Angels of the Presence

While the Nine Hells and the Abyss have their Demon Lords and Lords of Hell, the Upper planes have the Angels of the Presence, beings of pure light and good, devoted to the different aspects of righteousness and noble action.

It was under their rule that the First Era began, before the Giant Wars and the War of Scale and Fire, and after the Time of Root and Claw, when Yavnaran and the Grove Sentinels acquiesced the Crown of Thorns.

After the Giant Wars and the War of Scale of Fire, the Angels of the Presence left the mortal world, stating that they had to return to the upper planes as guardians and rulers, and that their interference with the mortal world was prohibiting the denizens of Tal'Ria from choosing right and noble action, and prohibiting the chance for creatures born of evil to overcome their nature with effort and choice. Most historians believe that it was their sudden absence which ultimately triggered the War of Heavens.

## Bhast, The First Light

Said to have gifted the mortals of Tal'Ria the secret of conjuring fire and light from nothing, Bhast is the known as the Angel of the East, The First Light, and the Herald of Dawn. During the first era, before Yavnaran abdicated the Crown of Thorns, Bhast unveiled the secrets of the dawn, first to the elves, and then the dwarves. The elves insist their gift was stolen by the humans, which provoked Bhast into leaving the Sylvan Forest, but the humans state that they discovered the secret on their own.

The teachings and wisdom of this angel are said to have inspired the Heralds of Bhast, an order of priests devoted towards banishing darkness and illuminating the ignorant.

## Akenosh, Wrath Incarnate

Paladins who have taken the Vow of Vengeance often follow the teachings of this angel, known to have entered the lower planes to devastate the Legions of Hell and the Hordes of the Abyss before the Time of Root and Claw, in order to provide mortals a chance to inhabit and populate the world of Tal'Ria. Akenosh is called the Angel of the West, Wrath Incarnate, and the Hound Master.

It is said that a blink dog had guarded Akenosh while he slept, fighting the demons who had escaped into the land of dreams. When Akenosh had awoken, still surrounded by demons, he found the blink dog dead at his feet with a number of demons with torn throats surrounding its body. Akenosh wept, and with a fury which burned with a thousand suns, the Wrath Incarnate slew the remaining demons, then held the blink dog in his lap, willing the creature back to life. These blink dogs later became known as the Hounds of Akenosh.

## Kolscni, The Pulse of Life

Known as the Angel of the South, Sanctuary of Souls, and the Pulse of Life, Kolscni is the only angel whose hand has been felt since the end of the first era. Kolscni will sometimes send archons or devas to help guide and advise mortals in righteous action, though Kolscni's emissaries have not been seen since the middle of the third era.

Said to be the antithesis of Akenosh, Kolscni was reputed to be a champion of non-violence and the sanctity of life. Many priests who have devoted to lives to healing (and Spirekeepers in particular) revere this angel, and have taken to call themselves the Sons of Kolscni as a reflection of their devotion to Kolscni's ideals.

## Herticles, Heart of Radiance

An angel sometimes revered by scholars, researchers, and monks, Herticles is known as the Angel of the North, the Garden-Keeper, and the Heart of Radiance. Perhaps the least known of the Angels of the Presence, Herticles is often depicted as a robed humanoid of indiscriminate gender and race, sitting down in a chair, instructing a small group of mortals who seem like tiny specks at this angel's feet.

Herticles was the first to leave the mortal world, having first seen the necessity of the mortals to choose good, instead of being ordered to follow it.

Somewhere on Tal'Ria is the Library of Herticles, a vast garden made of white marble and rhyolite. It is said to contain all the knowledge that mortals can, and ever will, have. Before leaving Tal'Ria, Herticles sealed the library away, unable to destroy this wondrous creation, but afraid of what would happen if mortals had unlimited access to the library.