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"All of creation cares not whether you live or die."
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| “ | The Universe... is sick, Horseman. The Charred Council refuses to admit it, but those of us who look... we see... we had to do something. — Azrael to War |
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Azrael is the "Archangel of Death." When War first encounters Azrael, he is imprisoned in the Black Throne. He is the narrator heard in the beginning of the story.
Biography
The Abomination Vault
When the Maker Belisatra sent her construct army to retrieve Nephilim weapons lost on the battlefield at Eden, Azrael was amongst the angels sent to reinforce the local garrison. When the angels had repulsed the attack, they removed their fallen from the field and Azrael cast a powerful illusion to hide all signs of carnage. When the Horseman Death arrived to investigate the attack, he at first could not tell that anything was amiss. He discovered an angel's corpse that Azrael's forces had missed and used his necromantic abilities to interrogate the deceased, an act the angels found blasphemous. Several angels broke cover and attacked him only to be defeated handily. Realizing the illusion, Death called for Azrael to reveal himself and the angel allowed the illusion to fade. After explaining that the angels guarded Eden because the Council did not bother, the Archangel brought Death their camp to speak with Abaddon. Once they had arrived, the trio begrudgingly discussed terms of sharing information until the attackers were uncovered, however, when Death realized that Abaddon had been wounded by a long thought lost Nephilim sword named Affliction he departed and refused to explain his suspicions.
Later, when Death and War came to the Argent Spire in search of information on Belisatra and her unidentified angel accomplice, Azrael met them and sent his scribes to search the archives. In the meantime, Death explained that Belisatra had sent her construct army to Eden in search of lost Nephilim weapons called the Grand Abominations, though omitting any specific details of the weapons or their origins. Eventually Azrael went to assist his scribes and returned with information on Belisatra's past. Belisatra had been an apprentice to a Maker of Legendary skill named Gulbannan. Gulbannan was murdered long ago, but before his death he had been ostracized by his own kind for taking Lilith as a lover. Seeing the demon as their only lead, the Horsemen departed.
The Charred Council called on the White City to reinforce the Horsemen on the Ravaiim homeworld so that they could hold Fury and Strife in reserve. In response, Azrael led a small army of angels to the Ravaiim world. When he met the Horsemen again and heard that the angel Belisatra had allied herself with was Hadrimon, he explained the rogue angel's troubled past and his reasons for hating the White City. The angels and the Horsmen proceeded to scour the plains of the Ravaiim world until they came across Belisatra's construct army. They dealt with the constructs easily, but were attacked by a demonic mercenary force. Even then, the combined power of the Horsemen, angelic soldiers, and Azrael's magic was more than a match for them. Disaster struck when Belisatra entered the battle wielding the Grand Abomination Earth Reaver, a weapon capable of causing a major volcanic eruption. Its first shot caused massive casualties for both sides of the battle and Death persuaded Azrael to retreat.
Once they had regrouped, Death hatched a plan to mislead Hadrimon. Azrael helped Death condense all the Ravaiim blood, the fuel needed to awaken the Abominations, soaked into the realm's soil into a cylinder. He explained that he and Azrael would take decoy cylinders while War exited the realm with the real Ravaiim blood. Unbeknownst to the Angel of Death, the Horseman's true plan was to leak the original plan to Hadrimon and take the real Ravaiim blood himself. As Hadrimon was distracted by War's party, Azrael escaped unmolested.
When the time came for War and Death to defend the Abomination Vault from Belisatra and Hadrimon, Death sent Dust to request Azrael's help. The Archangel disguised himself as a demon and leaked the location of the Abomination Vault to the demonic mercenaries that had attacked them on the Ravaiim homeworld, whom were lead by the Lost Angel Raciel, once Hadrimon's lover before her banishment to Hell. While the demons and constructs fought, Azrael entered the battle and attacked Raciel while she was unaware. She survived the attack, only to be killed upon entering Death's home, which housed the entrance to the Abomination Vault, by Hadrimon, who had lost all control to the psychic bloodlust of the Abominations. Azrael cast an illusion about himself of Raciel before her fall to distract the insane angel while Death ended his life.
In the battle's aftermath, both Azrael and War were displeased by the underhanded means they had used to achieve victory. Death considered their attitudes foolish and told them to be glad that they had succeeded at all regardless of the method. The Angel of Death told the Horseman that he was satisfied that the crisis was resolved, but warned him not to look to the White City for aid in the near future and departed.
Darksiders
Premature Apocalypse
| “ | Azrael: An open attack on the Dark Kingdom would violate the treaty! What you are proposing is madness! Abaddon: Azrael, evil darkens every corner of creation... and Heaven waits?! The Council ties our hands!! — Azrael and Abaddon on the latter's plan to ignite the Endwar |
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Before the Apocalypse, Azrael reluctantly conspired with Abaddon to destroy six of the Seven Seals and draw out Hell's champions for a preemptive attack by Abaddon's Hellguard. Using the Armageddon Blade made by Ulthane, he destroyed six of the seven seals, the last guarded by Abbadon himself so the Four Horseman would not be called. Ulthane reforged the other six seals to hide the evidence of their crimes and shift the blame to Hell's forces. The plan failed as Hell was far more prepared than expected, thus starting the End War prematurely.
After his supposed demise, Abbadon came to Azrael and asked him to take him to the Tree of Knowledge. Desperate to believe that his friend was alive and all was well, Azrael brought him to the Tree. After he received his gift, Abbadon returned to the Earth as the Destroyer. He eventually sent his Chosen, Straga, after Azrael, imprisoning the angel within the Black Throne, and seizing control over the Well of Souls.
Aiding War
One hundred years after the Apocalypse, War arrived to the black throne and was surprised to see Azrael imprisoned within. War was told that if he helped him, Azrael would help him get to the Destroyer. Azrael was soon freed from his prison once the Horseman defeated the three guardians and redirected the beams to the floating heads holding Azrael in place. After freeing Azrael, War fought and defeated Straga in their rematch. Azrael then opened the Well of Souls and sent War to Eden as the tower collapsed on itself.
Upon arriving to Eden, Azrael gave War the Mask of Shadows to fight Shadow War and gain access to the Tree of Knowledge. After defeating his dark self and seeing a vision from the Tree of Knowledge, the Horseman set out to reforge the Armageddon Blade. When War found the scattered pieces of the Blade and had Ulthane reforge it, he returned to Azrael who revealed to War the truth of why the Apocalypse started prematurely and assured him he would accept his punishment with open arms once it was time. The Nephilim then asked the Angel of Death for his service one more time, requesting that he send War to the Destroyer in order to begin the final battle. Azrael complied, and War went on to kill the Destroyer.
Personality and Traits
Azrael is an ancient angel full of wisdom and knowledge. He is tasked with some of the most important pieces in creation, from guarding the Well of Souls to the ruins of Eden. While Azrael has shown to greatly care about creation and knows that the universe is falling to darkness, he only wanted to make it a better place but wasn't willing to challenge the Charred Council, unlike Abaddon; as he is not as passionate for Hell's defeat and Heaven's victory as Abaddon was.
Since the failed premature end war and Abaddon's transformation into the Destroyer, the archangel has been guilt-ridden and full of remorse, even admiting he was a fool. Now he desires to undo his mistake by aiding War. Though he knows that War would undoubtly kill all who schemed with Abaddon- including himself- to see justice done, Azrael would embrace his fate and accept judgement, as he states that we all must answer for our sins.
Unlike other characters, Azrael has a great level of concern and care for the Earth and Mankind's existance compared to others, as he was horrified by Abaddon's plan to break the seven seals early, as it would ultimately destroy the earth. Mankind's destruction only deepened his guilt for the part he played in the premature Endwar.
Powers and Abilities
- Energy Control - Azrael is able to control and redirect beams of light or powerful forms of energy as he sees fit. When War assisted him in charging his cell with energy rays in the Black Throne, Azrael was able to break free of his chains rather easily.
- Control of the Well of Souls - Azrael is the overseer of the Well of Souls, through which pass all of the souls of beings who are to be reborn; none shall leave without his knowledge of it. By controlling the Well, he gains access to the immense power of the souls inside, can impower others with it, as well as create portals.
- Teleportation - Azrael possesses the ability to teleport. He is also, unlike Abaddon, capable of teleporting both himself and others anywhere (and he did with War by bringing him to Eden).
- Serpent Hole Creation - Azrael can create a Serpent Hole in the same manner as Vulgrim and Samael as a means to move between worlds and beyond. The color of his Serpent Hole is orange, whilst Vulgrim's is blue, and Samael's is red respectively.
- Immense Endurance - Azrael is able to endure much, being able to both survive in his prison while having his power drained from him for a prolonged period of time and not show any signs of fatigue.
- Immense Speed - Like other angels, Azrael is able to travel at great speeds and like Abaddon, he is also much faster than War.
- Powerful Divine Abilities - Azrael has frequently displayed a wide variety of supernatural powers. He was able to easily teleport War from the Black Throne, and then create its Serpent Hole. He even has enough power to cloak entire realms, as he did with the ruins of Eden.
- Wisdom - Azrael is well known for his wisdom, discernment and understanding of various things. He was the principal adviser to the former leader of the Hellguard and his old friend, Abaddon, and he was greatly valued for his advice.
- Flight - Azrael, like all angels in Heaven, is capable of flight through the use of his wings.
- Super Strength - Though we haven't seen him using it thus far, given the fact of his status as an Archangel (in combinations with his control over the Well Of Souls and his immense magical power,) it can be assumed that Azrael possesses immense levels of superhuman strength that may potentially even rival that of both Abbadon's and ever War's.
Trivia
- In Christianity and Judaism, Azrael along with the angel Samael are the two accepted angels of death (as well as some of the most well known). He has often been symbolized as a hooded figure with a key and sometimes a scythe, like Death. Azrael is also accepted as the angel of death in Islam.
- Keith Szarabajka, Azrael's voice actor, also voiced the Crowfather in Darksiders II.
- The feathers on the very ends of Azrael's wings are the longest of any angel's.
- Azrael is the only angel not to be seen wielding a weapon (though he is seen briefly using a sword to shatter the first seal; As seen in a flashback).
- With Abbadon's death, Azrael is apparently the only known remaining Archangel in Heaven. This may also imply that he is now one of if not the most powerful of the angels currently, as there is no hints to there being any other Archangels present in Heaven throughout the series.
Gallery
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