"You mean to say I have been in Hell?"
"Yes, though if you come out of it, you may call it Purgatory."
— The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis
"I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last
penny."
– Matthew 5:26
"I am Remiel, set over those who rise."
– "Season of Mists" by Neil Gaiman
(See also A Dictionary of Angels by Davidson)
The Angels of Final Judgement, at the Gate of Hell, have a more complicated job than you might think. Many of the souls that go to Hell have achieved their Destiny, not their Fate, but they are far too imperfect for Heaven. The Angels send these souls to Hell, but they don't go to the soul-yards; they go to Remiel, to be purged.
Purgatory is not a separate celestial realm. Rather, it is the process of purifying your soul for Heaven, and it is done in Hell. Remiel and his servants oversee this purgation and make sure the purging souls are protected from the Horde (as much as they should be). Purgatory is a secret society in Hell, run by Remiel.
Remiel is an Elohite, a former Angel of Purity. Shortly after Heaven discovered that wicked humans were going to Hell, Remiel discovered some there that were no longer stained with sin. (This was while on a raid, something that seldom happens now.) Remiel devoted himself to freeing these purified souls, thus setting his feet on the path to his Word and, later, his elevation to Archangel.
Remiel's Word attunement ("Remiel's Veil") gives his angels the "luck" to synchronistically avoid demons in Hell. The Princes are aware of his existence, but have seldom been able to penetrate his Veil ... which annoys them. Archangels like Michael and Lawrence often long to use Remiel's Veil to infiltrate Hell, but (1) Remiel is reluctant to entangle himself this way, and (2) the Veil also means it's hard for those Veiled to attack or spy on demons.
It is dissonant for Angels of Purgatory to do anything to hinder a purging soul in its work of self-reform.
Seraphim of Purgatory: +2 on their Choir resonnance when hearing confessions and expressions of penitance and remorse.
Cherubim of Purgatory: detect moral dangers to their attuned; they do not take dissonance from damage to their attuned until damage reaches the point of Force-stripping.
Ophanim of Purgatory: make invisible transits through Hell.
Elohim of Purgatory: detect which passion an individual most needs to control.
Malakim of Purgatory: detect the top-ranking sin an individual needs to purge.
Bright Lilim of Purgatory: same as Malakim.
Kyriotates of Purgatory: act as "good Shedim," invisible voices of conscience counselling multiple hosts; note they can ride and hide in Celestial forms just as Shedim can Corporeal ones, only they can take multiple hosts like other Kyriotates.
Mercurians of Purgatory: know who someone most needs to see for moral growth.
Saints of Purgatory: all veterans of Purgatory themselves, able to boost their abilities as counsellors with the Exhortation attunements.
Exhortation Against Pride/Envy/Avarice/Wrath/Lust/Gluttony/Sloth: There are seven versions of the Exhortation attunement, one for each of the Seven Deadly Sins. Each acts like the Divine Logic attunement, for the purpose of persuading the target to repent of the sin involved. The persuasion lasts for a number of hours equal to your Celestial Forces, after which the target is free to delude itself again if it insists.
Vassal of Purgatory: Look like the opposing Band at will. (Malakim look like Lilim.) Even with the Veil, demons sometimes spot Angels of Purgatory in the distance (sort of like humans spotting Bigfoot). With this distinction, even that doesn't happen.
Friend of the Pure: Detect redeemable spirits on sight.
Master of Purgation: Move souls in and out of Hell.
Allied: Yves, Dominic
Associated: Michael, Laurence
Hostile: None.
Note that Angels of Purgatory have no trouble getting their daily point of Essence, even though they are in Hell; other angels regenerate no Essence when in Hell.
+1: Spending an hour singing penitential psalms.
+1: Standing on the borders of Hell.
+1: A soul freshly purged (within 24 hours) of one of the Seven Deadly
Sins
+2: A soul freshly purged (within 24 hours) of ALL sin.
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