You arrive at Issar Roon’s study so distracted with thoughts of work that you almost miss the note upon the door.

You may enter, but do not handle my possessions. On my desk you will find a thin, leather book. It is unfinished. Turn to the last passage and read. I will not return today. DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING!

You open the door to find the study identical to your last visit, but for a few new books on the desk. On a small, open piece of the desk lies a leather book, just as the old man described it. Knowing a story from the old man is unlikely, you open the book and begin to read.

Angel-Keepers

Angel-Keepers are rare on Dominaria, but unimaginably powerful. They are more legend than fact, and often looked upon with distaste by the average citizen. Often a wizard or a sorcerer, a planeswalker has no need of such a title. Angel-Keepers are those to whom a Serra Angel is bound.

Why a Serra Angel, and not one of the many others that exist among the Multiverse? Simply because they were the first angels known to appear, and are the most powerful across the Multiverse—with a few exceptions. It doesn’t hurt matters that Dominaria is the nexus of the Multiverse, and Serra Angels are the most prominent of existing angels on that plane. If you must continue to pull at frayed seams, I’m sure there have been instances of other angels bound to beings that dwell in other parts of the Multiverse. Perhaps those beings are called by a different name.

Now, back to my story. So how might one convince a Serra Angel to bind herself to you? There have been a number of methods, some lost to the ages. The most well-known involves an artifact of great power called the Horned Halo. When placed upon the head of a Serra Angel, she becomes committed to the ideals of its controller, losing all knowledge of her previous life. In effect, she would become a Fallen Angel. The Horned Halo’s location has been unknown for centuries, and is unlikely to play a prominent role in modern affairs.

Another approach to acquiring the services of a Serra Angel is through mutual contract. There is very little anyone, even the most powerful of mages, could give a Serra Angel in compensation for her services, but a few resourceful wizards have found something to offer. This type of contract is viewed by Serra Angels as nonbinding, and they will refuse to help a wizard who demands services against an angel’s code, often involving dark arts. Because the Angels’ freedom of choice remains intact, they retain their status as Serra Angels and do not join their enslaved sisters as Fallen Angels.

So what, then, is a Fallen Angel exactly? As mentioned previously, a Fallen Angel can be a Serra Angel who has been imprisoned with the Horned Halo. Other means of enslavement create an identical change, though not always a loss of memories. In short, a Fallen Angel is a Serra Angel forced to commit unspeakable acts against their code. This conversion not only brings about a physical change, but a need for sacrifice. If Fallen Angels are unable to kill for a prolonged period of time, their power will weaken and their usefulness will diminish.

There have been a few prominent Angel-Keepers across the millennia. For reasons unknown to this author, they always seem to appear in pairs. Perhaps it is the desire for a powerful being such as a Serra Angel to banish a Fallen One, or that there is simply little else that is able to defeat one. No matter the reason, historians agree that the Angel-Keepers of Dominarian legend must include Archmage Xarl and his great-great-grandson Eskil the White, and Dreygar and Aldon.

Of the two pairs, Archmage Xarl and Eskil the White are more widely known. The legend states that Archmage Xarl used the Horned Halo to control a Serra Angel named Trine. With Trine’s powers, he was able to extend his life and rule over much of ancient Corondor. He was also a tyrant and prolific bearer of descendants.

It was one such descendant, his great-great-grandson Eskil, who killed Trine and the Archmage, ending his reign of power. Legend has it that Eskil made a pact with his own Serra Angel, Rahel, to defeat the fallen Trine. When Trine’s blood splashed upon Eskil, he was blinded and his skin and hair were permanently bleached white. He has later said that Trine’s death was the moment of his ascension as a planeswalker.

It is said that when a Fallen Angel dies, she dies forever, while a Serra Angel retained by a mutual contact will live on. For readers unaware of angel affairs, Serra Angels are beings made from white mana. As such, they have no original physical form, and can take a new form if they are destroyed in battle. Trine is the only recorded Fallen Angel to have been restored to her Serra Angel form, returning to her sisters.

With the end of the passage, you close the book and lay it back on the old man’s desk. With no hope of the old man magically appearing within the room, you let yourself out of his study and retreat for the night.

This is a work of fiction based on the stories and entries provided by Wizards about some of the early characters. The author takes some liberty with the story for dramatic purposes. So the story portrayed here may not be the exact story according to Magic Canon. The author has found references and art to use in the following locations: Encyclopedia Phyrexianna and the MTG Salvation Wiki. Written by Brendan Weiskotten.