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Putting this up here for convenient reference, as I'm pretty sure I've put it online before, but damned if I know where to find it these days...
OANNES
Archangel of Waters
The world is water, three in one and always in flux.
As one of the first two Kyriotate Archangels, Oannes is, in a sense, everywhere. Or one might say they /are/ everywhere; the Archangel is all their instantiations, and sees the world from a thousand viewpoints at once. Raised up as Archangel together with Janus, Oannes has always played support and counterpoint to the Wind.
Just as water can take three forms, distinct yet one, Oannes believes that the three realms of reality are equally important. Their Servitors are the next most active in the Marches after those of Blandine and Beleth, and have plenty of work to do in Heaven. (There are rumors of spies sent to Hell to seek out the repentant there, but how likely is that?)
The Servitors of Waters are agents of change, much like those of Janus. However, they are not simply instigators of change, but its shepherds; they push people to work to improve themselves and those around them, through the slow progress of change for the better. When the Wind sweeps through, Waters often follows, to guide and bulwark the new ways of thinking.
Waters believes in unity: the bonds of community, broad understanding, friendship and trust. Their Servitors, when learning Songs, always learn (and teach) the versions for all three realms (as available); to learn only one is not dissonant, but does feel /uncomfortable/. Partial knowledge is a dangerous weakness.
Waters believes in multiplicity: the subjectivity of multiple points of view, friendly debate, changing yourself, and changing others. Their Servitors are as often peripatetic scholars as they are sailors, moving from one place to another to learn new ways of seeing the world...and then coming back home to teach others what they've learned. Oannes frequently puts their Servitors in temporary service to other Archangels "for the experience," and will accept the same gladly from others. They are one of the most likely Archangels to grant their attunements to Servitors of other Words.
Dissonance
Water is always changing its environment, and itself. Angels of Waters must, if it is within their power, effect one change /for the better/ on either themselves or those around them, every week. Teaching (and learning) skills are a popular approach, though physical labor is often the most practical means of improving a community's state.
Choir Attunements
All Servitors of Oannes can breathe water as easily as air in any vessel granted to them. (This does not apply to anyone else possessing that vessel; it is an aspect of serving the Word, not a vessel modification.)
Seraphim
The Seraphim of Oannes are their best spies and surveyors. For one Essence, they may transform into mist until the next sunrise (or sunset); in this form they may freely seep through cracks, move through water, rise up to the tops of the clouds, and so forth. This renders them immune to virtually all damage. However, they can not affect the corporeal world any more than mist would be able to, and this state cannot be canceled early.
Cherubim (Partially Restricted)
Both the Cherub and any living attuned of theirs gets Swimming at the level of the Cherub's Celestial Forces for free. Items the Cherub is attuned to will not sink (unless the Cherub wants them to) at a touch. Cherubim may also manipulate the water around them for small physical movements; treat this as the equivalent of the effects of Ethereal Motion, but only within (liquid) water.
Ofanim
These Wheels may, at the cost of one Essence, turn into living waterspouts a yard in diameter. Anything caught inside takes hits equal to the Ofanite's Corporeal Forces, each round; Dodge will not save them. Escaping the waterspout requires winning a Contest of Agility against the Ofanite.
There is no time limit on remaining a waterspout, but it tends to become less useful when people notice the rampaging funnel of water.
Elohim
The cool objectivity of the Elohim of Waters is most attuned to their Archangel's element in its most stable state. They may freeze EthForces cubic yards of water at a touch. Ice so created will melt at normal rates for its environment.
They may also use this ability /selectively/ with a Precision roll, allowing them to create impressive sculptures--and weapons of ice--at a touch. Treat the ice weapons as equivalent to their mundane versions, with a maximum power of the roll's CD.
Malakim
Malakim of Oannes have a broad, nearly universal knowledge of their chosen methods of combat. They have no need to specialize when buying weaponry skills.
Kyriotates (Restricted)
These Kyriotates may possess hosts native to water without rolling. (The aquatic vessels of celestials and ethereals also count!) They also gain access to one skill of each host, usable only in that same host. This skill is the one that is most /important/ to the host; this is not always the highest one!
Mercurians (Restricted):
These Intercessionists are the most avid proponents (barring Servitors of Destiny) of the importance of humanity to the Symphony. And what humanity often needs in order to find its own true course is self-knowledge... They may, at a touch, share the results of their resonance with its target, the revelation expressed as a sudden rush of self-awareness from deep inside.
Bright Lilim (Restricted)
Bright Lilim of Oannes may tell at a glance what skill a target Needs to learn in order to change their own life or community for the better. Teaching the target this skill does /not/ grant a hook, but does grant a boon (commensurate with the level of skill taught) from Oannes at their next meeting with the Bright.
Servitor Attunements
Riverwalk
The angel may walk on water, as can anyone holding the angel's hand (at the discretion of the angel, that is). This usually limits an angel to two companions, though with Kyriotates...
Octopus
With a touch, the angel may take control of any source of water and wield it as a number of tentacles equal to the angel's Precision. These may all act separately and simultaneously, though the angel is still limited to a single /attack/ per round. (For combat, treat them as you would the tentacle version of Numinous Corpus.)
Distinctions
Vassal of Waters
The angel may see clearly into and through any water as if it is perfectly lit and transparent. This includes the water in ocean chasms, icebergs, and clouds.
Friend of Rivers
The angel may speak into water, with a target in mind; the next time the target touches water, the message will be delivered.
Master of Ice and Mist
Water of any form cannot harm this angel. Any instance in which water might otherwise do harm will transform it into another state--boiling steam to cool water, a shard of ice to harmless vapor, and so forth--as it touches the angel's body.
Relations
Oannes is vigorously interested in Heavenly politics. They offer none of Marc's neutrality, but support any proposal they approve of with vigor, from any source at all--even Purity, whose single-minded focus is distasteful to the Kyriotate Archangel on several levels. On occasion, Oannes will also argue multiple sides of a proposal, if the better option is not perfectly clear to them. Alas, the Council insists that Waters may not cast votes both for and against a single issue at once.
Allied: Janus, Raphael (Janus is Allied)
Associated: Blandine, Marc, Jean, Jordi, Yves (Raphael, Blandine, and Jean are Associated)
Hostile: Uriel (It's mutual)
Basic Rites
* Spend two hours completely submerged in water or surrounded by fog
* Change a strong opinion (including your own!) based on new information (+3 Essence if an ethereal or demon has been convinced to favor Heaven)
Chance of Invocation: 4
Oannes has a friendly, parental relationship with their Servitors, but they are also very busy; a low CD is more likely to represent a distracted Archangel throwing out a hasty response than disapproval, unless the angel has done something worthy of serious censure.
Invocation Modifiers:
+1: Encourage a human to learn a new skill.
+2: A ship at anchor
+3: A foggy riverbank.
+4: A class of students learning to swim
+5: The deck of a ship in motion, during a storm
+6: The bottom of the ocean floor, miles from dry land.
OANNES
Archangel of Waters
The world is water, three in one and always in flux.
As one of the first two Kyriotate Archangels, Oannes is, in a sense, everywhere. Or one might say they /are/ everywhere; the Archangel is all their instantiations, and sees the world from a thousand viewpoints at once. Raised up as Archangel together with Janus, Oannes has always played support and counterpoint to the Wind.
Just as water can take three forms, distinct yet one, Oannes believes that the three realms of reality are equally important. Their Servitors are the next most active in the Marches after those of Blandine and Beleth, and have plenty of work to do in Heaven. (There are rumors of spies sent to Hell to seek out the repentant there, but how likely is that?)
The Servitors of Waters are agents of change, much like those of Janus. However, they are not simply instigators of change, but its shepherds; they push people to work to improve themselves and those around them, through the slow progress of change for the better. When the Wind sweeps through, Waters often follows, to guide and bulwark the new ways of thinking.
Waters believes in unity: the bonds of community, broad understanding, friendship and trust. Their Servitors, when learning Songs, always learn (and teach) the versions for all three realms (as available); to learn only one is not dissonant, but does feel /uncomfortable/. Partial knowledge is a dangerous weakness.
Waters believes in multiplicity: the subjectivity of multiple points of view, friendly debate, changing yourself, and changing others. Their Servitors are as often peripatetic scholars as they are sailors, moving from one place to another to learn new ways of seeing the world...and then coming back home to teach others what they've learned. Oannes frequently puts their Servitors in temporary service to other Archangels "for the experience," and will accept the same gladly from others. They are one of the most likely Archangels to grant their attunements to Servitors of other Words.
Dissonance
Water is always changing its environment, and itself. Angels of Waters must, if it is within their power, effect one change /for the better/ on either themselves or those around them, every week. Teaching (and learning) skills are a popular approach, though physical labor is often the most practical means of improving a community's state.
Choir Attunements
All Servitors of Oannes can breathe water as easily as air in any vessel granted to them. (This does not apply to anyone else possessing that vessel; it is an aspect of serving the Word, not a vessel modification.)
Seraphim
The Seraphim of Oannes are their best spies and surveyors. For one Essence, they may transform into mist until the next sunrise (or sunset); in this form they may freely seep through cracks, move through water, rise up to the tops of the clouds, and so forth. This renders them immune to virtually all damage. However, they can not affect the corporeal world any more than mist would be able to, and this state cannot be canceled early.
Cherubim (Partially Restricted)
Both the Cherub and any living attuned of theirs gets Swimming at the level of the Cherub's Celestial Forces for free. Items the Cherub is attuned to will not sink (unless the Cherub wants them to) at a touch. Cherubim may also manipulate the water around them for small physical movements; treat this as the equivalent of the effects of Ethereal Motion, but only within (liquid) water.
Ofanim
These Wheels may, at the cost of one Essence, turn into living waterspouts a yard in diameter. Anything caught inside takes hits equal to the Ofanite's Corporeal Forces, each round; Dodge will not save them. Escaping the waterspout requires winning a Contest of Agility against the Ofanite.
There is no time limit on remaining a waterspout, but it tends to become less useful when people notice the rampaging funnel of water.
Elohim
The cool objectivity of the Elohim of Waters is most attuned to their Archangel's element in its most stable state. They may freeze EthForces cubic yards of water at a touch. Ice so created will melt at normal rates for its environment.
They may also use this ability /selectively/ with a Precision roll, allowing them to create impressive sculptures--and weapons of ice--at a touch. Treat the ice weapons as equivalent to their mundane versions, with a maximum power of the roll's CD.
Malakim
Malakim of Oannes have a broad, nearly universal knowledge of their chosen methods of combat. They have no need to specialize when buying weaponry skills.
Kyriotates (Restricted)
These Kyriotates may possess hosts native to water without rolling. (The aquatic vessels of celestials and ethereals also count!) They also gain access to one skill of each host, usable only in that same host. This skill is the one that is most /important/ to the host; this is not always the highest one!
Mercurians (Restricted):
These Intercessionists are the most avid proponents (barring Servitors of Destiny) of the importance of humanity to the Symphony. And what humanity often needs in order to find its own true course is self-knowledge... They may, at a touch, share the results of their resonance with its target, the revelation expressed as a sudden rush of self-awareness from deep inside.
Bright Lilim (Restricted)
Bright Lilim of Oannes may tell at a glance what skill a target Needs to learn in order to change their own life or community for the better. Teaching the target this skill does /not/ grant a hook, but does grant a boon (commensurate with the level of skill taught) from Oannes at their next meeting with the Bright.
Servitor Attunements
Riverwalk
The angel may walk on water, as can anyone holding the angel's hand (at the discretion of the angel, that is). This usually limits an angel to two companions, though with Kyriotates...
Octopus
With a touch, the angel may take control of any source of water and wield it as a number of tentacles equal to the angel's Precision. These may all act separately and simultaneously, though the angel is still limited to a single /attack/ per round. (For combat, treat them as you would the tentacle version of Numinous Corpus.)
Distinctions
Vassal of Waters
The angel may see clearly into and through any water as if it is perfectly lit and transparent. This includes the water in ocean chasms, icebergs, and clouds.
Friend of Rivers
The angel may speak into water, with a target in mind; the next time the target touches water, the message will be delivered.
Master of Ice and Mist
Water of any form cannot harm this angel. Any instance in which water might otherwise do harm will transform it into another state--boiling steam to cool water, a shard of ice to harmless vapor, and so forth--as it touches the angel's body.
Relations
Oannes is vigorously interested in Heavenly politics. They offer none of Marc's neutrality, but support any proposal they approve of with vigor, from any source at all--even Purity, whose single-minded focus is distasteful to the Kyriotate Archangel on several levels. On occasion, Oannes will also argue multiple sides of a proposal, if the better option is not perfectly clear to them. Alas, the Council insists that Waters may not cast votes both for and against a single issue at once.
Allied: Janus, Raphael (Janus is Allied)
Associated: Blandine, Marc, Jean, Jordi, Yves (Raphael, Blandine, and Jean are Associated)
Hostile: Uriel (It's mutual)
Basic Rites
* Spend two hours completely submerged in water or surrounded by fog
* Change a strong opinion (including your own!) based on new information (+3 Essence if an ethereal or demon has been convinced to favor Heaven)
Chance of Invocation: 4
Oannes has a friendly, parental relationship with their Servitors, but they are also very busy; a low CD is more likely to represent a distracted Archangel throwing out a hasty response than disapproval, unless the angel has done something worthy of serious censure.
Invocation Modifiers:
+1: Encourage a human to learn a new skill.
+2: A ship at anchor
+3: A foggy riverbank.
+4: A class of students learning to swim
+5: The deck of a ship in motion, during a storm
+6: The bottom of the ocean floor, miles from dry land.
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