User blog:SAmaster/Mamano Fan Creation - Useful Notes on Angels

Habits of Angels
Angels can vary widely by personality, but many enjoy the same activities.

Angels are naturally devout, and as such love and accept the church, and it's sense of community. Likewise, they have a great love of music, particularly choral and church songs, but so long as they lyrics are senseible, they have a love for all types of music, even those sung by Mamano. Some Angels have been known to spare Mamano with beautiful singing voices.

They have a boundless curiosity about Humans and the world they inhabit, and they are woefully uninformed when they first arrive, and it can take several visits to the Mortal Realm before they are adequately aclimated. If you ever meet a young angel, expect to be pestered by all kinds of mundane questions.

As a part of their insatiable curiosity, almost any Angel you ever come across will be an incurable gossip. They are forbidden from speaking any secrets from heaven, something even the most inept Angel will be able to do, but they will not hesitate to peak into the affairs of others. None of this is meanspirited however, they simply believe talking about such things is either a means to spread happy news if the subject in question is good, or a means to fix a problem if the subject in question is bad.

They are likewise invested in stories, whether they be spoken or written, fact of fiction, and are particularly fond of adventures and romances. However amongst the more experienced angels, many have a penchant for philosophy, and will have lengthy discourse about it to those they come across. This is a means to voice their silent doubt of Church doctrine, as otherwise, they would turn to that if a moral or ethical quandry were ever to arise.

They are also widely known for a fondness of sweets, some have been known to bless stands who stock sweets they are particularly fond of.

Many of the more competent Angels are quite proud of their martial prowess, as it took much work for them to get to the stage they are at. They will easily accept friendly duels, and are not opposed to wagering favors or bets over the outcomes of these duels.

Lastly the friendship of an Angel is a great blessing, in the metaphorical sense, to those who recieve it. Male or Female, Angels will treasure these relationships, and spend as much effort being a good friend as in their Angelic duties, and it would do well to accept such offers of friendship, even if it can be a bit taxing at times.

Halo of an Angel
The Halo is one of the most commonly identified traits of an Angel, and all are born with it. It is there inherent grace, and with it lies the ability for all of their divine gifts, save for those given to them by their wings. The Halo is a golden band of light, fixed floating above the head of an Angel. While appearing immaterieal, it can be touched, and grasped, but it is near impossible to remove, and the consequences for doing so are unknown. It is believed, since the Halo is the vessel of an Angels soul, that as long as they have it intact, they can recover from any injury over time. It is also believed that this is why Fallen Angels will retain their Halo's even if they lose their grace.

Perhaps because it serves as a vessel for their souls and divine talents, it can also be used to determine an Angels mood. It grows brighter as they live healthy lives, and dimmer as they become saddened, and as their bodies become injured. It will hum and vibrate as they become more exticed, worried, or othewise aroused, and it will still as they become more calm, concentrated or fall asleep. If they become saddened, it will cool, while if they are happy it will be lukewarm, and if they are elated, it wil become as warm as a well worn bed in the morning. Aside from all this, direct contact with an Angels Halo will slowly fill whoever is touching it with the same emotions the Angel is currently feeling.

Despite floating freely, it is fixed to an Angels head, trying to pull it, will garner the same result as pulling at the angels ear, or hair. Some report that their higher ups will often pull at their Halos in an attempt to grab their attention, or otherwise punish them. Despite being a vessel for their very soul, it is not considered particularly harmful to touch or grab it, aside from the usual invasion of personal space.

Wings of an Angel
The second most identified trait of an Angel, while an Angel is naturally born with a Halo, they must earn their wings as Cherubs. To them it is a symbol of full Angelhood. A Cherub, who are the youngest, most inexperienced of Angels, spend their lives in apprenticeship to earn these wings, and only gain them either by finishing their long apprenticeship to their elder sisters, of by completing a divine quest in the Mortal World. Despite having to be earned, their Wings, are certainly as much a part of their body as their arms or legs.

Once an Angel is granted their wings, it is given a small celebration upon their entering full Angelhood, and becoming a fully fledged Cherubiim, becoming the envy of their Cherub sisters.

The Wings themselves, hold many of the properties that an Angel is known for, that are not held within their Halo. It grants them their ability of flight, as well as granting them greater than normal speed and strength. It also grants them protection, both physical and magical, despite their fragile appearance. An Angel can shield themselves, and those they wish to defend from attacks, by folding their wings infront of them.

Seraphiim are distinguished by having been granted two additional pairs of wings, making for six in total. Each of these wings increases the speed and strength granted to them, making them formidable foes.

The wings of an Angel are usually an incadescent pure white, taking on a golden sheen as they become more powerful. Though always soft to the touch, young angels have very fluffy wings, while more mature angels keep a very elegant look to them, like the wings of a hawk, to the point that some Angels, such as the Valkyries, have them refined almost to the point of a razor. In addition, not only do the number of wings connote the power of an Angel, so to, it is believed, does the size. So in the sense, 'bigger is better', though supposedly there have broken out two camps, those who believe Bigger Wings are better, and those who think Small Wings are cuter. That said, you do not want to be caught between two Angels, rare as it may be, who are in opposite camps.

In previous ages, their Wings were placed beween their shoulder blades, since their corruption by the Succubi, they are now placed at the back of the hips, like the Succubi themselves. As opposed to their Halo's, their wings are seen as a very intimate part of their body. They only let those they are close to touch them, and it is said that the embrace of an angel is one of warmest most comfortable things that could be possibly be experienced.

Angel Feathers
Simply the feather from the wings of an Angel, it is nonetheless very holy, and very magical. It contains in it a trace of magic from the Chief God herself. It is often granted to Hero's or Humans who Angels think fondly of, and carries in it an innate blessing that is granted to whoever is holding it. Tying it to a weapon, or building it into the handle of a weapon grants it a holy property, amplifying Spirit and Magical energy, and burning away Demonic Energy

Despite its frail appearance, and soft, warm touch, these feathers are in fact indestructable, and will only fade so long as they are not cared for.

Angel Feathers lie at the heart of several holy artifacts, and it is believed that they are hidden in many badges of office for the Order.

Angel Tears
The tears of an Angel are considered some of the most Holy Relics to be found. They can not be made on demand, as they must be filled with the emotion needed warrant such tears, and they are rarely bottled during such occassions.

They contain not only great blessings, but are also capable of miraculous feats of healing, and can burn away demonic energy. If one were to place them on a gaping life-threatening wound, they would heal it, if one were to place it on barren soil, the land would become rich and fertile, they are also said to calm seas, and spring oasis. They are even said to be able to turn Mamano Human. The tears themselves are inherently magical, and will give the greatest benefit to whomever they were cried over, some say they could even bring back the loved one of an angel alive and whole once more, but will bring nothing but the greatest of ruin to those who caused them, burning the skin like acid to whomever may have killed an Angels Lover, striking them dead.

Because of their restoritive properties, they are widely sought after even in the Demon Realm as miracle cure-alls for the husbands of Monster Girls.

Powers of an Angel
Angels, being champions of the Chief God, are given many Divine Gifts to help them fight against Monsters, and to aid Humans.

Holy Light
An Angel can take the light around them, and shape it to their will, amplifying it or dimming it. Simply by shaping it to their will, it is made holy, which simply means wrapped in Angelic Spirit Energy. This gives it the ability to aid in the production of Spirit Energy in humans, and dampen the production of Demonic Energy in Mamano. Stronger Angels can use it to slowly burn away Demonic Energy, making Mamano bathed in it for too long to collapse, and they can even use it to turn into weapons, crafting spears or arrows of light to burn away Demonic Energy.

Blessing
An Angel can cast a blessing through small prayers on any they feel deserve it. A blessing in actuality is a simple, yet powerful, luck charm. Those who recieved the blessings of an Angel will come across more money, find themselves at the right places at the right times, they will tend to say the right things more often, and be further away from danger when it strikes. If a place has been blessed, a shop, or holy sight, more people will come across it, people will find their jobs easier to do, and it shall better stand across the withers of time. The strength of the blessing depends on the strength of the Angel. Bear in mind, that the blessings of an Angel will not necesarrily make ones life easier. Sometimes, it may even be the opposite case, as Luck is only given to those who need it. A competent warrior may for instance be in need of money, and thus an Angels Blessing may cause him to wander across a band of thugs. Upon defeating them, he'd have the money he'd need, but only after having gone through a viscious fight. This gives birth to the phrase 'Blessing in Disguise'. In addition any who are blessed by an Angel are resistant to much of the magic, pheromones, and other tricks used by Mamano to ensnare men, in addition to warding them off in an effect similar to that given to a Mamano's claimed husband. The strength of this effect varies on the strength of the blessing, which in turn varies on the strength of the angel. An Angel can also do the reverse, known as Cursing, giving a person or place horridly bad luck, especially in their love lives. Thankfully, Angels are much more likely to give blessings rather than curses. While sometimes an Angel will appear to whomever they are giving blessings to, blessings and curses are most often done while in disguise.

Healing
An innate power of an Angel, many sightings are attributed by the sick and wounded who see Angels as they are lain in bed, or on the brink of death. They will pray for the sick, and ran relieve pain, banish disease, rejuvinate the body, and mend bones. Cherubs can usually do little, but banish colds, and mend scrapes and fractures. Meanwhile Seraphiim can grant lost limbs to those who have lost them, and awaken men and women from dark coma's. Because of this power, some will make pilgrimages to churchs in the hopes of being healed by an angel, or may flag down a wandering Hero who has an Angel as his travelling companion. Of course, to keep from being constantly bogged in healing work, they only help those in dire need, those who can't help themselves, or those who they are close to.

Wayfinding
An Angel can detect the prescence of Holy Artifacts, Sites, and Figures in the Mortal Realm. With training, an Angel can use this as a map and compass, and in theory, should never lose her way. The main purpose of this skill is to guide journeying heros and pilgrims on their way to such locations. In addition with this skill, they can always tell an Angel through their disguise, save for certain Seraphiim masters.

Disguise
Despite what one may think, most Angels Divine Quests are conducted covertly under disguise. Using their magic, they can make their Halo's and Wings vanish until they need to be recalled, and can carry on this disguise on near indefinitely, even if knocked unconscious. While in this disguise, they can take the appearance of a Human, usually that of a very plain girl or woman, meant to pass by unnoticed, though sometimes they use this ability to double for a Human in grave danger. Some of the more adventurous Angels even use this skill as a means to experience the Human World during their quest. It's entirely possible that someone you know, may be an Angel in disguise.

Summoning
An angel is allowed to summon her weapon once she may need it for combat, drawing it from thin air. Likewise she may banish it once she no longer has need of it, and can do the same for any other valuable holy artifact she may own. Some Seraphiim have been known to keep entire armories that they might exhaust over the length of a crusade.

Flight
An ability granted to them through their wings, many fledgling Cherubiim struggle to master their use at first in Heaven, unlike that of Harpy's, their flight is magical in nature, though still requires the use of their wings. Control and experience is needed to lift themselves, any arms and armor they may carry, or any passenger they may hold in their arms. By the time a Cherubiim is deemed fit to visit the Mortal Ream, while not being complete experts, will still be able to competently lift themselves, and fly to their destinations, weather permitting.

Divine Quest
Paramount to the lives of Angels is that of the Divine Quest. Aside from the inner workings of Heaven, these are the Angels main duties, and they take many forms based on the needs of Heaven and the Chief God. These Divine Quests are what for Centuries helped keep Humanity stable, and helped them whether through hordes of monsters. Despite the comparitively little blood that has been spilt during the current age of the Demon Lord, Angels have seen a large increase in these quests due to the turning tide of the war, contributing to their shorthandedness problem.

Blessing
When an Angel is sent to use their powers to bless an person, place, or thing. It may be a farmer down on their luck, a Hero on an adventure, a small tavern, shop, church, or orphanage, or a treasured peice of jewelry, or a crusaders sword. The rank of angel sent to do these tasks depends on the strength of the blessing needed, but they are some of the easiest quests that can be undertaken by an Angel.

Punishment
This is for when a Human commits too many sins without being punished. At best this results in a cursing. At worst, they might hunt them to death. However, if they can, Angels will try to set the person on the path to redemption.

This job also describes work involving the hunting down of a Fallen Angel. As Angels are frequently swamped with work, they go from worst case scenario down, hunting down Fallen Angels who seek to spread debauchery, further the cause of the Demon Lord, and turning fellow Angels and Humans. If they can, they will try to burn away the Demonic Energy within them in a torturous procedure, which rarely works. If they are beyond redemption, they are imprisoned far, far from the Demon Realms in a prison guarded by a Choir of Flaming Swordswomen.

Only the top Angels are given this work, for fear the Fallen Angels may turn their Captors, which has been known to happen. Because of this, many Fallen Angels live comparitively quiet lives, far from Church Dominated lands, so as to escape the notice of these hunters of Fallen Angels.

Guiding
This is when an Angel is sent to accompany a Human, most often a Hero or Pilgrim, to guide them through either particularly dangerous dungeons, or to guide them to a specific artifact they are meant to recover. These angels must be competent in combat to aid their charges during this time. The most commonly sighted Angels are these, as they must reveal themselves to their charges to aid them, though they will often take disguises while travelling otherwise.

Crusade
This is when an Angel is required specifically to fight a foe of the Chief God. It may be a group of Marauders, trying to destroy a church, or other holy site, it may be a horde of invading monsters, or it could be to lead or guide an invasion into a Demon Realm itself. It may even be for the elimination or capture of a specific Fallen Angel.

Angels sent for these quests are always armed and armored. Needless to say, not only are the competent at Combat, they are masters of it. If they sent alone, it will always be a Seraphiim, Valkyries in particular are most often following these kinds of quests. Sometimes entire Choirs of Angels will be sent for these for these missions.

However, for a number of reasons, Angels prefer to avoid fighting the forces of the Demon Lord. The large ammount of Demonic Energy they possess means that it is easy for them to corrupt an Angel, increasing the shorthandedness problem, so they prefer to let the Human armies do most of the fighting in the war. Wild Mamano can easily be dealt with, but they usually fall beneath the eye of the Heaven.

Cupid
Volunteer Cupids take up these jobs. Their goal is to keep Humans falling in love with eachother, and resultingly keeping the population high. Rather, that is their job now, they used to be more concerned in keeping alive the lines of kings, emporers and Hero's, however the reign of the current Demon Lord has caused them to ramp up their game.

Cupids will come to the Mortal Realm to spread love amongst towns, cities, and communities, often around around holidays, and returning to Heaven upon completing their quota. Their are few limits to how they are allowed to operate, and little oversight on these jobs, so long as the job is done, and chaos resulting from their antics does not exceed the norm.

Revelation
A simple job, all that is required is for an Angel to appear before a Human, and recite to them instructions given to them by the Chief God. This is often to point a wandering Hero in the right direction, or to guide a church or kingdom into the right direction.

Protection
A job that entails staying within the mortal realm to guard Holy Sites and Artifacts, this is the domain of the Flaming Swordswomen, who spend their lives guarding such objects, defending them from any save those following the Chief God.

Guardian Angel
One of the many Divine Quests is that of being a Guardian Angel. It is a job that requires competence and Diligince, as it has no set terms for accomplishment. It can last for months, years, even entire lifetimes.

Simply put a Guardian Angel is an Angel sent to guard a Human in the Mortal Realm from harm. Preople who are to be guarded range from aspiring hero's, accomplished hero's, royalty, priests and church officials, or otherwise anyone the Chief God deems need protection.

A Guardian Angel in this case is no different from any other, aside from the fact to them, the Human they are guarding is now considered Holy, and they can sense their charge wherever they are, and can instinctually know whether or not they are in danger. In addition, the Human charge is usually given a powerful blessing for luck, both in that it increases the luck of the Human, and that it causes more good than bad in regards of the charges safety.

Approaches to their target vary from person to person, based on how the Angels feel the target is best approached, and how much watch they must be under. Most appear under disguises, some watching from affar, others befriending their charges. Most Angels who appear to aid a Hero on their quest double as a Guardian Angel for their time together.

These cases are usually assigned to Angels based on merit, as opposed to many of the Volunteer jobs. Each Angel must at least be reasonably competent, and capable of defending themselves, and their charges from harm. Some Flame Swordswoman are assigned to the most endangered of charges.

In the most dire cases, a powerful Angel either a Cherubiim or Seraphiim, will be chose to be reborn as a Human in order to keep tabs on their charge, usually being born as a close relative of their charge or as a future childhood friend. The Angel will lose most of her memories as she grows up, but will always subconsciously seek out her charge for protection. In these cases, a second Angel shall ensure no harm comes to their Human Charge until it becomes necessary for the primary Angel to be reawakened to her true nature. When this happens, despite initially being born as essentially a Cherub, when they are reawakened, they are instantaneously granted their wings, their old memories, and all the powers that go with it. However once reawakened, their memories of their lives as a Human are their primary ones, and they will continue these lives as they continue to guard over their charge.

In addition to having to be constantly on guard for danger, and having to keep their charge protected, their is also a large danger of becoming corrupted. Due to their Succubus instincts, many, many guardian Angels fall for their charges. As long as their Angelic Duties do not interfere with their love, they will more often than not keep their grace. But if that is not the case, almost all Angels will chose their love instead, and become Fallen Angels, taking their charges and fleeing far from the eyes of their Angel sisters.

Love of an Angel
In the last age, the tale of an Angel falling in love with a Human being was not unheard of, in fact, it was a classical story, fondly told. The Angels were devoted, and the Humans, pure of heart. No stories can be truly verified, but even the Angels during this time fancied these stories.

Things, unfortunately, are different in the modern age. Ever since Angels were fundamentally corrupted by Succubi, they all now possess an unconcious desire for Humans as mates. Heaven is officially against this, and falling for a Human is taboo and scandalous, however in dealing with everything else caused by the current Demon Lord, little is done if an Angel were to actually fall for a Human. The simple Realpolitik of the matter is that Angels need to interract with Humans, and many in doing so fall in love. In attempting to prevent, stop, or demonize an Angels love, they will simply end up creating many more Fallen Angels. Instead, so long as an Angel can continue her duties in Heaven, undistracted by her love, then she may continue her dalliance, though not without some prejudice.

Angels are raised to be as pure and devoted as possible, taught to believe the word of the Chief God completely. As part of this, they believe sex is a grueling act that is only used when a couple desires a child, as opposed to an act of passion. However it is beleived that all Angels are hopeless romantics, who believe that love is the ultimate good, capable of solving any problem. It is unkown whether this opinion was so popular before their corruption, but it is the current mode of thought amongst young angels. As such, these girls are quick to fall in love with any Human they spend a significant ammount of time with, and they treasure these friends and companions they make in the Human world.

Many Angels who fall in love have been known to be unable to contain their ecstacy, and will tell anyone they can who will listen without prejudice about the experience. Subjects sucha as these often form the backbone of Angelic Gossip.

When an Angel falls in love, they are often naiive, and clueless as to how to continue, often turning to their friends, or storybooks, and will approach their courtship with much the same diligence and devotion as the Angelic Duties. These efforts can range from endearing to exhausting depending on the Angel. Angels are often known to dote on their partners, constantly striving to make sure they are happy and safe.

Few, if any Angels actively seek out a romantic partner, due to the taboo, but their hearts or soft, simple, and gentle, and any with a good or pure heart is certain to capture theirs, even without really trying. Usually these are traveling companions that they have met during a Divine Quest, or a normal Human they meetwhile under disguise. A distressing ammount of Guardian Angels fall in love with their charges, especially if they were reborn as a Human, even if they were reborn as a blood relative, due to the long ammounts of time they spend with them.

Again, so long as these relationships do not interfere with an Angels duty, or with Church doctrine, these trysts are tolerated. Due to their Succubus instincts, an Angel will be invariably drawn to sex with her romantic partner, regardless of her initial stance on it, but usually their pure love and will keep them from becoming lost to her instincts, and allow her to keep her grace. It is only when an Angel find herself unable to control her desires, and unable to reconcile her Angelic duties with her feelings of love and lust that an Angel will need to fear losing their grace, and becoming a Fallen Angel. Equally thankful, most of these angels who were corrupted by love tend to be more concerned with their partner than causing trouble for her former sisterhood.