No, Kherubim aren't canonical. There's no reference to anything like them anywhere in any Demon books or fiction. Why include them, then? Because imps, familiars and other servitors of demonic forces are a staple of folklore and fantasy fiction, and I felt there was potential for such creatures in Demon: the Fallen. Yes, this takes a lot of liberties with the presented history, but the inclusion of Kherubim wouldn't affect events in any significant way -- they wouldn't have made a significant difference in angel-demon conflicts, as they would simply have followed the lead of their Celestial superiors and wouldn't have been employed in battles (as Kherubim were close to useless in that capacity). The inclusion of the rules below is completely optional (of course). They add another level of complexity to the game, which not everyone will want. But with the added dimension comes an entirely new facet to Demon games.

The man called Jean Oliveaux (though some know him as Grolesk) watched as the Ravener left the burning building, jacked a passing blue sedan (a Buick), and drove west. Or rather, another set of eyes watched for him, for Jean was miles away, holed up in a mostly abandoned tenement. He came back to himself and opened his eyes. Jean sighed, knowing he couldn't get to the building in time to save either it or the nun inside, and felt something of himself die as he realized that it was because of him that Qui'lath committed such atrocity. He was considering giving himself up, just telling the demon what she wanted to know (though she'd probably end up killing him for his trouble) and getting it over with, when an idea struck him. He closed his eyes and sent out a telepathic command to Charlie: Follow the car.
Jean was pleasantly surprised to find that the pigeon was already doing so, coasting above the sedan. The former Angel of Gleaming Steel smirked as Charlie gloated telepathically that he was the one who first thought of tailing the Ravener, and that upon his return he expected a reward for being smarter than the "master." Jean would find out where this horrid bitch was holed up, and he and his thralls would pay her a visit -- and take care of her once and for all. He could live with the scars he knew that act would leave on his soul; he just couldn't live with any more deaths. The grim thought removed the half-smile from Jean's face. He broke off contact, picked up the phone and started dialing. There was work to do, tonight.

Not all Spirits of Creation were angels. Along with the Elohim, God created numerous Kherubim, loyal beings of limited power and free will, as helpers to the angels. Rather than being distinct beings in their own right, they were mean to serve as extensions of the Elohim. While the angels were busy with the work of building the universe from scratch, the Kherubim delivered messages, scouted out new areas, and performed many other less glorious but still important tasks. When the angels fell, the Kherubim that served them fell with them, loyal beings that they were. However, not many survived the titanic clashes between the angels that would soon follow, as they did not possess the true immortality and vigor of their exalted masters. And many Kherubim that the wars did not destroy, the Abyss did. Few of these helper-spirits (which were largely free of evil's burden) could withstand the madness of the Abyss. Those that did survive didn't do so intact; these Kherubim became twisted like the fallen, their innocence quickly stripped away by the winds of the hellish realm and the hands of sadistic demons, reforged as parasitic imps. These Tormented remnants of the noble Kherubim either bound together and survived in Abyssal warrens like vermin, largely overlooked, or attached themselves to demon masters as they did so long ago -- though the arrangement was purely pragmatic for all involved, rather than borne of loyalty or love. When the walls of the Abyss cracked, quite a few demons that escaped to earth had existing pacts with one or more imp familiars.

There's no limit to the ability of some players, either unintentionally or out of sheer perversity, to take a good idea and corrupt, abuse and rape it for all it's worth. Some people will look at the Demon Familiar Background and go, "Cool, I have a great idea for a talking black cat familiar called 'Muse' that uses an antique typewriter to write weird poetry." Then there are others that will dump all the points they can into the Background so they can run around with a swarm of killer rats or a demonic flaming tiger. While I've written this Background with flexibility and thematic coolness foremost in my mind, I've also tried to plug all the holes that I thought players might take advantage of. No doubt I've missed some. So Storytellers, please take up my slack and do your own damage control; there's no better proof against abuses than your judgment. As far as imp-possessed black bears, panthers and Mastiffs go, there are a lot of good reasons that small mundane animals are better choices for familiars. One, they're unobtrusive. No sane person will call Animal Control in a panic over a cat lurking in an alleyway, or think much about a pigeon perched on a light pole. Small animals are also easier to feed, hide, and transport than baboons or alligators. The legality of an exotic animal may well be a matter below a Steward of Creation ("Sir, I created the honey badger!"), but it's nonetheless an important matter for its host; illegal animals may be impounded or even shot on the spot if they prove uncooperative with officers sent to retrieve them. Also, imagine feeding a wolf or cobra with two-inch fangs from your imp's mark, which (despite Puritan propaganda to the contrary) is just as sensitive as a normal nipple. While familiar cats, hounds, rodents, common snakes and toads border on the cliche`, there's no denying their practicality, versatility or understated sense of style. (And in case you missed it under the description of the Unholy Substitution ritual, animals modified by the Lore of the Beast evocation Create Chimera usually lose their modifications when possessed by a Kherub. So there.)

While demons can't summon other fallen, oddly enough this restriction doesn't apply to familiars, who seem to have been overlooked by God as he punished the Fallen Host. Therefore, some fallen have other demons summon familiars for them -- or summoned imps themselves if they're powerful enough. (See Familiar Rituals, below.) Some renew existing pacts with Kherubim, while others forged new familiar pacts with formerly unallied imps.
The Benefits: Imp familiars grant their masters several benefits. A major appeal to having a familiar is their loyalty; while they possess enough intelligence and self-determination to make their own decisions and rely on their own judgment, a well-treated demon familiar can be expected to obey its master to the best of its ability. Abused familiars might subvert orders, but rarely if ever act overtly against their masters. A fallen enjoys a telepathic bond with her familiar, allowing detailed communication of orders and information this way; the range of this is the fallen's Faith, plus the Faith of the imp, in miles. This makes familiars ideal spies and scouts. The demon and familiar may trade Faith, Willpower, and health levels if touching at a rate of one per turn (both must be willing).
The Costs: Imps require the food, water and care the host species does, and must be fed one point of Faith every week by its master; not doing this will starve the imp, forcing it back to the Abyss and leaving the demon with an empty animal carcass and a damaged psyche (see below). Faith is fed to the imp through something called the imp's mark, a small mark or protrusion that develops on the demon when the familiar pact is made. The imp's mark can resemble a third nipple, a birthmark, or even a tattoo, and may appear anywhere on the demon's body (though usually an area easily concealed). Faith is refined into a milky substance with threads of blood in it, which the fallen excretes and her Kherub laps up to get its required Faith. Yuck.
Losing a familiar, either purposely getting rid of one or losing it to misfortune, is traumatic. Make no mistake: the pact between an Elohim and Kherub is an intimate one even in these faithless and dark times, and far more binding than those between mortals and demons -- whether the entities want to recognize the obligation or not. The fallen has a responsibility to his familiar to protect it; only the stupid use them as combat support or send them into dangerous areas. If a fallen willingly gives up a familiar, he loses a point of permanent Willpower; if the familiar is killed or starves from lack of Faith, the Elohim loses a point of permanent Willpower and gains a Derangement. While an imp that loses its master in whatever fashion doesn't suffer this spiritual trauma, it's bereft of its anchor on this plane and is eager to find a new master to serve. Clearly, the demon-imp bond is not to be taken lightly by either party.
While fallen may have more than one familiar at a time, few but the most powerful Sebettu actually do; the investment in time and energy for one familiar, and the resultant benefits, are quite enough for most demons. A Kherub may only have one master at a time, though pacts can be willingly broken by a master (though not by the imp), at which point the imp is free to form pacts with someone else. However, keep in mind the imp still knows the True Name of its former master...

The Familiar Background
Those who have the Background: Familiar are assumed to start the game with a familiar, though it's likely they owe somebody a favor for it (Storyteller's call). See below for more on these infernal rituals.

x		The character has no demon familiar.
●		A minor demon familiar no larger than a cat. Social/Mental Attributes +1 dot; Abilities 7 dots; Willpower 3; Faith 1; Torment 2.
●●		An imp of average competence and power, up to the size of a beagle. Social/Mental Attributes +2 dots, Abilities 9 dots; Willpower 4; Faith 1; Torment 2.
●●●		A powerful and clever demon familiar, up to the size of a Greyhound or large owl. Social/Mental Attributes +3 dots; Abilities 11 dots; Willpower 5; Faith 2; Torment 2.
●●●●		Such a familiar is exceedingly capable, and is the envy of other demons. It be as large as a German Shepherd or California Condor. Social/ Mental Attributes +4 dots; Abilities 13 dots; Willpower 6; Faith 2; Torment 3.
●●●●●		An extraordinarily powerful imp, possibly even bigger than its master, and almost the equal of a newly-escaped fallen. Social/Mental Attributes +5 dots; Abilities 15 dots; Willpower 7; Faith 3; Torment 3.

Familiar Character Creation
Imps are created using the following rules. Kherubim have Celestial Names and True Names like demons do, plus whatever "pet names" others choose to call them; the familiar pact requires that the demon and imp exchange True Names. Nature and Demeanor are usually similar, as few Kherubim have much in the way of pretense about them (though there are notable exceptions to this generalization); during a long-term pact, the Nature of a familiar often changes to reflect that of its master.
Use the spreads below to create an imp character. In addition, a Kherub has a single dot in the demon's primary lore, which is "borrowed" from its master as long as the pact lasts. This lore which will never climb any higher, and the imp can't purchase any additional lore. The creature uses its own die pool and traits for evocations. Finally, imps have all the innate abilities of demons except the ability to assume apocalyptic form. This includes the ability to sense Celestial and mystic phenomena and immunity to possession and mind control. See pg. 177 for more details. All Kherubim know Enochian (and a few can even speak it); the ability to understand other languages must be purchased with the Linguistic Knowledge.
Imps improve and degenerate just like their masters, though more gradually. A familiar gains one-third of the experience points and temporary Torment that its master does (regardless of its own actions or level of activity). Experience may be spent to improve the creature's traits (except lore) or buy down permanent Torment; use the same costs as for fallen.
All demon familiars also have one or more special abilities related to their task and that reflects their shape. A cat familiar charged with spying might have a special knack for moving about unnoticed, while a ferret assassin might possess a poisonous bite, and a crow messenger might actually be able to talk! Use the Background points invested in the familiar to "buy" special abilities, with more powerful abilities costing more; additional Background/ freebie points can buy more abilities, though no more than what was initially invested in the familiar. Use evocation effects and revelatory characteristics for inspiration for abilities. A few possibilities, complete with point values, are listed below.
♦ Improved Ability (1 pt.): Add one dot to a specific Ability, with a maximum rating of 5.
♦ Remote Viewing (1 pt.): The fallen can share the familiar's senses as if he had a modified form of the evocation Remote Viewing (Lore of the Firmament ●); this ability is usable within the range of normal telepathic contact, requires no die rolls, has no durational limit, and is applicable only to the imp.
♦ Enhanced Ability (2 pts.): The imp's rolls when using a specific Ability (chosen at familiar character creation) are made at -2 difficulty.
♦ Improved Attribute (2 pts.): Add one dot to a specific Attribute, with a maximum rating of 5.
♦ Manipulation (3 pts.): The imp possesses the same manual dexterity as as a human, allowing it to type, tie shoelaces, use keys to open locks, and etcetera. Note that the size, strength and morphology of the creature will still limit its performance (so a weasel can't fire a machine gun).
♦ Speech (3 pts.): The familiar can speak any language it can understand, allowing it to converse verbally with others.
♦ Master's Protection (4 pts.): The Kherub may use its master's soak pool or resistance values (like Willpower or Stamina) if better than its own; the familiar must be in contact with the master or within a few feet of him to use this ability.
♦ Poison (4 pts.): The nasty little imp can deliver a deadly venom a number of times per day equal to its permanent Torment. A successful bite attack (that penetrates soak) inflicts three levels of lethal damage in addition to any other bite damage, and wound penalties are doubled until this damage is healed. No victim may be affected by imp poison more than once per day.
♦ Growth (5 pts.): The Kherub familiar, when angered or in danger, can instantly grow up to three times its size (though larger creatures don't expand as much as smaller ones do; the upper limit is the size of a large panther). Spend a point of the imp's Faith to enact the growth. While larger, the demon familiar gains +2 Strength, +1 Stamina, an additional Bruised health level, and adds its Torment to its Intimidation die pools. The imp remains this size a number of turns equal to its Faith + Torment.
♦ Resistance (5 pts.): Whenever the demon familiar is targeted or is affected by an evocation or ritual performed by someone other than its master, or any other magical powers (including that of sorcerers, ghosts and sundry) roll its Faith in dice (difficulty 7). Each success removes one of the evoker's successes for purposes of affecting the imp.

Familiar Rituals
The rituals Call Kherub, Familiar Pact and Unholy Substitution require a variety of advanced lore, meaning few fallen possess the requirements; therefore, in most courts there will be one fallen, or two or three working in concert, that are in charge of summoning Kherubim and establishing familiar pacts. Of course, they charge dearly for their services, but imps are so useful that few demons grumble about it much.

Call Kherubim
By calling upon the ancient pacts between the angels and their faithful Kherubim servitors, as well as taking advantage of complex loopholes in the shattered Grand Design, a clever fallen can call a Kherubim (imp) forth from the Abyss. However, this is a demanding task, and fallen must perform the ritual's elements exactly for it to work.
First, the ritualists must open a spirit-gate where the barrier between the living and dead realms is thin, and where manifestations of ghosts and stranger entities occur. Then, the Ankida must push his perceptions deep into the realm of the dead and locate a Kherub. This is often a difficult task, as very few records of Kherub True Names remain, and not many demons have existing pacts to call upon; in most cases, the lead ritualist is effectively casting his net wide, hoping to catch the attention of a random imp in the Abyss. Once one is found, the Ankida must address the creature loudly and clearly (for it's difficult to be heard over the howling winds and through the walls of the Abyss), beseeching the spirit to come forth into the realm of the living. If the Kherub responds favorably to the offer (which is very likely), the ritualists must focus on a crack in the walls of the Abyss and widen it slightly, while investing the imp with power and creating a safe passage through the Shadowlands and to the living realm. If all steps of the ritual are performed successfully, the Kherub appears in the sigil, ready to be bound to a body (see Familiar Pact, below).
Primary Lore: Lore of the Realms ●●●●●
Auxiliary Lore: Lore of the Celestials ●●●, Lore of the Firmament ●●, Lore of Paths ●●
Base Cost: 48 experience
Restrictions: This ritual must be performed in an area where the barrier between the living and dead realms is thin (Shroud 5 or lower).
Minimum Casting Time: 144 minutes
System: This ritual is highly complex, and in addition to the standard ritual Faith roll, involves a series of three rolls; each of these sub-rites takes roughly 48 minutes to complete. the second roll must be made by the Ankida himself, while the first and third rolls may be made by Mudu. First, Lore of the Realms is used to open a small gate to the Shadowlands (Stamina + Awareness); the power of the ritual, plus the relatively small aperture created by this variant evocation, bolsters the the duration of the gate. Second, the Ankida calls an Abyssal imp and beseeches it to enter the lands of the living with an Intelligence + Occult roll; difficulty 8 to call up a random imp, or 6 if any if the Ankida is targeting a specific imp and knows its True Name. The number of successes garnered on this second roll is the Background point value of the creature (again, see the Demon Familiar Background description). Finally, a Charisma + Survival roll is made to bring the Kherub safely to the living realms, where it remains in the sigil area for one hour or until placed in a body via the Unholy Substitution ritual.
Torment: The Tormented version of this ritual, predictably enough, summons an extraordinarily wicked imp. It has the same statistics as a normal specimen of its kind, but add 4 to its permanent Torment score. Such Tormented spirits won't stay in the sigil, can't be bound to anyone via the Familiar Pact ritual, and immediately starts smashing things and killing stuff. Mercifully, its time in this world is short, and is quickly pulled back into the Abyss (after its Torment in minutes is up). Theoretically, someone could bind the thing to an animal's body so it could stick around longer, but it's hard to believe even the most nihilistic Ravener would be so stupid as to do such a thing...
Variations: None.

Familiar Pact
The spiritual bond between fallen and their familiars is different from those that fallen create with mortals, deeper and more intimate. The Kherubim were once almost extra hands for Elohim, extensions of the angels' wills as they went about creating the universe. And later, those that rebelled made great use of Kherubim as scouts, spies and messengers. Those days are long gone, however, and no one knows if that sort of selfless connection can exist again; many Kherubim are simply no more, leaving holes in the souls of the Elohim they once served, and the Torment of fallen and the imps that remain interferes with true unity. Yet, there is enough Faith and fealty for that link to be forged anew by devoted ritualists, even through the weak Faith of this new world. Though the new pacts are weak and reflect the degraded and selfish nature of the demons and Kherubim, they're still reminders of the what they were during the Dawn of Creation. Both demon and imp are made stronger by their spiritual bonds.
During the ceremony, the fallen and familiar to be bound must willingly tell each other their True Names. This exchange in purely mental, and none of the fallen performing the ritual will "overhear" this exchange.
Primary Lore: Lore of Radiance ●●●.
Auxiliary Lore: Lore of the Celestials ●●●, Lore of the Firmament ●●.
Base Cost: 24 exp
Restrictions: Before the ceremony begins, the ritualists must tie the demon and imp that are the recipients of this rite together with two silken threads, one laced with gold and the other dipped in blood. While these bonds must remain intact throught the Familiar Pact ritual, they may be removed or cut once the ritual ends.
Minimum Casting Time: 16 minutes
System: The Ankida rolls to forge a temporary bond between the demon and the imp, making the latter a familiar. At this time, the recipient and the Kherub must spend a point of Willpower to solidify the bond, and allow the transferal of Faith. At this point, the demon sprouts a familiar nipple through which he feeds a point of Faith to his familiar, thereby binding the familiar to him. The ritual is now complete, and the subject fallen has a familiar.
Torment: The Tormented version of this ritual infuses both with Torment and rage, and binds them together despite their mutual hatred. Needless to say, this is never done intentionally.
Variations: None.

Unholy Substitution
This ritual severs a hapless animal's soul from its body and immediately binds a Kherub to the body, thereby creating a body for the servitor creature in this world. This ritual is unable to tie an imp to any body larger than a whitetail stag, and it doesn't work on humans; man's fundamental cannot accommodate a Kherub.
Primary Lore: Lore of the Spirit ●●●●●
Auxiliary Lore: Lore of Death ●●●●
Base Cost: 18 exp
Restrictions: The animal this ritual is to be cast on must have willingly bitten a human being and tasted her blood.
Minimum Casting Time: 81 minutes
System: At the cumulation of the ritual, Ankida must make a Dexterity + Awareness roll to cleanly sever the animal's soul, and then tie the imp to the animal's body before the spark of life escapes it.
Torment: The Tormented version of this ritual increases the Kherub's permanent Torment by 2. The familiar gains a considerably nastier temperament as a result, and its Torment can never be reduced to less than 2.
Variations: Some demons ritually kill the animal, and then reanimate it before binding the Kherub to it. Substitute Lore of Awakenings ●●●●● for Lore of Death ●●●●.

Augmented Animals Animals modified via Create Chimera (Lore of Beasts ●●●●●) have had their souls as well as their crude flesh reshaped, for all elements that make up a beast are linked together. Thus, the changes are made to the gestalt whole, not just the physical body. In most cases that Unholy Substitution is performed, the changes are just lost as the animal's spirit passes on, leaving a normal animal body behind. To retain the changes wrought upon the beast "shell" while switching out its soul is difficult: the ritualists must reweave the threads to release the animal's soul and tie them to the imp, while keeping the ones attached to the body stable. Thus, the Ankida or one of the Mudu must have Lore of Beasts ●●●●● to even attempt this. For every dot added or physical change to the beast the ritualists attempt to retain, all difficulties associated with this ritual go up by one. For example, a dog with an extra dot of Strength, huge size and horns increases ritual difficulties by 3; if the ritualists keep the size and Strength dot but lose the horns, difficulties would only be two higher. Finally, an established familiar is no longer an animal, any more than a fallen-possessed mortal is human. Therefore, it's no longer subject to the Create Chimera evocation.