Israphel

### Appearance

tall and muscular, ivory white hair, silvery skin, charcoal eyes, sharp features, beard

## Synopsis

Israphel is a celestial servant of the god of light, Pelor. He is also a valkyrie, and the mirror soul to Louche.

## Creation

Israphel and Louche were originally created as valkyries by the goddess of balance, Aedra. At birth, they were split and became mirror souls - two halves of a complete whole, magically and eternally bound to one another.

To this day, the two remain bound to one another. To the same extent that Louche is unable to fully embrace evil and darkness, Israphel is unable to embrace goodness and light. And the more that Louche progresses toward good, the further Israphel is driven to evil.

## Mortal Life

In the Age of Arcana, Israphel was an aasimar, who loyally served the god Pelor in the Gods' War. Despite his loyalty to Pelor, Israphel also had romantic feelings towards Louche, who was, at the time, a tabaxi bard who served Asmodeus. The two fought for opposing factions in the war, but their love for one another was stronger than the divisions that separated them.

## Ascension

Israphel died in the deserts of Chwaka during the Gods' War, in a battle against the forces of Asmodeus within the Imlaq Colossus. He was slain by Mahadi within the Colossus, shortly after the forces of Pelor mortally wounded Louche. His soul was reborn in the Outer Planes as a celestial in the service of Pelor for his heroic sacrifice.

## Relationship with Louche

Over the centuries, Israphel and Louche would occasionally meet up in the city of Sigil. The two had something of a friendly rivalry, albeit at high stakes, as they would compete to try to win souls to accompany them back to their respective domains. They share a mutual love for music, both being musicians themselves, and enjoy competing musically with one another. Israphel plays the ocarina.

Though Israphel recalls his former life as a mortal, Louche does not. Israphel has not seen fit to share the truth of their past with Louche, for personal reasons.

Louche and Israphel have shared mutual feelings of discontent with their roles in the multiverse. As a fiend and a celestial, respectively, they both feel a lack of free will, and a desire to know what it would be like to make their own choices. Before Louche used his wish to become a mortal, he told Israphel vaguely about his plan, leaving him a note saying that he was "going on vacation".

## Plot

Shortly after Louche's disappearance, Israphel used divination magic granted to him by Pelor, and learned about Louche's transformation into a mortal.

Israphel was profoundly affected by Louche's transformation into a mortal, in two ways. First, he knows that Louche's new mortal form will inevitably die, and suspects that he will likely face a horrific afterlife for abandoning his duties in the Hells. Secondly, he took Louche's transformation as something of an inspiration - an escape from the roles that defined both of their destinies in the Outer Planes.

With these motivations in mind, shortly after Louche’s departure from the Hells, Israphel similarly left the service of Pelor, and set about pursuing his own way to be reborn into the Material Plane. Israphel is attempting to revive and inhabit an ancient titan from the Age of Arcana, the Titan of Sapphrius Bay, in hopes of using it for his own mortal coil. Once he is able to accomplish this, Israphel believes he will be able to help Louche ascend to immortality, and that the two will then be able to reside on the Material Plane as rulers, finally free from the rulership of others.

In order to complete this plot, Israphel is working to accomplish two things:

* First, he must find a way to awaken the long-inert Titan of Sapphrius Bay. Israphel has learned the Psalm of Awakening, which was once used to power another great titan, the Imlaq Colossus. He suspects that he will be able to use this Psalm to similarly awaken the Titan.
* Second, he must find a divine titanheart to bind himself to the Material Plane. An artifact sufficiently powerful to host an angel is no small thing, but Israphel has learned that one exists in the Luxturrim Obelisk.

## Relationship With Natalie Shaw

Ten years ago, when Natalie Shaw died, her soul found itself in the city of Sigil - a place with which she had a strong bond over the course of her life. She returned to the place where she once met Louche, but on this occasion, he was not there. Instead, she met with Israphel. Israphel, as was his divine calling, encouraged her to return with him to Elysium. But she refused, insisting that she wanted to remain in Sigil, in hopes of eventually reuniting with her son. It was through this conversation that Israphel learned of Natalie's tryst with Louche, her theft of the Imlaq Amulet, and the existence of Lane Coronato.

## Relationship With Lane Coronato

Israphel began his plot in Karaad, where he eventually found Lane Coronato - who he knew to be Louche's son. Knowing that the Imlaq Amulet was necessary to access the Imlaq Colossus and learn the Psalm of Awakening, and also suspecting that his celestial nature would prevent him from accessing the Colossus' controls himself, Israphel made an arrangement with Lane: if Lane would find a way to retrieve the amulet and use it to help him access to Colossus, then Israphel would take Lane to Sigil.