This article is about An Archon lord. For other uses, see Zaphkiel (disambiguation).
A roiling maelstrom of golden energy instills in you tremendous feelings of joy and harmony. Suddenly, it coalesces into the form of a stunningly beautiful yet androgynous figure standing 10 feet tall, with golden skin and metallic, platinum-white wings. Warm light surrounds it, and its expressions are both soothing and kind.
Zaphkiel presides over the seventh layer of Celes- tia, the Illuminated Heaven of Chronias. Zaphkiel embodies the perfect good, and only the most exalted creatures can stand in his presence without being consumed.
Zaphkiel watches over all of Celestia, sending advice and providing wise counsel to the other members of Hebdomad regarding their dealings with mortals and other celestial beings. Zaphkiel also protects and nurtures the innocent spirits of stillborn babies and sacrificed children.
Although Zaphkiel clearly has some interest in advancing less-perfect beings, Zaphkiel's true goals remain inscrutable. Only the gods and the other Hebdomadal members have actually seen Zaphkiel. All other beings who have encountered or perceived the archon have either perished for their folly or achieved such a state of goodness that their essences have joined with Celestia itself.
Like Asmodeus in the deepest Hell, Zaphkiel is an ancient ruler shrouded in mystery. He is wrapped in radiant light and bathed in holy power, as though a living extension of the heaven he rules. He is the only one of the original seven martyrs who remains in his position in Celestia - his original six fellows have all perished in the eons since their establishment. As one of the Hebdomad falls, however, another archon somewhere in Celestia rises to take its place, instantly assuming the form, rank, and power of the fallen one. Most scholars believe that Zaphkiel alone can promote another archon to the Hebdomad, which may account, along with the exalted nature of the archons, for the complete peace and harmony that prevails among the ruling council.
