Ilyona, the Maiden of Dawn
Name:
Ilyona (Ill-ee-own-ah), the Sun Goddess, Maiden of Dawn, Mother of Hallows, Lady Reaper
Gender:
Female
Personality:
Ilyona was once a bubbling girl with a heart open to the world, but it would be such that would cause her downfall from being the pure deity of the solar star. Legend has it that the endless cycle of death had constantly caused her pain since her earliest days and sought to if not remove it, at least alleviate and let people live just a bit longer. With determination, she dabbled in magics and powers she was not supposed to even be able to handle and ended up creating Hallows, undead beings with all the sentience of mortals but with an immortal lifespan. However, her magic was not perfect and through repeated death or extreme mental trauma, her creations could go "Feral", driven mad by their new cycle of undeath and suffering. As you would expect, this did not resonate well with many of the other gods, especially the Gods of Life and Death. As punishment, she would have to harvest the souls of the fallen and deliver them to the God of Death.
Since then, the goddess has lost a good deal of her bubbly nature and replaced by a more serious attitude. There's always a notion of personal repenting as even now her sin as there are some gods which still do not completely forgive her. However, even if she had created Hallows from a mistake, she acts as a motherly figure to them none the less, caring for them as they are her own creation. Much of her efforts is put into making a home for the often outcasted undead as well as protecting them from those who wish them harm or exploit them.
Since then, the goddess has lost a good deal of her bubbly nature and replaced by a more serious attitude. There's always a notion of personal repenting as even now her sin as there are some gods which still do not completely forgive her. However, even if she had created Hallows from a mistake, she acts as a motherly figure to them none the less, caring for them as they are her own creation. Much of her efforts is put into making a home for the often outcasted undead as well as protecting them from those who wish them harm or exploit them.
Major Domain:
Sun
Minor Domain:
Harvest & Shadows
Avatar:
Ilyona appears as a firebird phenix with glorious red and feathers, embers constantly falling in her wake and a dazzling brilliance that surrounds her. However, she only wears this facade when going beyond her own people as she prefers not to be in avatar form, but a shorter more human like form in that case.
Stance:
Ilyona is currently neutral on who she believes deserves the throne. Part of her wants the throne but she does not believe that she is qualified or even allowed to claim it due to her past actions.
Loyalty During Rebellion:
Ilyona was on the side of the king, being the one to slay the traitorous War god in the rebellion's waning hours. Its said that the god's spirit is still trapped in her scythe to this day.
Center of Power:
A small medallion known as the Sunlight Medal serves as Ilyona's Center of Power, its an intricately engraved and decorated golden pendant with bronze detailing and the shinning symbol of a sun on it, it is always kept on her person.
Relation:
- She harvests souls of the dead for the God of Death
- Once had the Minors of Light and Fire but was forced to give those away
- Defied both the Gods of Life and Death to create Hallows, unbound undead. (Perhaps this is why she harvests souls for the god of Death)
- Once had the Minors of Light and Fire but was forced to give those away
- Defied both the Gods of Life and Death to create Hallows, unbound undead. (Perhaps this is why she harvests souls for the god of Death)
Powers:
Ilyona is capable of various light and fire based spells although they are greatly diminished compared to both the powers of the respective gods and her own power long ago; she can only summon blinding light, floating orbs of light and set fire to certain objects amongst few other things. She of course has the supernatural strength that all gods have, and regeneration powers allowing her to come grow limbs, and heal faster than normal.
Divine Arms:
- Soulset Scythe - The tool to which she reaps the life of those next to die, it is by far Ilyona's less popular weapon but it is her most effective weapon, absorbing the souls of the fallen to empower it, and is also a God Bane weapon. Its actually her former staff, now forever twisted with a ehteral blade but she can still cast some spells with it.
Demigod Champions:
The glorious knight of sunlight, Talvyrn represents everything saintly about his patron goddess, blessed with wings of light and plate armor fit for legends and a flaming sword, he is Ilyona's noble and honorable face who fights with undaunting courage and bravery.
For every light, there is a shadow and Malicia is Ilyona's shadow for she is the one who collects the death tithe for her patron when her patron cannot and hunt the beasts which dwell in the darkest recesses. With a pair of flaming swords, Malicia is the one to expunge the evils within the shadows and collect the due of the living.
Lindenhold
Lands:
High in the mountains of the North lays the haven of those living undead who flee from places which prosecutes them. At the base of the mountains are snowy swamps and frozen boreal forests, beautiful places but poor farming soils; however, Hallows don't really eat much so its of little concern to them. Winding roads and cliff face ramps, flanked by villages and settlements all along the path, lead up the toward the great peaks of the mountains that house impressive cities of white stone and grand citadels.
Constructed of brilliant masonry work, the aqueducts and roads of these cities are beautiful, cared for by the Hallows who view them as the property of Ilyona herself. It is through the Sun Goddess's blessings that their towns do not freeze in such high altitudes, ceiling mounted windows are as such a common feature in many buildings with some even having open villas. Epic arches, columns and bridges decorate and connect buildings and even the mountains themselves, all carved with great detail that clearly takes a great deal of time, something that the inhabitants of the Lindenhold Mountains have.
Constructed of brilliant masonry work, the aqueducts and roads of these cities are beautiful, cared for by the Hallows who view them as the property of Ilyona herself. It is through the Sun Goddess's blessings that their towns do not freeze in such high altitudes, ceiling mounted windows are as such a common feature in many buildings with some even having open villas. Epic arches, columns and bridges decorate and connect buildings and even the mountains themselves, all carved with great detail that clearly takes a great deal of time, something that the inhabitants of the Lindenhold Mountains have.
People:
Hallows, the creations and children of Ilyona, are the ones who live in the high mountains of Lindenhold, as close to the sun as possibile. Although many are human, Hallows refers to any once living sentinent creature that has died and since been brought back with a factured soul not bound to the will of anyone else. At one point, Hallows were raised by Ilyona herself but even she would have never expected the curse which will sometimes bring back those who have fallen to life once more. Being undead, Hallows in other lands are often scorn and hunted, but their immortal nature means that they cannot be killed and many go "feral" after they have died many times or suffer great mental trauma. Once Feral, Hallows can never turn back; it has become one of Ilyona's duty to hunt these Feral Hallows as penitence for creating them.
Whatever life these people may have lived in the past, its often wiped away by their new status as undead who bleed a pale milky white ichor. Their appearance can range from looking almost exactly like any normal member of their race to a rotting skeletal frame on dark green flesh. To combat the fact that they can go feral, many look to some great duty in unlife to keep them busy as well as pious prayer to their God Mother who can bless Hallows with light to return their appearance to "normal" once more after they have died or simply decayed. However, all of Ilyona's creations are destinte to turn feral one day meaning that they will be hunted down by their patron goddess and her servants but this is not seen as a terrible thing as many Hallows view it as a "true death" which they will finally be delivered to peace by their own Goddess.
Whatever life these people may have lived in the past, its often wiped away by their new status as undead who bleed a pale milky white ichor. Their appearance can range from looking almost exactly like any normal member of their race to a rotting skeletal frame on dark green flesh. To combat the fact that they can go feral, many look to some great duty in unlife to keep them busy as well as pious prayer to their God Mother who can bless Hallows with light to return their appearance to "normal" once more after they have died or simply decayed. However, all of Ilyona's creations are destinte to turn feral one day meaning that they will be hunted down by their patron goddess and her servants but this is not seen as a terrible thing as many Hallows view it as a "true death" which they will finally be delivered to peace by their own Goddess.
Culture:
The Hallows are dedicated to the worship of Ilyona as she is the one who created them and one of the few gods who do not show indifference or disgust at them. She protects her creations and cares for them and in return it is the Hallows that support the sun. In addition, it is her blessings which can reverse their appearance back to more normal looking forms. Beyond the pious nature, there's also a focus on perfection and seeing unlife as an eternal journey to experience new things and perfect subjects. As such, master craftsmen from Lindenhold are without parallels and veteran soldiers are without rivals. Death is a tricky subject as some wish to die as soon as they can but cannot be killed by most normal means and their goddess will only end those who have turn Feral.
There's two main school of thoughts amongst the Hallows of Lindenhold, both stemming from the champions of Ilyona, Talvyrn and Lady Malicia. Talvyrn is associated with the "Dawn" school of thought and that to best serve is to be righteous and noble and faithful like knights, protecting and defending while also being reserved and more passive. Malicia's "Dusk" school of thought is much the opposite encouraging aggressive hunting of those who have fallen, speed and aggression is key and many subscribers are categorized by being energetic and opportunistic for it is the followers of the sun who must drive back the shadows by fighting in the shadows.
There's two main school of thoughts amongst the Hallows of Lindenhold, both stemming from the champions of Ilyona, Talvyrn and Lady Malicia. Talvyrn is associated with the "Dawn" school of thought and that to best serve is to be righteous and noble and faithful like knights, protecting and defending while also being reserved and more passive. Malicia's "Dusk" school of thought is much the opposite encouraging aggressive hunting of those who have fallen, speed and aggression is key and many subscribers are categorized by being energetic and opportunistic for it is the followers of the sun who must drive back the shadows by fighting in the shadows.
Technology & Atheistics:
Imperial Roman with a bit of Greek
Capital:
Kharstav - The Ascension Beacon
Of the settlements and locations of Lindenhold, Kharstav is without a doubt the most notable with a light that pierces the central pillar of the city, the Beacon. Its long said that it is this ray of eternal light which guides lost souls to the afterlife under normal circumstances, ironic as most of its inhabitants are those few whose souls have come back to them. With intricately carved bricks and sparkling gems and polished gold, bronze and brass, Kharstav lays claim to the most ornate city in the world with Ilyona making her throne room at the heart of the pillar.
No one knows if the beam comes from the sky and came down or was from the earth and shot up, but it is impossible to miss and a breathtaking sight from amongst snowy mountain peaks. Of course, the light also goes below the city and into the catacombs below where the hunters of the shadows reside, ever vigilant in their watch.
Of the settlements and locations of Lindenhold, Kharstav is without a doubt the most notable with a light that pierces the central pillar of the city, the Beacon. Its long said that it is this ray of eternal light which guides lost souls to the afterlife under normal circumstances, ironic as most of its inhabitants are those few whose souls have come back to them. With intricately carved bricks and sparkling gems and polished gold, bronze and brass, Kharstav lays claim to the most ornate city in the world with Ilyona making her throne room at the heart of the pillar.
No one knows if the beam comes from the sky and came down or was from the earth and shot up, but it is impossible to miss and a breathtaking sight from amongst snowy mountain peaks. Of course, the light also goes below the city and into the catacombs below where the hunters of the shadows reside, ever vigilant in their watch.
Beings:
Hallows of all races make their home although there are still a few other beings within the realm of Ilyona. Perhaps the most numerous and dangerous are the Feral Hallows and the Soul Beasts, beings fused of multiple souls and bodies that have become horrid amalgamations of all things unholy who came about as Ilyona's creation of the Hallows; her hunters rentlessly seek out these monsters lest they threaten anyone.
While only rumors exist of the following, its said that once a race of ogres lived in the mountains before the rise of Lindenhold but were purged to the last by the Goddess and her Knights and Hunters and their bodies have been buried in the mountains.
While only rumors exist of the following, its said that once a race of ogres lived in the mountains before the rise of Lindenhold but were purged to the last by the Goddess and her Knights and Hunters and their bodies have been buried in the mountains.
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