Nathael disappeared and went somewhere quiet to pass away in silence while staring at the sea and the lands of Earthland. There he closed his eyes and slowly lost control of his senses. The last thing he saw was a large silhouette standing over him. After that, Nathael surprisingly woke up and had regained enough Grace to return to the Lucent.

Millennia passed and the Seraphim never revealed themselves anymore on Earthland. They're existence is only mentioned in the teachings of the Illuminian Church. This makes their existence somewhat of a myth to many on Earthland.