Raguel

Vengeance must always be profound and absolute.

Basics

Original name Raguel
Other name(s) Nemesis, Karma, Vengeance Incarnate
Alias(es) John Wilcox
Species Angel
Age Ancient—almost as old as humankind
Rank, status, title(s) Seraph; known and recognized as the Angel of Vengeance
True form A six-armed, faceless angelic creature
Sex Identifies as a male
Height 186 cm (6'1")
Hair & eye color Black hair, dark brown eyes
Body type Athletic
Occupation May work as a part-time bouncer or security guard whenever he needs money
Alignment Lawful neutral
Strengths Unwavering loyalty, pain tolerance, perseverance
Weaknesses Predictability, stubbornness, temperament
Weapon(s) of choice A double-pointed sword that can be split in two
Face claim Keanu Reeves
Theme song(s) "The Vengeful One" by Disturbed

Powers and abilities

Core-reliant regeneration

As long as the nape of Raguel's vessel remains intact, he can heal himself through regeneration, even from wounds normally considered fatal. If an opponent manages to hit the critical spot on Raguel's top cervical vertebra, the seraph is left dazed and defenseless, but able to eventually recover.

Severing the connection between his skull and spine would kill him, but any lesser damage will allow him to recuperate and return to the battlefield. This also means he lacks the ability to heal others.

Damage empowerment

"What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." Raguel is a living empodiment of the phrase; unless his healing is forced into overdrive, he will power up through his injuries. While the ability only triggers from physical damage, a near-death experience in any form will increase the Seraph's power exponentially for a limited time. There is no difference whether the damage comes from an external source or from Raguel himself, allowing him to manipulate his powers to a remarkable degree and cause significant damage by diving head first into the enemy lines.

The effect is lost upon healing, driving the Angel of Vengeance to fight alone without the help of his kin.

Blood attacks

Once Raguel bleeds—again, either from an opponent's cut or by his own accord—his attacks gain extra range. Instead of bleeding from his wounds normally, the seraph can weaponize his blood and add a bloody flourish to his attacks, converting his ability to bend light into a more biokinetic skill.

While an angel can't exactly become anemic, Raguel can burn himself out this way, and has a limited time window to either retreat or defeat his foe before becoming sluggish. The more blood he has used, the slower the following recovery.

Fire infusion

Fire infusion is another offensive power in Raguel's repertoire: the ability to light his weapons and blood in fire. This adds a burning/cauterizing effect to his attacks, allowing him to either burn his opponent or to cauterize an ally's wound. The effect isn't always immediate, but an echo of a previous attack, turning flying splatters into kindlings.

In short, fighting Raguel is a nightmare, because predicting his abilities without prior knowledge will be a challenge to anyone but the most overpowered and long-ranged opponents.

Karmic awareness

While most angels are capable of reading the souls of individuals and judging their sins, Raguel's version of the ability is slightly different. Instead of sensing the shortcomings and bad decisions of a single mortal, he can sense how much suffering their actions have caused on other people. In a sense, he can tell how depraved humanity has become—and who are the greatest contributors to their downfall.

Personality

Austere

Raguel is an angel and leaves no question about it: he is serious and emotionless to the point of ascetic, doing the bare minimum to blend into human society. As a creature with no need to eat or sleep, his time is spent working, running missions, or keeping an eye on mortals he's been appointed to watch over. Sass and humor cause him to merely stare at the speaker in confusion, unless some kind of twisted karma is involved, in which case the Seraph may crack a tiny, gleeful smile.

Disciplined

Personal desires are the last thing in Raguel's mind; he's dedicated his life to serving Heaven and does so without care for comfort. He is forbearing and task-focused, resting only after his service is no longer required. He is able to stay composed in all kinds of situations and control his emotions, silently judging those who lack self-restraint to perform at their best.

Incisive

As a hardened battle veteran, Raguel is used to making split-second decisions for himself and those under his care. He doesn't waste time pondering over the options, but acts based on instinct and experience, even when considering alternatives might offer a better solution.

Principled

Raguel has been taught a rigid sense of moral, and it makes his world view black-and-white: good and bad, right and wrong, correct and forbidden. He expects everyone to function the same way and has trouble dealing with gray areas between extremes of any given spectrum. He can be annoyingly assertive, especially if he's not asked to lead, and doesn't perform too well in groups of equal individuals.

Fanatic

A seraph's value lies in his will to sacrifice himself for the greater good, and it is an obligation Raguel takes seriously. Dedicated to his responsibilities as a warrior, the seraph isn't easily coaxed to change his mind after he's set on acting on something. When self-destruction is a battle tactic, it's easy to forget about potential consequences.

Quick-tempered

In contrast to his usually controlled self, Raguel's temperament is far from ideal for a celestial soldier. Under stress, he becomes snappy and impulsive, taking risks that would unnerve a calmer person. Although not the quickest to anger, the seraph can be annoyed into acting without thinking.

History

Birth

Born some 10,000 years ago, Raguel was created as part of a generation of angels meant to guard and protect God's latest pet project: humans. Assigned to serve under Michael, the seraph spent decades training to fight and hearing stories of Limbo's destruction at the hands of demons. If he ever questioned the lessons he was given, his curiosity was nipped at the bud by his older kin, and any memories of it have long since faded.

Raguel's first taste of real battle happened during the Rebellion, when the first fallen angels were expelled from Heaven and Samael's betrayal had caused a divine civil war. He excelled at hunting his own kind, cutting off their wings and plunging them from Heaven, gaining infamy as the war went on. By the time the rest fallen angels were sent to Hell, Raguel was all but a master of tracking and defeating his rebellious kin.

Old Testament

Raguel's first personal mission came when Abel was killed by his brother and the seraph was appointed to protect Cain from men looking to kill the kinslayer. His duty as a divine avenger took priority over hunting his own, as his missions spun over decades to track and slay any offender's family members—seven for each taken attempt.

Raguel's title as the Angel of Vengeance was truly born when Sodom and Gomorrah were set to be destroyed after Lust's influence had corrupted the cities beyond repentance. His group was given the task of raining down God's divine retribution, burning the cities and their surroundings to ash. His next mission was to carry out the plagues that ruined Egypt, once again serving as an instrument to spread death wherever it was called upon.

For a while, the Angel of Vengeance was eager to answer any prayer, bringing down empires and reclaiming land for both rulers and peasants with little regard for their real intentions. Only after witnessing the consequences of pride, wrath, and envy did he start to doubt his purpose, and his Creator's silence wasn't helping.

Post-classical times

It took until the Crusades for Raguel to realize the extent of humanity's hubris and the consequences of giving them free will. The Lord's favor wasn't requested for righteous reasons, but rather to claim rights and reign over so-called pagans and witches. His attention shifted to serving those wronged in God's name, taking pleasure in avenging their wrongful deaths and persecution.

Since then, Raguel has overwatched and blessed slave rebellions and various other riots against abusive rulers, helped native populations stand up to their conquerors and oppressors, and overseen battles for independence. However, this stopped after World War I, and prayers to the Angel of Vengeance have rarely been answered.

Now

Ever since Egypt, Raguel hasn't been given direct orders or used to channel divine will—and it has taken a toll on him. No angel is meant to make decisions on their own, and the same limitation applies to the Angel of Vengeance. Unsure of the righteousness of his actions, Raguel keeps waiting for a command from a higher authority, be it an archangel or God Himself, and watching over the first and only mortal soul appointed directly into his care:

Cain.

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