Angels, as a Matter of Definition
January 18, 2009
An angel is a being created by God to serve a Function. An angels Function is intrinsically linked to its Name. (Either by purpose or simply by a matter of Hebraic etymology is unimportant to the writers.)
Angels are soul-less, they are animate and have a level of free will, but that will can only be expressed in the fashion in which they carry out their Office. Without a soul they are subject to very little in the way of change.
An angel may go rogue by become Infernal or neutral, thereby joining the Third Host, but in no recorded history has an angel ever returned to a state of grace and become Divine. This subject is the motivation of several key figures in the Third Host storyline.
An angel is most powerful when under the direct Form of their Office, this is also the only time an angel can be properly killed.
Killing an angel is an act of incredible and precise malice. The angel must be fully in the Form of their Office, and must have the Symbol of their Office confiscated in the act of the killing.
An angels Symbol and Form of Office vary wildly from angel to angel, but are always recognizable as such.
Angels are organized by Choirs in Heaven, Bands in Hell, and of little consequence on Earth. Generally speaking the higher rank up the ladder the more powerful the individual, but there are always exceptions particularly when one angel treads on the territory of anther’s Office.
Angels are also a product of human minds. The longer an angel has existed the more likely they have undergone metaphysical evolutionary changes. Depending on what damage has been done to their Office, or what reverence it is held in you will see different affectation to whomever holds that Office.
