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Description
I had been on a designing high ever since I finished the Nonbeliever form and the Scarlet Beast form. So I decided to use more of my creative juices for an idea worth investing in.

These are new armours for Hannaji 's OC Echo and Axl in her universe, in a specific timeline. I'm not gonna spoil it 'cos she's writing it. It was quite a challenge to get to a meeting point because her use of symbolism is low, and my use of symbolism is high, and that's what influences most of my designs. Another point is that my design is very complex, but she prefers simpler stuff. But eventually, I got to the meeting point, and both parties are satisfied; I made something I'm proud of, she gets something she likes in spite of our different tastes.

So I'm just going to explain the symbolism I used for these designs, and explain the designs themselves. But I'm not gonna spoil why exactly do I use this kind or that kind of symbolism to avoid story spoilers.

PENTECOST -ECCLESIA-
The colour of the Pentecost differs between the Western and Eastern churches. For Western Christianity, it's red. For Eastern Christianity, it's green. So Ecclesia's green symbolizes Eastern Christianity. I only gave her the original magenta in her original design because rose petals are scattered in the Pentecost. I gave Echo a mostly white dress because in Pentecost, people wear white robes.

Another symbol is that I modeled her after the "Good Shepherd" aspect of God, the nurturing aspect, the one who keeps the existing children in the church. Hence the shepherd staff.... With Moses's bronze serpent on it. The one from Exodus, where any Israelite who gaze upon it won't die even after the snakes sent by God bite them. And that bronze serpent is called the Nehushtan.

Also, in the Pentecost of Eastern Christianity, they pray for the damned souls in Hell to be given mercy in the end--part of why I modeled Ecclesia after the nurturing aspect of God. I also went for a Greek goddess look, because:
1. Eastern Christianity is VERY THICK in Greece when it started
2. Echo's name, going along with the above

And then you can see the dove in Echo's breastplate. The colour is arranged like that to give a picture of "the dove flying across the sky above the grassy plains, radiating the light of the LORD". Echo's arm gauntlets are reminiscent of bells--church bells. Also, bells used by shepherds. Echo's boots, especially the shoes: It's referencing Psalm 23, where the Good Shepherd is mentioned:
"Psa 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters."
There is an image of a green pasture and a still lake on her shoes.

One more symbol I used is Matthew 10:16: "...Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."
Dove = Breastplate
Snake = Nehushtan on staff

Her powers are also symbolic, and they are:
> Green Pastures: Healing
> Baptism: Status buffs. Increasing attack/defense/speed/etc when needed.
> Shepherd's Spear. Her original weapon is a double-edged glaive, it's just slightly different in the Ecclesia armour.

The symbolism is as follows: Good Shepherd leads the herd to calm waters (Baptism), green pastures (Healing), and fends off anyone threatening them (Shepherd's Spear).

All in all, Ecclesia is more of a combat mage than a magic knight. But there is meaning in it as I made her represent the nurturing aspect of the church; the part that keeps God's children in.

PENTECOST -APOSTOLOS-
Compared to Ecclesia, which has green in it to represent Eastern Christianity, Apostolos leans more towards Western Christianity, just for the sake of contrasting the two armours. However, even though white robes are universally worn in Pentecost, I didn't give him white at all because: 1. I want to symbolize other things related to apostles, and 2. It's better that I keep it close to Axl's original colour scheme like how I kept Ecclesia close to Echo's original colour scheme.

A symbol prominently featured is the Ichthys, the "Christian fish" or "Jesus fish". It had been a secret code for Christians in their early days. Besides that, apostles are also associated with fish in several parts of the Bible, like John 21:11 and Matthew 17:24-27, and apostles are called "fishers of men". Apostles are also associated with the sea (Paul's many voyages) and storms at sea (Jonah having to spread the good news to Nineveh and refused, but gets swallowed by a huge fish so God can get him back on track, the story of Jesus walking on water in front of his disciples), hence his colours outside of the red and yellow. The longcoat tails are also reminiscent of fish tails, further showing the fish associations in his design.

Besides the fish and the ocean, the sky is also prominently featured as a symbol in Apostolos, because of the storms, as mentioned before, and that because the light that temporarily blinded Paul came from the sky. The sky-and-sea symbols can be seen in how his shoulder armour and boots look. The light that came from the sky, piercing the "darkness" (In Saul's heart, so to speak, before he became Paul) and temporarily blinding Paul, is symbolized in the mask and his gauntlets. The mask is not detachable--it is part of the helmet. The mask being there and being nondetachable is symbolic of the facts that the apostle do not seek anyone to worship them, but they seek for people to worship God: "Don't look at me, look at God", so to speak.

The reds on his helmet symbolizes the fire of the holy spirit that came to the apostles on the first Pentecost, enabling them to speak in various languages. However, the red on his breastplate, torso and shoes have a different meaning:

Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
Mat 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Mat 10:40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
Mat 10:41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.

The apostle, the one who spreads the good news, is the one who does God's holy work, and thus partially responsible for any consequences brought upon by the "sword of the messiah", and "leaving a trail of blood in his wake", as seen on the red on his shoes. The red on his breastplate shows how the "sword of the messiah" comes from above--the skies.

Like Ecclesia's powers, Apostolos's powers are also symbolic:

> Capernaum: The ability to walk on water, symbolizing how Jesus walked on water, and one of his disciples wanted to do the same, but couldn't because his faith wasn't strong enough at the time.
> Anno Domini: Messing with the opponent's controls, symbolizing how the good news, spread by apostles, make people question their ways.
> Messiah's Sword: Making enemies go berserk, most of the time attacking their own allies. The symbolism for this one had already been explained above, so there is no need to repeat.

Apostolos is more of a magic knight form. This form is less suitable for stealth than Axl's original armour, that's why I'm not calling it a magic thief, but it has additional powers that makes up for it. He still retains his original powers and weapons. However, he doesn't get additional melee fighting skills, because symbolizing the "sword of the messiah" with melee skills, and especially an actual sword, downplays the meaning of just what the "sword of the messiah" truly is.

SEEING HOW BOTH ARMOURS WORK TOGETHER

Ecclesia and Apostolos are part of one set, and they work best if they work together. Ecclesia, although having decent offense capabilities, leans more towards becoming a white mage. Apostolos, although having a few magic-esque powers, leans more towards being a magic knight than being a black mage. Ecclesia aids Apostolos in attacking the enemies with healing powers and status buffs.

This is also symbolic in how I position them: Ecclesia, the church, is the nurturing part of God, that keeps the children inside and takes care of them. Apostolos, the apostle, is the part of God that goes out to spread the good news for the purpose of gospel; the one who brings new children in. In the process of spreading faith, the church and all its resources will assist the apostles.

Ecclesia has a white robe, and a generally more "gentle" colour scheme than Apostolos, which looks more "daring" and "dark". This is to reflect their roles: The Church is the gentler aspect of the faith, who nurtures the children. The Apostle, while not violent, is noticeably more "brutal" than the church, as it carries the "sword of the messiah" with them, indirectly driving families and friends apart by spreading the faith, and making people question their ways. While they ultimately have the same goal, and they work together, the church is gentler than the apostle, as they represent two wildly different aspects of the faith that mesh together to create a path for their goal.

Description
I had been on a designing high ever since I finished the Nonbeliever form and the Scarlet Beast form. So I decided to use more of my creative juices for an idea worth investing in.

These are new armours for Hannaji 's OC Echo and Axl in her universe, in a specific timeline. I'm not gonna spoil it 'cos she's writing it. It was quite a challenge to get to a meeting point because her use of symbolism is low, and my use of symbolism is high, and that's what influences most of my designs. Another point is that my design is very complex, but she prefers simpler stuff. But eventually, I got to the meeting point, and both parties are satisfied; I made something I'm proud of, she gets something she likes in spite of our different tastes.

So I'm just going to explain the symbolism I used for these designs, and explain the designs themselves. But I'm not gonna spoil why exactly do I use this kind or that kind of symbolism to avoid story spoilers.

PENTECOST -ECCLESIA-
The colour of the Pentecost differs between the Western and Eastern churches. For Western Christianity, it's red. For Eastern Christianity, it's green. So Ecclesia's green symbolizes Eastern Christianity. I only gave her the original magenta in her original design because rose petals are scattered in the Pentecost. I gave Echo a mostly white dress because in Pentecost, people wear white robes.

Another symbol is that I modeled her after the "Good Shepherd" aspect of God, the nurturing aspect, the one who keeps the existing children in the church. Hence the shepherd staff.... With Moses's bronze serpent on it. The one from Exodus, where any Israelite who gaze upon it won't die even after the snakes sent by God bite them. And that bronze serpent is called the Nehushtan.

Also, in the Pentecost of Eastern Christianity, they pray for the damned souls in Hell to be given mercy in the end--part of why I modeled Ecclesia after the nurturing aspect of God. I also went for a Greek goddess look, because:
1. Eastern Christianity is VERY THICK in Greece when it started
2. Echo's name, going along with the above

And then you can see the dove in Echo's breastplate. The colour is arranged like that to give a picture of "the dove flying across the sky above the grassy plains, radiating the light of the LORD". Echo's arm gauntlets are reminiscent of bells--church bells. Also, bells used by shepherds. Echo's boots, especially the shoes: It's referencing Psalm 23, where the Good Shepherd is mentioned:
"Psa 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters."
There is an image of a green pasture and a still lake on her shoes.

One more symbol I used is Matthew 10:16: "...Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."
Dove = Breastplate
Snake = Nehushtan on staff

Her powers are also symbolic, and they are:
> Green Pastures: Healing
> Baptism: Status buffs. Increasing attack/defense/speed/etc when needed.
> Shepherd's Spear. Her original weapon is a double-edged glaive, it's just slightly different in the Ecclesia armour.

The symbolism is as follows: Good Shepherd leads the herd to calm waters (Baptism), green pastures (Healing), and fends off anyone threatening them (Shepherd's Spear).

All in all, Ecclesia is more of a combat mage than a magic knight. But there is meaning in it as I made her represent the nurturing aspect of the church; the part that keeps God's children in.

PENTECOST -APOSTOLOS-
Compared to Ecclesia, which has green in it to represent Eastern Christianity, Apostolos leans more towards Western Christianity, just for the sake of contrasting the two armours. However, even though white robes are universally worn in Pentecost, I didn't give him white at all because: 1. I want to symbolize other things related to apostles, and 2. It's better that I keep it close to Axl's original colour scheme like how I kept Ecclesia close to Echo's original colour scheme.

A symbol prominently featured is the Ichthys, the "Christian fish" or "Jesus fish". It had been a secret code for Christians in their early days. Besides that, apostles are also associated with fish in several parts of the Bible, like John 21:11 and Matthew 17:24-27, and apostles are called "fishers of men". Apostles are also associated with the sea (Paul's many voyages) and storms at sea (Jonah having to spread the good news to Nineveh and refused, but gets swallowed by a huge fish so God can get him back on track, the story of Jesus walking on water in front of his disciples), hence his colours outside of the red and yellow. The longcoat tails are also reminiscent of fish tails, further showing the fish associations in his design.

Besides the fish and the ocean, the sky is also prominently featured as a symbol in Apostolos, because of the storms, as mentioned before, and that because the light that temporarily blinded Paul came from the sky. The sky-and-sea symbols can be seen in how his shoulder armour and boots look. The light that came from the sky, piercing the "darkness" (In Saul's heart, so to speak, before he became Paul) and temporarily blinding Paul, is symbolized in the mask and his gauntlets. The mask is not detachable--it is part of the helmet. The mask being there and being nondetachable is symbolic of the facts that the apostle do not seek anyone to worship them, but they seek for people to worship God: "Don't look at me, look at God", so to speak.

The reds on his helmet symbolizes the fire of the holy spirit that came to the apostles on the first Pentecost, enabling them to speak in various languages. However, the red on his breastplate, torso and shoes have a different meaning:

Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
Mat 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Mat 10:40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
Mat 10:41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.

The apostle, the one who spreads the good news, is the one who does God's holy work, and thus partially responsible for any consequences brought upon by the "sword of the messiah", and "leaving a trail of blood in his wake", as seen on the red on his shoes. The red on his breastplate shows how the "sword of the messiah" comes from above--the skies.

Like Ecclesia's powers, Apostolos's powers are also symbolic:

> Capernaum: The ability to walk on water, symbolizing how Jesus walked on water, and one of his disciples wanted to do the same, but couldn't because his faith wasn't strong enough at the time.
> Anno Domini: Messing with the opponent's controls, symbolizing how the good news, spread by apostles, make people question their ways.
> Messiah's Sword: Making enemies go berserk, most of the time attacking their own allies. The symbolism for this one had already been explained above, so there is no need to repeat.

Apostolos is more of a magic knight form. This form is less suitable for stealth than Axl's original armour, that's why I'm not calling it a magic thief, but it has additional powers that makes up for it. He still retains his original powers and weapons. However, he doesn't get additional melee fighting skills, because symbolizing the "sword of the messiah" with melee skills, and especially an actual sword, downplays the meaning of just what the "sword of the messiah" truly is.

SEEING HOW BOTH ARMOURS WORK TOGETHER

Ecclesia and Apostolos are part of one set, and they work best if they work together. Ecclesia, although having decent offense capabilities, leans more towards becoming a white mage. Apostolos, although having a few magic-esque powers, leans more towards being a magic knight than being a black mage. Ecclesia aids Apostolos in attacking the enemies with healing powers and status buffs.

This is also symbolic in how I position them: Ecclesia, the church, is the nurturing part of God, that keeps the children inside and takes care of them. Apostolos, the apostle, is the part of God that goes out to spread the good news for the purpose of gospel; the one who brings new children in. In the process of spreading faith, the church and all its resources will assist the apostles.

Ecclesia has a white robe, and a generally more "gentle" colour scheme than Apostolos, which looks more "daring" and "dark". This is to reflect their roles: The Church is the gentler aspect of the faith, who nurtures the children. The Apostle, while not violent, is noticeably more "brutal" than the church, as it carries the "sword of the messiah" with them, indirectly driving families and friends apart by spreading the faith, and making people question their ways. While they ultimately have the same goal, and they work together, the church is gentler than the apostle, as they represent two wildly different aspects of the faith that mesh together to create a path for their goal.