Deva

Aeetes of Colchis described the Deva as the Divine Ones, mighty and lovely in their radiance, heralds whom the gods send forth only rarely and only when it serves their ends. They are lesser divinities, less mighty than the gods, the Irin and the Guardians (also called Angels). People call them beings of light, because they seem to glow from within when they appear on the material plane.

A deva is tall and slender, with almost androgynous features and piercing eyes, usually blue or blue-green. Only males are ever met in our world, though there may be a female form on their home planes. Their fleecy wings, often thirty feet across, look like something between an eagle's and a dove's, delicate in build but very strong, and they are fast, graceful flyers. They usually wear nothing but a plain loincloth, yet they carry an air of majesty and power.

As with the kerubim, deva serve only good or neutral gods and take their alignment from the god they follow, acting as its messengers, helpers, servants and faithful followers. A god is far more likely to send a deva to answer a plea or carry a message than to come in person. Deva appear only through such dealings between gods and mortals, so prayer or sacrifice may bring one or more to a mortal's aid when the need is great and the god is willing.

Being divine themselves, deva know Divine magic completely and possess Celestial Vision, the power to look into the spirit or astral planes, found only in divine beings and the greatest magic users. The chapter lets a deva use it at will, while the appendix allows three uses a day, each lasting a minute per level. A deva casts spells and turns undead, devils and demons as a 14th level priest or mystic, sees invisible and ethereal beings and objects, and is immune to fear and curses. It strikes twice a round, each touch doing 2-16 energy damage. Those who practice Divine Magic, High Magic or Mysticism can summon a deva to serve or protect them for up to a year.