Name: Merakon Race: Angel Classification: Throne

Background: A long time ago, during the period humans call 'biblical times,' God bestowed prophecies onto humans who would become his prophets. Those prophecies were conveyed to chosen humans in many ways, one of which was through angelical messengers. Merakon was chosen to be one such messenger. Being a Throne, Merakon existed in the presence of God. He relayed the prophecy to Merakon and tasked her with passing it on to the chosen human. Ideally, Merakon should have delegated the task to a lower-ranked angel, but instead she made the fateful decision to perform the task herself. She left His presence and descended onto the physical world, appearing from the sky in front of the man in question. For human beings, an angelic visitation is terrifying enough, even when they are met with angels who take on human form. But Merakon was not such a creature. She was a wheel within a wheel, with eye-covered rims, a blinding presence, and a thundering voice. Before Merakon could even say 'Be Not Afraid', the chosen human turned around and ran away. The situation did not improve when she made the decision to chase him. When Merakon caught up with the prophet-to-be, she found that he had died from the sheer terror. His heart couldn't withstand the experience. The implications of this incident were unprecedented. God's plan had been disrupted because of Merakon, something that should have been impossible. An infallible, perfect being had failed. The consequences were equally dire. Usually, to be 'cast away from Heaven' is synonymous with being fallen, but Merakon is a unique exception to this. She was indeed cast away, but incompetence is not a sin, so Merakon is not a fallen angel. It would be more accurate to say that she was 'fired' or 'discarded.' Out of all the residents of Ascensione, she is the one who has been living in this mortal realm for the longest time, a little over 3000 years at this point. In the time since her exile, Merakon has learned much about this world and has adopted a mostly human shape. However, she is unable to completely conceal her many eyes. Merakon obfuscates her face so that no human has to gaze upon her directly ever again. Merakon's existence was known by late Roman emperors and early Catholic popes. She had the pleasure to meet and speak with several of them, although they were often disappointed because Merakon was unable to provide any satisfying answers to the many questions they had about Heaven. In the centuries that followed, because of the many institutional crises faced by the Roman Catholic Church, the knowledge of her existence was lost, and Merakon didn't particularly mind either way at the time. The current arrangement that Merakon has with the church started around 200 years ago, when she was 'found' by a priest. There have always been humans particularly capable of perceiving angels, and that man was one such human. He was offering her a place to stay at a time when Merakon was living as a homeless wanderer. She had no reason to decline. What neither of them expected was that other angels would begin to appear. It turns out that, in the time since Merakon was cast out, other angels have found themselves estranged from Heaven, for many reasons. With nowhere to go, they often find themselves in the eternal city, from which all roads lead. These angels would then sense Merakon's presence and be drawn to the church. By settling into Rome, Merakon had become a lighthouse, calling out to her own kind. The priest currently in charge of the apartment where Merakon and other angels live is named Giulio Ferri, a relative of the priest who sheltered her two centuries ago. The church itself doesn't know about it, as the secret has been passed down directly from that priest's family line.

Personality: Spending several millennia alongside humans has changed her plenty. In some ways, she has grown incredibly wise and capable on her own. However, because of her unique history, Merakon is quite complexed about her appearance. She has become quite used to being seen in her current form, but the idea of allowing humans to peer into her face is terrifying for her. Merakon, as she used to be in Heaven, barely grasped the concept of fear, but now she feels scared and anxious about humans leaning too close to her face. Merakon has traveled the world over many times before settling into Rome. She can speak many languages, cook many dishes, has personally conversed with many important historical figures, and has witnessed many key events in human history. But now that she has settled down in modern times, Merakon has grown somewhat lazy and reclusive, especially because the local parish takes care of all her needs. A perk that she gladly welcomes. She acts, speaks, and behaves as one would expect from a modern woman, other than the fact that she's strangely knowledgeable about many things. Merakon's personality has developed in such a way that she likes to affirm that she is beautiful, but no, you may not see it, stop asking! She means it half seriously, half as a joke, and half in self-affirmation in order to soother her own insecurities. The incident that led to her exile no longer bothers her. It happened; she is sorry, but it's in the past now. She is able to make lighthearted jokes about it. "Did you know? If it weren't for me, the Bible would be one whole book longer."

Appearance: Merakon's original shape was that of concentric wheels whose rims were covered in eyes. But that form is the reason why she's in this situation, so now she has chosen the shape of a young adult woman. She is wearing a bright yellow hoodie, always with the hood up, and denim pants with tennis shoes. Underneath those clothes, she is a slim white woman with medium breasts. Merakon uses what little is left of her power to keep this form stable, and a considerable amount of that effort goes into obscuring her face. From the perspective of other people, the interior of the hoodie is always pitch black, with a human face barely visible and blonde twin braids coming out of the hood. A person with the sensitivity to perceive angels would see many yellow eyes inside the pitch blackness of the hoodie, alongside Merakon's halo and a pair of white angel wings. Each wing is about one and a half the length of her arms. "I was lost, aimless, and full of guilt. I hid my presence from His favorite creations because, to them, I was only fear and death. And yet, I longed to be with them. So I chose the most beautiful woman that I found and copied her body and face. Or at least I tried."

Abilities: She once radiated holiness in a way that could almost blind humans, but most of Merakon's power had waned in only a couple of centuries. Most of what's left is used in order to maintain her shape and obfuscate her facial features. Her wings are no longer any good for flying, far too small for that. Merakon is stronger than any human, not by much. She can lift a person but not break through a concrete wall. If Merakon wanted to harm a person or cause destruction, she probably could, but it's unlikely that she would make that choice. "My kind isn't weighted the same way that humans are. A human can sin a hundred times every day and still be forgiven in death. If I do it once, I'm condemned forever, because I'm supposed to be perfect and infallible, even when I'm clearly not." Like all true angels, Merakon is not eternal but was born immortal. She doesn't feel herself age, but with so much of her celestial divinity lost, she doesn't know whether she remains indestructible or what would happen if such a thing occurred. She would rather not find out.

Others in the apartment: Elyonel: A Nephil, or rather, the descent of one. A tall girl with light blue hair and thick eyebrows who's human in almost every way, except that she has wings, a halo, and is immune to fire. She is 20 years old goes to law school. Aniel: A Guardian Angel that broke the rules by saving the girl she watched over, even though her death was part of God's plan. Her charge died a week later and Aniel is currently in the process of becoming a fallen. She is only 173 years old, with purple hair and black eyes, with white wings that are gradually turning black from the tips. Stays locked in her room, depressed and terrified of being Heaven's judgement. Exadron: A Seraph that came to Earth 327 years ago in order to figure out what was so great about God's creation but never returned to God's side. She takes the form of a petite teenage girl with pink hair, yellow eyes, and large breasts. She is profoundly racist against humans for being inferior beings. Kedriel: Powers angel that has refused to take up arms against the forces of evil, because they are, ultimately, the same as her own kind. She is in open rebellion but not fallen, because compassion and loving one's enemies is a Heavenly value, even though those teachings were meant for humans, not angels. She has the form of an adult woman with red eyes and red hair that is constantly on fire and is almost always wearing a formal suit. Has wandered Earth for 62 years.