Ragathiel
| Ragathiel | |
|---|---|
| |
| (Deity) | |
| Titles | General of Vengeance |
| Home | Ragathiel's Fortress, 1st tier of Heaven |
| Alignment | Lawful good |
| Portfolio | Chivalry, duty, vengeance |
| Worshipers | Paladins, honorable warriors, militant clerics |
| Cleric Alignments | |
| Domains | Destruction, Good, Law, Nobility |
| Subdomains | Archon, Leadership, Martyr, Rage |
| Favored Weapon | Bastard sword |
Ragathiel (pronounced rah-GATH-ee-el)[1] is an empyreal lord—a good servant of the gods who through transcendence has achieved some small measure of divine power—known as the General of Vengeance.[2][3] His portfolio includes chivalry, duty, and vengeance, and his holy symbol is a bastard sword crossed with a crimson wing.[4] He makes his home at the base of the mountain of Heaven, in his eponymous fortress, a magnificent steel structure designed to withstand a thousand-year siege if need be.[5]
Ragathiel takes an active role in the battle against Hell's fiendish legions. He shines at the head of his army, a figure of golden light cleaving through the ranks of devils that face him. Soldiers of all kinds, but particularly knights, pay homage to Ragathiel and pray for his virtue and wrathful strength in battle. Those who have taken vows, especially those of duty or vengeance, hold Ragathiel as their ideal, and his agents sometimes assist those who have been grievously wronged and now seek righteous vengeance.[4][6]
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Appearance
Ragathiel is a tower of glorious might. He stands almost 20 feet tall, and five lofty burning wings stretch from his back. The General of Vengeance once had six wings, but one was severed, torn from his body by the archdevil Dispater—Ragathiel's father.[4][6]
History
As strange as it may seem, Ragathiel is the son of Feronia, a demigoddess of the Plane of Fire, and Dispater, the Father of Dis. He was conceived in a brief tryst (lasting only a few centuries), after which his mother took him out of Hell.[7]
Ragathiel's tainted heritage has left him with a wrathful heart, and the angel struggles constantly to master his baser impulses in service to the light. For thousands of years he strove to prove himself to the angelic choirs of Heaven. In the Maelstrom he wrestled for 16 years with a monstrous evil serpent whose scales wept acidic blood until he was able to choke the life out of it. He led an entire army against one of the iron fortresses of Avernus and burned the castle to the ground with holy fire, single-handedly maiming Infernal Duke Deumus in the process. Finally the other empyreal lords agreed to admit Ragathiel into their ranks, and now they appear to trust the angel completely—though that trust took centuries to develop.[4][6]
Ragathiel was once served by the Hand of the Inheritor, an angel who now acts as the goddess Iomedae's herald. Then known as the Hand of Vengeance, this angel asked to be reassigned to Iomedae after the death of Aroden.[8]
Worship
Ragathiel is commonly worshiped by the avowed, knights, soldiers, the wronged, and the empyreal lord employs aasimar paladins, blink dogs, and kirin as his most common servants.[4]
The holiest time for Ragathiel's followers is the brief moments before and after a battle. The faithful ask Ragathiel's eyes to fall upon them and for his wings to shield them. This is also a standard greeting and farewell among worshipers.[9]
Followers of Ragathiel commonly wear red and silver clothing. Many also don an ornament or sigil the color of flames, typically on the helmet.[9]
Ragathiel has a small but old cult in Magnimar, a city known for its many mystery cults revering various empyreal lords.[10]
References
- ↑ Erik Mona et al. (2008). Campaign Setting, p. 247. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-112-1
- ↑ Erik Mona et al. (2008). Campaign Setting, p. 175. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-112-1
- ↑ James Jacobs et al. (2011). The Inner Sea World Guide, p. 234. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-269-2
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Amber Scott. (2013). Chronicle of the Righteous, p. 21. Paizo Publishing, LLC.
- ↑ Todd Stewart. (2009). The Great Beyond: A Guide to the Multiverse, p. 39. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-167-1
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Cassidy Werner. (April 23, 2013). Righteous Indignation, Paizo Blog.
- ↑ F. Wesley Schneider. (2009). Princes of Darkness, p. 9. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-189-3
- ↑ Darrin Drader, David Eitelbach, Sean K Reynolds, and F. Wesley Schneider. (2009). Bestiary. The Sixfold Trial, p. 84. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-196-1
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Colin McComb. (2011). Faiths of Purity, p. 21. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-314-9
- ↑ Adam Daigle and James Jacobs. (2012). Magnimar, City of Monuments, p. 25. Paizo Publishing, LLC.
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