Pact of Flame and Glory
Ervenian Era, 1051 AB
The Pact of Flame and Glory is the name given to the enduring alliance between Zariel, Archducess of Avernus, and Azorkaratsel, the Myrmidon of Eyre. Forged across millennia of war against the Abyss, the pact transcends alignment, pantheon, and even the planar divides between Heaven and Hell. What began as camaraderie between two Angelic generals has endured betrayal, exile, and the vast gulf of planar politics, evolving into one of the most whispered-about partnerships in all the planes.
Though no treaty was ever inked, the pact’s terms are sealed in the blood and light of countless battlefields. Both have vowed to set aside the politics of their realms whenever the Abyss rises in force, answering each other’s call without hesitation.
Origins
The pact’s roots lie in the Siege of the Broken Horizon during Zariel’s angelic years. Then, she was a rising commander of Heaven's hosts, and Azorkaratsel was still a mortal. Fighting side by side to close a massive rift spilling Abyssal hordes into the mortal world, the two found in each other a mirror of relentless will and martial brilliance. Their cooperation deepened through the Ulven Reach Purge and the Siege of Pandemonium’s Maw, where victories were won only through their combined tactics and refusal to yield.The Fracture
The Dawnmarch Council proved to be their first great divide. Zariel’s advocacy for a permanent, unrelenting crusade against the Abyss clashed with the Celestial Hebdomad's policies of containment and selective engagement. Azorkaratsel defended her before the council but urged restraint in private. The disagreement left wounds and within decades, Zariel would fall from grace into the Nine Hells.Rekindling the Pact
Though the fall should have made them enemies, fate brought them together again during the Black Glass Accord, when demonic forces besieged one of Zariel’s fortresses in Avernus, approximately in 522 AB. Azorkaratsel arrived with a strike force of Celestials from Arcadia, unsanctioned by Eyre, and fought alongside her once more. The battle’s victory cemented the unspoken truth: whatever their allegiances, they would answer each other’s summons against the Abyss.Terms of the Pact
While never formalized in writing, planar scholars and veteran soldiers of both sides agree that the Pact of Flame and Glory rests on three principles:Immediate Response
If one calls for aid against the Abyss, the other will answer, regardless of location or political consequence.Joint Command in Battle
When fighting together, strategic control is shared, drawing equally on Infernal discipline and Celestial precision.No Interference in Realm Affairs
Neither will act directly against the other’s domain, nor draw the other into their political rivalries.
Notable Campaigns Under the Pact
The Hellgorge Swarm
The annihilation of a massive Abyssal vermin horde in a single night’s battle, using a combined Infernal–Celestial trap.The Ashwind Parley
A clandestine meeting on neutral ground, renewing their mutual pledge without witnesses save for two erinyes and a lantern archon.Romantic Implications
Rumors have long swirled that the pact is bound not only by shared purpose but by love. In whispered tavern tales and the private journals of campaign scribes, they are depicted as lovers separated by law and creed, their every meeting charged with longing. Neither has publicly confirmed this, but neither has denied it.Planar Reactions
The Celestial Hebdomad
Publicly disapproves, citing the danger of consorting with an Archdevil.The Lords of the Nine
View Azorkaratsel’s aid as a useful anomaly, tolerating it so long as it strengthens Avernus’ Abyssal front.The Demon Lords
Hold the pact as a bitter thorn; some have devoted entire warbands to breaking it.
Related People
Related Organizations
Comments