The Isterica

Hello again, dear friend! It is I, The Observer, your humble Guide. I have taken the liberty of preparing a small index of terms important to Broken Divinity, which shall be updated over time as is relevant. The Spheres are a complex and historied place, and these short explanations will get you up to speed on things you’ll read within the story! Enjoy!

Angelic Terms

Unleashed: This refers to when Angels have their wings extended. An Angel with wings Unleashed has access to various abilities.

Restrained: This refers to when Angels have their wings hidden. Some Angels could easily pass for human in this state. When Restrained, an Angel has no access to any powers or abilities.

Bloodmist: Bloodmist is what is seen when Angel’s blood makes contact with air. Bloodmist looks like thick, oily smoke, the coloration which depends on which strain of Angel it comes from. Bloodmist also tends to stain things it comes into contact with, especially if contact is extended.

Angelic Varieties

Lightborn: The common name for a Prosperian strain of Angel that effectively rules the Prosperity Sphere. When one imagines an Angel, a Lightborn is probably most similar to what comes to mind. They have proud features, human skin tones, and most often white wings.

Laelite: The common name for a Prosperian strain of Angel typically found in the Laael region of Prosperity. These Angels have human skin tones, but their features tend be more robust, with squarish features and bulky, strong bodies.

Paelen: The common name for a Prosperian strain of Angel typically found in the Polarii region of Prosperity. They have human skin tones, and are most often on the leaner side, they are also known for their sharp and angular facial features.

Eagles: Named after the bird on Aerth, Eagles are a Striferan strain of Angel born in various regions of Strife. They have gray skin that comes in a variety of shades, are typically of average stature, and are notable for their pointed ears.

Darkblood: Named for their black blood, Darkbloods are a rarer strain of Striferan Angel thought to originate from the Shadow Peaks of Malmoria, which is an enormous mountain range. Their skin tones range from a midnight black to a dark red hue, they are known for their well-muscled bodies with unusually long arms.

Angelic Powers

In the Sphere, you’ll see three different categories of Angelic powers mentioned:

Presence: When an Angels wings are Unleashed, they almost always radiate Presence. For Angels, Presence serves a variety of purposes. Primarily, when an Angel has its wings Unleashed, it can sense the Presence of other Angels nearby, and other Unleashed Angels can do the same to them. By sensing Presence, Angels get a sense of the emotions and occasionally even intentions of other Angels. When combined with other powers, Presence can be modified in various ways. It is important to note that an Angel with wings Restrained can almost never sense Presence, and Angels with wings Unleashed can almost never sense Angels with their wings Restrained.

Will: Will is a finite resource every Angel has access to. When their wings are Unleashed, Angels can use Will to affect things around them, but cannot use it to alter personal attributes such as strength or speed. Willpowers are vast and most anything can be done if one has the skill and desire. They can range from firing shots of energy commonly known as Bolts, to altering the taste of food or drink. Will is finite, and when it runs out Angels can simply no longer use it, but fortunately it replenishes itself speedily with rest and a little time. Using too much Will does not hurt an Angel or cause any adverse effects.

Spirit: Spirit is heavily tied to an Angel’s life force, and is the type of power that allows them to alter physical attributes such as strength, gives them the ability to take flight, and is required to heal injuries. Unlike Will, which is effectively a linear pool of energy that drains by the amount used, Spirit is more complex. The most easily drawn comparison to humans is exercise: One can walk or jog lightly potentially for hours if they take a pace that is easy for them, but go for an all-out sprint, and will exhaust themself very quickly. Additionally, too much exercise with too much intensity brings the potential for injury. Sprit works much the same way, an Angel can give themselves a slight boost of strength, speed, and other physical attributes and maintain it almost indefinitely, especially with training. However, if they use too much spirit too quickly, their Spirit will be “weakened” and their capacity to use Spirit will be reduced. A weakened Spirit requires more rest and time to recover than simple drained Will. When an Angels must heal themself, it takes a toll on their Spirit, and too much healing or gross overuse of Spirit in general can cause irreparable damage to an Angel’s Spirit.