The people found their old homes abandoned and ruined, and the Angels instructed them to destroy what little remained, and sever any connections with their ancestors’ lives. Under the close supervision of the Angels, the people began to raise new temples and homes in the style of the Celestial City. These cities would serve as the core of their new realm in Tyria, and soon the Angels were ready to expand their flock.
The Angels and their armies took to converting those who had come to the land in their absence. They offered rewards and favour to those who showed devotion and adopted the faith willingly, while crushing anyone who rebelled against them. Soon, the Angelic Kingdom began to look beyond its old provincial boundaries, seeking out strange magical relics and converting new followers, whether through preaching or conquest. They keep a close eye over their people, inspiring them forever towards greater faith in return for their salvation.
While their followers profess the benevolence of their Angelic leaders, others in Tyria view the close supervision and strict commands of the Angels with suspicion, and some have begun to speculate that the Angels are working towards some secret ends beyond the knowledge of their followers.
How will you spread the new faith?
History
The Home That Was
What became the Kingdom of Angels was originally a human state, a distant vassal to the Human Empire, far from its core. They had their own culture and were thought to be distant cousins of the Mummified Undead civilization. The region was relatively unaffected by the Havoc War, though many soldiers were called to serve there and left the land relatively undefended.
The Rift
When the Rift opened, the people living in this land faced a series of catastrophes, floods, hail and wild fires raged throughout the region, destroying homes and crops, while the Rift cut them off from much of the Empire and their neighbours.
The Coming of Angels
The Humans thought their end was nigh until powerful beings draped in light sprung from the sky. These Angels presented themselves to the people and offered to take those who would follow them to a city in the sky, far from the destruction so that they might return to rebuild in harmony with the Angels. Most people followed the Angels to their Celestial City.
A Time in Exile
The people came to worship the Gods of the Angels and obey the will of their Gods, as it was told to them by the Angels. They worked to improve their new city, their hands always guided by the watchful eyes of their angelic saviours. They learnt to trust in the Angels completely.
The Return
When they returned from the Celestial City, the Humans were dressed in sleek, shiny attires of Angelic design. They found that their former home was nothing more than muddy ruins, with no survivors left. What they didn’t know is that the Angels themselves had disposed of the dissenters.
The New Kingdom
Guided by their Angel wardens, the Humans erased any trace of their previous society and started ambitious construction projects, building a sophisticated fortress in the style of their masters. The fortress was built around a portal that led to the Celestial City and was dubbed the First Door of the Kingdom of Angels.
Society
The Kingdom of Angels is a faction of Humans that serve beings from another plane that they see as angels. They are fanatically devoted to them and to their Gods, because they saved them from destruction when the Rift opened. After a time in exile away from the Tyrian plane, they have returned to preach and spread the word of the Angels. The Angels rewarded their most devout followers with power, presenting them as an example to others. In turn, they did all they could to bring apostates and heretics back to the faith. They keep a close eye over their people, inspiring them forever towards greater faith in return for salvation.
Missionaries
Missionaries and small patrols from the Kingdom of Angels have started venturing out of the First Door, bringing the good news of the Twin Gods to their human brethren. This is not an easy task and some even deride the Angels’ creed. But the believers have faith that in time, all of Tyria shall see the light, as the Angels reward obedience with many blessings. Angel wardens are known to be fair, but also unrelenting in the application of their law. All human residents profess blind, total faith in the Angelic Truth, and debates are quite rare. Some of them have a nervous edge to them, especially when they have been away from the City for a long time. Only the most pious are allowed to reside among heathens, away from the First Door, for any length of time.
Expanding
The Kingdom of Angels have begun sending delegates and detachments further afield, always escorted by a few of their Angel wardens. They mostly trade, sometimes fight for specific materials that they need to complete their construction projects. It seems that the First Door is only the beginning of a much larger plan, a plan devised by the Angels, but that requires a lot of human hands to be put into practice. The Humans teach their faith to anyone who will listen, often repeating: “one who sees, believes”. They claim that a pilgrimage to the Celestial City will convince any sceptic of the Angels’ grandeur.
Prosperous
There are outsiders who join the Kingdom of Angels by choice, willing converts to the Angels’ faith. They see a Kingdom of laws with incorruptible judges, where no one starves, with beautiful buildings protected by powerful magic, a strong community who worships together and strives towards a common goal. In a time when Daemons are spilling out from a gigantic Rift in the ground, and many factions are divided and lost, the Kingdom of Angels is a promise of order, serenity and stability.
No mortal knows the ultimate intention of the angels but the Humans of the Kingdom of Angels are certain that another cataclysm is close, and only Angels can save them. Many Humans owe their lives to the Angels and they fervently believe that humanity’s purpose is to serve them.
