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note: for fictional castes, see catChSocial
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the 12 Empyrean+Lords of the video game series Aion: http://gameguide.na.aiononline.com/aion/Empyrean+Lords
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aion:_Steel_Cavalry#Backstory : In the game they are humans who were transformed into powerful demi-gods by a higher power ("Aion"). They were at war with enemy creatures, the Balaur. They had been given a Tower of Eternity, which they protected with Aether (magical energy). 10 of them went to fight the enemy while 2 of them stayed behind to protect the Tower.
Then one of them, Israphel, proposed a peace conference with the Balaur. 7/12 of them voted in favor. However, "When the Balaur arrived at the Tower of Eternity, a commotion broke out, killing a Balaurian captain; the remaining Balaur, enraged, marched upon and destroyed the Tower, which set off a chain reaction that threatened to destroy the planet. However, Israphel and Siel made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their own lives to protect Atreia. The world was shattered into two "hemi-shells", with a dark Abyss lying between them; but it was held together by the aetheric field created from the Tower Lords' sacrifice." [1]. After this, the five Empyrean Lords who had voted against peace and the five remaining ones who had voted for peace were angry at each other, and retreated to different domains of the world, the ones who had voted against peace to a northern, dark, difficult domain, and the ones who had voted for peace to a southern, light, pleasant domain.
"Four of the major Empyrean Lords represent the four cardinal directions--Azphel the north, Ariel the south, Siel the east, and Israphel the west--and they were traditionally perceived as supporting the world together from these four points, with the remaining eight Lords to aid them." [2]
Also paraphrased from [3] :
The two guardians of the Tower both voted for peace. They sacrificed themselves to save the world after the Tower was destroyed. Their names were:
Israphel, Lord of Space Siel, Lady of Time
The other ones who voted for peace were called the Seraphim Lords, the rulers of Elysea:
Leader: Ariel, Lady of Light Nezekan, Lord of Justice Vaizel, Lord of Freedom Kaisinel, Lord of Illusion Yustiel, Lady of Life
The five who went to the north were called the Shedim Lords, the rulers of Asmodae:
Leader: Azphel, Lord of Shadow Zikel, Lord of Destruction Triniel, Lady of Death Lumiel, Lady of Wisdom Marchutan, Lord of Fate "
attributes of each one:
the tower guardians (those who voted for peace and killed themselves to save the world when the Tower was destroyed by the enemy)
http://gameguide.na.aiononline.com/aion/Israphel 
"The Lords of the four cardinal directions were the leaders of the twelve Empyrean Lords, and they were always known to be noble and pure. However, Israphel began to harbor a desire for greater power, and feelings of jealousy toward Siel. Eventually these feelings led to his corruption. ... He saw himself as noble and pure like Siel, but he was secretly consumed with jealousy and ambition."
http://gameguide.na.aiononline.com/aion/Siel 
"When her fellow guardian Israphel called for peace with the Balaur toward the end of the Millennium War, she allowed herself to be talked into it in spite of her misgivings. ...She believed that guarding the Tower was her entire reason for being, and her devotion and noble spirit made her an ideal guardian. During the Millennium War, when the battle with the Balaur seemed never-ending, she allowed Israphel--her fellow Tower guardian--to convince her that the best way to guard Aion was to make peace with the Balaur. When the fighting broke out inside the Tower, Siel realized her fatal mistake and couldn’t bear the shame."
Noble and pure. "
the Elysea ones (those who voted for peace and moved to the light and easy south)
http://gameguide.na.aiononline.com/aion/Ariel "Ariel is known as the Lady of Light and is one of the Empyrean Lords. When Israphel called for peace with the Balaur toward the end of the Millennium War, Ariel was his main supporter...She became the leader of the Seraphim Lords and ruler of all Elyos. ...She harbors deep disappointment and regret that Azphel’s ignorance and recklessness led to the failure of the peace accord. Although it is assumed she has special abilities like the other lords, these abilities have never been revealed to outsiders. ..Amiable and thoughtful"
http://gameguide.na.aiononline.com/aion/Nezekan "Nezekan is known as the Lord of Justice..He serves as Ariel’s right hand, obeying her commands and enforcing her will...His power is the most equally matched, of all the Daevas in Atreia, with that of the Shedim Lord Zikel...Nezekan has amazing physical power and can endure any kind of attack. He is known for using "Izith", the shield of mystery...Nezekan and Triniel met again after the opening of the Abyss and fought bitterly. It is common knowledge that they don’t get along, though they are secretive as to the reason....Fair, upright, and thoughtful. He is seen as reserved and prudent, but he acts swiftly once he’s reached a decision.
http://gameguide.na.aiononline.com/aion/Vaizel "Vaizel is known as the Lord of Freedom. ..Vaizel is treated like the black sheep of Elysea. Even Nezekan, who is known for his tolerance, has little patience for Vaizel’s flamboyant ways and liberal views. Vaizel doesn’t acknowledge Nezekan’s authority, which further strains their relationship. His talents include archery and disguise, and he is very fleet of foot. He prefers to mingle with humans rather than staying in the city of gods, Sanctum. He is also not that active in the war, which should be one of his duties as a guardian god...Vaizel is excessive, boisterous, and vain. He puts his own needs and desires above those of Elysea. Often underestimated for his mischievous, playful nature, he is actually quite sharp and calculating. "
http://gameguide.na.aiononline.com/aion/Kaisinel "Kaisinel is known as the Lord of Illusion...He is such a horrifying being that even other Empyrean Lords prefer not to interact with him. He has the ability to mold Aether into any shape he chooses, and some suspect that he even has the power to summon or create items. During the early days of the Abyss War, he was insulted by Lumiel from Pandaemonium, and he is waiting for the day he can take his revenge...Gloomy and doesn’t reveal his thoughts. Think of lives very lightly, enjoys killing, very warlike. Symbol: Illusion, Fear, Spiritmaster.
http://gameguide.na.aiononline.com/aion/Yustiel Yustiel is known as the Lady of Life..Always friendly and positive, Yustiel is loved and respected by all the lords in Elysea. She has a gentle, caring nature, and craves peace above all else. This often puts her at odds with Kaisinel. Yustiel stays in Elysea out of obedience and faithfulness to Ariel, but she cares not where her home is. Her only wish is to end the war and go back to the time of ancient Atreia. Fair, upright, amiable, and warm-hearted.
the Asmodae ones (those who voted against peace and moved to the dark and difficult north):
http://gameguide.na.aiononline.com/aion/Azphel " Azphel is known as the Lord of Shadow.... When Israphel called for peace with the Balaur toward the end of the Millennium War, Azphel was his most vehement opponent....He became the leader of the Shedim Lords and ruler of all Asmodians. ...Even Zikel, the Lord of Destruction, who is normally arrogant and prideful, bows before him. And Nezekan, who is said to be the strongest of the Elyos, fears him. His strength is said to be that of Nezekan and Zikel combined. He believes that Ariel is too weak-willed to be a leader, and resents her attitude that she knew best how to protect the Tower of Eternity, in spite of his urging against trying to make peace. He believes that her weakness and ignorance caused the destruction of the Tower and the shattering of Atreia. He believes that the utmost priority for the Lords is to eliminate the Balaur and protect the tower, and that Ariel has abandoned her responsibilities. Decisive and strong-willed. Strict with everybody, including himself; a perfectionist. "
http://gameguide.na.aiononline.com/aion/Zikel " Zikel is known as the Lord of Destruction...The right arm of Azphel, who always understands his lord’s will better than anybody, Zikel implements and executes Azphel’s commands. He tends to look down on everybody other than his leader. He is skillful at handling any kind of weapon, but particularly excels with swords. He harbors the deepest hatred towards the Balaur and the Seraphim Lords, and he is especially on bad terms with Nezekan, who before the Cataclysm was a rival of his. When Deltras and his followers from the Legion of Storm, Nezekan’s dedicated Legion, appeared from the Abyss, Zikel caught them and attempted to make them renounce their allegiance. This was the provocation for the Abyss War. Zikel strongly disagreed with the idea of peace with the Balaur, and this resentment has only grown in the intervening centuries. Intrepid and arrogant. Acts on anything without reserve and can even be violent. Lack of self-control. "
http://gameguide.na.aiononline.com/aion/Triniel " Triniel is known as the Lady of Death...If Zikel is Azphel’s right arm, she is his left. There are those who say that her dispassionate nature makes her stronger than the hot-headed Zikel. She is mysterious and private, but she is known for her ability to strike fatally at her enemy’s weakness. There is a rumor that she was once a lover of Nezekan, but those who saw them battling it out in the Abyss don’t give this gossip much credence...She is hidden in a veil of mystery, and not much is known about her. It is said that she is cold as ice. "
http://gameguide.na.aiononline.com/aion/Lumiel " Lumiel is known as the Lady of Wisdom..Despite her youthful and innocent appearance before the Cataclysm, wise Lumiel understood the nature and essence of Aether better than anybody. Her ability to channel it is still unparalleled, and as a result, she has the strongest magical power in all Atreia. During the Abyss War, she has battled Kaisinel, the Lord of Illusion, many times, and usually got the better of him... but she is still wary of his power. Before the Cataclysm, she was curious, innocent, and mischievous. In the centuries since, she has withdrawn and become something of a mysterious figure. "
http://gameguide.na.aiononline.com/aion/Marchutan " Marchutan is known as the Lord of Fate...His ties seem to be a mystery....Honest and stoic, rigid. "
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Tolkein's Ainur/Ainu/Valar (male) and Valier (female):
"The Lords of the Valar are seven; and the Valier, the Queens of the Valar, are seven also. These were their names in the Elvish tongue as it was spoken in Valinor, though they have other names in the speech of the Elves in Middle-earth, and their names among Men are manifold. The names of the Lords in due order are: Manwë, Ulmo, Aulë, Oromë, Mandos, Lórien, and Tulkas; and the names of the Queens are: Varda, Yavanna, Nienna, Estë, Vairë, Vána, and Nessa. Melkor is counted no longer among the Valar, and his name is not spoken upon Earth." -- The Silmarillion, Valaquenta
males (good):
male, evil:
females:
Among them, Melkor is the most powerful, but after that, these are (the Aratar; "in majesty they are peers"):
Links:
http://middle-earth.xenite.org/2014/10/09/how-was-tulkas-able-to-defeat-melkor-in-battle/ 's ideas on some of the Valar's strengths and weaknesses:
Manwë – Purity and Justice (but he did not understand evil)
Ulmo – Dedication and Perseverence (he had no partner like the other faithful Valar)
Aulë – Curiosity and Creativity (which made him rash and impatient)
Oromë – Courage and Speed (but he sometimes overlooked things in his haste)
Tulkas – Strength and Confidence (but he was prone to anger)
Namo – Judgment and Prophecy (but he seldom spoke)(i would say, Tulkas's weakness is not anger, but his lack of whatever it is that makes one a good councillor/concern for past and future; Orome seems like the possibly overly angry/rigid one; and i would say Aule's weakness is perhaps not rashness, but a selfish/uncaring nature that leads him to prioritize his projects first, rather than concern for the world; not that he is evil though, he just maybe doesnt pay attention to those things as much as he ought)
another analysis (by me, and inspired by those above):
the male Valar represent virtues of personal activity; the source of energy of an engine, like gasoline.
the female Valar represent shaping, the form in service to which energy will be channeled, such as the idea of turning the energy in gasoline into rotational momentum; certain types of system processes.
Varda: Stars, light, hearing. Not quite sure how to describe this as a shape. For an idea of her weakness, see http://archiveofourown.org/works/483513
Yavanna: Processes of growth; the sort of mathematical processes that makes plants beautiful.
Nienna: compassion, appreciation for (and hence prevention of) suffering of others
Vairë: it is death which makes each person's life finite. Combined with each person's uniqueness, this allows us to assign an infinite meaning to each person.
Estë: Rest/sleep is a state of being; more generally, processes of maintenance and repair
Vána: Spring, beauty, wildness, outspoken. Processes of blossoming.
Nessa: youngest but also weakest. Youth is a shape, a modality of being. Today, humans would like to prolong life; but if you prevent one cause of death (eg heart attack), you soon fall prey to another (eg neurodegenerative diseases); and even if you avoided all those, you would eventually get cancer. What if you avoided all of these? As you lived longer and longer, you would likely do more and more unethical things (what is the chance that a 10,000 year old person has never ever intentionally broken an important promise? Compare to the chance for a 20-year old) and hence your 'story' would become blighted with impure, unethical actions (sins) (a metaphor for this: think of the old dragon that needed a bath in Spirited Away) (think also of old vampires in contemporary stories). Seizing on this idea of 'corruption' and generalizing it past ethics back to physical and mental phenomena, one can imaging that with immortality might come an ever-growing list, not only of sins, but of mental and physical injuries (corruptions). So, if humanity managed to stop death, perhaps we would simply trade this for a world full of old, corrupted people. It there any way to be immortal yet retain youth? I think this is what Nessa symbolizes; to be immortal but young, the tradeoff is limited power (and, likely, growth).
also, it's interesting to look at the three singles: Ulmo, Melkor, and Nienna. Since Ulmo and Nienna are of roughly equal status one thinks of them as the loners, and that this is not a tragedy but simply in their nature; but I wonder if Melkor and Nienna could have been together in a parallel world; surely Nienna would not have so much to cry over if Melkor had not turned evil? (one might at first think Nienna is significantly less powerful than Varda and Yavanna and so would not be matched with Melkor, but they were both Aratar).
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