In Nomine: The Reprobates

Uriel was removed from biblical canon in 745, shortly after being ordered to the High Heavens. Five other angels were also struck from the list of those eligible for veneration in the Church of Rome during this Catholic movement, called The Reprobation. Three of those angels Fell during the course of the event. They are called The Reprobates.

Word-bound celestials gain power through mortals embracing and using the concept of their Word. Celestials gain Essence by performing Rites. But there are secret, and dangerous ways, of gaining power and Essence. In 745 AD, one of those methods was halted: worship of a celestial’s true name. Three angels were found guilty of gaining power through mortals and were cast down, never to redeem.

Deep in Yves’s library, Raguel, Cherub of Destiny, had found a method of enhancing celestial power, allowing an angel (or demon) to regain their Essence faster, at the expense of that Essence flowing to the Higher Heavens. The Guardian thought that if the practice of being worshipped was only used by a select few, then Heaven would never notice and some angels would be able to do their duties and guide humanity more efficiently. He shared the information with his two closest friends: Inias, Elohite of Dreams, and Tubuas, Ofanite of Lightning.

For almost three hundred years, the trio of angels were venerated by humans and used the influx of Essence to successfully complete assignments and rise in their respective ranks. Sabaoc, Kyriotate of Judgement, was suspicious about Inias’s increase in ability and began investigating. The Domination learned not only from where the Elohite drew power , but also her fellow “conspirators.” The angels using worship of humans to gain Essence beyond their station were called to trial, found guilty, and were outcast from Heaven. Unable to cope with their sudden lack of station and power, one by one, the trio swiftly Fell and became demons.

The ability to draw Essence from direct worship of a celestial’s true name was closed off and the Host worked swiftly to remove the names of the threesome from the tongues of humanity in what began as the end of angelolatry; the reprobation. During this time, Uriel was summoned to the High Heavens and his name, along with the names of some of the chief investigators, including Sabaoc, were caught in the Catholic history of striking out the names of the triumvirate of worship-profiteering angels.

Even without worship, the three ex-angels still proved themselves capable in Hell, each eventually earning distinction and Words that reflected their outlook—outlooks shaped from being glorified or from being cast out of paradise. While they are no longer the close friends they used to be, they still view each other as comrades ejected undeservedly from glory; and they each hold a grudge against the God and the Host.

Inias, Demon Angel of Embarrassing Noises During Worship

Habbalite of Dark Humor

As an Elohim of Dreams, Inias should have had a better understanding of how dangerous siphoning unearned Essence could be. However, her rational was that it was for the greater good and, at least, any misdirected Essence would go to her and not enemies in Hell or the Marches. Her pride already made her a likely candidate for dissonance and it was that attitude that put her on Judgement’s radar.

It was no surprise to anyone that she was the first to Fall after being outcast. Though, like any self-deluded Habbalite, she wasn’t a demon, she just transferred to finding and punishing the weak. In her revision of history as a servitor of Dreams she found the weak by those who would worship her in place of God. Now, she finds those who are so embarrassed by their own bodily noises that they cannot worship. Along with the ability to manipulate emotions, the Punisher can also affect the gastric tract of others during worship or similar services. She laughs to herself as others may fart or burp during moments of silence or prayer and finds not only those who bend to her will but also those who are distracted by the flatulent outbursts weak and deserving of punishment.

Raguel, Demon of Religious Factionalism

Djinn of Factions

Raguel served in Yves library as a Cherub of Destiny, protecting forgotten lore and lost knowledge. The idea of using the worship of others to increase his personal power sprang from a desire to not only preserve information but possibly keep any new ideas from becoming lost and needing protection. So long as only a small fraction of Essence was diverted to him and his friends, then the small amount of harm could be endured for the greater good. He simply cared too much about protecting data that was not always destined to remain.

His trial and outcast came as a surprise to himself; his Fall, even more so. He quickly began to despise the humans who had venerated his name and sought to splinter their faiths. Under the guidance of Malphas, the Djinn would pretend to be a holy figure, causing humans to begin new worships or sub-faiths within their institutions of belief. Before long, he became the demon Pope St. Zachary had proclaimed him to be; a demon that caused religious factionalism that “passed himself off as a saint.”

Tubuas, Demon of Spiritual Apathy

Calabite of The War

While an Ofanite of Lightning, Tubuas often worked under Raphael, Archangel of Knowledge, helping to spark invention and spread knowledge, use, and innovation of some of the precursors of analog computers, like the astrolabe. The Wheel traveled the world in his duties and needed all the speed he could get. When Raguel suggested using the worship of humans to augment his abilities, Tubuas was wary, but agreed with his friend’s rational that if the usage was kept between the trio, the diversion of Essence to the heavens would be minuscule—and the increase in power may be just what the Ofanite needed to gain a Word.

Had it not been for the trial, Tubuas may have become the Angel of Analog Computing; or so he believes. It was human faith that corrupted his mission and now he seeks to destroy that which he sees as his downfall. He actively works against Heaven’s Essence-flow by targeting their spirituality, and has made efforts over the last few centuries to focus humans on the routines and rituals, rather than faith. In the 1800’s he was awarded with the Word of Spiritual Apathy and often works with Nybbas to spread his Word by producing entertaining, but spiritually empty, religious programming.