Adapted by Eric Alfred Burns

Beleth generally appears as a transcendently beautiful, yet alien and frightening spider of great size and near glasslike transparency, with wings like nigh-invisible spider webs extending from her abdomen, her crystal eyes sad and peering. She frightens on sight, yet entrances with a greater look at her.

The Frighteners, Beleth's Servitors, spread the gospel of Fear into mankind's dreams and through the world. The fear they spread is supposed to be either Holy (inspiring awe and terror before the face of Heaven, to instill proper respect and drive away thoughts of atheism and other lies) or instructional (which can be anything from the Actor's Nightmare to a parent dreaming of unsafe plugs turning into death traps for their children.) However, in this increasingly unstable Symphony, the Frighteners find themselves spreading Fear out of a hunger for power and a need for affirmation - and a need to protect Heaven and Beleth. Beleth's own military - the Terror, comprised mostly of her Malakim - use Fear as a military weapon against Exile and Outcast alike, unafraid of what they may do to the Humanity caught in the balance.

Much of the work of Beleth and the Frighteners takes place in the Vale, where Beleth held sway unopposed during the era that the Exiles were sealed in Hades. Since their escape, Beleth has had to contend with Blandine (as well as Uriel, Ogiel and several Outcasts) on that front, and in many ways has proven inadequate. She therefore works closely with Zadkiel to protect the gates of Heaven. And, far more than Blandine ever did, her Servitors walk the Corporeal World, spreading the seeds of Fear among the waking as well as the sleeping.

The charge of Fear has always been a delicate one, and it is forever exacting. The Frighteners may never comfort or alleviate the fears of another unless those fears are contrary to their mission. (An irrational fear that one's child is a faerie who will smother the mother in her sleep may be resolved by a Frightener. A terror of snakes because some are poisonous cannot, because some are poisonous and therefore snakes are probably best left alone.) Note that it is not dissonant to spread irrational fears, and some Frighteners have taken to playing with humanity more than they should. Beleth frowns on this but takes no action at this time.

Even as Blandine has attuned her angels to types of dreams, so Beleth, who worked so closely with Blandine before the Rebellion, has emulated her. Beleth attunes her Servitors to specific types of fears. While in the Marches (on either side), the Angels of Fear may make a perception roll to see the kinds of dreamscapes they're attuned to, and may use the CD as a bonus to enter those dreams and shape them. In the Corporeal Realm, they may use their natural attunement to recognize those whose hopes and dreams reflect their type, and use the CD as a bonus to Dream Walk with them. Finally, if they enter a dreamscape of someone not reflecting their attuned type of dreams, they may make a Will based roll, and add the CD to any use of the Songs of Dreams to reflect the Servitor's attunement.

One thing that has been noticed - Beleth's Angels are generally attuned to Fears that relate to their natures. Some among the Exiles have wondered about this - after all, a Seraph drawn to people terrified the truth will come out spends his life surrounded by lies, to name but one. Beleth's representatives snidely remind critics that they are angels of Fear, and what better fields to sow fear than what the angels know best?

Naturally, two different Servitors could see the same person reflect their attunement. A man who is terrified his fiancée will learn about an old affair is frightened of discovery, rejection, and relationships for example, and Seraphim, Cherubim and Mercurians of Fear will recognize this.

Seraphim

Beleth's Most Holy are attuned to the fear of Discovery. Everyone has secrets to hide, and almost everyone is frightened of being 'found out,' whether rationally or not. These Seraphim actually make good spies, since they can usually ferret out what the target's so afraid will be discovered once they've gotten into their dreamscape. Obviously, the stronger the fear the more attracted the Seraph will be.

Beleth's Cherubim are attuned to the fear of Rejection. Reaching out to another person - giving them love and offering them a bond of any kind is a frightening prospect, and the thought of that love being spurned is enough to stop some people from ever reaching out to anyone. Some Servitors of Love work with these Cherubim, helping bridge the gaps between people who fear keeps apart. However, it takes explicit orders to that effect to dispel Beleth's dissonance conditions for the Cherubim, and generally they have no interest in helping their targets anyhow. After all, if they reach out, they could get hurt. We mustn't have that.

Perhaps the least comfortable of Beleth's Frighteners, the Ofanim of Fear are attuned to those who fear the Unknown. The more a person clings to the routine, the simple and the quiet, the more strongly the Ofanite is attracted to them. Agoraphobes and others afraid of leaving a safe place fall strongly under this, as do (especially) those who suffer from kinetiphobia - a fear of movement itself. The Thrones of Fear must therefore spend time in enclosed places or established 'safe' houses to do their work, which bothers their own sense of freedom. (It is said that the happiest these Ofanim ever become is when they so terrify one of their targets that the target flees helplessly into the street - their fear of movement and the unknown forcing them to run into the unknown itself.)

Malakim

Beleth's Barons are committed and focused, enjoying their work more than most Frighteners. They are attuned to fears of Failure, which they dearly love to fan into an ambitious drive. Of course, the Malakite must be careful not to drive the target into overreaching his proper place in the Order of things, lest it be dissonant. And, as most of Beleth's Barons are in the Terror, they use their knowledge and understanding of insecurity to exact painful prices from their enemies. (Note that all of Beleth's Malakim must also take Beleth's "Harrowing" attunement, described below.)

The Powers of Fear are, as with all Elohim, monomaniacal in the promotion of their patron's Word. Being so dedicated to Fear, yet so objective in other things, Beleth's Elohim are attuned to the fear of Passion. The men and women who fear losing control, of giving in to their irrational, emotional impulses, and of being put in a situation they cannot control are those the Elohim can see and understand. It is said some of the best of Beleth's Powers can bring passions and emotions to the surface of their victims so quickly (which in turn become terror as they lose control of themselves) that it almost seems like they inflict the emotions themselves. But, there is nothing in Beleth's attunement that would give them this ability, and few take stock in such a thing.

Morbid and frightened of their own abilities and the corruptive nature of their Choir's curse, the Kyriotates of Fear are attuned to fears of Diversity. The irrational prejudices of mankind - over religion, sexual preference, skin color, language or national origin - in short, the Xenophobia or fear of anything different draws the corruptive Dominations like candle-flames.

There are very few Charismatics working for Beleth. Of those, many have come originally from Blandine's service, only to be disgusted at the lengths the Angels of Dreams will go to prevent their charges from knowing Fear. The Lilim of Fear are attuned to fears of Dependence. From the woman terrified of losing her own identity in a marriage to the person who is scared to need another person's help in anything, these fears awaken and hold the attention of the Lilim among the Frighteners.

Even as the Mercurians can impose relationships upon others, so the Mercurians of Beleth are attuned to fears of Commitment. In ways the antonyms of the Cherubim of Fear, these Frighteners can sense the people who are terrified that close connections to other people will choke off their freedom, will restrict their ways of life, or will want more than the target is willing to give.

The Bearers of Awe are often used in diverse and innovative ways, but regardless of how they are used, they still act as Servitors of Beleth. The Timerim are attuned to Philosophical fears. The man scared to die because he doesn't know if there's an afterlife, the woman who's scared that she's going to be punished eternally for the lust in her heart - these and those like them draw the eyes of the Bearers.

Dream Walking

As per p.110 of the Core Rules.

For a cost of 1 Essence, a Frightener can make a person suddenly uneasy. It is as if the target suddenly becomes uncomfortable and afraid. For 2 Essence, a Frightener can make a person actually frightened. The target will latch onto the most reasonable reason for their fear (no matter how irrational that turns out to be). For 3 Essence, a Frightener can inflict a stark terror on a person, who will do anything to respond to their fear (by either fleeing or lashing out, as appropriate). Further, they may choose the reason the target believes he is afraid. Each of these effects last ten minutes times the Frightener's Ethereal Forces. And, in each of these cases the target may make an Intelligence roll to resist these irrational Fears.

Among the most terrible of Attunements granted to any Angels, Beleth grants her Harrowing Attunement to the Terror - her Servitors who have taken up the cause of holding the Dark Night Parallel that marks the Territory of Fear in the Marches. An Angel with the Harrowing can literally kill human beings in their dreams.

The Frightener enters the Dreamscape of the victim as normal. He invokes the Attunement, spending 5 Essence to do so. At this point, the victim may make an Intelligence roll to resist, waking up in terror. Should he fail, he is immediately locked into an Ethereal Combat with the Angel and cannot be awakened until the Combat is resolved.

The combat works as normally. However, if the Dreamer's Mind hits are reduced to zero in the battle, the Dreamer is killed instantly, without chance of recovery. All signs will be natural causes (generally heart failure), though the victim's face will be contorted into a grimace of terror. There is Disturbance at the victim's death, both for the death of a human and for the Essence expended in the attunement, if the human actually dies.

Should an Angel recognize a human has been caught by this attunement (or is otherwise having a nightmare), they may enter the victim's dreamscape as normal. If they enter the dreamscape, they may join in the combat on the side of the victim, and try to drive off the Frightener. The Frightener must choose to leave or be reduced to 0 Mind Hits himself (which acts as normal for him, plus forces him to withdraw). Should an Angel intercede in this way and be reduced to 0 Mind Hits, he too is ejected from the dreamscape and the normal penalties for Ethereal Combat take place.

Any Angel - including the Frightener who uses this attunement - who is caught inside the victim's dreamscape at the moment of death experiences the violent shredding of the victim's dreamscape, taking a number of additional Mind Hits of damage equal to the victim's total Forces and being dumped into the Marches. The Victim of a Harrowing may go to Heaven or Hades if he has achieved his Destiny or Fate, but cannot become a Dream Shade.

This distinction works the same way as the Terror attunement on p.165 of the In Nomine core rules.

Beleth's Masters may use darkness and the primal fears surrounding it to good advantage. When in at least deep shadow (of about the level of a clear night without artificial light and anything less than a full moon), these Masters gain a +2 to any roll they attempt. They may also see (to the point of being able to read) in complete pitch darkness. Contrary to the belief of some, snapping a light on will not blind or incapacitate these Master any more than any normal Angel.

Beleth's general remoteness means that her organization is often run by her Distincted rather than directly. As a result, she has several Higher Distinctions to keep the lines of communication and command clear.

Beleth's Preceptors are those Frighteners who most exemplify Beleth's core mission - the teaching of humanity through fear. The Frighteners in general see humanity as an overly large, overly careless pack of children, needing instruction and correction to keep them safe. Those most adept, most passionate and most committed to this mission of frightening humanity into better, safer behavior are granted the rank of Preceptor. Preceptors are rare - it takes exceptional talent to be granted this Higher Distinction - and set above the other Frighteners where appropriate. (It is worth noting that the Chamberlain of Fear, Lynette, is set over the Preceptors, not the Commander General of the Terror. No Preceptor has ever joined the Terror. All are within the Chancery.)

Ecclesiarch

Set above the Preceptors, though one does not have to be a Preceptor to become an Ecclesiarch, and further one may hold both Distinctions simultaneously, the Ecclesiarchs are those Frighteners who oversee the Servitors of Fear as they bring Holy Fear and Awe to mankind. In the invocation of the great, holy terror that reminds mankind of their proper place in the universe and keeps their eyes turned skyward for protection and grace, the Ecclesiarchs are the finest and most committed to the task. Given their position, the Ecclesiarchs work rather closely with comparably high-ranking Servitors of Gebbeleth, Laurence and Lucifer himself. The council of the Ecclesiarchs is called (naturally) the Ecclesiarchy, which works with and reports to Lynette, Chamberlain of Fear. (Gebbeleth, it is said, was the first Ecclesiarch before he became the Chamberlain of Fear himself.) They may command the Terror and are often guarded by them when needed, though usually they filter such commands through the Terror's own organization. For the most part, the Ecclesiarchy commands the Chancery, led by Lynette in Beleth's name.

Huntsman

Among the Terror, there are those Angels who have shown the greatest, most bloodthirsty and ruthless devotion to bringing down their prey. As a part of keeping the Balance of the Terror alive, the Terror does not actively range out, seeking to conquer new territory - but they do leave the confines of the Dark Night Parallel for more personal reasons. They go forth to hunt. The Terror moves in packs or in solitude to find those Angels of War, Resistance, Purity or (most of all) Hope who move in small groups or alone, seeking to win honor among their fellows by bringing them down (and generally carrying back some gruesome trophy of their victory). Those of the Terror who hunt, slay and carry back ten trophies or more are given the Higher Distinction of Huntsman, to reflect their strength and ability to survive. The Huntsmen are loathed by Fear's enemies passionately, which means they're often slain ... but also means they can draw their attackers out into an ambush. The dance continues...

(Note that while the Huntsmen are respected (and feared) by all the Frighteners, they do not have authority over the Chancery, and no Huntsman has ever served the Chancery in any capacity.)

Among the Terror, there are only a very few exceptional enough to be set among the elite of the Malakim. These are the Lieutenants, selected by Mourdant himself and raised to lead the mighty forces of the Terror. Three Lieutenants (the Angels of Terrorism, Shattered Resolve and Panic, respectively) act as Mourdant's personal assistants and are called his 'immediate Lieutenants,' though officially they are not set above any other. The whole of the Lieutenants comprise the Lieutenancy - a council that advises the Commander General and executes the orders of Mourdant in the name of Beleth. The Lieutenancy may command the Frighteners of the Chancery, but generally send such commands through the Chancery's own organization. Note that while the Lieutenants are superior to the Huntsmen, it is possible to hold both Distinctions (and rarely, a Lieutenant who is not a Huntsman is named - often for brilliance in tactics rather than personal combat or ambush).

The Ecclesiarch who officially heads the Ecclesiarchy - and acts as the head administrator of the Chancery as a while - is called the Chancellor. The Chancellor handles most of the administrative details of the Chancery, leaving the Chamberlain of Fear to set and guide policy. The current Chancellor is Braugh, an Elohite Ecclesiarch and Preceptor who has shown exceptional facility for the minutia of the position.

The Chamberlain of Fear is officially the head of all operations of the Frighteners, acting as the voice of Beleth in all matters. She is Prime Minister and Chief Executive, answerable only to the Archangel who so rarely sets policy herself. In a practical sense, the Chamberlain of Fear controls the Chancery - the 'civilian' operations of the Frighteners, on Earth, in the Marches and in Heaven. The first Chamberlain of Fear was Gebbeleth, before he went on his quest to find the Higher Heavens and returned both Word-bound and swiftly becoming a Superior.

The second - and current - Chamberlain of Fear is a Cherub, Lynette, the Angel of Fearing the Darkness. She brooks little dissent as she lays down the strategies and assignments for the Chancery - working closely with the 'religious experts' of the Host to ensure that the Frighteners execute what is needed for Heaven. Lynette is cold and hard, willing to sacrifice all of humanity if needed to ensure mankind's deference to Heaven as is appropriate. In an almost schizophrenic twist, however, Lynette is also fiercely protective of humanity in secular matters. She is quite convinced that without the Chancery, the naked apes would be wandering off cliffs, falling face first into fires, putting their tongues on metal poles, having unsafe sex with heroin addicts and otherwise cheerfully getting themselves slaughtered.

Therefore, while she would destroy humanity if needed to keep them subordinate, she would also see the Frighteners worked ragged to protect them. As can be guessed, Lynette is strongly in the Cherubim-Djinn side of the Cherubim's nature. Lynette is officially set over the Terror and is often willing to command lower level members of the Terror as needed, but in a practical sense she sees herself and Mourdant as equal partners, and extends Mourdant the courtesy of his position. She also has enough to think about without needing to plan the military campaign and defense of the Dark Night Parallel.

The Titular Head of the Lieutenancy acts as Quartermaster General and administrative attaché for the Terror, overseeing the detail work for the organization similarly to how the Chancellor oversees the Chancery. All three of Mourdant's 'Immediate Lieutenants' were First Lieutenant before receiving their Words, and the position is seen as a feeder position for a promotion. The last two First Lieutenants were killed in action, however (one by one of Ogiel's Servitors in fair combat, the other by Soldekai's forces in an ambush, ironically enough), so the dangers of the position are obvious. The current First Lieutenant is Colbrecht, a Malakite (as most of the Terror are) who has served with zeal and devotion since nearly the beginning.

Since the Terror first came to be (born out of Beleth's paranoia and by Gebbeleth's suggestion) there has only been one Commander General. Mourdant was a Cherub and child of Blandine and Beleth who, like Gebbeleth, chose to side with the Angel of Fear. However, he also passionately believed in Lucifer's cause. It's not certain why he fledged into a Malakite, but he did and he served his mother with devotion, never looking back as Blandine went into Exile. Mourdant is the Angel of Terror, and has broadened the meaning of his Word greatly - rightly considering that his sheer power and strength would let him better serve and protect Beleth and the Dark Night Parallel. He was careful to promote the concept of Terrorism as a part of his strengthening, initially as a strategy against his earliest of foes, the Angels of Resistance. While Ogiel's Word is strengthened by the methods his followers use, Mourdant's is as well (as is the Word of Terrorism, held by his immediate Lieutenant Galloway). To Mourdant, striking fear in his enemies (and allies) is the highest compliment he can be granted and the highest honor he can extend to his beloved mother, Beleth. He has more than earned the nickname 'The Terrible Baron.'

Beleth is a tragic figure - paranoid about her position and the perception others (especially Lucifer) have about her, terrified that all those centuries ago she made a mistake and her mistake (and hers alone) has led to the degradation of the Symphony, too scared of the consequences to follow her heart and her lover into Exile. As a result, she is not close to many, and her support is always quiet and covert, designed to protect her position while not making things worse (she prays.)

As a result, her Relations are strange at best...

Host:

Allied: Gebbeleth, Zadkiel

Associated: Laurence, Lucifer

Hostile: Andrealphus, Iblis, Israfel, Jean, Kobal, Marc

Exiles:

Associated: Blandine, Novalis

Hostile: Baal, Dominique, Haagenti, Lilith, Nybbas

Enemy: Ogiel, Uriel

Other:

Associated: Mariel, White Star

Hostile: Gabriel, Fleurity

Enemy: Soldekai

Tell a "Cautionary Tale" to at least 10 people.

Frighten someone into breaking a bad habit.

Put "the fear of God" into at least 25 people.

+1 A campfire where ghost stories are being told.

+2 A cemetery more than 250 years old, at night.

+3 The original manuscript of a renowned horror story.

+4 The headmaster's office in a Catholic School.

+5 The congregation of a large church while a fire and brimstone preacher is ranting.

+6 The site where a horrible martyrdom related to religious matters took place.

Once upon a time, the most beautiful angel in all of existence courted the quietest angel of them all. This was in the time before courtship, when love was still a new concept. Oh, everyone knew what love was - it's what God allowed to flow forth from Heaven, bound up inside His Light. But this was different - the idea that two souls could reach for one another, draw themselves close, and intermingle to the point that one soul remained, burning so brightly.

The quietest of Angels had wrapped herself in Fear - Holy Fear, the Fear of the Divine, caught up within Awe. But her beautiful lover was willing to brave that Fear, and whisper to her lover. 'I am frightened of you,' she whispered. 'But my Dream of our happiness carries me through. I am frightened you will send me away, but in the name of the Dream I come to you.' And the quietest of Angels had her own reservations melt. For this was a great and grand lady - an Archangel, one of the Highest of the high - and the quietest of Angels was so much less. And yet, the beautiful angel had been frightened.

And the two became one, and Fear and Dreams worked together, guiding mankind through hope, through awe, and through a just fear of the ineffable. The pair were Cherubim both, the fullest expressions of Divine Love, and their submission to that principle was so complete that an Angel was raised to Archangel and given the Word of Love in their name. And together, they produced many children, and the brightest of those children was called Gebbeleth, and he loved his parents, but loved his mother the quietest of angels most of all.

But then, when God through his Metatron spoke to His children, telling them that mankind was special even above the angels, the Archangel of Light was sorely disturbed. And quietly, he spoke to others, playing at politics and gradually building support for a protest. He needed all the supporters he could find, and the quietest of angels was ripe for his words.

He played upon her fears - after all, the beautiful angel was so grand an Archangel. Could the quiet angel be anything but a pet to her? A plaything to be kept and kept down? Didn't she hold herself to be superior to her lover? And gradually, the Archangel of Light drew the reservations, the insecurities, the fear out of the Quiet Angel, and drew her away from her bright, beautiful lover into rebellion.

And then they won. Their point was driven home. The Metatron and Michael, the Firstborn, were destroyed. And the Archangel of Light stood triumphant, and began to organize Heaven to his liking as the Lord's Regent. As a gift, he presented the quietest of Angels with an Archangel's mantle and responsibility, making her the Archangel of Fear.

But the Archangel knew Fear of many kinds ... especially the quiet voice that whispered to her Heart. 'You have betrayed love,' that voice said. 'The love of the Lord, the love of humanity who you more than most you have guided, and the love of your beautiful suitor, who you turned your back on and turned away from, and hurt more terribly than any could believe.' For the Archangel of Fear was still a Cherub, and Love still defined her being as much as Fear ... and now she was sorely afraid of what she had done to those who loved her ... done to them out of her own fear.

But before she could move to her lost love's side, to beg forgiveness ... a small group of Angels were moved into exile - they kept the faith with their lost Lord, and could not follow the Archangel of Light who had set himself up as God's Regent without God's Voice to guide him. They were sealed away into Hades. And the Archangel of Fear - once the quietest of Angels - knew despair as her lover, the Archangel of Dreams, stood quietly with them. She begged her love to speak to her, to absolve her, to step out of the group and join with Heaven before the gates were closed. She threw herself down in Fear of losing her Dream of love forever, sobbing before them. And the Archangel of Love cried too, and so did many among the Host and among the Exiles. But the Archangel of Light did not cry.

And the Archangel of Dreams did not speak. It is said she hasn't spoken since - that she had become the quietest of angels.

And then the Archangel of Fear was alone. Of all her children, only Gebbeleth had both survived the battle and chosen not to follow their exiled mother into Hades. He had the first Chamberlain of Fear, overseeing the Angels of Fear as they moved through the Marches, trying to inspire proper awe among the servile population of humanity. For the Archangel of Fear herself was distant now, afraid to reach out to others, lest they be so hurt as the most beautiful of angels was ... afraid she was cursed to be alone.

And as if in answer, even her beloved Gebbeleth was taken, made into the Archangel of the Holy Mysteries, and another had to become Chamberlain.

And afraid that humanity was not meant to be servile, that Yves had been right before he was driven into death, that the cool, orderly place that was Heaven was not what God had intended, and that the Archangel of Light and Regent of Heaven was not executing the Will of God but his own will ... and there was nothing that could be done about it.

And now? How could she raise arms against the one she loves still, who will not speak but will remain loyal to her Dreams? Even as forces on all sides seem to try and tear her apart, she knows only the doubts and fears of her terrible choices.

Beleth is by nature isolated - isolated from her charges, her mission, her allies, her enemies - even from the very mission that defines her. Beleth is Fear personified, and that Fear always bred a certain insecurity. That was what Lucifer preyed upon in the days of the Revolt itself. In winning that Revolution, but seeing all she held most dear fall away, Beleth learned a new kind of Fear - the Fear of victory without being right. This has preyed more insidiously on her insecurity than Lucifer ever could. It has also bred a kind of benevolent paranoia ... and that is the most tragic aspect to Beleth's complex character.

Beleth loves deeply. She loves her Servitors more than life. She loves humanity with all the passions of a Cherub - she is a Cherub - and one of the Cherubim-Cherubim, to boot. She wants nothing more than to see humanity safe and protected. That is why fear is so important. She loves Heaven and the Heavenly Host - Heaven is the shining Dream, the promise and the reward, the golden hope. That is why humanity must live in awe of it - they should never be so cocksure and proud as to think themselves due Heaven by right. She loves the Exiles - every one. For all her fears, she knows that no Exile acts because they want this division. That is why she must breed a fear of their power - to show the orphans of Heaven the respect that is their due. She loves Blandine with all her heart and soul, and is desperate to earn Blandine's return and their joining once more.

So it is within her labyrinthine mind. So are the headwaters of her motivations.

Sadly, those loves ... that paranoia ... and that isolation combine together to breed a potent Superior who is nearly completely inaccessible, and whose commandments are almost contradictory. Beleth is afraid -- afraid for herself and afraid for all those she loves. Afraid she was wrong at the beginning and afraid she is wrong for feeling that way now. Afraid she deserves death and afraid she is failing those she loves by not embracing life. Beleth's fears wrap around her like a web - protecting her from those who would exploit those fears or hurt her, but keeping all who might help her at a 'safe' distance.

Because she loves her Servitors, she does not permit herself to be overly familiar with them. She is distant, her commandments absolute. She is not harsh, but her disapproval can cut as deeply as a knife, and her Servitors avoid it where they can. However, because she fears extending herself in the world (and potentially being hurt or - worse - making things worse than they are) she works almost exclusively through her organization - especially Lynette and Mourdant - and gives these generals almost free reign so long as her general will is being spread. And so the Frighteners are given mandates but little supervision.

And if many are spreading Fear without teaching - the sheer horror that comes easier than awe or a rational fear - then Beleth comforts herself with her growing Word. And make no mistake - the Word of Fear grows stronger with every passing day, with every Angel who realizes the Symphony is unraveling, with every Archangel who realizes that hope is growing dimmer and dimmer, with every human who knows, instinctively, that things are getting worse...

How powerful the spider in her web, who spins her machinations but wastes nothing of herself?

Beleth herself is distant, often in her Castle in the Marches or moving through the Dreams of Man, rarely walking among the Seraphim Council (and often sending her sigil with Gebbeleth to vote in her place at his discretion). She keeps to her Celestial Form - a sheerly beautiful, purely crystal giant wolf spider, with facets that seem to go on forever, as her wings - feathered, but crystal also - rise above her opal compound eyes. Her form is beauty incarnate, and yet terrifies any who first regards her - alien and arthropodic, one must have the will to confront her presence before one can regard her true beauty.

The Frighteners

But distant or not, the Archangel of Fear is of great use in Heaven, and her Servitors serve well. Theirs is the role of inspiring humanity to fear, respect and hold in awe those things that are above them. If the Sword is Heaven's Secret Police, then the Servitors of Fear are Heaven's missionaries on Earth, walking among mankind and carefully keeping the mystery and terror of Heaven alive in the hearts of men, lest man believe they could rise to equal (or exceed) the Angels that are set before them.

The Servitors of Fear come from all Choirs of Angels, and also include a Choir in echo to Blandine's messengers of hope, from before the War. Beleth was conscious that she was echoing Blandine, whose Menunim - those who survived the Revolt - had followed her into Hades. Her Timerim, the bringers of holy terror, are the best among this. They move among Mankind secretly, finding the prideful and uppity, and draw them in conflict with their fears, cowing them and returning them to respectful obedience.

Her other Angels do the same, her Mercurians (perhaps her most numerous Servitors) often working with churches and religions (especially in lay positions) where they can evoke the fear inherent in defying the holy order of things. Lucifer used and directed the Angels of Fear carefully while reshaping the different religions to reflect the proper view of things, and even now there are cadres of Belethites in Service to Light, on hand to muddle the waters and make Heaven a distant, frightening place when the Exiles are gaining ground in the exaltation of Man.

The Frighteners do not comfort Man, though they are not cruel (save of course for the terrible Malakim or passionless Elohim) either. It is dissonant for a Servitor of Fear to explain any mystery to a person who is afraid of that unknown. A child terrified of the dark and of monsters under his bed will get no comfort from the Timerite whispering in his ear. The man paralyzed by a fear of heights won't hear statistics of safe airline travel from the Ofanite of Beleth passing by. In fear, mankind learns respect - not only for Heaven, but for the world itself. Fear is the natural reaction to pain, and fear of pain teaches mankind many things. It teaches children not to play with fire. It teaches men and women not to have unsafe (or preferably any) premarital sex. It encourages humanity to have nice, safe, conformist lives. The Frighteners can do nothing that distracts from that, or comforts another and possibly encourages them to pride or recklessness.

<Sidebar>

There are several powerful Word-bound under Beleth - her Chamberlain is the Angel of Fearing the Darkness, her Commander General is the Angel of Terror. She has the Malakite Angels of Terrorism, Shattered Resolve and Panic working for her. When Eve, the Human 'Archangel' of Women, managed to secure the Word of Shadows for her Malakite Lynoure, Mourdant and Lynette together petitioned for her to be transferred and serve the Terror. In the Chancery, the Words of different types of Phobia are well represented, generally speaking.

Beleth has the Words she does because in the early days, she formed the spearhead of the Host's efforts to control and mold humanity into their proper roles. Over time, her Organization has been very efficient at requesting new Words when appropriate, working with their close contacts in the Sword and in the Regent's own organization. To a degree, it is politically dangerous to deny the Frighteners a Word that is appropriate to Beleth's, and few on the Seraphim Council would tend to argue unless the Word is truly in contention.

It is worth mentioning that one Word that once was held by Beleth - Awe - has after the death of the Timerite holder of that Word been picked up by one of Iblis' Servitors. The Frighteners are not happy about this turn of events...

</Sidebar>

Though collectively known as the Frighteners, Beleth's Servitors are organized by mission - the spreading of Fear and Awe in the name of Heaven, and the defense of the Dark Night Parallel, the Vale and the Dreamscapes of Humanity, respectively. The former is the province of the Chancery, under the command of Lynette, Chamberlain of Fear. The latter is the province of the Terror and the iron fist of Mourdant, Commander General.

Approximately 70% of Beleth's total resources are in the Chancery. This might seem iniquitous, until one remembers that the Terror is supported directly by the forces of Zadkiel and the Watch - and that the two sides work very well together. Further, 30% of a powerful Archangel's forces devoted to a single mission can be and is a terrifying thing when one understands the scope of it.

The Chancery is devoted to Beleth's missions and mandates - both from the Seraphim Council (and by derivation Lucifer) and from Beleth herself. They are her agents, her eyes, her ears. They are those who spread awe, who hold the greatness of Heaven up to humanity, showing how small they are in comparison.

Chancellors are what most Angels - Host or Exile - think of when they think of the Frighteners. Only those who directly threaten or reinforce Beleth's holdings ever encounter the Terror, but the Chancery are numerous.

The Chancery's highest mandate is to protect Humanity - both from danger and from the more dangerous idea that they could exceed concepts of Heaven and the Angels set above them. They spread fear to protect humanity and Angels alike. If a man never reaches out or up, never tries to exceed his own grasp, he won't get burned, or hurt, or lose his balance and fall. If an Angel is reminded of the prices of failure and of betrayal, and in his fear toes the line, that Angel will be safer.

It is, innately, an unbalanced view of the universe. Many Frighteners know this. Those who once served Dreams but stood with Beleth remember that once Fear was partnered with Dreams - with the hopes and the drive to reach given due respect and fear of the unknown to leaven. But the Frighteners accept the universe as it is, and ply their trade among mankind, who are all too easy to terrify.

More and more Frighteners lose their original mandate every year. Protecting humanity and educating them becomes less important than building their own base of power - or simply enjoying the rush of terrifying some poor schmuck human. (Or some schmuck Angel who should know better...) In fear they find completeness ... and so long as they spread Fear, in the end can they be said to be traitors?

The Chancery is moderately tight in organization - not incredibly so, as most Chancellors in the field must work independently of others, but it is simple and common for missions to be passed down the line, and the Frighteners drop their own projects instantly to complete assignments. After all, they know just enough to be frightened of the consequences should they fail.

Beleth's forces are not adept at keeping Human Dreamscapes on their side of the Marches - though it's not hard to get them in the first place. It's easy to frighten people. Easy to frighten almost anyone, really. And they are very good at evoking what is after all a primal emotion. All animals and humans fear. All of them. Often, Dreams and Hope are harder to come by, but Fear is simple. And that makes Beleth strong...

But Beleth herself is scared. She does not want to enter the field herself - she's scared she's on the wrong side, after all. But she's terrified Soldekai, Ogiel, Uriel and the others will break through - will devastate her Servitors and enter Heaven and strike. And she's terrified that Lucifer and the Seraphim Council will destroy her for her failure.

And so, like a good Paranoid, Beleth has overcompensated. Beleth's Seraphim, Cherubim, Ofanim, Elohim, Kyriotates, Lilim and Mercurians work somewhat in the Marches and somewhat on Earth, promoting Lucifer's, Laurence's, Gebbeleth's and even Beleth's agendas. The Timerim work in Heaven, in the Marches and on Earth, bearing Awe where they go.

The Malakim are in the Marches. And they are terrible indeed.

The Terror is Beleth's army. They are mostly Malakim, and they protect the Marches and work with Zadkiel's Watch to keep the Exiles and Outcasts at bay. Beleth's fear has caused her to make many, many Malakim, and they are as devastating as they are frightening. The Terror is led by Mourdant, a Malakite of high distinction. He is also the Angel of Terror, and his immediate lieutenants have the Words of Terrorism, Shattered Resolve and Panic. The Terror are devoted not only to defending the Marches but eviscerating their enemies. It is not enough to win - they seek to humiliate those who would attack them. While Beleth does not allow all out warfare against Blandine - still she prays they might reconcile - the Terror does not spare Blandinians who try to cross the Dark Night Parallel into Beleth's territory. As for the Angels of Hope, or Purity, or the Resistance - these are prey, and are treated as such. Soldekai's forces are especially hated. The Battlements are adorned with the slaughtered corpses and skulls of fallen Soldekians, mounted on pikes and hooks to remind their former allies just whom they're fighting. Mourdant himself wears a cloak made of the furred skins of Cherubim of Hope, and his helm was once a Seraph of Purity's skull.

The Terror is very strong, and would be more than enough reason for all the disparate forces arrayed against them to storm in and destroy them, but for their common abilities. The Harrowing Attunement granted to all the Terror allows Beleth's Malakim to slay a human being while in the Dreamscape of that human. Should an Angel of Fear terrify any human - no matter how precious to the Exiles - sufficiently that they have nightmares, that human can be killed, with little chance to defend him. That, plus the Terror's corporeal tactics (the Terror has been known to utterly destroy the holy sites, Tethers and reminders of Ethereal existence in retaliation for Ethereal involvement of any stripe against Fear) means that the siege of Heaven must be carefully plotted -- too much pressure brought to bear against the Watch (who remain the first line of defense) means the Terror will start eliminating the hostages they can hold too simply. Too many Faeries or Ethereals being caught working against Fear means the destruction of significant items or symbols, or the desecration of sacred places and principles. The Terror is more than willing to take reprisals into the Corporeal on all levels, regardless of the cost to Heaven, the Symphony or anyone else.

It's too big a risk. While the battles rage on, they're never so overwhelming, never so coordinated, never so general as to trigger the reprisals of the Terror. And the Terror in turn do not range too far afield of home - hunting parties ride out and ride down Servitors of Hope or Resistance (except of course for the times the Hunt is led into an ambush) but organized armies do not stream out to smash Blandine's encampments or even lay siege to Soldekai. Indeed, the more militant of Archangels sometimes scream at Lynette, demanding to know why Beleth does not pursue expansion of her (shrinking) territory. Still, the Terror is kept close to home, and they are more than equal to keeping Beleth's enemies at bay.

For now.

Beleth's Cathedral is one of the few points where Heaven and the Marches touch - it stands where once the Tower she and Blandine built stood, and even now it stands opposite the Dream Fastness outside of Hades itself. Beleth's Cathedral is a mighty Castle of Fear, and it is built out of the bright stones that make up the lurid, frightening dreams of Mankind.

The castle itself is vast, with outer walls that forever have a Guard posted - made up of the Terror, the Chancery and the Watch in equal numbers. No human dreamscapes are within the walls of the Castle - those instead lie between the Castle's gates and the Dark Night Parallel that marks the end of Beleth's territory in the Vale and Marches. Instead, between the Walls and the Buildings is a Courtyard, where the Chancery and the Terror walk, dressed in the finery of a Feudal land, buying and selling things in the marketplace and taking what amusements they can.

The buildings themselves are stout and strong, with twisting passages all through them where the Hearts of Beleth's Servitors lie within their rooms. One tower is given over to Beleth herself, and few would dare climb the circular stairs within. Beleth's throne room is a better place to petition to see the Archangel in all her frightful glory.

One other tower is staffed entirely by Servitors in gray robes, who keep the religious rituals of the days. It is said they keep the rituals of all religions, Abrahamic or not, though they invite no outsiders. Some say they are not Beleth's Servitors at all, but Gebbeleth's standing ready to defend Gebbeleth's mother if needed, or to lie hidden should Laurence and Lucifer finally move against the Archangel of the Holy Mysteries. In any case, the Tower is called the Priory, and it is worth noting that no assault on the castle has ever been directed against that Tower - not even at the hands of Ogiel himself.

Host:

Andrealphus: She likes the darkness. She thinks it's her friend. She doesn't know. She doesn't understand the spiders in the dark, waiting to strike. She will have to learn to fear the darkness, or she will have to learn to not fear anything at all. Most of all she must not bring comfort to those we educate. Teach her children not to trust.

<Sidebar>

Andrealphus believes, deep within herself, that Beleth and Blandine will once again be reunited. Beleth yearns, with all her heart, that her true love will accept her and the two can once more be made one. This would sound like a pair with similar hopes and aims.

This could not be less true.

Beleth has little to no respect for Andrealphus, who to her mind stands for nothing at all. Further, Andrealphus' Servitors work very hard to overcome fear in the name of love, and Beleth feels this is nothing less than a personal attack. Beleth was not responsible for such scourges as AIDS or Herpes or the other different ways that unprotected sex can be dangerous, but she has used them to great effect - they reinforce what she feels is the truly important lesson: love can hurt you, desperately badly. You take tremendous risk when you come together in love.

And Beleth believes with all her heart that risk must be feared. And so the fear of rejection, of failure, of infidelity are promoted by Beleth and her Servitors. To date, Andrealphus has not seen these as personal attacks, and might even believe that she and Beleth are working together to chart love's true paths.

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Beth: So tightly controlled, so well woven. I respect her. She has her webs, she keeps her charges. She knows fear, and it guides her to right action. She is a model for those who do not understand. However, other than that she is of no interest.

Christopher: The innocent know more fear than most. Those who have lost their innocence forget this. They think the innocent must be coddled - protected from fear. But the truly innocent understand fear. They taste its cool taste rolling around their palate, and drink deep. Is that pile of clothes in the darkness really a monster? Is there a creature under the bed? Will I forget to breathe as I sleep? Will Mommy stop loving me if I'm bad? The innocent know fear, and in fear they learn.

Demogorgon: The natural conclusion of unchecked, horrible change. He is useful, though we should steer clear of his direct path - to go to close could be dangerous. All too dangerous ... but so long as he exists, it is clear what action without regard to consequence can bring, and the fear others feel for him will educate them. He is useful, for now, but does not need our help to be so.

Eve: I ... I can pity Eve. She is no Angel, but she is paraded among them, given a false title. She is terrified of wrongful behavior, of seeming more than she is, of the revenge of her enemies and the catcalls of her detractors. It is not a good thing that has been done to her, and I feel for her. Remind her how tenuous her place is, and never let her lose that fear - it is keeping her alive.

Gebbeleth: Beloved child ... mysterious man. I was scared when he flew into the Heavens, and I am afraid for him now, as he seems to bait Lucifer and Laurence themselves. He should know his place. But he champions the mysterious and the awe that should come with it, and his Servitors work well with mine, and he always works in my best interest. I think. We support him when it does not move us into danger, and conceal those mysteries that must be concealed. I wish I could simply trust him. Oh how I wish that.

Iblis: He frightens me, this one - one for whom vainglory and foolhardiness combine into a sense of false pride. He speaks of Glory, but what he means is risk taken without prudence. His example will lead others to the slaughter, and that cannot be permitted. Not now, not ever. Oppose him where you can, knowing that he enjoys some protection from the Lightbringer and we dare not beard his wrath.

<Sidebar>

Beleth and Iblis have an odd relationship. Beleth doesn't care for Iblis - his brand of Glory smacks for glory hounding recklessness. The kind of drive that makes soldiers risk their necks for medals and acclaim, which ends up getting their whole unit killed. That disregard for fear bothers her deeply, and she opposes his forces where she can get away with it.

However, both Beleth and Iblis have a vested interest in Awe. Iblis truly believes that his Word and Beleth's compliment one another, but sees Beleth's reserve and isolation as a loss of faith and devotion to her Word. He doesn't oppose her, but would shed no tears if she disappeared entirely.

This has led, ultimately, to an Iblissyan receiving the Word of Awe after the death of Pandaunt, the Timerite Angel of Awe (in an act disturbingly similar to Soldekai being given the Word of Hope instead of a Menunite after Emmanual's death). This was a recent event, and has not engendered a true bitterness or rivalry.

Yet.

</Sidebar>

Israfel: She thinks herself so clever, speaking of intangibles and so-called better worlds. I do not like this one - never trust her. Never trust her. Rantings of Nightmares and horrors ... what would she have of us? What good does she do us? Either fix the damage or move out of the way!

Jean: So cool, trying to apply his machines to the world - and trying to quell the fears of man. Man feared thunder. They still should. To this day, Jean's bolt could devastate any who comes to close. But how to stop him? How?

Kobal: The less he seems to be up to, the more I know he's up to something. What is it? What is it? What does he want? What does he want!? He's driving me insane - and yet I know he's scared of something - but I don't know what it is! I can't stand not knowing what he's scared of!

Laurence: He is dedicated - so dedicated, so focused. His eyes have burned since the day he struck down the one we're not supposed to name. Oh yes, he's dedicated, and he is courageous. But courage is the bravery in the face of fear. I know he fears. I taste his fear. But he is dangerous, so we support him. Remember that. Support him and his, and protect yourself and yours. That is the lesson of fear, which Laurence himself has learned.

Lucifer: I remember speaking to Lucifer long before the Revolution. He was so grand, so mighty, so sure of himself and I was none of these things. I envied him, and I respected him, and perhaps I idolized him. When he whispered about Blandine's possessiveness, about my own meanness compared to her glory, I believed him. How could I not. When he whispered about the failures of God, I believed him. How could I not? Now, when he directs us to serve, we serve him. How could we not? But I wonder if he has the fears that I do? I wonder if he is afraid - afraid that so long ago he was wrong, and that we will all suffer for it? I think perhaps so ... but how could he ever admit that?

Malphas: In diversity there is strength, but there is also Xenophobia. Malphas has his place, and I can respect that. And he has his own fears, and I respect those too. And he leaves me alone, and I respect that most of all.

Marc: He hates me, breaking apart his little truces, making men fearful of one another's motives. And I hate him - hate him because he compromises, he accepts, he yields, he surrenders. It is what he does, every day. I hate him because he is Mercurian, and he is supposed to love Man, but Marc does not love Man. He loves Mankind, in principle, but cares nothing for a man. I teach humanity that they are alone, they can only trust themselves, that they should never trust anyone else. I know I am right, for I look at Marc and know no human should ever trust him.

Zadkiel: So brave ... so resolute. She has never judged me. She has never mocked me. She saw the danger, the war I was forced to fight all on my own and she came to me, and offered of her Watch, and together we made my lands safe. She has never asked, only given. And when I look in her eyes I see fear. The fear of failure, the fear that her charges will be killed, the fear the Exiles will run roughshod over the Symphony. And I understand that fear, understand her need. I cannot trust anyone's good intent, but I trust Zadkiel's fear. She is ... my friend.

<Sidebar>

The Watch is the only non-Belethian force allowed free access to the areas the Terror protects. The Terror sees the Watch as staunch allies and treats them as such, and several of Zadkiel's Servitors have been granted honors by the Terror. Some few members of the Watch have been granted attunements from Beleth, at Mourdant's recommendation. This is not unusual - allied Archangels often gift each other's Servitors with Attunements or Rites. However, it is whispered that some among the Watch have been given Beleth's terrible Harrowing Attunement as well...

</Sidebar>

Exiles:

Baal: Baal has always acted to prove his own courage rather than his intelligence. He first consorted with Lucifer not because he believed in the rightness of the Lightbringer's cause, but because he wanted to prove himself brave enough to stand before God himself and not show fear. When Lucifer won, Baal did not take his place by Laurence's side, but instead set himself up in challenge to Lucifer himself. He is no Exile because he believes in the rightness of that cause. He is merely fighting the strongest enemy once again. If they won tomorrow and restored Heaven to its old ways, Baal would champion whatever force rose in opposition then. His is the opposite of what Holy Fear seeks to promote - he acts contrary to the lessons of Fear even if the world and Heaven alike burn.

Blandine: Oh ... my beloved ... what have I done to you?

David: They say the battle shattered David - he is the opposite of Baal, having been constant with Heaven, only to be broken with the defeat of the old ways. And, having had his fears confirmed, he is destroyed by them, leaving him broken and useless. His is the ultimate price that fear seeks to counsel against, and he is useful as an example. Sadly, he is useful for nothing else.

Dominique: There are many responses to fear - the wise man learns from fear and obeys those lessons. The fool cannot take the lessons and instead seeks to expunge the fear from themselves, sometimes violently. Dominique has failed in the lessons of Fear, and has put out her eyes rather than confront it. Justice, they say, is blind. Sadly, bravado is too - she is of no use as judge or opponent now, but instead stands only as a fool.

Eli: I feel badly for him. Once upon a time he could make me smile and laugh - and now I know he understands fear. Fear changes his life, his way of seeing and doing things. He is very scared now, and I feel so sorry for him. But I cannot ... dare not comfort him. He must react to what frightens him, or else the world itself may suffer...

Haagenti: Perhaps my truest enemy among the Exiles. He embraces humanity and extols them to strive, to seek, to push into the unknown with joy and zest, and without either concern or prudence. His lessons ignore the dangers of the world and let mankind out into the dark places. And once they are there, they can only fail and falter, alone, without Haagenti to prop them up. He must be destroyed - he must be destroyed, lest he lead the children of man into death and destruction!

Malphas: There are many that see a difference between the Malphas of the Exiles and the Malphas among us. I do not. They both serve the same purpose, ultimately. They both have their uses. One must be clever how one approaches it, is all.

Lilith: This one I cannot stand. It is entirely her fault, you know. She asserted herself and defied God's will. That led to all the trouble that followed. Then, she found a way to unlock the Exiles, sealed away by Lucifer's decree. She has earned death many times over - she must know true fear, and then she must know pain, and then she must die, horribly. So must it be.

Novalis: Novalis ... the gentle one ... oh, I feel her pains, and I fear so much for her. She I would take all the pains away from, if I could. She I would comfort, and restore to the world, if I could. She is beyond where I can touch. Be as good to hers as you can, and as gentle as possible, without ever letting them forget the lessons of fear. She deserved a better world. She deserved a better friend.

Nybbas: Gebbeleth's antipathy to this one would be reason enough to despise him. However, in the name of 'communication' he consistently fails humanity. He makes promises he cannot keep. He makes all problems resolvable in twenty-two minutes, minus commercials. He promises a world where nothing can hurt mankind, then leaves them to the real world unprepared for the pain in the night. He takes the terrible, frightful majesty of the Divine and makes it as plain and uninspiring as an infomercial. That Nybbas is given a position of importance is reason enough to believe the Exiles are wrong in all ways, and must be stopped.

Ogiel: The implacable foe. He knows fear - he knows the fear of failing a memory of a creator who himself failed. He has taken that lesson and turned it into a driving, hungry need to destroy, starting with us. He will not touch me! He will not besmirch me! The Terror exists because of him, and if humanity itself must die a horrible death to deny him, then they shall die, and he will know the fear of failure again!

<Sidebar>

Beleth is afraid of Ogiel.

It is said that Beleth is paranoid, and certainly she is afraid of many things. But Ogiel is the fear she can put a face to. The former simpleton made a being of destruction, devoted to killing her. When she hears the noises in the castle that she cannot explain, she feels the clutch of horror that Ogiel has made it within and is going to kill her.

It is possible that Ogiel, in terrifying Beleth so completely, has cost his side tremendously. Beleth has always wondered in her heart if she made the wrong choice, and wondered if she should cross over to the Exiles. However, Ogiel's presence among them forever keeps her too scared to cross the Vale, to seek out shelter. The Archangel of Resistance would surely kill her if she tried, she is certain. Ogiel's forces have tried to use the domain of Holy Fear to enter Heaven for millennia, and in her horror against him Beleth has forged the Terror - the tangible representation of her own Fear, and as such the most terrible of Angels. In her fear of Ogiel, Beleth has created the means for the maddening and destruction of humanity itself.

For now, those means have not been used. Mourdant does not fear Ogiel or anything else - he is perhaps the only Angel of Fear who has no fears himself. And Mourdant recognizes that the balance of terror - the knowledge of the devastation that the Terror could unleash but doesn't - keeps Ogiel, Uriel, Soldekai and the others at bay - unwilling to do more than hit and run tactics and keep the Terror off balance.

Perhaps Ogiel regrets the course he has taken - the sheer horror that he represents for the Archangel of Fear. But if so, he is resolute, fighting a War he knows is just. And as long as he fights, Beleth remains scared, and that fear continues to fuel her response.

One wonders if there is something more terrible than the Terror, which might be waiting...

</Sidebar>

Raphael: One I respect ... I miss ... oh how I miss her. She always seemed to understand, no matter what you said to her. She would nod slightly and tell you something that you hadn't considered, but made such sense - she would draw it out of your own words, and you could feel the truth of it. Oh I miss that so much. I wish I could sit down with her and tell her everything, and have her help me sort it all out. But I can't. She's gone, down with the Exiles, and I can't talk to her ... I don't dare talk to her. Oh, I miss her...

Uriel: I ... can respect Uriel, even though he is my enemy and I will see him destroyed, to protect me and mine. He's not like Ogiel or Soldekai - it's not personal between us. I respect him, as I would respect any man of great personal faith. His faith is all turned sideways now, and I must be wary of how he turns the Ethereals - forever keeping the Terror tuned to strike at Uriel and his allies if need be. He would kill me, and I will kill him. But I can respect him. Destroy his Servitors and their works.

<Sidebar>

Mourdant, Commander General of the Terror, is a Malakite. And, like all Malakim, he sees Uriel as the King, the first, most pure Malakite, the greatest of the breed.

Many Malakim among the Host, if they had to face Uriel himself on a regular basis, would be sorely tempted to turn - the Order they respect so much cries out for Uriel to be at its head, just below Lucifer himself, and the Barons know it.

Mourdant does not suffer from this malady. His honor and the Order he follows clearly shows that his Archangel has set him to fight a War - one that Uriel is his enemy in. To Mourdant, any failure to respect the lines of battle and the understanding of enemy versus enemy is itself spitting in the eye of Purity. A true Malakite could never so dirty himself - the enemy is the enemy and must be fought and destroyed.

Which means the only way he can honor Uriel appropriately is to destroy Uriel and his works utterly. Mourdant has no problem with this. No problem at all.

Uriel's attitude is not known.

</Sidebar>

Vapula: A strange little Angel with strange little fears - Vapula really doesn't matter to me. Science and technology frightens many people, though, and that is both useful and serves well to keep Vapula at bay. Not a significant concern at this time.

Outcast:

Beelzebub: Potentially useful, so long as Ogiel and Uriel despise him. Do everything possible to force the so-called Archangel of War into the battle - prey upon his Servitors' pride and fears - so often they reflect one another. Keep him at odds with those that follow his predecessor's name, and then offer him what support we can afford. As I said, potentially useful, so long as he doesn't get ideas.

Jordi: I ... am afraid ... I cannot discuss Jordi at this time.

Fleurity: A damnable nuisance, and one that must be - must be - dealt with in the fullness of time. Solace can be a useful thing, but it must be metered out appropriately, that the lessons of Fear not be lost. Fleurity would sooth Fear out of existence if he could, and he must not be allowed to. He must not be allowed to. Do you know of the mothers who injure or sicken their own children, that they might collect the sympathy and concern of their friends for having a sick child? Fleurity leads them down that path. But Fleurity is not an active concern like Ogiel or Soldekai.

Gabriel: She is against me - I have never done anything to her, and yet she is against me, and would burn me away if she could. Well, I know her Fears. I know that in the dark of the night she is afraid she has madness without the spark - that she is destruction alone now. I know this, and I know she cannot possibly affect the whole. Do not let her bolster the damnable Soldekai's forces. Do not let her become a co-hostile with her damnable son.

Mariel: I ... have always liked Mariel. Always. And she and Gebbeleth had ... have ... ? a bond that I respect. So, help her where you can. Remember - when a lesson is forgotten, the Fear is wasted. Help her keep Memory alive, that the fear never dies.

Soldekai: A horror -- a plague upon Heaven! He bears up sweet Emmanual's cause and wraps it around himself like some bloody trophy, and sweeps down and strikes at us from all fronts! He hates us! He would kill us all! But he can't! Oh no, he can't - because he's afraid! Afraid of the death of all Hope at the hands of the Terror. Afraid of what he'll push us to do. He won't learn his lesson - the lesson of Fear - but he doesn't ignore what we are and what we can't allow. And one day I will see him lose Hope and give in to Fear and Despair, and then he will die, and then we will see!

White Star: I ... do not know him, nor do I understand him ... but I understand what he represents, to my lost Love. Give him support where he will let you, and let him grow - he does us no harm.