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== Origin of the Anti-Angel ==


Little is known about the true origin of the entity known in and around Paragon City as "The Anti-Angel", and the information that is present is shaky at best - mere murmurs among the mystics of the land. Circle of Thorn rumors and Banished Pantheon legends abound about a large winged creature capable of dispelling armies with the wave of a barbed forearm, or of a beast capable of draining the life forces of its enemies to bind to its soul, increasing the longevity of its alleged immortality. The entity has never taken the time to confirm or deny any of these myths, though, and those who have worked with or witnessed the Anti-Angel in combat can attest to its power.


The Banished Pantheon speak of a Demigod known as Idimmu Anu, literally translating to "Demon Angel." (after learning of this contradicting title, the Circle of Thorns dubbed it the Anti-Angel) This Demigod was heralded as champion among the feuding deities; rumored to have no rival in hand-to-hand combat. The Demigod swept through the pantheon, overthrowing the deities and claiming both their thrones and their powers as its own. Lughebu, chief deity of the Banished Pantheon learned of Idimmu Anu's intentions to overthrow him and claim the title of sole deity among his pantheon, and knew something had to be done to stop it.


Idimmu Anu was a ferocious combatant and extremely intelligent entity, but lacked any true Magic skill. Lughebu knew of this weakness and exploited it. Using dark Binding magick and ancient relics to rip Idimmu Anu's spirit into another dimension, the dark deity believed it had succeeded in eliminating the threat of overthrow. Soon after, however, the entier pantheon was Banished to the abyss, leaving Lughebu's arcane empire a pile of rubble he desperately sought repaired.


The dimension Idimmu Anu was summoned into is known to metahumans of Paragon City and the Rogue Islands as Orangeba. Corrupted mages of the once peaceful city had congregated to call forth what they believed to be an Envoy of Shadow. They got a much more powerful being than they expected, though, and were terrified when Idimmu passedthrough their wards and tore the chief Death Mage to shreds, refusing any and all deals offered forth binding the power of the Circle of Thorns to his own.


Idimmu Anu was eventually locked away again, but not before it could learn everything the Circle knew about the arcane. Idimmu Anu mastered contact with the Netherworld, learning to call forth tremendous shields and leech life from its victims thus extending its own. Before the First Congregation of Mages against Idimmu Anu, which successfully bound the beast in a Crystal of the Thorns, it appeared the Demigod would realize its dream of rising to chief deity of the Cosmos.


The Circle of Thorns succeeded in its binding of the being, though, ridding its presence almost entirely from Oranbega. Having been shunned by the Circle and the now-ruined Pantheon terrified of it, Idimmu Anu felt it would never leave purgatory. It dwelt in the darkness for generations, developing stronger powers still while growing angrier at its captors. Idimmu Anu used much of its Oranbegan knowledge while banished. More powerful than any amount of learning, though, appeared to be the Tome of Linguistics it had stolen from a Madness Mage on the eve of its banishing. Idimmu Anu - or Anti-Angel as the English speaking mages had dubbed him - was now bordering on omniscience.


'''The Anti-Angel reaches Paragon City'''


Millenia after being banished by Circle mystics, the Anti-Angel entered a stage of inactivity. The corrupt over thrower of Banished Pantheon gods and lost savior of the Circle of Thorns meditated deeply, pulling all of its force into one thought: break free of its chains, liberate itself from purgatory, and avenge itself. It would one day see the light of day again, and with that light would come the visions of slaughtering those who had foolishly bound him.


That intent was realized on a Halloween night in Primal Earth, year 2002 A.D. when Lughebu - drunk on power and blinded by arrogance - called upon the Idimmu Anu he felt he could control with his newly arisen Adamastor. As soon as a channel appeared to it, the Anti-Angel exploded into the area now known as Dark Astoria. Lughebu was disappointed, and believed the entity to be destroyed when all that appeared atop the summoning altar was a glowing black orb, and turned his back. 


The orb began absorbing light, growing in size and darkening in color. It continued to feed off of the unlife of every Banished Pantheon spirit in the area. Miles of lifeless husks could be found keeled overs in rotten piles as the orb grew to immense proportions. Finally, the orb cracked. Unimaginable darkness poured out of the orb, casting all of Astoria into a deep shroud. Buildings crumbled under the arcane forces of the Anti-Angel, and those who had refused to evacuate when the Freedom Phalanx realized the potential of a horrendous potential of a black sphere appearing in a highly civilized area quickly perished; their sould feeding the creature as it emerged in Paragon City.


The Darkening of Astoria awoke Lughebu, who - surprised to see his old champion floating above him - summoned the Adamastor to try and subdue the Demigod. The Anti-Angel quickly dispatched the grotesque monster, though, and took the throat of Lughebu. Speaking in harsh unknowable tongues, the Anti-Angel cursed Lughebu and his Banished Pantheon. He ripped away the already-tattered soul of the god, binding it to himself and finally reaching the status of a true Immortal.


The Anti-Angel, a champion of the Banished Pantheon and uncontrollable summoning of the Circle of Thorns had arrived in the City of Heroes as a true god.


'''Freedom Phalanx Arrives'''


Here's where rumor turns to fact. The highly organized Freedom Phalanx dispatched large amounts of Longbow agents to empower the already-present War Walls around the area. Access to the newly renamed Dark Astoria was shut off entirely as Freedom Corps, Londbow Agents, and the Freedom Phalanx surrounded the Anti-Angel. They approached the being with immense caution as it stood there staring in amusement at the oncoming assault atop his old god, the corpse of Lughebu.


Statesman fronted the pack, fearlessly approaching Anti-Angel. In an uncomfortably long conversation with the entity, Statesman assessed the situation and deemed Anti-Angel to be sentient, and currently docile. The Anti-Angel followed Statesman and the Freedom Phalanx back to their base of operations, where further testing proved that Anti-Angel had powers fitting to that of a Scrapper-Class Magic Origin Hero. Manticore went to Atlas City Hall to file the Hero Identification paperwork while Sister Psyche, Positron, and Statesman sat down with the new "hero" to discuss their mutual goals. This is where the Anti-Angel learned of the Rikti menace and the desperate need for more metahuman support.


The Anti-Angel took to the streets like the other heroes of Paragon, but was one of the few to meet resistance among the people he attempted to save. Terrified by the appearance of the Demigod, the people seemed to put up more of a fight than the villains he was dispatching.


Positron seemed to hold an answer to this predicament. He outfitted a special helmet for the hero. The helmet was equipped with a sophisticated laser-tracking device, multiple targeting systems, holographic map projector enabling the hero to see plaque locations, advanced layouts of the city on both above and below ground levels, store locations, contact positions, and simultaneously monitoring all access points for the various zones around the city. Also included in the helmet was an advanced telecommunications system which enabled Anti-Angel to communicate with the inhabitants of both Paragon City and the Rogue Islands, where he found many allies in combating the Rikti and other common enemies.


The Anti-Angel was once again able to patrol the streets of Paragon City, working for countless contacts and earning innumerable plaques and badges for his efforts. He quickly rose up the ranks to a security-class 50 hero, enabling him full access to the city and other outlying territories.


'''Lord Recluse Intervenes'''


After learning of the rising star of Paragon, Lord Recluse dispatched several Arbiters to invite it to a personal meeting with the head of Arachnos. The Anti-Angel agreed, and sat down atop Ghost Widow's tower in Fort Cerberus. It was here that Lord Recluse invited Anti-Angel to serve under him as an Arbiter, one of the highest honors Arachnos can give to one of its employees. Anti-Angel refused this offer, though Ghost Widow - who was present - knew the reason behind the refusal was not grounded in loyalty to the Freedom Phalanx. She perceived more power than Lord Recluse had thought the being possessed, and after an infuriated Recluse left the tower, she spoke to him.


They quickly bonded. This was an extremely rare event for Anti-Angel, who had only found allies with Positron, who had assisted in the masking of his terrifying composure. Even stranger, though, was the friendliness Anti-Angel found in Ghost Widow. Before this meeting, it had appeared the only true friend Ghost Widow had was the Wretch, although that was a rather cold relationship in itself. Anti-Angel found a strong ally with Ghost Widow, though, much to the disappointment of the Freedom Phalanx, who immediately assumed Anti-Angel to be an Arachnos employ.


'''Removal from Freedom Phalanx'''


The Anti-Angel was kicked from the Freedom Phalanx for false accusations. They believed he would be conducting espionage for Lord Recluse, which was very far from the truth. Positron believed Anti-Angel, though, and did everything in his power to return the being to full membership. He was not entirely successful, though he did manage to get Anti-Angel into the reserves.


This wounded the Anti-Angel on a psychological basis. The Freedom Phalanx had made it very difficult for him to communicate with the first ally he made. Positron's visits became fewer and farther between as Manticore and Statesman convinced him to avoid the potential spy. His only close friend now was Ghost Widow.


'''Anti-Angels Pledge of Allegiance'''


Anti-Angel returned to the tower of Ghost Widow soon after his demotion to reserve. She consoled him, allowing him to take refuge in her tower and again offering him Arachnos employ. He took the offer of a place to dwell, but refused the recruitment a second time. He did pledge allegiance to Ghost Widow, though, promising that if she ever truly needed him, he would take up his position as Arbiter under an assumed identity and fight for her, but would eventually attempt to overthrow Lord Recluse and take the throne for himself. Ghost Widow was shocked at this act of kindness, the first she had received since Paolo Marino ran into the inferno that had cost her her life and transformed him into the Wretch, binding him to her in a most unholy of alliances. So rare was it for someone to go out of their way to assist her for reason of loyalty, and not a strategic power play to elevate themselves within the ranks of Arachnos like so many did when striving to earn her Patronage, that for a moment she forgot about her dark past and being locked in death. A sole tear was seen as she nodded her head at Anti-Angel, accepting his offer before vanishing from sight.


'''A New Conflict'''


Although he is on even shakier grounds after his commitment to Ghost Widow, the Anti-Angel is once again respected as a hero in Paragon City. He did not let Freedom Phalanx in on the pact in its entirety, but did share some of the information. They know he is close friends with Ghost Widow, and they know the admiration is mutual. Manticore wishes to exploit this bond to crush Ghost Widow, Lord Recluse, and Arachnos itself, but Anti-Angel refuses to harm his only true friend in this dimension. This has led to many conflicts between the Phalanx member and the Anti-Angel, but Statesman and Positron are always there to calm the two when situations become too heated. Manticore and Anti-Angel have reluctantly fought side by side on one occasion, where Manticore actually awarded the hero with an Associate Badge after helping to assault Crey Industries. The Anti-Angel continues to reaffirm his bonds with the Freedom Phalanx, although everything would come to a swift end if they ever found out about his plans to assist Ghost Widow in the removal of Lord Recluse in order to instate the two of them as leaders of Arachnos. Statesman looks down upon acts of self indulgence like that, and could quickly attempt to dispatch the entity if he learned of his motives.


'''Psychic Breakthrough'''


Most recently, the Anti-Angel has discovered an innate psychic capability within himself; likely bestowed by Ghost Widow. While combating the Lost, the Anti-Angel unknowingly bound a fragment of his psyche to a Pariah Prelate, creating a metahuman with heroic tendencies, classified as a Psychic Blaster-Class Magic Origin Hero. The newly reformed Prelate has taken the name "Simulere" which translates to "Shaman." So far, Simulere has proven more than capable of combating villains on his own, and has seen little to no interference by the Anti-Angel. The hero Vergessen has been sighted on many occasions alongside the hero, however, and is believed to be a close friend of Simulere's. The Anti-Angel appears to approve of this alliance, though, and has voiced that he is more than willing to assist Vergessen and Simulere whenever they request it.