Corporeal Forces: 6 Strength: 12 Agility: 12

Ethereal Forces: 5 Intelligence: 10 Precision: 10

Celestial Forces: 6 Will: 12 Perception: 12

Word Forces: 15

Vessel: very, very large male/4, Charisma +1

Skills: Detect Lies/2, Emote/3, Fighting/6, Knowledge (What Would Novalis Do?/4, psychology/2, philosophy/2), Large Weapon/5 (axe), Savoir-Faire/2, Tactics/2

Songs: Battle (Celestial/2), Ecstasy (Ethereal/2), Harmony (All/3), Healing (Corporeal/2), Laughter (Corporeal/2), Light (Celestial/6), Might (All/1), Shields (All/3), Stone (Celestial/1)

Attunements: Malakite of Flowers, Seraphim of Flowers, Malakite of Stone, Inevitability, Crown of Joy, Master of Peace, Angel of Necessary Violence

Angel of Necessary Violence: Pochereth will always know if there's a practical way out of a situation that doesn’t involve attacking someone. With a successful Intelligence Roll, he even knows how to go about accomplishing that happy fact. If there's no other option but to resort to violence, well, he also gets a +3 to his check digits on any attack…

Rites:

Speak out against unnecessary violence.

Successfully manage to settle a situation peacefully, when it seems hopeless (even to Pochereth!). (+2 Essence)

Artifacts: Flaming Sword/5 (Well, Flaming Axe)

Oaths:

"Never suffer an evil to live, if it is my choice."

"Never surrender or allow myself to be captured by the forces of Hell."

"Never strike the first blow."

"Never use a ranged weapon."

David isn't known for having his stratagems backfire, but when they do, the results are spectacular.

Pochereth was originally a Malakite of Stone, and it was as a Malakite of Stone that he was sponsored for his Word. The idea was that the angel, being under David's jurisdiction, would interpret Necessary Violence 'properly': it was hoped that this would eventually (within a thousand years or so) convince those of Flowers to act more sensibly. An aggravating and annoying ploy, to be sure, but David had postulated that Novalis would sit still for it … and he was right. The smile never even faltered as she voted with the rest of the Seraphim Council to give Pochereth the Word.

That - or the fact that Michael smiled ruefully at the entire episode - really should have set off warning bells in David's head. It didn't: in fact, the Archangel of Stone didn't even realize that things weren't going according to plan until a mere century and a half later, when Pochereth came to David and politely announced that he wished to serve the Archangel of Flowers. David was tempted to refuse… but the story was already out, and he had no wish to look petty, even if he was feeling petty. He hasn't talked to Pochereth since, although he declined to strip the angel's Attunements. Possibly the Archangel still expects his errant Servitor to see the light someday.

He may be perpetually doomed to disappointment. Pochereth had decided, upon serious contemplation of his Word and its implications, that Necessary Violence was a concept that needed limitations, not excuses. There had to be a standard, and until he better knew what it was, it was best to err on the side of caution. Seeing that the Archangel of Flowers had been effectively saying that all along, she was obviously the best person to follow while Pochereth worked things out.

That was seven hundred years ago. In that time, Pochereth has stayed by Novalis' side, except on several memorable occasions. He's one of those very few Word-bound out there who has little interest in promoting his Word. In fact, he'd be very happy to see his Word ultimately become unnecessary. That this would mean his death is immaterial. A world where no violence was necessary would be worth it.

The Angel of Necessary Violence considers his Superior to be one of the most courageous and honorable angels to ever exist. Not just physical courage, but moral as well: Pochereth has seen too many celestials that have treated violence as a rationalization - or worse, a drug. The fact that Novalis is brave enough to not deny her nature, despite the temptations, awes the angel… and he has privately decided that his death is worth her life. Pochereth will face a Demon Prince, or the combined legions of Hell, to protect her, even if it means disobeying a direct order. This is hardly an uncommon attitude among Malakim, but few have Pochereth's determination.

For the most part, Pochereth serves as a touchstone for other Servitors of Flowers. He's always looking for an honorable loophole in any tense situation, both by his standards and his Superior's. He can, through long association with Novalis, accurately predict her response to a crisis, and tries his best to keep her point of view firmly in mind when he's trying to assess a problem. His fellow angels respect him deeply, trusting that he'll keep them from doing anything too rash.

And, when Pochereth does - very reluctantly - finally pull out his axe, in order to enter a fray, every Servitor of Flowers in the area will go right in behind him, no questions asked. They know that he knows that he holds their Honor in his hands, as well as his own.