Every journey starts from home. As such, I thought it would be good to start this compendium by discussing my own people: the angels. Along with the demons we are the only true remnants of the old gods' order still left on Argoll. We were created by the High God in the previous age of this world to serve as her representatives, guiding her creations along the path she had set for them. We were warriors, messengers, healers, teachers,... simply put, we were divine handymen, doing all the odd jobs. Naturally, we were heavily involved in the High God's fight with her sister, the Demon Lord, fighting on the front lines of that war as well as protecting mortals from the corrupting influences of the demons.

But, all good things come to an end. When the goddess Echidna killed both the High God and the Demon Lord and took control of Argoll, we were left to fend for ourselves as best we could in a rapidly changing world.The following years were a confusing time. As creatures that are both functionally immortal and asexually reproducing, we didn't face some of the challenges that the mortal creations of the two sister goddesses did, such as declining birth rates. Similarly, due to the great number of magical artifacts in our possession, we were able to adapt to Argoll's changing environment better than the mortal species. But by no means did we have it easy. The magic rituals used to create new angels were no longer as effective as before. At the same time, many of us fell victim to strange new plagues, while others, not seeing any future for our race in the absence of our creator, were driven to deep states of depression and melancholy, not infrequently to the point of suicide. Something had to be done, and fast.

In the third year after the Awakening, our remaining leaders called together all the angels on our island home of Eden, to organise what would be called the Great Synod. For many days there was heated debate, but two crucial decisions were made in those days. The first was that a house divided cannot stand, as the saying goes, and therefore we had to remain united under one banner. The second, more controversial decision, was that we had to embrace this new world as best we could. As remnants of the world that came before, and the great civilizations that flourished there, it was our task to help the monsters that now inhabited the world to thrive, like someone who has just found an orphan left on their doorstep. In this way, our people would have a new purpose, one that would be much more productive than fighting a doomed battle against this new age. Although some still have private misgivings, this has been the goal that we have worked towards ever since.

From the Synod emerged our current organisation as a people. In the past an elaborate hierarchy existed among the angels, but it was gutted as a consequence of the many deaths that followed in the wake of our goddess' own death, and now it only exists in a watered down version.

At the top of our society are the three Virtues. While in the past there were many more angels of this rank and many above them, four Virtues were the highest-ranked angels to survive long enough to call the Great Synod. As such they became our leaders, though one of their number has passed away since. They have a stationary residence in Eden, but maintain regular contact with the orders operating throughout Argoll through messengers. The Virtues regularly send out advice to lesser angels and can act as the ultimate authority on any dispute, both on their own initiative as well as in response to petitions by lower-ranked angels. They are also the only ones who can call the representatives of the various angelic orders to a synod in Eden, though this has only happened once since the Great Synod.

Beneath the three Virtues in Eden are the various angelic orders. These are organisations of angels organised around a common vision of how to improve the world. Their internal organisation varies a fair bit, but all share a divide between angels and archangels. Angels, such as yours truly, are the common rank and file of the orders, whereas the archangels stand above them and fulfil the more important functions. The ways to attain the status of archangel vary for each order, but crucially, no archangel can give another angel the powers associated with the station. Instead, a message needs to be sent to Eden explaining the reasoning for the promotion and requesting the necessary magic seal which will grant the angel in question her new powers. Usually, this is complied with, and in general the three Virtues give the orders a great deal of autonomy, but on occasion conflicts between Eden and the orders have arisen. During such clashes, it is not uncommon for requests for promotion to be weaponized.

There are many different orders, some small, some large. I have compiled a non-comprehensive list of the larger, more influential ones:

- The order of the Eternal Sign. This order, which also happens to be my own, was founded to preserve knowledge left over from the old world, both for its own sake and because of the useful benefits it might bring to this new age. Unfortunately, not only was a lot lost in the general chaos that followed the death of the twin goddesses, but what was preserved does not always hold true for this new world. As such, the order is not just dedicated to preserving the transmitted knowledge but also to testing it through experiments, though unfortunately, the means to do so are often lacking.

- The order of the Blazing Sword. The order of the Blazing Sword was founded to protect the innocent and fight evil wherever it is to be found, so that the new inhabitants of Argoll can thrive here instead of being forced into oppression, whether that is through opposing a corrupt monarch or beating back the dangerous creatures that roam the wilds. This order is somewhat controversial, and often clashes with the Virtues. New angels are only created in low numbers now, and every life lost is precious. The Blazing Swords dangerous battles are therefore often seen as irresponsible. Nevertheless, they continue their crusade, and those bearing their livery are welcomed in monster communities throughout Argoll.

- The order of the White Seal. This order is based in Eden and they serve the virtues as bodyguards, servants or messengers, as well as operating the airships that ferry angels to and from Eden. They are named for the White Seal which marks their authority as representatives of the Virtues. Although they are respected for this authority, they also have a reputation as meddlesome or haughty among the other orders.

- The order of the Good Shepherd. While many angels are focused on helping the inhabitants of this new world, the order of the Good Shepherd seeks to help Argoll itself. During the age of the twin gods that preceded this age, many mortals would ruthlessly exploit the world the goddesses had created for them, frequently causing environmental devastation that harmed them in the long-run. The order of the Good Shepherd wishes to make sure the monsters do not make the same mistakes as those that came before them did, and therefore the angels of this order do their best to maintain a stable relationship between the monsters and nature. As one can imagine, this often makes them somewhat disliked by those who wish to exploit the natural resources around them more, but they continue on their quest regardless.

-The order of the Golden Dove. A group of diplomats, they are the most widely travelled of all angelic orders. They firmly believe in the power of words and try to foster cooperation among the various monsters of Argoll by acting as diplomatic intermediaries and organising events that can bring people together. Whether it is the signing of trade agreements, relief efforts for a natural disaster, peace negotiations or even just the organising of festivals, it's never a surprise if a member of this order is involved.

As said, the orders are rather autonomous, and geographically spread out. As such they vary a lot in their internal cultures, and few things can be said about angelic culture as a whole. One thing that most of us have in common however, is a love of singing. Whether it's the choral music in Eden or the battle songs of the order of the Blazing Sword, singing is a common pastime and it is rare to find an angel settlement where someone is not singing. Singing with others in particular is a common form of bonding. In fact, the few angels I have met who have chosen to make their way in the world outside of the framework of the orders often live off their talent as performers.

The state of our species, at present, is better than it once was. We have developed cures and protective measures against many of the plagues that threatened us early on, though none are fully effective, and our new purpose has given many of our race hope again. But we have not yet found a solution to the issue of reproduction, and I must admit, I do not think it is likely we ever will. Between deaths in battle, from sickness or other causes, not enough angels are made to make up for the losses. It seems clear that we will fade from Argoll eventually, though it might take a few centuries. This is something which many of the orders are already preparing for by taking on monster members so they can eventually take over the orders' activities when we are gone. But perhaps that is not too bad of a prospect. We were not meant to linger into this new age as long as we have, after all, and there is a beauty in dying after leaving the world a better place.