|Lord of The Lightless City/Lord of The Abyss/The King/Watcher of The Lake/The Shepherd/He Who Sits Beneath The Blackened Sun/Lord of The Abyssal Maw|
God of Madness
Domain: Madness
Appearance: While M'arash's appearance isn't set and can shift according to his will, he usually appears as a tall alien looking figure clad in tattered yellow robes or a similar variant, such as the Shepherd. His followers use the names for his forms when referring to him, as they consider it blasphemy to utter his true name. As a matter of fact he only time his followers do actually speak his name is when they pray, which is usually done in secret where others can't hear or see them.
"The mind is my throne and madness my sceptre. As long as they exist, my rule shall last forever."
&
"The King rules and the Shepherd guides. Such is the way of the world. Such is the way of our god..."
Realm:Vesania, The Maddening Abyss
"Welcome to my realm, a place built and maintained by my will alone. Stay awhile! stay forever..."
Vesania is a near infinite expanse of barren wastes, non-Euclidean mountains, and ruins all sitting underneath the sickly light of a black sun. All mortals, save for those that possess a sufficient amount divine energy within them, that enter Vesania are instantly driven mad, as evidenced by the mutated and completely insane remnants of humans and animals that lay scattered throughout the realm (which resides in Sub-Space).
At the center of Vesania sits Vilor'Akash the Lightless City, a twisted and utterly incomprehensible circular formation of blackened stone buildings, spires, pillars, twisted bridges, pathways, and strange monolithic structures that is inhabited by a race of highly intelligent, multi-limbed beings known as the Zin'Ara, who act as servitors to their lord and maker M'arash by acting as messengers and emissaries for him when he does not wish to personally enter the mortal plane or the realm of another god.
The Zin'Ara also carry out various "experiments" on beings trapped within his realm. Exactly what these procedures entail as well as their exact purpose is unknown, but judging from the never-ending screams emanating from Vilor'Akash, it can't be good.
As for the entrance to Vesania, it's a medium-sized body of water sitting in the middle of the unnamed continent directly to the north of the former entrance to Azhriel's realm, called Lake Ha'lel (also known as the Lake of Ha'lel or simply Ha'lel) and any being who is dragged underneath its surface by one of the Bii'an or dives underneath the still waters themselves, will end up in Vesania. More specifically an area known as the Plains of Xo'hst. Many of his followers, or Yanites as they are commonly called by those who know of their existence, have come here in secret during months when the moon is full to throw still living sacrifices into the lake or to occasionally crossover into his realm when M'arash declares, usually through a dream or hallucination, that it is their time to leave.
Biography/Personality: Once a mortal from the frigid northwestern region of Tabrasa, M'arash and his companion Ka'li left their original homeland and forsook their faith in the god they once followed in order to forge their own path through the now godless lands. After many years of wandering, they finally came across the cave containing the Divine Cord and the rest is, as the Illuminator would say, history.
Notes:
Misc: M'arash, despite being the God of Madness, prefers to cause insanity in his victims indirectly through an alien looking star shaped symbol with an eye in the middle, called the Eye of Xyil. Mortals who see it will slowly go mad and use any means at their disposal to replicate the accursed shape in order to further expand the range of M'arash's maddening influence.
This madness can range from subtle to obvious depending on the victims initial mental state. For example a person with a sound mind would be very subtle in the way they displayed their madness, often acting so normal they even fool themselves into believing they're sane, while a person without a very sound mind will simply become more insane and more violent then they were before.
It should be noted that this symbol does not effect the other gods, unlike the maddening presence of M'arash himself or the insanity inducing realm he resides in, despite his best efforts to make it do so.
"It's such an insidiously clever invention. Don't you agree?"
M'arash has gained quite a following during the ten thousand year absence of the other gods. He accomplished this by warping the minds of mortals who gazed upon the Eye of Xyil. Once this was complete M'arash forced them to wander into the lonely places of the world where he had them form various groups devoted to him and his sign, the most widespread, secretive, and influential of these being the Yanites.
{As a side note on the Yanites, they are still largely unknown and unnoticed by most humans living on Tabrasa, often leading very secretive and solitary lives as they wander the world while going more and more insane, leaving the Eye of Xyil scrawled in places they've been where the unsuspecting passerby will come across it. While his followers do stay in one place on occasion, it's usually not for very long. Especially after M'arash's influence has begun to take hold on an area and people start to go insane. They do this to maximize the amount of people they affect and to keep from being caught by the local authorities as well}
God's are also able to travel to Vesania through the lake. They are not instantly driven mad upon entering like mortals, but that does not mean the risk is not there. Gods that enter this realm must be on guard constantly, lest they to fall victim to madness.
The only time that M'arash will physically appear to his followers is to usher them through the lake and into Vesania, once it is their "time" to leave. He usually chooses to appear in his Shepherd form and is, as always, accompanied by his companion Ka'li.
While he doesn't do it often, as spreading madness is his goal, M'arash can prevent others from accessing Vesania by causing Ha'lel and everything in it to transform into a churning blanket of fog that is capable of completely engulfing the entire island it's on. A fog that is nigh impossible to dispell while the god himself still lives.
Despite being the god of madness M'arash is surprisingly sane. This does not hinder him however. As a matter of fact it aids him in his quest to cause more madness in the minds of mortals and the gods they follow, as he can more effectively reason out what conditions, actions, or tortures are most suitable for breaking the minds of his chosen victims.
M'arash's reasons for causing madness are quite simple and can be traced all the way back to his Divine Cord which, although it was unclaimed and didn't previously belong to any other deities, embedded an unending and extremely strong desire to drive others insane deep within his being that, over the years, molded him into what he is now.
"Mindless creatures, but useful."
The Bii'an The Bii'an are a race of mindless slug like creatures with hardened, yet flexible, outer shells that live at the bottom of Lake Ha'lel. They have very long lifespans, sticky white blood (which is warm), survive on a diet that consists mainly of the microorganisms within Ha'lel, and generally grow to about 40 feet in length. M'arash has complete control over them and uses them to drag offered or hapless victims underneath the lake (which exists in both realms) and into Vesania where the Zin'Ara will then proceed to drag them off to Vilor'Akash and perform horrific experiments on them.
"The Zin'Ara...such beautiful creatures. Truly my best creation."
The Zin'Ara The Zin'Ara are a race of highly intelligent multi limbed beings who live within Vilor'Akash and act as servitors to their maker M'arash. They stand at around 9 feet tall, weigh around 210 pounds, have inky black blood, numerous eyes that give them a near 360° field of vision, a sharp tooth filled maw on the bottom side of their heads directly beneath their eyes, communicate via telepathy, they have a body temperature much lower than that of a regular human (around fifteen degrees Fahrenheit), and a hard outer shell that protects their vulnerable undersides.
They survive on a pure protein diet, most of which comes from the people and animals trapped within Vesania, unlike the Bii'an who eat the microorganisms that live within Lake Ha'lel. They can use their appendages for a variety of things such as the reproduction of their race. They accomplish this through the use of crystalline vats in which a new Zin'Ara is grown from the appendage of the old. The Zin'Ara, like the Bii'an, also have extremely long lifespans that allow them to live for well over a hundred thousand years. They also write in an alien language composed entirely of curved symbols.
"Ah Ka'li! Guardian of my Cord! Go forth and strip the flesh from the bones of our foes!"
Ka'li: Guardian of The Cord Ka'li was, and still is, a close companion of the god M'arash. They traveled the world together when they were mortal (and when M'arash went by a different name) all those years ago, moving from place to place after fleeing their original home and forsaking the god they once followed, whom they lost faith in after its unexplained disappearance from the world along with the other deities.
When M'arash came across the Divine Cord, Ka'li pledged to protect him while he underwent his divine metamorphosis. After the ten day period his transformation was complete and so was hers. For while she sat in the cave they found the Cord in, it had slowly begun to transform her into an alien looking creature with dormant supernatural powers. It was only after M'arash created Vesania and brought her to it that the initial changes took full effect, turning her into what she is now as well as fully awakening her dormant abilities.
At present Ka'li still resides within Vilor'Akash and acts as M'arash's personal bodyguard. She is ready to kill at a moments notice in defense of M'arash or, more importantly, his Divine Cord and has several abilities that help her in this regard such as being able to move at supersonic speeds, the ability to use a small portion of M'arash's maddening power (which is akin to, yet separate from Magic) for herself, the ability to morph her body back to its human form (something she only does when acting as M'arash's personal bodyguard during his ventures into Tabrasa or his occasional trips into the realms of other gods), and the ability to regenerate lost or destroyed limbs through sheer force of will.
While all of this makes her very difficult to kill, it does not make it impossible as cutting off her three heads, crushing her, lighting her on fire, or electrocuting her will be enough to keep her from using her regenerative gifts, and lead to her demise. Trapping her in some way is also a viable option in certain situations.
Name: Athrú Bandia/Bandia an athraithe, Changing Goddess/Goddess of Change Arú(preferred nickname)
Domain: Change
Appearance: Athrú's appearance depends on her mood and what she feels is acceptable or useful for the given situation, and as such she will shift between these forms as she pleases, though it's unknown if she has others. Initial form, Childish form, Arú
This is her most commonly known form, and as most would be able to tell, it is also her most childish. One would be a fool to believe her innocent though, as her lack of morals is ever present and she is prone to slipping into some madness. Used mostly for pleasent visits, socializing, and causing mischief. Height: 4'3"
Mature form, Athrú
Some know of this form of hers, as it is her most mature form. Those who have encountered it are quick to note how much more composed and insightful she is. Though it may not always be apparent, her sanity is at its best when like this. Used mostly for formal visits, discussions, and mature interactions. Height: 5'7"
Realm: Réimse Athsheinm - The Playback Field
Athsheinm is currently just a field of grass where everything is stuck in a loop except for those visiting it. Athrú made the field so that she would be able to practice replicating any random changes she causes within this space. In a sense, this is her workshop, and as a workshop one shouldn't be surprised to see things appear and disappear from within it over the course of time. The field itself might even change as she requires different things. One can find the only available gate to Athrú's realm, a tree twisted around a stone arch, within the heart of the Shifting Forest where grass and snow meet.
Territory: The Shifting Forest
Upon the Northwest penecula lies Athrú's earthly domain, the Shifting Forest. When crossing into the edge of the forest, one would only notice a few things out of place at first. An oddly shaped tree here, some upended roots there. But in heading deeper into it they'd soon discover the reason for which it was named, as the trees themselves can bend without the wind and the very ground they grow on slowly moves. Because of this the landscape is ever changing, making it difficult to navigate should one have a path to their destination in mind. But should one just travel amongst the forest and accept its shifting flows like the animals that live there, one will find it easier to travel through. Once at its center though, one will find stable ground and a small clearing in which the grass and the snow meet, almost like the eye of a calmly moving storm.
Personality: The below are the only consistencies of Athrú's personality amongst her forms.
Though Athrú often takes the form of a child and frequently acts like one, she's contrastingly quite mature physiologically. She often knows full well what she's doing and still cares not. For though she "loves" everything that exists, as the embodiment of change itself, it is but a heartless love she has. To see things be created or live brings her the same joy as to see them destroyed or die, for both are forms of change.
Because of this she is quite an amoral being, caring not if she does the "right" or "wrong" thing, for both are the same to her and as such she finds the idea of a "sin" to be quite silly. At times though she does have difficulty in remembering that people dislike negative changes, even when they're necessary to the world at large.
Those are not her only defining traits however, for she's also incredibly curious about things she does not yet understand and can almost always be found poking her nose into others business uninvited should one be able to identify her. She's also incredibly tenacious should she so choose and her almost untiring body and stamina reflect that. Because even though change itself is not all that directly powerful or imposing of a force, it is a relentless and unceasing one.
Biography: For as childish as she is mature, as intangible as she is touchable, and as mad as she is sane, the goddess of change is known not for her stability, but for her consistency in fluctuating as she pleases, with her personality dependant upon her mood and her form. Many say this is quite reflective of her domain, but it's actually the result of her rather awkward growth from a divine cord into fully fledged goddess, for she was originally to have no set form at all.
But from the moment of her inception she was affected by her very own domain, and in a quirk caused by change itself her body instead took the form of a human child, full of curiosity and... much confusion. For though she could sense the "sounds" of her domain around her, the natural changes of the world, she could not replicate them by "note", instead causing random and sometimes unnatural changes.
This was much like how a child handed an instrument and being told to learn by ear would only be able to produce a cacophony of notes and sounds at first. But instead of a single "instrument", she was given a whole orchestra and then some, being told to learn on her own while every instrument around her played itself. Wondering for what reason she couldn't "play back" what she "heard", she took to traveling in the hope of finding answers, though her initial reason soon faded as the massive and vibrant world around the young goddess quickly set her curiosity aflame, driving her to explore the world fully.
And for the first 25 years of her life, she had the grandest time doing so. From climbing on mountains, to hopping with stinging feet across a land of flowing magma, and even diving into the depths of the sea, she unknowingly paid vists to many of her elder siblings territories and a few of the realms she could find accessible. Along the way she often mingled with humans and eventually came to learn of many things from them, including their mortal tales and knowledge. It was from these that she learned about some of her siblings and their feats.
For a short moment she wondered why she hadn't met them yet, but the question soon passed from her mind as she continued to travel and learn the concepts of the world. Eventually she returned to her starting point and shortly after remembered her reasons for leaving. Listening once again to the "sounds" she now knew only she could hear, she was surprised when she could now identify "sounds" of the changing wind and the dying grass. In short time she replicated them with ease and realized that if she understood of what it is she was trying to change, she could more easily learn the different "sounds" of its change.
With this realization came a spark of curiosity about herself, and within a year's time she chased it down, coming to understand that she was the goddess of change itself. With this realization she matured immensely and finally became capable of changing her form in full. In the days that followed she came to understand her limits and soon mastered most of the simple changes she knew of as she relearned the concepts around her. In doing so she learned of her greatest desire. She wanted to see all kinds of change and she realized that in order to do so she would have to propagate change within the world. So she set out upon the world once again, determined to accomplish the goal within her mind.
Notes: (Leave this empty. As the rp goes on any details you wish to record go here. Once this CS is submitted Do not edit any other portion of the CS aside from this without the GM's consent.)
Misc: Athrú isn't a physically powerful goddess, but she makes up for it with her endurance and stamina. She's also only been around for four thousand of the ten thousand years, meaning that she's only somewhat acquainted with her other new siblings.
"Put that on my Tabula."
Athrú's Creations and Followers:
-none of note yet.
Rauth - The Trusted First
This mysterious man seems to be the closest and only follower Athrú has so far, reverent to his goddess above all else. Any who have unknowingly met him have either thought him quietly reassuring if on their side, or terrifyingly heartless if against his blade. Arú will call upon him for unpleasant visits, fighting, and having him travel unnoticed. Height: 5'4"
Rules and limits of the change domain:
1. Before there can be change, * there has to be something to change, * one must understand what it is they are trying to change, * and one must understand the change itself, lest a random change be the result.
2. The better understood something is, the more easily one can cause specific and/or more challenging changes. As such, * one who understands many things on a simple level will be able to cause many simple changes, * while one who understands a single thing deeply will be able to change that single thing in many ways.
3. It gets exponentially harder to cause change the more powerful and/or complex something is. As such, * to reverse a change costs one twice as much as it would to cause that change, * changing things on a large scale will tire one greatly. * trying to change something of another god's making without their help will wipe one for a while, regardless of if it worked. (No mortal should try this, as it might cost them their life.) * one cannot cause change to the psyche or mind, as it is too complex. * one cannot cause change to energy except for diverting its path slightly, as it is too powerful. * one cannot cause change to divine cords, and by extension gods, for they are far too powerful.
4. Though the domain of change has a widespread authority on many things, it will lose its control over something for the duration of its encounter with any who have a greater and more specialized authority over that something.
5. If something is of direct relation to oneself, like one's body or clothes, one will find find it somewhat easier to cause change to such things, though such things must truely be theirs for this to be of effect.