Elder Angel

Elder Angels, a.k.a. Seraphim, are spirits of light and sound who are the denizens of the High Heavens. Dedicated to the ideals of order, they are the opposite of demons, and have fought against them since the dawn of Creation.

The Eternal Conflict
For eons, Elder Angels and Demons waged the Eternal Conflict, as both sides fought for control of the Worldstone, a powerful artifact that could create worlds. However, the archangel Inarius, who grew tired of this war, led a group of like-minded Elder Angels and Demons with Lilith to steal the Worldstone and create a world of their own to co-exist peacefully and escape from the conflict. Eventually these group of renegade Elder Angels and Demons would intermingle and gave birth to the nephalem, the forefathers of humanity. In the Worldstone's absence, the Eternal Conflict ground to a halt, as both sides were left without a goal.

The Sin War
Eventually Heaven and Hell will come to take notice upon Sanctuary, the world Inarius and Lilith created with the Worldstone. The world was populated by humanity, stemming from a coupling of Elder Angels and Demons. The Heavenly Host was dispatched to 'cleanse' the world, resulting in a three way battle between Heaven, Hell, and the Edyrem. It ended with Uldyssian's sacrifice, which swayed the views of Auriel, Itherael, and Tyrael, voting to spare Sanctuary from destruction and making a pact with Hell that it be left be.

Darkness and Light
With the pact between Heaven and Hell at the end of the Sin War, the Eternal Conflict ground to a halt.

Physiology and Capabilities
Elder Angels are birthed from the Crystal Arch, though only during moments of perfect harmony in Heaven through a process called the Lightsong. The amount of Elder Angels the Lightsong can give birth to is finite—it is a case of them embodying a set amount of Anu's power. If an angel is killed, a replacement angel will be created by the Arch, but such an angel is still a different individual from the one (s)he is replacing. Tyrael is the only known example of an angel reforming as the same individual, said reformation occurring after his destruction at Mount Arreat. The replacement Elder Angel is not born instantaneously.

While able to be killed, Elder Angels are immortal beings and are not made of flesh and blood. Rather, Elder Angels are living manifestations of light and sound, and soar on wings of light itself. The wings radiate energy, and under normal circumstances, any human weapon that strikes them will turn to ash.

Elder Angels possess great strength far above that of a human, but some Elder Angels are stronger than others depending on their significance, their rank in the celestial chain of command, or simply their nature as an Elder Angel. An Elder Angel can willingly forsake their immortality and become mortal, and even retain their angelic powers, but such an act does not give an Elder Angel access to humanity's latent nephalem abilities as their souls remain purely angelic, free of demonic ancestry. Tyrael is the first (and currently, only) Elder Angel to have ever undertaken this transformation. The removal of his wings was a vital part of the process, but not the catalyst for it—the removal of an Elder Angels' wings does not make that angel mortal by default.

When wounded, a substance akin to 'liquid light' has been observed to spill from an angel's wound(s). This substance is not blood. Elder Angels do not require sleep or food, and instead draw their lifeforce from the Crystal Arch. If this connection is severed/corrupted, Elder Angels can be incapacitated and rendered unconscious. Elder Angels possess a sense of smell, and their eyesight is superior to humans in most regards. As with mortals and Demons, Elder Angels carry Essence within themselves.

Elder Angels are able to disguise themselves as humans and walk among them. In their natural forms, however, Elder Angels appear to be faceless, almost always covered by a hood, though their heads are humanoid in shape. Elder Angels have glowing skin and their eyes have eyelids (at least, this was true for Inarius). Emotion is sensed from Elder Angels by the movement of their wings, which appear as streams of light. These streams can be used individually like tendrils, used to "walk", hold objects and even to bind an Elder Angels' foes.

Elder Angels can wield powerful magic. Before the destruction of the Worldstone, like Demons, Elder Angels had great difficulty in manifesting on Sanctuary. Even Tyrael could only manifest for a night at a time.

Elder Angels are capable of interbreeding with both Demons and nephalem. Indeed, it was such an act that led to the creation of humanity in the first place. They fear humanity for its ability to choose between good and evil.

Most Elder Angel wings are blue-white in color, though Angiris Council members have demonstrated other colors such as orange (Imperius) and purple (Malthael).

Beliefs and Culture
Angels are ruled over by the Angiris Council. While the council has lost members over time, and have had these members change aspects, the council, in essence, represents the virtues of Anu, the Creator. These virtues are valor, hope, fate, wisdom, and justice, and at least initially, were represented by the archangels Imperius, Auriel, Itherael, Malthael, and Tyrael respectively. Each Elder Angels that is created through the Lightsong is assigned to one of the domains/angelic groups of Heaven that represent one of these five aspects.

Unlike Demons, who war among themselves, Elder Angels seek to exist in harmony among their own kind. In battle, Elder Angels adhere to strict militaristic principles, and believe that only strict discipline can properly restore order to the myriad realms. Elder Angels, and their ideals, can basically be thought of as 'good,' though Elder Angels can still take these concepts too far, as demonstrated in the Sin War, and in its aftermath where, with the Great Conflict having reached stalemate, such dedication to order led to stagnation in Heaven. Nor are Elder Angels above vice or corruption by the lords of Hell. In the eyes of some, Elder Angels are, in their own way, no better than Demons. While Elder Angels naturally gravitate towards unification, their rigid ideals do not allow them to adapt to changing circumstances easily. The existence of humanity is one such example, and Elder Angels have displayed different reactions to their existence, even going so far as to advocate their eradication (e.g. Imperius) while others have even turned on their own brethren on humanity's behalf (e.g. Tyrael). Many among humanity give reverence to Elder Angels, seeing them as shining paragons of heroism, but this is a half-truth. Elder Angels exist for the sake of bringing order to Creation, while humanity, in contrast, is a source of disorder. As Demons are true to their nature, so are Elder Angels, making order out of chaos because they know no other path.

Each Elder Angel wears armor of some kind, though it is said that this is more for reasons of ornamentation and to provide a sense of individuality than to provide protection. The armor worn by archangels is a manifestation of their spirit. Some Elder Angels are considered brothers to each other, despite not sharing blood as humans may.

Few Elder Angels have ever willingly abandoned Heaven, and those who do so are stigmatized by their own kind.

Members

 * Imperius
 * Tyrael
 * Auriel
 * Itherael
 * Malthael
 * Inarius