Race, Sex, & Appearance

Race 

Elohim do not have a race. They are all created beings and do not produce genealogical descendants. Orders should be thought of as an intrinsic purpose or role. Orders are descriptors of function and not of form. The elohim choose to display the form related to their Order as a sign of embracing their given function. It is a willing cooperation. 

Sex

Elohim do not have a sex. Sex is a biological feature related to reproduction. Angelic elohim are referred to as being masculine if ever referred to using gender terms in the Bible. While ancient Near Eastern religions in general had multiple goddesses, the religion of the Israelites uniquely did not, nor was there any mention of female elohim. In Scripture, when elohim manifest in the material realm, they are recorded as appearing as an adult male. While Matthew 22:30 is often cited to claim that the angels are neither male nor female, all this Scripture actually says is that angels in heaven are not given in marriage and the same will be true of humans in the resurrection. Sex is not mentioned and the reference makes no assertion about a being's sex.

It would seem that elohim, when manifested in physical forms, can perform or at least replicate some biological functions. Scripture does present manifested elohim eating. Genesis, Jude, and Peter refer to imprisoned spirits or angels who left their natural station and sinned. Second Temple Period writings expand on this story to tell of Watchers who manifested in material form and were able to copulate with women and produce offspring for themselves. None were recorded manifesting as females. Interestingly, none of the offspring were recorded as female either.

It would seem from a ancient Israelite perspective that women are something specifically given among material beings because they are mortal and will die. Elohim are immortal and do not need to reproduce. Further, multiplying was part of the commission the Most High gave to his human imagers and not to the elohim. 

For the purposes of this game written in English, elohim are generally referred to using appropriate English neutral pronouns of "they" and "them". A specific elohim will be referred to with male pronouns as is accurate to the mythology. All artistic representations in published materials will display male related qualities. However, if a player feels more able to relate to their elohim character by using a more feminine name and thinks of their character as appearing more feminine, they can feel free to do so and will not be alone. We will also very likely include more feminine avatar options in our game app. We want all players to enjoy the game and this issue is not a major one as long as it is treated as exactly that, not a major issue. It should remain understood that there is no such distinction among elohim. Any distinction should be done for personal relatability and not become a story element.

Appearance 

The elohim in Allies of Majesty look very different from the classic depictions of angels that you are probably accustomed to. They are not ladies, babies, or even pasty-white European men. Most appear with bronze skin. Their faces are not always human and many display animal faces. They display human legs, but hooved feet. Holy elohim often display wings. They also have a shining glory that increases as they increase in Tier adding to the description of high ranking elohim as “glorious ones”. These elements all have symbolic meaning. They are appearances chosen by the elohim to communicate something about themselves including their cooperation with the Most High and their embracing of the purposes he has given them.

When they are sent as angels to appear to humans with a message, they are majestic and impressive, but are most often recorded as appearing as a human without wings or other strange features. It is instead when humans have visions of the spirit realm that the fantastical, symbolic descriptions occur.

Multi-Order Appearance

Because elohim choose their appearance, Multi-Order elohim can appear in a variety of ways depending on the situation and their preference. There are three basic ways in which they will express their different Orders.

In more formal settings, such as in an audience with the Most High, Multi-Order may display a multi-faced appearance. This clearly and openly displays the entirety of their purposes they embody. The faces will relate to one another using the cardinal directions, but the faces will not always face their assigned direction. For example, if you are standing to the West of a Messenger-Minstrel, the elohim will not refuse to face you in order to keep their eagle face North and their Human face South. Such is most practical for a Quad, but is not required for them either.

A common option is for the Multi-Order elohim to display a face with mixed features. There are no specific expectations on which features should be favored for each Order. It is truly up to the character. You could use the horns from the Ministering Spirit or the beak from the Messenger, or you could adopt some other features such a longer face shape for the Ox or the more feathery texture to replace fur or hair.

Another option among Multi-Order elohim is to display a dynamic facial appearance. In this case, the facial features shift depending on the current activity or mood of the elohim. For example, when healing an ally the character would look Ox-like, but when that same character manifests a bow to fire at an enemy their face may shift to Eagle-like features. With dynamic facial appearance elohim will still have no trouble identifying them as the same character. Subtle identifying features and qualities are assumed to remain through the transitions. The same is true if the character were to switch to multi-faced or mixed features.

Character Creation Notes:

There is nothing from these concepts to choose or notate on your new character. It is all information about how Allies of Majesty characters differ from mortal, flesh and blood characters in other roleplaying games.