Gabriel

### Aliases

The Fourth, Lord Seraphim, Herald of Ynoch, Stormcrow, The Lord of Mercy, Saint Gabriel

## Statistics

*"The greatest strength is not found within the body, but within the heart."*

*-Gabriel, the Stormcrow, Lord Seraphim of the Fourth Angelic Legion*

Gabriel is one of the Seraphim sons of Ynoch, and the leader of the Fourth Angelic Legion, the True Heralds. He is among the seven of his brothers who remained loyal to their father when Lucifer led several traitorous brothers in revolt against Ynoch. Among the eldest of his brothers, Gabriel is noted for his humility, kindness, and overall good nature. Even within the circles of the godly pantheons, who suffered greatly at the hands of his brothers, he is quite well regarded, and his considerable diplomatic skills are often employed when Eden wishes to resolve conflicts with the gods peacefully. Still, Gabriel remains a trained warrior and battle commander, and will not hesitate to fight when the time calls for it.

## Biography

### Early Life

Gabriel was the fourth born son of Ynoch, following his brothers Michael, Lucifer, and Raphael. Several more brothers close to him in age, Uriel, Azazel, and Abaddon, followed him. During his early years, Gabriel and his brother Raphael were often brought along by Lucifer to sneak off and play together, oftentimes interacting with the primitive tribes of mortals. After a few times of being caught and getting into trouble with Michael and their father, Raphael began to grow less and less willing to join Lucifer and Gabriel on their excursions. Gabriel, however, was always eager to engage in rambunctious antics with his big brother.

As he grew older, Gabriel became more independent when it came to horsing around, playing all manner of pranks and jokes on his brothers, soon surpassing Lucifer as the family troublemaker. However, though he did cause a great deal of mischief, Gabriel was always mindful of the feelings of his siblings, and did his best to ensure that his jokes never caused any lasting emotional harm.

#### Uriel's Butchery

When Gabriel was nine, his little brother Uriel murdered a large group of mortals out of revenge for them killing a fish he had befriended named Bubbles. Gabriel interacted with humans the most out of his brothers, and was horrified and outraged by what Uriel had done. Infuriated, he attacked his brother in a brawl that devastated the forest on the mountainside. Even though he was two years older and larger than his brother, Gabriel was outmatched by Uriel's sheer ferocity, and his little brother took the upper hand until Lucifer pulled them apart. Lucifer convinced Ynoch that a suitable punishment for Uriel's actions would be starting combat training under Michael at age seven, three years younger than when he and Raphael had begun. Gabriel, still wanting to get back at Uriel for the people he had hurt, asked Lucifer if he could join in as well, and his big brother successfully convinced their father to allow him to participate as well.

### Great Pilgrimage

When he and his brothers were all well into manhood, Gabriel's father Ynoch decided it was time for his sons to venture beyond Eden, bar Michael, who had already completed a journey of his own. When Gabriel set out, he was accompanied by his brother Samael.

### Recent Events

#### Negotiations with the Devas

*"Despite Shiva's very much reasonable enmity of my brethren, during this time of war, I will have to make sure to smooth their diplomatic relations with all the various pantheons, the Devas included, so that they can be united in these ominous times to combat and defend Creation from this great threat, and that the other pantheons' hatred of the Edenians do not make them join with Tartarus out of revenge."*

*— Gabriel's thoughts regarding the various pantheons, including the Devas*

During the early stages of the New Abyssal War, as the various pantheons, including the Ynochim, heard the reports of Tartarus' awakening, with the Ascendant Seraphim even hearing reports of their Fallen brothers joining with Tartarus to begin another brutal war against their Ascendant brethren to seize control of Creation, preparations to defend the various realms of Creation against the Abyssal forces began in earnest.

Gabriel, the Seraph who was always the most diplomatic and peaceful-minded, who had for the longest time secretly collaborated with his Fallen brother Gadreel to prolong the stalemate between his Ascendant and Fallen brothers, to prevent further bloodshed and destruction, now found that a war was inevitable, with rumours of the Primordial Tartarus personally joining the field on the side of the Fallen surging around. (edited)

Feeling the various pantheons should be united and collaborate and cooperate with each other effectively to combat this great threat of Abyssal invasion, Gabriel actively proposed for diplomatic envoys to be send to the various pantheons to smooth over the Ynochim's relations with them.

His efforts bore fruit, and during most of the pre-war period before the battles began in earnest, Gabriel and his soul-children making frequent diplomatic trips to the various gods of the surviving pantheons, no matter how distant in the fringes of Creation their realms were located, promoting unity and cooperation and biding them to prepare their troops effectively for the war.

The Deva pantheon was one of the pantheons visited by Gabriel. Subjected to the most brutal invasion and massacre during the Angelic Conquests, Gabriel knew the Devas had got very good reasons to hate him and his brethren, although Gabriel had decried the brutal Deva conquest during the Conclave of Shangri La.

Despite that, feeling that the pantheons needed to co-operate in these  tense, ominous times and the tense relationship between the Devas and pantheons must be smoothed with time to gain their cooperation and prevent them from joining with Tartarus out of revenge against the Seraphim.

And hence Gabriel decided to first visit Shiva in this diplomatic visit to the new Deva realms, as Shiva, the War Commander of the Devas, second-born of the Trimurti Triarchy, was probably the Deva most embittered against the Ynochim since Shiva's former realm of Kyrat was brutally massacred and butchered during the Deva conquest, and his wife Parvati and many of his friends were taken captive and then tortured brutally by Gabriel's now Fallen brother Mephiston, and later, all of the old Deva realms were destroyed during the Great Malestorm, as a result of the activation of the World Engines.

Reaching Shiva's newly created mini-realm of Kailash, directly connected to Earth, Gabriel and a few of his legionnaires, his soul-children who accompanied him on that visit, found themselves seated at a small chamber in Shiva's fortress, regarded by Shiva's guards and soldiers with wariness, hostility and even anger and hatred.

On meeting with Shiva, Gabriel respectfully proposed to him to prepare his troops for the war. Shiva, the Deva god of destruction and one of the deities holding quite a great amount of skill in the Dominion of Chaos, initially agreed to join the war— on one condition, that he will be allowed to kill and hang Mephiston and Abaddon's, the Seraphim responsible for leading the brutal Deva conquest, heads to the highest pike on his Deva realm, for all to see. Shiva, with his temper flaring, additionally threatened that if his demand was not accepted, he would not tolerate any of the Ynochim in his realm.

Though knowing Shiva was justified in his anger, Gabriel was very reluctant and saddened to let his brothers' bodies be desecrated in such a way.

On sending one of his Avatars to talk with his eldest brother Michael regarding this matter, Gabriel expectedly got a contemptuous refusal to Shiva's demand, as while Michael planned to kill Mephiston and Abaddon during the war, he would never let any false god desecrate them in such a way.

Nevertheless, Gabriel, not wanting to further severe the Deva's relations with the Ascendant Ynochim, omitted Michael's refusal from his words to Shiva, instead respectfully telling him that his demand shall be considered, and the Devas might get a chance to fight against their Legions in the Abyss, feeling that in his visits to the other Devas, although he couldn't offer something as drastic as the desecration of Mephiston and Abaddon's bodies, he could in the least, offer them the chance to fight against his Fallen brothers and their Legions for their vengeance.

The bitter irony of the situation was not lost on the Seraph, though. Millenia ago, Mephiston and Abaddon's brutal campaign of heavy bloodshed against the Devas had angered and strained Gabriel's relations with his brothers, and yet, he had eventually managed to reconcile with his brothers later, when he met with his brothers a few weeks after the Conclave at the Deva realms.

And now, Gabriel was meeting with the Devas and discussing plans that possibly would lead to his brothers' deaths in the war, something which deeply grieved him, for although the Devas were justified in their vengeance, Mephiston and Abaddon were still Gabriel's brothers, and he, despite the civil war among the Ynochim, still loved them and cherished the nostalgic good memories he had with them.

Nevertheless, despite his inner turmoil and melancholy regarding his Fallen brothers, Gabriel still tried to remain calm and composed and keep his mind focused on trying as much as he could to prevent excessive damage and destruction and bloodshed in the oncoming war, and tried to entreat Shiva to build up the defenses of his realms and prepare his forces against a likely Abyssal invasion, that could chase destruction to the realm and it's various denizens, especially the mortals, points which Shiva agreed with.

Eventually Gabriel requested his leave, which Shiva granted, and the Seraph of the Fourth Angelic Legion later visited the other various Deva gods as well.

Although the Devas, after extensive consideration and meetings among themselves, eventually decided and declared that they shall only prepare their forces to defending their newly-created realms and the Realm of Earth, currently in their charge, from Abyssal forces of destruction and shall not fully commit to the invasion of the Abyss as planned by the Ynochim, Gabriel took relief in the fact that the mortals of the new Deva realms and the Earth shall have forces to keep them safe from the destruction and chaos of the Abyssal forces.

## Physical Appearance

Gabriel's form is that of a sandy haired young man, lean and athletic, but of fairly average height. He is very handsome, though not as stunningly beautiful as some of his other brothers, and is possessed of blue eyes so extremely pale they are often described as resembling chips of ice. Gabriel's wings, when unfurled, are pure white, but for the edges of their feathers, which are gold.

## Personality

Of all the sons of Ynoch, Gabriel is unique in that he is one of the few who is truly humble. When given praise for his accomplishments, he is quick to spread it to others, always acknowledging any who assist in his ventures. Most insults to him are easily brushed aside, for the Storm Herald has never been one to hold a grudge, and he has a forgiving heart. When given the chance between punishment and mercy, Gabriel almost always chooses the latter.

Given his lack of pride and hubris, Gabriel is among the most willing to compromise and negotiate out of all his brothers. Combined with how difficult to anger or offend he is, this makes Gabriel one of the first choices for any diplomatic mission. Still, flexible as he is, it cannot be said that Gabriel is weak willed by any means. He holds unwaveringly to a personal code of ethics, valuing nobility, kindness, and mercy, and is firmly committed to preserving life wherever he can. Sharp witted, he has a keen ability to read the emotions and intents of others, and is always wary of any attempts at manipulation.

Gabriel is quite often capable of manipulating others himself. Though he prefers not to do so, when the need arises, he is willing to trick and charm people if he thinks that it will help the greater good. Trickery and cunning are skills he has honed since childhood, and Gabriel is more than willing to put them to use.

However, Gabriel does prefer to use simple, honest charm to the manipulative variety. He is possessed of a jovial and genial disposition, with a presence that puts others at ease and brightens the most sour of moods. Gabriel also has a mischievous side, and delights in playing pranks of all sorts, though he is also extremely empathetic, and always does his best to ensure that such jokes are never seriously harmful to the target.

Sadly, ever since the fall of his brothers, Gabriel has been surrounded by an air of melancholy. Though he still smiles and laughs often, his smiles are frequently tinged with sadness, his laughs layered with hidden pain. That is because Gabriel has always been a deeply passionate and caring individual, and the loss and betrayal of eight of his brothers struck a blow to him that has never healed. And secretly, knowing what he now knows about his father, Gabriel has often wondered what would have happened if Lucifer had tried to sway him before the Fallen were forced to strike at Eden.

## Skills

Like all of his siblings, Gabriel has been trained to battle since childhood. Whilst his combative skills are not as advanced as some of his brothers, he is still a masterful warrior, preferring to wield fast and agile weapons such as spears and scimitars, which compliment his blinding speed. He is also a skilled commander, favoring flexible and dynamic tactics which employ speed and maneuverability on the battlefield. Gabriel is also an extremely skilled marksman, able to launch both weapons and magical attacks with great precision.

In addition to these skills, Gabriel is also an expert survivalist, able to travel through and survive in all manner of harsh environments without much trouble. He is also masterfully stealthy, which, in conjunction with his talent for navigating the wilderness, makes him very difficult to track.

Gabriel's truest talents, however, lie in the social arts. He is extremely charismatic, gifted with a personality that allows him to calm, befriend, and inspire others to follow him, as well as having a natural charm which draws others to him. He is also incredibly skilled in reading the emotions of other people, being able to gauge their moods and affects with ease, an ability he makes great use of in conjunction with his gift of sensing emotional ties within other individuals. Gabriel is also quite talented in acting, finding himself quite capable of concealing his own feelings and feigning what is needed. Combined with a gift for engineering social schemes, he is far more skilled in the arts of intrigue than his calm and amenable demeanor would suggest.

## Notable Equipment

### Traits

**Strength:** 4

**Dexterity:** 6

**Endurance:** 4

**Intelligence:** 5

**Charisma:** 4

**Perception:** 5

### Skills

**Academia:** 3

**Alertness:** 4

**Artistry:** 2

**Brawl:** 5

**Charm:** 5

**Command:** 4

**Craft:** 1

**Deception:** 4

**Empathy:** 5

**Intimidation**: 2

**Intrigue**: 5

**Leadership:** 4

**Marksmanship:** 4

**Medicine:** 3

**Melee:** 6

**Occult:** 2

**Performance:** 3

**Seduction:** 3

**Stealth:** 4

**Stewardship:** 2

**Survival:** 3

**Torture:** 1