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Before there was any land at all, the great oceans encompassed the world. The angels granted dominion over this vast and powerful realm were called the Nereids, and they were among the most beautiful of God's creations. They were the wellsprings and muses, and their powers resonated with the passions that led to art and quests for insight and truth.
The Nereids were meant to inspire humanity, to beguile them with mysteries and spur them to venture out into the world and discover its many hidden wonders. They were the spirit of longing personified, always alluring, yet ever out of reach. Their power gave them the keenest insight into human desires, but God's design ensured that the vast gulf of the sea would always stand between them. It was not long before they lamented their duty to Heaven and the love they bore for mankind. Looking back, many Defilers believe that had Lucifer not stepped forward to raise the banner of revolt, it would have only been a matter of time before a Nereid did the same.
The Fall galvanized the Defilers, who used their powers to inspire both mortal and rebel angel alike in the struggle against Heaven. They became living symbols of the struggle, reflecting the best qualities of the resistance and spurring others to do the same. More importantly, they sustained the morale of the rebels, even in the darkest days of the war, healing spiritual wounds that no Scourge or Devourer could touch. The devotion these fallen inspired led to some of the most heroic exploits of the war, becoming the foundation for romantic epics that still resonate in mankind's collective soul.
The loss of the war was a terrible blow for the Defilers, who never wavered in their conviction that the rebellion was just. Although they were more accustomed to isolation than most of the fallen, the Defilers were among the first to succumb to the agonies of the Abyss, excising the pain of their loss with hot knives of hate.
Now that the gates of the Abyss are broken and the Defilers are free once more, they are able to work their wiles in a civilization that prizes appearance above all. They can lead men and women to acts of obsession, jealousy and desire that ruin families, end careers or topple entire governments. Yet they can also encourage humanity's understanding of philosophy, fellowship and art, and provide a vision of beauty amid the bleak reality of the modern world. They were created as living mysteries, dangerous and beguiling, meant to inspire acts of courage and strength that fuel the growth of the human soul.
Factions: Defilers are most likely to be Faustians or Raveners, In the first case, they have become captivated by humanity — reacting with delight, or at least respect, to the renewed relationship with mankind. The Raveners act like spurned lovers, exacting an often subtle (but always unforgettable) revenge on those who have inflicted such a crushing betrayal. They break hearts and minds, and spread discord so as to watch groups crumble under bitter recriminations and violence.
Alternatively, some Defilers are disappointed by modem human civilization, and yet still become Faustians. They yearn for the beautiful vision they had before the war, and recognize that humans are an essential part of that.
Some Defilers may be well be fascinated by the quests of the Luciferans or Cryptics, depending upon their associations and experiences in the war. Very few of them become Reconcilers, though. Even if they wished it, most Defilers know that there is no going back to paradise, and now that the old barriers have been broken, they cannot be rebuilt.
Prelude: Defilers are drawn to the vain and the passionate. Their hosts are unlikely to have been spiritual or logical thinkers in life, but rather people with a deep joy in the physical and the immediate. They weren't necessarily promiscuous, but were just as likely to have spent all they had on the latest fashions or the fastest toys. Often they were obsessed with trivial things, constantly fine-tuning the present so as to ignore the grand sweep of changes around them.
Idealists who attract a Defiler are not interested in abstract theories and pragmatic realities, but in immediate action to change the world. The most farsighted candidates are artists who try to reflect vast slices of reality within their work, sure that they can capture the intricacies about them. Other candidates might have been more profoundly affected by matters of the flesh. Those who have loved deeply or often and been denied, those who have supported a cause and been betrayed by it — these people might also be caught up in the present, where self-pity and thoughts of petty revenge replace true grief or anger. Another category of likely hosts are those who have suffered for their art in a literal sense: starving artists, failed writers and skid row musicians who have had their spirits broken by rejection, debt and addiction.
Faith: Harvesting faith is a tricky act for many Defilers, because they are unused to close human contact. Getting people's attention is easy; focusing it is not. With indiscriminate use of her lore, a Defiler can gather a large group of followers very quickly (and possibly cause a few riots in the process), but such a crowd is of little use to her. Blind adulation and self-destructive longing is not faith, although with patience, it may provide a foundation on which to create it. In essence, a Defiler must convince her followers that they are worthy of such gifts as she gives them. Many of those gifts involve expanding perception out beyond the demon and into the larger world. They allow thralls to develop their knowledge and, more importantly, their intuitive understanding of their surroundings.
This could be a general feeling of enlightenment, or a more specific focus on a particular topic. It often manifests as works of art or expression In more direct forms, such as political or social activism. Such understanding often comes with renewed confidence as well, which might withstand even supernatural fear or coercion.
Character Creation: Social Attributes are paramount. All of them are important, and regardless of the condition of the host's body, an Appearance of 3 should be a bare minimum. Talents such as Empathy, Intuition and Subterfuge are instinctual, as is Survival. The Defilers' origin as water spirits gives them a litheness that usually translates to a high Dexterity and good ratings in Dodge and Stealth, and perhaps Brawl as well. Most are not concerned with detailed knowledge of modern academics and related subjects, and they see human politics as vulgar.
Starting Torment: 3
House Lore: Lore of Longing, Lore of Storms, Lore of Transfiguration
Weaknesses: Defilers can be frustrating, contrary creatures who can strike off on tangents and drag a whole party along into a spiraling morass of trivialities. They can overplay a deception well beyond the end of its usefulness, and can turn petulant and stormy with little provocation. To avoid this, they often just need a little room. The more ordered and claustrophobic a situation gets, the more likely they are to snap at their partners, do something unadvised or just wander off in a different direction. But such behavior is hard to predict, and it may even manifest itself days after the catalyst for it, if at all.


Devils: Defilers often look on the Devils with distrust, because it seems the Devils are still trying to impose their vision on the world in spite of a thousand years of tragedy. Once they were the voice of God, now their only message is hateful demagoguery.
Scourges: There are many similarities between the two Houses, being concerned with the physical elements and the mysteries of life. This makes for easy friendships and an inclination to trust the Angels of the Wind, a tendency that occasionally leads to tragedy.
Malefactors: This House holds the most interest and attraction to the Defilers, because the Malefactors seem to truly grasp the intersection of beauty, mystery and function, even if only in the inanimate.
Fiends: Defilers don't really understand this House and the areas over which it holds dominion. The Fiends favor intuition over cold reason, which they see as anathema to a sense of true wonder and inspiration.
Devourers: There is a strange kinship between the Defilers and the Devourers, or so the Defilers believe. Both were given dominion over the wild and are, in a way, concerned with matters of flesh.
Slayers: To a large extent, the Defilers see the Slayers as kindred spirits who understand the pain of real loneliness and isolation, though the Slayers' moodiness and tendency toward introspection puts a strain on their relationship.

The House of the Wild was granted dominion over every living thing that crawled, ran, flew or slithered across the earth. As the wilderness spread across the earth, the Angels of die Wild wove the countless strains of life into an intricate tapestry of beauty, majesty and power. The Angels of the Wild fulfilled their duties with solemn pride and a strong sense of personal honor, governing their realm with justice and compassion.
The birth of humanity was a source of both wonder and consternation for the Angels of the Wild. While God made it clear that mankind was meant to master the wilderness and every living thing within it, they were completely ignorant of its ways. This presented the angels with a paradox: Their duty was to protect and preserve the wild, but the greatest threat to the natural order was the ignorance of humankind, which they were forbidden to interfere with. For all their reputation as impetuous, instinctual beasts, the Angels of the Wild were the most reluctant of the Host to consider defying the will of Heaven. In the end, though, those who joined the ranks of the fallen believed that there was no other way to be true to their mandate.
Once committed, however, there were none braver or more devoted than the Devourers, who filled the ranks of the rebel legions and fought their former comrades without quarter across the length and breadth of Paradise. The Devourers were feared and respected by both sides, and they never lost their belief in final victory, even at the very end. At first, the Devourers accepted their exile stoically, but separation from the living world eventually took its toll. Worse, the disappearance of Lucifer was a terrible blow to the spirit of the House as a whole, leading many to feel a deep sense of betrayal. As their anger and pain grew, they reverted more and more to their feral nature, trading reason and guilt for mindless instinct.
Upon their escape from the Abyss, the Devourers were shocked to discover how much the world had changed. The humans they fought and suffered for had forgotten all they had been taught after the Fall, raping the world of its dwindling resources and driving whole species into extinction. This realization was the last stroke for many Devourers, who surrendered completely to their monstrous urges in the desire to make mankind suffer for its crimes against nature. For the rest, the pain of the dying earth was enough to shake them from their fugue and spur them to restoring the earth and pulling mankind back from the brink of annihilation.
Factions: Devourers tend to fall into one of two factions, depending on how well their convictions weathered the agonies of the Abyss. Many Devourers still believe that their loyalty to Lucifer and the cause of the fallen must still be honored, and their newfound freedom comes with an obligation to reform the ranks of the infernal legions and resume the war against Heaven. Those who aren't Luciferans tend to become Raveners, as their sense of betrayal after the war and humanity's destruction of nature drives them to seek bloody vengeance on God's beloved children.
Outside these two factions, the next largest group of Devourers can be found among the Reconcilers. The Devourers in their ranks tend to be those who are weary of war and bloodshed, and feel that the only way they can atone for their past crimes is to rebuild the gardens that time has destroyed.
Less common are Devourer Cryptics, though a significant number seek answers to the manner of Lucifer's disappearance, both for the sake of their own honor and out of respect for their lost leader. These Devourers enjoy more success than might be expected, because other fallen frequently underestimate their intelligence and cunning. Rarest of all are Devourers who follow the call of the Faustians, simply because deception is so foreign to their nature, and they chafe at the patience required for elaborate schemes. Those who are loyal to the faction do so because they believe that the only way to restore the earth is to subjugate mankind.
Prelude: On the surface, it would seem that Devourers would be drawn to people such as soldiers, drug dealers, gang members or police officers, individuals who have eroded their souls through lives of violence. Yet they are also drawn to stockbrokers, sales persons, fire fighters and political activists — individuals who pit themselves against enormous odds and are often emotionally scarred by the experience. Unsurprisingly, Devourers are also drawn to hosts who share an obsession to protect — or exploit — animals and nature. An environmental activist whose zealous crusades have cost him his own humanity or a cold-hearted poacher are equally likely possibilities, depending on the demon's personality.
Faith: Devourers are masters at the art of reaped Faith. Indeed, their impulsive nature makes them more comfortable with such short-term gains than nearly any other demon. Low-Torment Devourers are usually careful to restrict their reaping to criminals or individuals who by their actions are actively destructive to their environment. Even then, they avoid killing the individual if possible, preferring to gain Faith through acts of pain or terror in the hopes that the victim will take the experience as a warning and mend his ways.
High-Torment Devourers are less discriminate when choosing their victims. Anyone, even mortals who are sympathetic toward the demon's cause, can be a target. Faith is Faith, and such demons will take it wherever they find it, usually killing the victim in the process.
Devourers are drawn toward strong, aggressive individuals as thralls. They can be individuals who are no strangers to violence, such as gang members, soldiers or cops. Conversely they can be driven intellectuals, political activists, corporate raiders or entrepreneurs. When it comes to thralls, Devourers have no use for the weak or timid.
Character Creation: It's no surprise that the feral Devourers favor Physical Attributes above all, but Mental Attributes come in a close second. Many Devourers have at least two dots in Alertness, Animal Ken, Brawl, Dodge, Intimidation, Survival and Stealth. They may also inherit dots in Firearms and Melee from their hosts. The less-common socially oriented Devourers tend to have high Intimidation and Leadership Abilities, as well as knowledge appropriate to their profession. These Abilities are often balanced out with some degree of Athletics, but combat-oriented Abilities are less common, at least initially.
Devourers draw upon a variety of backgrounds. Thralls are a favored choice, forming a pack that the demon calls upon when needed. Additionally they may also have allies and contacts to help them out, usually inherited from the host. More social Devourers may have careers in which they wield influence and have high Resources ratings.
Starting Torment: 4
House Lore: Lore of the Beast, Lore of the Flesh, Lore of the Wild
Weakness: Devourers have never been known for their tact, and most never know when to keep their big mouths shut. In situations where diplomacy is essential, Devourers can be brutally honest and quick to anger, prone to starting fights at the slightest provocation. It's fairly common for a Devourer to make a delicate situation worse simply by showing up.
Because of their lack of social skills, many Devourers can be easily manipulated. Some demons trick them into serving as bodyguards or assassins by playing off their sense of honor and obligation. Such manipulations are not without risk, however, for if the Devourer ever sees through the charade, he won't hesitate to seek immediate and bloody revenge.


Devils: During the war, Devourers respected the Devils as noble leaders who sacrificed so much for the cause. Their mortal connections are respected, and they always seem to have opportunities for combat.
Scourges: On the field of battle, Devourers would rather fight with the Scourges than against them. The suffering that their power inflicts, however, alienates all but the most Tormented Devourer.
Malefactors: The Devourers enjoy a close kinship with the Malefactors, going back to the days when the two Houses worked hand-in-hand prior to the Fall. Devourers respect and admire the demons of the earth, and consider them friends until proven otherwise.
Fiends: The Devourers have little patience and less understanding for the Fiends and their arcane pursuits. The movement of the planets and the groupings of stars seem trivial compared to the visceral joy of the hunt.
Defilers: Devourers love the Defilers for their passion and inspiration, but their mercurial nature exasperates the steady, driven Devourer.
Slayers: The Devourers treat the Slayers with an equal amount of respect and pity, admiring their dedication to an onerous and painful calling.

On the third day, God separated the seas from the land, and He gave stewardship of the land to a select group of angels. Named Artificers, these Celestials governed — and loved — the earth and all that lay within it. To them was given an affinity with soil, gems and stone; with the fires that smoldered below the earth's surface; and most especially, with metal To the Artificers was also given the responsibility of helping humanity use the earth — to till the fields, dig up the metals and to craft the tools they would need to shape their world. The angels took to their task willingly, eager to share their love for the earth with their charges.
But humanity was not equipped to deal with such responsibility. They tried to use the miraculous toots of the angels, but they were unable to make them work properly, if at all. Humanity became resentful of their hidden teachers and feared them for their perfection, while the Artificers grew confused and bewildered, unable to relate to humans in the same way they related to the predictable elements of earth and fire.
When war erupted between the rebel angels and the forces of Heaven, many of the Artificers gravitated toward Lucifer's side. They felt rejected by the humans they had tried to love, and angry with the Creator, who had tied their hands by forbidding angels to help humans directly. Moreover, they sided with the rebels because they felt that only their peers understood them, loved them, when the humans had simply refused to do.
When the rebels lost the war and were imprisoned in Hell, the Malefactors found it difficult to cope — separated from the earth and fire that was their reason for being. This terrible loneliness made most Malefactors cold and withdrawn, unable to interact well with even their fellow demons. They became cunning and thoughtful, preferring careful planning and patience to the emotional upheavals of anger and immediacy. Now, released from Hell, Malefactors find themselves in a world transformed.
Humanity has finally embraced the use of tools and become a race of makers, but in doing so, they have ravaged the earth and left it wounded and unloved. Those Malefactors still in the service of Hell swallow their pain and look for new opportunities to create havoc among humanity.
For the fallen, the world is an open wound, and the urge to simply break down and cry is sometimes overwhelming. But if the world is to be healed, then the Malefactors must bear their pain and get to work, just as they did millennia ago.
Factions: Most Malefactors are Faustians, and have been since the final days of the war. With their penchant for manipulating humans with their poisoned chalices and cursed gifts and their desire to push humanity back into a subservient and respectful position, this Faction is a natural fit for the House.
Reconcilers form the next largest bloc within the Malefactors, especially among the fallen. For all their attempts to stop caring about the world, these demons can never truly sever their link to the land and nature. Loose in the world, many Malefactors are overwhelmed by a forgotten love, and they push aside old hurts to try to redeem themselves.
Malefactor Cryptics bend their natural cunning and intelligence toward unraveling the mysteries of the war and the Fall. For many Malefactors, this faction lends them a purpose they sorely need and is unlikely to push them into contact with humans.
Luciferan Malefactors are not very common. Most were too hurt and emotionally damaged by the Fall to retain faith in their Lost leader. However, hope dies hard even in demons, and there are some Luciferans in this House. These demons tend to treat the Luciferan. Cause as a holy calling and throw themselves into it with great passion.
With their love of the earth and of tools — things that are crafted over time and with great care — an appetite for pure destruction is something rarely felt by these demons. Those few who do belong to the Ravener faction are terrifying indeed, often the most destructive and violent of the faction.
Prelude: Upon their escape from Hell, Malefactors usually gravitate toward souls that are as emotionally damaged as their own. Malefactors are in many ways lonely, insecure beings — separated from the earth that they once held closest. Their hosts tend to be similar individuals — lonely, needy people who have always felt that something was lacking in their lives, something that would have made them complete. Good examples of such individuals are drug addicts, the ugly or disfigured, people who cling to abusive spouses or teenagers trying to modify themselves with tattoos and piercings.
Another strong group of candidates are people who are alienated from other humans, and are more comfortable with machines or the earth — this matches the Malefactor psyche very closely. This is a broad category, which could include anything from a computer hacker who's only comfortable online to a sociopath who sees other people as merely things to an environmental activist who despises humans for despoiling the planet.
Faith: Malefactors often find it difficult to gather Faith from mortals, due to two factors. First, of course, is the fact that they have difficulty understanding and relating to humans, who aren't as predictable and dependable as stone. Being unable to truly know humans, Malefactors find it difficult to easily inspire them.
A greater impediment of sorts is the Malefactor's reliance on his tools and magical artifacts. A mortal will no doubt be dumbstruck and awed by the powers of a magic mirror, but that doesn't mean she'll automatically associate the mirror with the demon who made it or gave it to her. Unless the human makes a strong connection between the item and the Malefactor, the Faith simply vanishes into the ether.
When reaping Faith from mortals, a Malefactor must do so using an item he has created. This might be a mundane item — such as a silver knife used to flay a victim's skin away — or a miraculous creation, like a mirror that shows a mortal's inner beauty. The demon can use different tools whenever he attempts to reap Faith — the important thing is that the item is something he crafted himself, and that the mortal focuses on the item as her Faith is collected.
Malefactors are drawn to the same sort of people who attracted them as a host — the lost, the needy, the damaged. In particular, Malefactors tend to target people who are looking for something that will fix their life, end their problems — a concrete solution, not a metaphysical concept. The nerd who wants to be handsome, the writer stymied on his new book, the paraplegic wanting her legs back — these are people who can be "helped" by a Malefactor, who can build a computer that inspires creativity or a mask that makes the wearer an Adonis.
Character Creation: Malefactors tend to emphasize Mental Attributes, particularly Wits, which governs creativity and cunning. As miners and workers, they also tend to have good Stamina and Strength ratings. Social Attributes are often low, due to the difficulty Malefactors have in relating to humans — although Manipulation is often emphasized, as the demons have some talents for using humans as tools.
To reflect their status as demonic inventors, almost all Malefactors have high Crafts ratings. Many also have excellent Research ratings. Subterfuge is popular — while Malefactors don't have the natural propensity for manipulation that Devils have, they work hard to transcend their shortcoming.
Starting Torment: 3
House Lore: Lore of the Earth, Lore of the Forge, Lore of Paths
Weaknesses: The primary weakness of this House is a problem with understanding human beings. Humans are unpredictable, messy creatures, and the demons find it very difficult to come to grips with them, even after pillaging the memories and personalities of their hosts.
The demons are even slightly frightened by humanity. The Malefactors were confused and badly hurt by humanity's rejection, and fear of further rejection can subconsciously subvert and influence a demon's plans and actions.


Devils: Malefactors often envy these smooth-tongued manipulators, who play upon human frailty so easily. For Malefactors, this takes effort and concentration, so they resent the Devils' skills.
Scourges: Air and earth do not mix, nor does plague touch stone. The Malefactors see the Scourges as inconsequential at best, nuisances at worst.
Fiends: Prophecy, portents and the movements of the stars — what do they matter in the grand scheme of things? Malefactors are practical demons, and they see the Fiends as useless.
Defilers: Like the Malefactors, the Defilers understand creation. They respect the Defilers, but they do not necessarily trust them.
Devourers: Malefactors do not understand the point of short-lived, messy animal life. Malefactors prefer to keep Devourers at arm's length, but they respect their strength.
Slayers: Human life and human death are both mysterious and fairly irrelevant to the Malefactors, who prefer the company of undying stone. They give the House respect, hut little attention.

The last of the Celestial Houses, the Angels of Death were given the melancholy task of undoing all the wonders that that their peers created, ending lives and erasing great works so that others may follow in their place. It was a solemn role amid the many glories of the cosmos, but the reapers were as content in their labor as any angel — until the birth of mankind.
Like the other Celestials, the Reapers loved humanity and dedicated themselves to keeping Eden vibrant and dynamic, but mankind in its ignorance regarded the death of animals and plants with fear and sadness. Their reaction shocked and pained the Reapers, who longed to assuage mankind's fears but were forbidden by God's commandments. When Lucifer raised the banner of rebellion, many Reapers joined in the Fall for no other reason than the desperate desire to be loved instead of feared. Then came Heaven's tragic counterstroke.
The penalty for mankind's disobedience was the curse of mortality. Now the Slayers were forced to end the lives of the people they loved, and the pain they felt only alienated them further from mankind and the fallen alike. Though many served and earned terrible reputations as warriors and champions in the War of Wrath, the Slayers as a whole found themselves at the fringes of the conflict, focusing more of their energies to easing the deaths of humanity rather than contributing further to the slaughter.
Now in the wake of their mysterious release, the Slayers find themselves in a world that has suffered greatly in the absence of those meant to govern the ways of aging and death. The plight of the world and mankind convinces many Slayers that the only recourse left is to usher in the final night and grant the world a merciful death. A determined few, however, sec the damage that has been done and believe that by restoring the balance, the Slayers might finally earn the peace and understanding from humanity they've craved all along.
Factions: Very few Slayers are Luciferans, because they were not fiercely loyal to Lucifer in the first place. He was the center of the rebellion, and they were at the fringes, concentrating more on saving humans and subverting the enemy's plans than winning battles. There are more Faustian Slayers, but most of the House that are focused on humanity's potential actually become Reconcilers instead, turning their passion into a quest for God, and working toward re-creating the world as it was before the revocation of immortality.
They do not see the encouragement of mankind's self-reliance to be useful, because they believe protection from death can only be granted by God Himself. Otherwise it's a closed system, and no amount of confidence, evolution or purification will suffice. The Cryptics attract quite a number of Slayers, because the abstract and investigative nature of the faction suits many of their House. The Raveners attract their fair share as well. The members may say they have various reasons — that they are carrying out their God-given duty, or that they are strengthening the ranks of the spirits to lay siege upon Heaven, or that in the absence of God they have become the judges of mankind. But it's usually just a great envy of the living that leads them to delight in destruction, over and over again.
Prelude: Slayers are drawn to those who care little about their life — their hosts are far more likely to have destroyed their spirits by attempting suicide than any other House. People confronted by daily crime or violence are also particularly susceptible; cops, soldiers and addicts, for example. With every blow, directed at themselves or at others, they crumple inward a little more. Refugees, or victims of torture, and abuse are other candidates. Then there are those whose souls have been worn down to nothingness by banality and neglect, who run blades across their skin simply to feel any sensation they can.
There are more reasons for soulnessness than despair, however. Somebody who has spent a lifetime helping others, abandoning any thoughts of recompense, may attract a Slayer. People who are truly devoted to a religion or philosophy that focuses on the next life at the expense of their current one—or which holds that physical experience and desire is an illusion — are also suitable.
Faith: Philosophically, this House is in a difficult position when it comes to gaining followers and reaping Faith. Mankind was not meant to die, so Slayers trying to restore Paradise (mostly Reconcilers and Cryptics) must somehow lead humans to overlook their mortality — and the demon's place in their lives. For those preaching rebellion against God, death is the ultimate reminder of failure. Some Slayers seek to bypass these questions altogether.
They work to gather Faith, not as angels of death, but simply as angels. The easiest way to do so is to mimic a member of a different House — Devils (using pride) and Fiends (using secrets) are the most obvious. Another solution is to form a generic Church of All Angels, Church of One God or Humanity Ascendant. Others do make death the central tenet of the relationship with their thralls. Raveners have the easiest time — they can just create a murder cult and be done with it. High-Torment Slayers might not have a choice.
Because of their fascination with all facets of life, Slayers often seek out a diverse group of followers, even if setting up a death-centric sect. They are prone to somewhat arbitrary choices — selecting the first passably suitable option, or taking all that seek the demon out. Some even fix on a random face in the crowd and put all their effort into initiating that person, that soul, into the mysteries.
Character Creation: There is no group of Attributes that it is important to emphasize, although Mental is common (and Perception in particular). Strength and Charisma usually decrease below the host's original stats, but Stamina increases. Manipulation can be high, but the use of it might feel somewhat self-conscious.
Awareness, Intuition and Stealth are favored Abilities. Intimidation and Investigation are also good choices, and members of the House seem to quickly pick up a good scattering of knowledge from the world around them, so any would be appropriate. Such Abilities as Leadership and Empathy do not come naturally, but strange things could have happened during the war.
Starting Torment: 4
House Lore: Lore of Death, Lore of the Realms, Lore of the Spirit
Weaknesses: Before the war, Reapers were often shunned by other angels, lending them an air of detachment that often covers an intense scrutiny of the living world. Even the memories of their hosts seem more alien to them than for other demons. They may be adept at unraveling convoluted deceptions, but simpler things, particularly human motivation, can trip them up. And although they keep open and attentive minds, once they have come to a decision, they find it very difficult to admit they may have been wrong. As their Torment increases, their perceptions of the world become clearer even as, paradoxically, they feel further and further removed from it. Most of the damage caused by a high-Torment Slayer is an obsessive desire to make any mark they can upon a reality that is slipping away.


Devils: When called upon to express an opinion, Slayers often seem to be strangely sorry for the devils. Their lies and ambitions might be met with a sad and patronizing smile.
Scourges: There was a lot of enmity between these two Houses during the war. Now the Slayers claim the Scourges as their closest brethren, and discount any previous ill will.
Malefactors: Slayers claim that artifacts - indeed all material objects — are just playthings, distractions from the real concerns of the world. Nonetheless, they seem to be able to work well with the Malefactors, and are happy to remain in their company.
Fiends: Some Slayers say that in the absence of God it is the dead that now ride dreams and shape the patterns of the stars. Therefore, the Fiends make up another House with whom they hold close kinship.
Defilers: The Defilers have bridged the gap between themselves and mankind, a gap that had been as profound as the Slayer's in its own way. Yet all they have done with their new opportunities is to act like spoiled brats and slatterns, or so a Slayer might say.
Devourers: Slayers advise the Devourers against hasty violence and the wasting of life. Nonetheless, they are happy to associate with the House, and they offer advice on numerous other topics as well. Some claim that this seems to manipulate the Devourers into roles as bodyguards, but of course the Slayers disagree.

Spending uncounted ages imprisoned in a lightless, soundless, emotionless void is a pretty harsh punishment, but it does provide one thing. It provides a lot of time to think.
After the initial shock of defeat — after the horror and agony of Hell — even after the despair of untold eventless eons — some fallen have taken a step back and reconsidered their initial assumptions. Some have contemplated, taken stock and tried to puzzle out what went so disastrously wrong. These inquisitive Elohim have reached some startling conclusions.
First and foremost, God's perspective is either omniscient or so removed and all-pervasive as to be nearly omniscient — especially when compared to such limited beings as humans and even angels. If a lowly light like Ahrimal could see trouble brewing, God surely foresaw it ages before that.
Secondly, God is either perfect or (again) close enough to make no odds. Therefore, the angels He created must have been either a perfect model of His desires, or as close to that model as reality could tolerate. While it's possible that the gross stuff of the material world was too weak to support perfect servants, it is unthinkable that God would allow that imperfection to take the form of disobedience. . . unless rebellion was not an imperfection.
Thirdly, Lucifer — as the first among angels and the closest to God in power — must, by virtue of his power and position, be closer to God's ideal than any other. The observed fact that he was the first and best of the rebels is the clinching argument that the rebellion — with the consequent corruption of reality and ghastly punishment of men and Elohim — was actually the enactment of God's plan, rather than a deviation from it.
Now that they are freed from their durance, these Cryptics have taken their logical premises and used them as the foundation for new questions. If God knew about the rebellion, surely He knew about the demons' eventual escape from the abyss.
What, then, is His new plan for His unwitting servants? Since Lucifer was not imprisoned and he answers no summons, what was the Morningstar's fate? Personal destruction for his role as leader? Some other torment, possibly even worse than Hell? Or — most likely — did he escape punishment because he was privy to God's plan all along?
Finally, and most importantly — if the fallen have been God's pawns all this time, is there any way to escape that fate in the future?
Or should they even try?
Rivals: The Cryptics aren't terribly fond of the Raveners—what's to like ?—but they see the Raveners' mad, thoughtless flailing as ultimately meaningless. Like ants on a kicked-over hill, they mill about wildly but accomplish nothing, The Reconcilers are too idealistic, but at least they're asking questions instead of trumpeting specious answers. No, the factions that really bother the Cryptics are the Luciferans and the Faustians. Both groups have the same problems. They talk and they don't listen. They make proud declarations, which mostly reveal the gaps in their logic. They've got their eyes and minds shut, and they pity anyone who lacks their sense of blind, misled mission.
If the Raveners are milling chaotically and the Reconcilers are moping confusedly, the Luciferans and Faustians are building industriously — either the same anthill that got kicked last time, or an entirely new one. Neither is pausing to ask what their goals should really be.
Houses: Many Malefactors find their way to the questioner clique. It's a natural fit for their steady, methodical tendencies. Making up perhaps the most pragmatic House of all, angels of the House of the Fundament seem unusually able to examine their fundamental assumptions without castigating themselves for error. One can almost see them shrug and hear them mutter, "It didn't work. What will?"
A more fervently inquisitive House is that of the Slayers. While they may ask the same questions as the Malefactors, they have a wounding personal stake in the answers. In the war they were made to bring the atrocity of death upon their beloved humanity, and the guilt and sorrow they still feel demands answers.
Leadership: Ahrimal, the lowly Fate who first foresaw the Age of Wrath, has emerged as one of the most strident and influential of the Cryptics. His position among the fallen is a strange one, though. Famous (or infamous) as one of the architects of revolution, the lowest angel to be named a prince by Lucifer, he is now one of the most insistent questioners. He sits athwart many stresses within demonic society: created rank vs. merited authority in the rebellion; loyalty vs. autonomy; hope vs. despair. Admired, respected or merely despised, mentioning his name is generally a good way to start passionate debate among the fallen.
Gipontel, a Fundamental and onetime Archangel, represents a more accessible faction of the Inquisition. A self-appointed coalition-builder, he encourages Cryptics to make truces with other factions and even ally with them in order to observe, understand and maybe even learn. If their contributions foster a more open and inquisitive attitude in others, is that such a bad thing?
Goals: Access to information — demonic, scientific, human historic, mythological or "other" — is an over-arching Cryptic urge. Any particular datum could hold a vital clue.
More immediately, the Cryptics have established their primary stronghold in Atlanta, Georgia, and they are rapidly beefing up ancillary safe houses in Dallas, Chicago and Washington, DC in the United States. Basically, they're aiming to get a tough cadre in place at every major airline hub. They're expanding similarly in Europe, starting from Heathrow in London, Smaller cadres have been assigned to Tokyo, Beijing and Rio de Janeiro. The point of having strong defensive positions near large airports is that it preserves their mobility — and their ability to monitor the travels of other fallen. Their immediate goal is to create an inventory of every fallen who walks the Earth. Learning of the Earthbound has made finding those demons a priority as well.
These master lists — the Scelestinomicon (Book of the Rebels) for fallen, and the Crucianomicon (Book of the Tormented) for Earthbound — are meant initially to form the nucleus of an information network for all fallen. As the Cryptic faction grows, use of them may become more defined — or less open.

Angels are, by nature, creatures of virtue. Even the fallen remember their uncorrupted nature. Some virtues come easily to beings of godlike wisdom and power. But the virtue of humility is not one of them. Nonetheless, the silence of the Abyss gives much time for reflection. Like the Cryptics, the Reconcilers spent their time of imprisonment contemplating deep questions. But where the Cryptics looked outward and back, the Reconcilers looked inward... and forward. Their most essential question was: What if we were wrong?
What if? What if the rebellion was as evil as Michael and the loyal Host said ? What if God's punishing touch was somehow justified by the disobedience of His servants and children? What if Usiel and Lailah were right all along — that by trying to avoid the Age of Wrath, the Unholy Host only made it real? If so—if the construction of Hell was necessary, if the sundering of the facets was merited, if the condemnation of the fallen was just — then what do the fallen do now? Some believe that even in the eleventh hour, the mercy of God can be found. These Reconcilers listen with hope to the stories of Jesus, of Mohammed, of other human prophets and saviors. Maybe God has forgiven mankind- and if He can forgive them, might not His mercy extend to penitent servants as well?
Even if His punishment is eternal, and the Elohim are barred forever from His presence… well, might not the Earth be repaired? Perhaps not restored to the Paradise it was, but something great, and glorious, and maybe even pure, could be raised from the ashes. The fallen have lost much of their power, true, but the world is smaller as well. Surely a third of the Heavenly Host can still improve the universe, can still help and serve humanity?
This is the Reconciler's hope: to make peace with their Maker and jailer. Failing that, they hope to make peace with unending exile.
Rivals: The Reconcilers are modestly friendly toward the Faustians. After all, they share the goal of directly improving the world, even if they don't see eye-to-eye on how to do it or why. They are also open to Cryptics because they think the questions eventually lead to Reconciler answers.
No, the Reconcilers consider their main enemies to be the Luciferans and the Raveners. The Luciferans because their opposition to God is their primary, stated goal. (Granted, it's a goal for the Faustians too, but it seems ancillary to their self-aggrandizement.) That sort of concerted, organized resistance is the sort of thing that makes reconciliation much less likely.
If the Luciferans are despised for their orderly, stupid refusal to face facts, the Raveners are worse for their reckless, chaotic despair and nihilism. It's pathetic when a onetime minister of existence can't conceive a better goal than, "s**t on everything I made."
Houses: As the least destructive goal, reconciliation holds little appeal for antsy Devourers. While the idea of remaking the world might seem tempting to them, the Faustian program — which tends to be more active and less contemplative — gets those Devourers who still retain interest in improving things.
The abstract and long-term nature of the Reconcilers' goals tends to attract more thoughtful and conceptual demons, particularly those of the Second and Last Houses. Scourges and Slayers are both closely tied to human (and cosmic) decay and death, so the promise of renewal and reinvention is clearly attractive to them. Additionally, both Houses tend to feel guilt over the mortality and decline they inflicted on mankind. Of all fallen goals, Reconciliation holds out the most promise of making it up to them.
Leadership: The Devil Nuriel leads the Reconcilers, and her reputation is such to give even the most scornful Ravener pause. Before the Fall, she was the Throne of Inexorable Command. During the rebellion, she was Overlord of Daring Liberation, and many Elohim who oppose her cause still owe their existence to her superbly executed rescue raids during the Age of Wrath.
Nuriel is a warrior who has grown sick of fighting and seeks a better way. While she is the chief speaker (and planner) for the Reconcilers, its real philosophical soul is the Scourge Ouestucati, onetime Archangel of the Ocean Wind. One of the few fallen who is penitent without anger, she leads primarily by example. Her tranquility and hope give hope to others that they, too, may adapt to banishment.
Goals: The immediate goal of the Reconcilers is to take stock of the cosmos and learn as much as possible about its current condition. Doing so means exploring the human condition, so many Reconcilers are travelers, seeking a balanced view of mankind and man's world. They don't stop at the edges of human experience, though. They are seeking the truth about the supernatural as well. Have all the loyal angels really abandoned the world, or do any facets remain, even partially?