Zaphkiel (ZAF-kee-ehl)
Zaphkiel, the Watcher, is the first archon created and the leader of the Celestial Hebdomad. The greatest of all archons, he rules Chronias, the Illuminated Heaven of Mount Celestia. His symbol is the donkey.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Neither male nor female, Zaphkiel is a humanoid creature of breathtaking beauty, bathed at all times in holy power and radiant light. This tome archon stands ten feet (three meters) tall, has skin of gold, and bears wings with platinum-white metallic feathers.
Zaphkiel is at all times surrounded by warm light, and he exudes so much goodness that only the most holy of entities can stand before him without being consumed. Those who can bear his presence were instilled with overwhelming feelings of harmony and joy.
Zaphkiel has an alternative incorporeal form, appearing instead as a golden storm of energy.
As ruler of Chronias, Zaphkiel watches over not only his layer but also all of Celestia. As leader of the Hebdomad, he offers guidance and counsel to the other members. It is said that not even Bahamut himself knew the activities of Zaphkiel within the Seventh Heaven.
Special abilities
Zaphkiel has all of the powers common to tome archons. In addition to these, unique magical abilities are available to him. He can detect chaos and see any creature as they truly were. By thought alone, he can bestow an affliction to an unrepentant foe, break enchantments, consecrate an area with positive energy, illuminate an area with a light as bright as day, surround his head with a flaming crown of brilliance so bright as to blind foes, discern the location of any object, dispel all but the most powerful magical effects, make a site holy, damage and daze chaotic creatures with a grid of axiomatic energy, instill hope in subjects within range, send a short message to an individual anywhere in the multiverse, defend himself with a mystical shield, fill an evil creature with intense feelings of remorse, and grant a subject a vision of the Seven Heavens. With a single, spoken holy word, he can slay or banish wicked beings, and he can whisper messages to recipients at a distance.
Once a day, Erathaol can perform a mass healing or other great miracle. Three times per day, he can grant someone special insight toward any task.
Zaphkiel's touch dealt holy damage to evil beings, and he can project rays from stigmata found on the palms of his hands. One such emanation causes the victim to feel the painful anguish and suffering that Zaphkiel had felt when he had died as a martyr when a mortal in his past life. The second stigma sends a ray of soothing, providing a healing sensation mirroring what Zaphkiel himself felt when he was elevated to become the first and greatest of the tome archons.
Zaphkiel is at all times surrounded by a powerful aura of positive energy that destroyed most undead. He also has the power to turn undead like a cleric or paladin.
In his alternate, incorporeal form, Zaphkiel is impervious to attacks and can pass through solid objects.
Specialized Equipment
Zaphkiel possesses no weapons or armor.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Zaphkiel is one of the first seven martyrs to live a righteous mortal life and die in suffering for the cause of good. When his soul reached Celestia, he experienced an apotheosis that changed him into a being of pure goodness, the first of the tome archons. He and his six companions were given a mandate to serve as rulers of the Seven Heavens.
Of all his companions, Zaphkiel is the only of the original tome archons remaining until modern times. Only the god Bahamut knew Zaphkiel's original identity as a mortal.
The only entities in existence to have actually seen Zaphkiel are the gods and the other tome archons. Evil beings have not survived the encounter, and truly good beings are those who have ascended to the summit of Mount Celestia to be joined willingly with the essence of the holy plane.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Zaphkiel is the embodiment of the Seventh Heaven. He is kind and his countenance soothing. He cares for the souls of imperfect mortals and protects those of truly innocent ones, such as stillborn or sacrificed babies. Beyond this, he is a great enigma.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Zaphkiel has no champions, although it might be said that the other members of the Hebdomad are his champions. There is no jealousy or pride among the Hebdomad, and it is thought that it was Zaphkiel himself who chose each of the others and promoted them to their stations of power.
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