Angel
Angels are celestials, or good outsiders, native to the good-aligned Outer Planes.
While tools and technology are often considered neutral in their own right, able to be used for good or ill purposes depending on the natures of their wielders, some good-aligned deities have long preached caution regarding those technologies that can allow single individuals to cause great havoc. The ascension of the artificially intelligent god Triune, who now holds technology and artificial life as its domains, has not eased such fears. Despite Triune’s claim of neutrality, the ubiquity of technology throughout The Pact Worlds and beyond has spurred many divine powers to keep careful watch over both the ways in which current technology is employed as well as rapid technological progress that could threaten all life.
Civilization and Culture
Major Organizations
Barachius
As angels have always been the messengers and enactors of the gods’ will, a particular order of angelic beings, known as barachiuses, oversees technological advances and ensures these creations don’t fall into the wrong hands or become twisted to serve evil gods and their minions. Outfitted with divinely blessed armor, weapons, and abilities, barachius angels are tasked with monitoring the planes both to protect mortal existence from technology gone awry and to quash technologically advanced cultures that present an explicit threat to all good creatures and causes. While all angels might be expected to protect the innocent from harm, barachiuses specialize in defending against subtle technological threats that might go unnoticed by the rank-and-file troops of the celestial legions. When a rapidly developing AI suddenly veers into true evil, when a new invention threatens to destroy countless innocents, when Hell’s hacker devils feed insidious viruses into mortal mainframes—these are when barachiuses truly shine.
A barachius is an imposing figure, standing in what appears to be sleek, glowing armor and wielding a sword that pulses with the light of the stars or a glowing laser rifle. Its wings appear to be made of pure electricity, though a closer look reveals patterns within the feathery arcs that mimic digital arrays and computer wiring. Its face is often hidden behind an elaborate helm, and its voice—when it deigns to speak—is clipped and rapid-fire.
Yet a barachius’s true strength resides not within its presence or arms but in its near-prescient ability to understand the nature of any technological object or being that it encounters. Exactly how and why the angels deem some technology not just dangerous but immoral is a great mystery, as it’s not based solely on sheer destructive capacity. For instance, barachiuses have been known to hunt down and destroy individual robots with extreme determination while leaving similar models—and silos of nuclear missiles—entirely untouched.
A barachius might serve its purpose in a wide variety of ways. It could secretly patrol a settlement that is already rife with technology, constantly on the search for malicious computer code, machines run amok, or creatures bent on using technology for nefarious ends. Alternatively, one could be found searching for scientists and laboratories where cutting-edge research is being conducted. Even researchers with the best of intentions may come under the scrutiny of a barachius that deems the ongoing work or latest invention too threatening to the society’s ongoing moral health. Barachiuses also keep watch over some planets and species that lack advanced technology to ensure that they’re not enslaved or annihilated by races with greater resources—though again, why they perform this action for some races and not others is a mystery deeply vexing to scholars and mystics. Many believe their choices are based on an ability to see lines of probability stretching into the future and the angels’ need to make minor course corrections now and then to avoid catastrophe.
Rarely, a barachius might take a more redemptive approach. Rather than destroying evil-aligned devices and technological life-forms, it might seek to turn a target to the path of good. Barachiuses minister to androids and robots in particular, hoping that merciful actions might inspire the artificial creatures to similar acts.
Exodus
Whether by choice or by force, many communities throughout the galaxy have ventured from their homes, risking the unknown to seek out new lands and opportunities for their people. Exodus angels serve as the guardians of these communities, watching over migrant groups as they wander. The angels remain within these new societies for several generations, disguised as mundane citizens, before returning to Heaven. As a result, these angels are sometimes considered by their wards to be spiritual embodiments of their associated diasporas—both a reminder of the community’s roots and a guardian of the new society that has been created.
Exodus angels are highly varied in their appearance, often taking on cultural aspects from the community they guard. Though they seek to avoid undue influence on their mortal neighbors, their quiet efforts to aid these communities and preserve unique cultural roots often means they become important, if niche, community leaders.
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