[OOC] Palingenesia - A Modern Greek Gods Saga

[Vanq]

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Palingenesia

A Modern Greek Gods Saga

Discord

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The Lore

The gods were dead. They had been dead for millenia, if they had ever existed at all. There were always those, true believers, through the eons. They clung to the old ideas even when they received only silence for their devotions. Humanity lived and died no matter their beliefs, the churn of time and progress that lead to one, singular, inevitable, end.

As humanity raced towards their ultimate achievement, the pinnacle of their evolution, the very foundations of life fought against it. Disease and famine plagued the world. Humanity fought back, but each victory brought only more to overcome. Whatever chance they once had of unifying fell apart to wars for dwindling resources. Hopelessness and despair filled them, but their end would not be that of a whimper; it was fire and brimstone.

In the aftermath, old things stirred.

The gods rose again, in fits and starts, to a world nearly destroyed. In a rare display of coordination and partnership, they pulled together to mend the earth. It took time, even for gods, to begin to right the wrongs that humanity had unleashed. As the earth recovered though, and humanity’s numbers rebounded from near annihilation, the gods returned to their old games.

It was not long before war again erupted. It was a brutal if short event. At the end of it all, Zeus was dead. With the king of the gods vanquished, the rest pulled together once again to write The Accords. It was an agreement to tend to their own domains with defined ways to resolve intra-pantheon disagreements. It has, for a time, ensured peace.

Peace is never guaranteed to last.

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OOC World-State Notes

While nuclear war had decimated major cities and military bases world-wide, the earth was already a world in decline. When the proverbial dust cleared, the world - while still recognizable - was irrevocably changed. Even with the gods' work to set the world right, not everything was returned to as it was.

Sea-levels had greatly risen, obliterating coastlines that had survived nuclear fallout and sweeping away major cities that had been thoroughly irradiated. There are no longer ice caps and the overall climate has stayed several degrees higher, though godly intervention has ensured it remains habitable for mortals - both human and beasts, though biodiversity is at an all-time low. Pockets of intense radiation still exist on land and sea. While immensely lethal to mortals, even the gods are not immune.

This has meant that as humanity and the gods rebuilt, they did so in planned and condensed cities, largely in the southern hemisphere which was targeted less in the mortal’s wars - South America, Africa, and Australia.

Through the Accords, the gods can exert local control of their domain within reason. Flippant disregard for humanity is tolerated, mass destruction and wonton killing is not. Humanity has coalesced into cultures and identities based on the gods they worship or serve, though due to the Accords this is still largely a geographically based identity. Nation-states may no longer exist, but strong cultural identities do. Some gods choose to run their demesne as a fiefdom, others as near-anarchy, few if any allow any actual power to reside in mortals’ hands.

Detailed Map

Basic Map

Locations of Note:

New Olympia

Located near what was once Cape Town, South Africa. It is the City of the Gods - a neutral location and collective seat of power for the gods, where they come together to maintain the Accords, settle disputes, or, on occasion, throw wildly opulent parties. Mortals who live and work here have been thoroughly vetted through the generations. Few just move to the city, and many can claim their ancestry back to the founding of the city.

Nearby is what was once called Table Mountain, now referred to as The Mount. It is considered a most divine place, and is a portal to the divine realm. Humans, other than oracles, are not welcome anywhere but at the base camp. Many seek to pilgrimage to the mountain but few are given permission.

Kato

What was once Australia has grown to be the only mortal-lead state on earth. The Misotheists have built up the eastern half of the island continent with a scattering of cities and outposts. They have been aided in their isolation and security by the stockpile of nukes they’ve amassed over two centuries. How they found them has remained a pressing mystery and thorn in the gods’ sides.

Phelgithos

Few humans ever have cause or desire to make the pilgrimage, born both of fear and practicality. Its entrance is found near the still smoldering remnants of an Icelandic volcano. Phelgithia houses the newest entrance to the Underworld and is Lord Hades’ seat of power on the mortal plane.

Aegeia

Located within the costal mangroves of what was once the Amazon rainforest, Aegeia is Poseidon’s bastion and domain, although many gods and beings of magic gather among its vine infested streets and carven canals. The god of the Sea tolerates only the most dedicated of mortals within his city and it is said one cannot even find it without the prior will of the Lord of Tides.

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OOC Character Powers and Limitations

Gods, Demi-gods, Mortals, and Daimons

The Olympian Gods are beings of great power, but they are not all knowing, all present or all powerful, their powers are tied to both their domain and the respect and worship of mortals. Some gods are more reliant on recognition from mortals than others, but none are immune, and those domains which are more closely tied to humanity and the act of prayer have more dizzying heights of power. The Gods of the Underworld, known as the Cthonic Gods, stand apart from this. Their power is held more in mysticism, in the bindings of pacts and the wording of spells. All must pass through their halls, believers or not, yet even at the primacy of their worship mortal attention was but a footnote for them, and humanity has ever dealt with them in fear and respect, never love. The greatest gods are beings that can remake the world around them, although all struggle with cleansing nuclear radiation, it is one of the few things not born of their own power that can harm them, even the greatest of gods, when encountered in significant amount.

Of great note to the Gods is that the domain of Thunder and Sky sits without a ruler, even as The Queen of the Gods claims the Mantle of Olympus.

Non-mortal beings such as dryads, nymphs, demigods and more, are imbued with a portion of a domain’s power. While they do not require mortal worship, they are often more vulnerable to damage to their domain than the truly divine are. A Dryad is tied to their home grove, and may simply perish if it is destroyed, for example. Demigods are imbued with great power from their lineage, yet a lack of respect for their divine forebears can strip them of their might with ease.

Humans and other more mythical, yet mortal, beings are traditionally the weakest of sentient beings, but that does not mean they cannot benefit from the return of the Gods divinity. As magic once more returns to the Earth, priests, acolytes and sorcerors once more find themselves capable of calling on aspects of this power. In most parts of the world, those that were tied to the return of the Gods hold more power and ability than their human counterparts, but that is more a reflection of familiarity than true potential. A Centaur hero is no more innately capable of wielding magic, be it Olympian of Cthonic, than a human.

The greatest threat to the current order of things is the rise of Typhon, the great monster born out of the nuclear fire of destruction. While knowledge on what this is, or means, is scarce, so far only humans have been capable of wielding this cursed Typhonic magic. Once taught, it is the easiest to grasp and the purest in power, but it must always consume the lifeforce of both body and soul, either by those who wield it or by those they sacrifice.

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GM reserved characters - Persephone, Hades, Hera

Character Sheet Template

[b][color=???]Name:[/color][/b]
[indent]Character Name[/indent]
[b][color=???]Titles:[/color][/b]
[indent]If applicable[/indent]
[b][color=???]Appearance:[/color][/b]
[indent]Text description, art, or both! For gods, feel free to include a physical divine indicator (markings, unusual/unnatural attributes, etc.)[/indent]
[b][color=???]Character Type:[/color][/b]
[indent]OC (human, daimon) or Myth-based (god, demi-god, mortal, daimon)[/indent]
[b][color=???]Divine Domain (Source of Magic):[/color][/b]
[indent]If applicable[/indent]
[b][color=???]Powers:[/color][/b]
[indent]If applicable[/indent]
[b][color=???]Assets:[/color][/b]
[indent]Wealth, non-divine training, influence, etc.[/indent]
[b][color=???]Primary Location/Areas of Influence:[/color][/b]
[indent]Main residence/home[/indent]
[b][color=???]Biography:[/color][/b]
[indent]Include any “myths” that are history, feel free to alter known myths to fit your version of a non-OC[/indent]

[SunsetWanderer]

Greek mythological family dramas. Hell. Yes.

I have some schemes and plans for Apollo!

[Ezekiel]

Whoever thought up this concept must truly be a genius.

[BunniesOfDoom]

Can I claim a god? If so, I want Discorida! Bring forth the chaos and anarchy!

[Vanq]

Can I claim a god? If so, I want Discorida! Bring forth the chaos and anarchy!

@BunniesOfDoom

Claiming not necessary, feel free to create a sheet for Eris/Discordia. If you have any questions or want to spitball ideas, we'll be pretty active in the discord linked as well!

[Ezekiel]

Can I claim a god? If so, I want Discorida! Bring forth the chaos and anarchy!

@BunniesOfDoom

You're welcome to apply for gods for sure! Although nothing is claimed until sheets are accepted.

(Although I will note her greek name is Eris, it's totally fine to use both names)

[Ezekiel]

Rip I replied without refreshing :(

[Vanq]

Name:

Hera

Titles:

Queen of the Gods, Eileithyia

Appearance:

Text description, art, or both! For gods, feel free to include a physical divine indicator (markings, unusual/unnatural attributes, etc.)

Character Type:

Goddess

Divine Domain (Source of Magic):

Women, marriage, and childbirth

Powers:

Hera’s power was often seen as less on their own and instead, the power of being consort to the King. It is a misunderstanding rooted in misogyny, and one that even the Queen herself has fallen prey to, in fits of self-loathing. To be the goddess of women and marriage yet have a husband such as Zeus had always seemed a cruel joke. Even now, after Zeus's demise, Hera struggles to embrace and fulfill her purpose.

She shares the familiar powers of strength and vitality, as well as some capabilities with premonitions, but her other powers are subdued and subtle.

She can bring two together in marriage, beyond just the few trite words spoken as vows. Her mere existence, though, remains what binds the Olympians together, a power that she can exert as needed, particularly in moments of high animosity. On the other end of the spectrum, she can inflame emotions rather than soothe, even to drive gods to madness.

Hera’s most sought after power though is her ability to grant boons of power.

Assets:

The Palace at New Olympia, though in theory belonging to all the gods, is firmly under Hera’s control and ownership. It is a richly extravagant residence, though it has undergone renovations since the King’s death.

Her influence is spread through her temples where any mortals of wealth or importance must be granted her approval in their choice of spouse. For particularly high ranking mortal weddings, Hera herself will attend to provide a blessing. For the masses, they attend her temples and receive blessings and instruction from her priestesses.

Hera also has thousands of midwifery clinics throughout the world to aid women in their pregnancies and family-planning. Often, but not always, attached to the clinics are services to help women escape domestic abuse. The Queen rarely attends these herself, though there are rumors of her direct involvement from time to time.

Though not technically part of New Olympia, she also maintains a smaller residence in the countryside outside of the city proper. It contains a grove which is said to be where she brings those deemed worthy of her boon. It is heavily guarded and warded against intruders.

Primary Location/Areas of Influence:

New Olympia

Biography:

She was the first to stir, she was certain of it. The world has changed since she had last walked the mortal plane. Humanity had done much in their absence and yet they were still children, now playing with powers as if they were toys.

In ancient times, even at their most powerful, Hera had always been secondary. But now, her husband still slumbered in the divine realm, and the Queen of the Gods was free to do as she wished. The great kingdoms of the world bristled at war with each other, and in time, she grew tired of simply watching their flailing attempts at mastering the cosmos.

The pain her husband caused her had not abated with time. There was no healing, no growth. Old pains and jealousies rooted more deeply, unable to be excised. Memories of how he had betrayed her without second thought, even when she had always been faithful. Even when she had been loving and adoring before her spirit has been completely broken. The fates seemed to give her a new path now, one she would not ignore.

She went to Mount Elbrus, where it seemed that some humans also hunted her quarry. They were no match for a goddess, and it was Hera who found Prometheus, still bound to the mountain after all these centuries still. A deal was struck, his freedom and in exchange, he would once again teach humans that which they should not know - how to split the fabric of the cosmos. Zeus would awaken in time, and in that time, humanity would surely destroy itself. When the King of the Gods returned, Hera would be waiting, to revel in his dismay.

It had worked, though not entirely according to plan. Humanity had destroyed more than she thought them capable of, and in that extreme destruction, the gods found a way to put aside their differences and worked together for a time. Zeus was angry, but her enjoyment of it was nullified in the face of the rest of them again submitting themselves to the King of the Gods. Hera sulked, doing little to directly aid in the rebuilding period. When the alliances and collaboration ended and strife again rose up amongst the gods, she was ready.

It was ultimately Hera and her betrayal of her endlessly insufferable husband that led to his demise. She had stayed by his side, loyal as ever, until she could watch him break as the rebels stormed their hallowed halls. She poisoned him with one final kiss, a joy that she would never need to touch him again after this. It was said that Hera held his face in her hands as he slumped to his knees, so that he knew it was her. At long last, she had seen him overthrown.

The deals and sacrifices it had required to end a god’s life were no small feat. In the aftermath, The Accords were spearheaded by Hera, an attempt to install herself as King of the Gods. She achieved it, in title only; a fact that continues to be a thorn in her side. She is paid lip service by many, but the Accords required little more than that and few make any real effort to treat her with the same respect and fear that was given to Zeus.

She has spent the last hundred years trying to claim Thunder and the Skies as her domain to no success. The Queen of the Gods resides in New Olympia and oversees the daily functions of the Gods’ capital. She maintains, begrudgingly, her role as goddess of women, marriage, and childbirth. But there is no fulfillment in it for her. She craves what she believes to be true power, to take what should be rightfully hers.

Her last child with Zeus, conceived at the beginning of the war, Hebe, resides with her, cupbearer and a friendly face to visitors unlike her mother. Hera has called for a celebration in honor of Hebe’s birthday, a weeks long celebration in New Olympia. Though invitations were sent to all the gods, they should know to not consider their presence optional. Much as Hera may care for her youngest, the celebration is not without ulterior motives.

[Apollosarcher]

Heyo, I see this is moving.

[Sanity43217]

I’m gonna start working on a Hermes. Who as the God of Merchants, speed, messages and such, is very ingrained in the current internet and probably works for/with a company like Amazon.

[Vanq]

Name:

Persephone

Titles:

Kore, Daeira, Azesia - The Maiden, The Knowing One, The One Who Seeks

Appearance:

Persephone appears to be a young woman in her early to mid twenties. She can cause vines and flowers to grow and blossom on her mortal form as well as transform into a being of pure flora. When not adorning herself with verdant blooms, her skin - from neck to toes - is adorned with what looks like pale tattoos that seem alive, twisting and growing like vine.

Hider

Character Type:

Goddess - born after the gods returned

Divine Domain (Source of Magic):

Goddess of Spring and Rebirth

Powers:

Persephone has become most prominently known for her ability to urge life from the earth, even in wastelands that her mother struggled with. Her powers are not absolute, however, and lands that remain heavily irradiated are resistant to her touch. She was integral to the rehabilitation of much of the crop land that now feeds the new cities. Her preference now has been to create vast gardens, crafting artwork out of plants and flowers.

More recently she has discovered the ability to transform things, animals, or people to flowers and plants. It was an accidental discovery, and one that can be reversed. The goddess has mostly just employed this with clothing for her and her friends, causing beautiful flowers to bloom to life on their clothing.

She is ageless, upon reaching the god equivalent of adulthood, which her mother believes has already occurred. Only time will tell completely if that has happened.

There is an untapped power within her, something she can almost feel, as if seeing it from the corner of her eye. When she focuses on it, it is gone, as if it was never there. Thinking on this for too long, searching for it for too long, brings on feelings of dread and illness. She has learned to ignore that itch within her soul that says there is something more.

Assets:

Persephone has few assets that are truly her own. Much of what she has is still directly tied to Demeter and Demeter’s realm. However, the goddess does maintain a lawn and garden business - Lillium. Within the chain of stores offering seeds, fertilizer, anything that could be used to start and maintain a garden, it also offers consultation services. Persephone is rather fond of providing these services herself, although her priestesses, nymphs, and dryads assist and are the primary contacts for their clients.

Primary Location/Areas of Influence:

Persephone is still most strongly tied to her mother’s domain. However, in recent decades she has taken to longer time away from it and her mother’s influence. She has become a regular within the party culture of Old Olympia, where the youngest gods, demi-gods, and rich young mortals spend their time and money beneath a blazing sun and too-warm waters. The goddess has a small but luxurious apartment here, and though she is often spotted at the parties, it has been a rare occasion for there to be pictures of her fully imbibing in all the former-Greek isles have to offer.

Biography:

Her exact origins, other than being born to Demeter after the goddess awoke to a devastated world, are unknown to Persephone. She doesn't know who her father was - if she even had one - and after many times of asking her mother as a child to receive no answer, she gave up on the task.

Her earliest years were spent on her mother’s back as she worked to bring healing to war and nuclear ravaged lands. From the moment the little goddess could crawl, though, she left budding life in her wake. Her ability to bring life from death was concentrated and passively inherent to anything she did. It took time to learn to control it enough to be fully effective in how she repopulated the earth with plants.

These were happy times for the girl, when it was only her and her mother, their nymphs and dryads. Rarely was she allowed to even catch a glimpse of another god, so protective was Demeter. It didn’t bother the girl then. She didn’t need anything else. She had motherly love, close friendships, and they taught her everything she could ever need to know. The goddess barely even knew of the war when it happened, tucked away safely in her mother’s greenhouse, spared the fear and cruelty of her family.

With growth and encroaching maturity though, that protection became stifling and suffocating. She longed to see more of the world, a desire she couldn’t quash no matter the fights it caused with her mother. Persephone’s love turned to resentment for all the rules and coddling. No going out into the world unless Demeter was there had become no going out into the world at all. Even travelling within Demeter’s realm came with restrictions that she always had to be accompanied by an overwhelming entourage of priestesses and nymphs.

Her rebellion began small. A few minutes here and there snuck away from the sight of her minders, late night swims in their rivers. Her mother swore her to a life of chastity, and yet she began to take lovers amongst her friends in the acolytes, the nymphs or dryads. While it caused some reaction from Demeter, it never seemed to be as strong as the daughter expected.

And so, one day, she ran, and didn’t stop. It took a week before her mother finally found her in Old Olympia and dragged her home. Yet, Persephone found new ways to escape until finally, she was gifted the small apartment that was surely surveilled, but allowed the goddess a longer glimpse into what the world was like. And while she maintains her duties out of love for them, she does not dive too deeply into the culture of Old Olympia for fear that her mother will lock her away in the greenhouse for good.

[Vanq]

I’m gonna start working on a Hermes. Who as the God of Merchants, speed, messages and such, is very ingrained in the current internet and probably works for/with a company like Amazon.

@Sanity43217

Excellent! I look forward to seeing the sheet. And definitely don't feel like you need to hold back on his role within a company. Gods owning and running the corporations that run the world is definitely on point.

[baraquiel]

Hello! Would love to throw in my interest in this as well. Will post my character when I can ^-^

[baraquiel]

Posting my cs here. Let me if there's anything I need to edit ^-^

Dionysus

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Titles: Lord of the Vines / Bromius / Eleutherius / The Masked God / The Mad God
Appearance:

Described as a 'beautiful man', Dionysus has an olive tone complextion and wavy brown hair with violet-colored tips. He wears both female and male presenting clothes whenever he wishes, and his eyes are a deep color of pure concentrated wine. When he uses his powers to inflict madness, his eyes look like multi-colored paint sifting through water. He is always seen in public weilding his thyrsus.

During his ceremonies and in war, he wears the mask of an old bearded man and a cloak that his entire body. He can shapeshift under his cloak in whatever form he wishes, never constricting himself to just one form.

Character Type:

God

Divine Domain (Source of Magic):

Wine, Vegetation, Religious Ecstacy, Festivity, and Madness

Powers:

Dionysus is god of many things but he is first and foremost, a nature god. He may not he as powerful as Demeter and her side of the family, he still holds sway to vegetation. As a nature god, he has the power to harness plants to use both offensively and productively, using his influence over nature to create the highest calibre of wine, mead, and other alcoholic drinks. Being a nature god also means he has a close connection to the nature elementals: nymphs, naiads, satyrs, and more.

Speaking of alcohol, he has complete control over wines, beers, mead, and other drinks of the same kind. He even has some form of influence over drugs and other substances. As long as it has the capability of altering someone's mindest and consciousness, it's highly possible it falls under Dionysus' jurisdiction.

His most fearsome power is to induce insanity to those who deserve it, and even those who crave it. The mind is as fragile as a mirror. One tiny little crack and the whole thing will shatter. It may not be now, but inevitably, it will. Not even the gods were immune to breaking.

Assets:

His alcoholic business ventures are always in demand. Many men and women, even gods, would want to drink their sorrows away especially after the terrible war. He owns numerous clubs and bars worldwide (he's still in talks with Hades on building a club at his domain).

All of his temples are located deep within forests in the home of the elementals. Those temples are reserved only for his followers: satyrs, other nature spirits, and his Maenads. Although anyone can wish to join in the ceremonies if they want, their practices are not for the faint of heart.

Even so, there are still parades and festivals celebrated in his name that are held in streets. While these might be tamer, they are still loud, bright, colorful, and joyful. These are more accessible to the public, letting his followers and the general mortals to celebrate not just his worship but also to celebrate the freedom of expressing their authentic selves. Dionysus is not named as The Liberator for nothing.

The Lord of the Vines also owns many theatres that showcase the artistry and craft of telling stories and ways of worship through song and motion.

Primary Location/Areas of Influence:

Eleutherius (located in what was once Bordeux, France, the wine capital of the modern world)

Biography:

Dionysus was the child of the King of the Gods and Semele, daughter of the king of Cadmus. When Hera knew of her husband's infedility, blah blah blah. Everyone already knew he was the twice-born god, the only Olympian originally born as a demigod and when he emerged from Zeus' thigh, he became 100% a deity.

He may have a seat at the council but he spent most of his time in the mortal world. Probably because he had a mortal parent but compared to his uncles and aunts, Dionysus probably had one of the strongest connections to humans if not the strongest. He was fascinated by them; they were beings of the earth, spent their entire lives trekking on the soil, yet their spiritualities, ideologies, and capabilities rose higher than the skies.

As such, he was disappointed when humanity brought itself to near exctinction again but Dionysus couldn't truly be mad at them. There's beauty in their tragedy, as they would always continue on living no matter the disaster they've experienced. Like a phoenix, they always rose from the ashes of the past to build themselves a better future. A never-ending cycle of destruction and restoration, death and rebirth, was a concept Dionysus was all too familiar with.

Not even long after, the gods were at war with each other, competing for more dominions to expand their influence and gather more power. Dionysus did fight for what was rightfully his, but he spent majority of his time protecting his followers. In the war of the gods, Dionysus chose to side with the mortals, saving as much as he could to prevent further collateral damage. The war ended with Zeus' death and they have all signed the Accord to maintain peace and prosperity to gods, mortals, and every being in-between and beyond.

Still, the death of the Sky God left a tremendous mark on every one. If the King of Olympus himself was dead, what chance do the others have? Dionysus could only put on so many masks, and the wine will soon turn foul. Zeus' death was only the beginning, a chapter of a tragic mystery already set in motion and they all had a part to play in it.

For once, Dionysus wasn't excited to know what will happen next.

[Framing A Moose]

Let me know if I need to change anything - I'm going to add some inspo refs later, but for now, her description will have to do.

Britomartis

Name:

Britomartis

Titles:

Lady of the Nets, Diktynna

Appearance:

While Brit may be beautiful by mortal standards, she lacks the grace and nobility of the higher goddesses. She's sturdy and broad-shouldered, taking the form of a muscular fisherwoman. Her skin is tan, decorated with an array of freckles and scars, her hands are calloused, and her face is home to imperfections uncommon for a goddess - laugh lines, forehead creases, crow's feet. In ancient times, Britomartis' form looked to be around twenty, matching her mischievous and youthful nature. Since she's been pushed by circumstance into having to accept more responsibility, her form has aged; these days, she looks to be in her mid to late twenties.

Character Type:

Goddess

Divine Domain:

Nets, Rope, and Wire

Powers:

Britomartis has the ability to manifest and manipulate nets, rope, and wire. While not the most impressive of powers, Brit makes up for it with wit and skill, having honed her capabilities to a fine edge. She possesses divine strength as well - not enough to match the strength of some of the greater gods, but enough to outclass most demigods. The exception to this rule is when she's pulling something caught in a net or tied by rope. In such cases, she's capable of truly profound feats of strength.

Assets:

Britomartis' assets are a lot more centralized than those of some gods. Her primary asset is Caenopolis, the City of Rope. Caenopolis sits upon Mount Dikte, a place of power for Britomartis. Built into the mountain are four towers that mark the perimeter of Caenopolis, in between which lies the city itself. To an outsider, it might look slapdash; it's quite literally a city held together by rope, built from ruins dredged from the old world suspended in the air by nets and cables. It's still in development, building upwards rather than outwards, the four Towers of Dikte stretching higher and higher into the sky, with more and more being strung up between them as they rise. The city would fall apart were it not for one simple cosmic rule: ropes never fail on Mount Dikte. The people of Caenopolis take pride in their city's design, though - rope architects work tirelessly to make the city accessible, and dredgermen compete to find interesting and refurbishable old ruins to be hoisted up into the city.

Caenopolis is a city of misfits. While not widely worshipped, Britomartis is known to be much more likely to answer if called upon than some other gods, given her constant campaigning. As such, she has become the patron goddess of underdogs, those who have faced misfortune and have few others to turn to. Criminals on the run, borderline blasphemers, and refugees of all types are likely to make the trek to Caenopolis hoping for a new start.

Stationed all around the island of Crete is Caenopolis' primary defense - the Cretian Navy, which Britomartis commands. It's not large, but it's enough to protect the island of Crete and then some. Its biggest ships are former industrial fishing vessels tricked out with weaponry, with similarly makeshift armaments. While not particularly well-equipped, the Navy is skilled at incorporating nets and fishing techniques into battle.

Britomartis' mind is also worth bringing up. Her puckish wit once used to pull off all manners of pranks has been sharpened into a deadly weapon, a tool of strategy to be used to her and her people's benefit. This capacity for outside-the-box thinking trickles downward into her closest mortal cohorts and the highest commanders in her Navy.

In terms of raw divine power, Britomartis' greatest asset is the Diktaion Antron. A cave at Mount Dikte's base, the Diktaion Antron is, according to legend, the birthplace of Zeus. It thrums with power, power Britomartis has yet to figure out how to harness. Still, it sits under Caenopolis, a well of untapped divine potential.

Primary Location/Areas of Influence:

Caenopolis, Crete

Biography:

Before Britomartis was Britomartis, she was Mount Dikte. She watched over the island of Crete a silent sentinel, high and mighty at its heart. She saw a time before gods, before mortals, when titans reigned]. It all seems like a hazy dream, snippets of half-remembered feelings. She had no senses, other than the sense for power, for life, for all the things that concern a thing of earth and stone. She remembers a titaness, Rhea, coming to her island. She was already in labor; the nymphs of Mount Dikte brought her to what would come to be known as the Diktaion Antron, but at the time was just a cave.

She remembers the sense of power she felt when Zeus was born, the significance of him. She had little knowledge at the time of context, but she could feel in her veins that he was fated to change the world. He stayed with her for years, nursed by Amalthaea, one of her nymphs, growing into the god that would one day destroy Cronos. After he left, it was centuries before she'd feel him again. When he returned, he returned the King of Gods, his destiny fulfilled. Visiting Caeno, a town in Crete, he met Karme, daughter of Amalthaea. The two became close, and in the end, he couldn't help but once again betray his marital vows.

Britomartis was born of this union. She grew up around her nymph sisters, never knowing her father, only knowing of him. She'd always been told that it was some great plan on his part - that he had given the mountain that had sheltered him for so long a physical form as a way of giving back. She always figured he just couldn't keep it in his pants. She didn't much care, though. Even if her past as Mount Dikte lingered in the form of phantom memories, and even if her connection to it remained strong, she never felt like a continuation of it. She felt separate, but not detached. A new chapter to an old story.

When she grew into a young woman she caught the attention of Minos, king of Crete. He was relentless in his pursuit of her. First, he simply asked for her hand, which she'd always reject with a laugh and a dismissive flit of her wrist. She was young! She wanted to spend her days frolicking on her mountain, entangled in the arms of the other nymphs. Why would she want to be tied down by a pompous old king? Soon, though, saying no ceased to be enough. Proposals turned to demands turned to soldiers seeking to take her by force. She spent nine months evading Minos' forces, culminating in the king himself cornering her on a cliff.

She could either jump or she could marry him.

To this day, Britomartis maintains that it was the easiest choice she's ever made. After throwing herself from the cliff, she plunged into the sea, quickly finding herself entangled in a fishing net. She was pulled onto a ship to find an irritated Artemis, on a hunt with her huntresses. When Britomartis explained the situation to Artemis, annoyance gave way to amusement - the virgin goddess was appreciative of the lengths Britomartis went to to keep her dignity, keep her freedom. She offered her a place with her huntresses. Later, when she learned of their shared heritage, Artemis offered her true divinity, minor as it may be; and thus, she was the Lady of the Nets.

Britomartis traveled with Artemis on and off after that. She enjoyed hunting, but she also had to attend to those who worshipped her separate from her relationship to Artemis. Fishermen, mostly. This ended with her and Poseidon having a...somewhat tense relationship. She'd often get in the way of his great duties with her puckishness, pranking those who'd devoted themselves to Poseidon and forgotten to pay homage to her, and helping those who earned Poseidon's ire. She shouldn't have; he was much greater than she was, much more powerful, but she'd mastered the art of not being worth the trouble.

Until the gods died, that is. The time between death and rebirth is a blind spot for Brit. If she once again became one with Mount Dikte, she doesn't remember any of it. All she knows is that she awoke to a world destroyed - and a world at war. By the time she was reborn, the gods were already at war with one another. She tried to find Artemis when she woke, but unfortunately for her, she found Poseidon instead. It was him who told her what had happened while they slept. The mortals had decimated themselves, and the sea with them.

Diktynna's nets had played a part in that decimation. A small part, perhaps, in the grand scheme of things, but a part well beyond the station of the petty Goddess of Nets. And it wasn't as though there was a god of plastic, of pollution, of nuclear energy and waste for him to take his rage out on. So, the Lady of the Nets would have to do - perhaps he could squeeze what little power she had from her in the process as a trophy.

Brit only managed to escape thanks to a dash of wit and a massive amount of luck - as Poseidon's waters thrashed her to near death, she hitched herself to a strange relic of the old world floating in the sea. A buoy, Brit later learned. She went into hiding after that, putting on the guise of a mortal as the Olympian Strife waged around her. She found herself traveling from refugee camp to refugee camp amidst the mortals. In such time, she gained sympathy for them. More than that, though, she gained some amount of respect for them. They were like cockroaches in their unwillingness to die, even as beings so much greater than them fought battles of which they were the primary casualties. Enough humans at the ends of their rope could do great and terrible things in the name of desperation.

By the time the Accords were put into place, Brit had gathered herself a large group of refugee followers. Once murder among Olympians was outlawed, she revealed herself, and she led her people back to Crete, where she began to build Caenopolis. What began as a safe haven for her band of refugees became something more - an attempt to claim the domain of Sky for herself. It's an attempt rooted in fear, of course. She doesn't believe the Accords will hold forever, and she's afraid of what Poseidon might do once her protection is gone. She became something of a celebrity politician for the people of Caenopolis and even those outside, constantly vying for their faith. She and her people began to build upwards, climbing towards the sky in what's known as Britomartis' "Catch the Clouds," campaign. It's a rather blunt strategy, supposedly trying to climb high enough to throw a literal net over the sky. Behind this brutish explanation, though, is a subtler hidden agenda; if enough people believe it is Britomartis' destiny to claim the sky, then perhaps it shall become her destiny to do so.

[Ezekiel]

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[Ezekiel]

Name: Hades, Agesander, Aidonious, Zeus-Kthonios.
Titles: Custodian of the Underworld, The King of Those Below, The Cthonian God, Lord of the Dead. The Deathless King. Master of The Deathly Veil.
Character Type: Chthonian God.
Divine Domain: The Underworld, Wealth and Riches, The World Below, The Deep Earth.

Powers: Hades is one of the few beings who wields the power of both Olympus and Cthon, having been born of Chronos and Rhea in the realm above before being granted dominion over the world below. The intensity of his power is often deemed more subtle than his divine brothers, who revel openly in the worship of mortals and need not concern themselves with the practice of esoteric magics. Still, few would dare to say he is not their equal when the sum of all parts is considered. To invoke Hades’ name is to earn his attention, for his presence dwells in all dark places. He is not simply the ruler of the underworld, but he is the underworld, able to remake and shape the lands as he wills in a manner that even the masters of Earth and Sea cannot match with their domains. As with all Olympians, Hades is supernaturally resistant and capable of great mortal feats. Shared with some of the more powerful Olympians, Hades can perceive events beyond those he is present for, while not so complete as Helios’ omnipresence, it matches the other great Olympians.

More uniquely, Hades can hide his presence with magical invisibility entirely, and has almost complete control over the undead, be they shades of the Underworld or ghosts trapped on the mortal plane. He wields Cthonic magic, the art of witchcraft, with great ability, having been tutored by Hecate in ages past, and benefitting from his total connection to the Underworld.

Assets: Hades’ has one of the broadest, if thinly spread, influences on the mortal plane of the major Olympian Gods. As the God of Wealth and Riches much of the new financial sector, in the limited but ever-increasing return to globalisation, is tied by some means to the God of the Dead and his servants, be they god or mortal. Most do not directly work under the name of Hades, although most Gods and Demigods themselves, where wealth in the mortal realm is considered, have some dealings with Krypte, the personal bank of Hades. As much as finance is tied to Hades, so to are the riches of the Earth, and those who delve beneath to extract the wealth of Hades’ domain pay respect to him, even if it is a respect born of fear. The most well-renowned among mortals is Rhoa, a series of casinos and nightclubs found in many of the major cities of the divinely aligned human world, even in places which are otherwise beholden to other gods. Many consider this frivolous for such a severe god but it is through these dens of joy and loss that the Cthonic gods interact with mortals, and play their games of bargains and pacts that so fuel their own form of magic.

Lastly, far in the North of the world by the standards of habitability in the modern day, Hades’ maintains the City of Phelgithos, built up around the latest volcanic entrance through the Deathly Veil. While Iceland was not subject to direct attack during the waning wars in the world before, radioactive storms rage across the Atlantic, dust carried on winds from the ravaged continents of Europe and North America. To reach Phelgithos without the knowledge to chart a course through these storms is dangerous, even for the divine, and so Phelgithos is smaller by far than New Olympia or Aegeia, or perhaps even many other divinely focused settlements of humanity, but it is a grand place, administered well in the name of the Deathless God.

Primary Location: Pheligthos, New Olympia and any given representation of Rhoa.

Appearance:

As a greater Olympian, Hades can take many forms ranging from the animal to the colossal, although he rarely appears in such a grand way. When dealing with mortals in close confines the God of the Dead remains glamoured even when not concealing his identity, as most Olympian beings do to not overpower mortal senses. This mortal guise is usually a tall man with sharp features and dark hair, with cold eyes of ice blue. As befitting the God of wealth he is usually clad in whatever present company would see as well dressed, but in the stately manner of old money as opposed to the flashiest of fashions that more frivolous deities prefer.

In the divine form he favours most, the features of his mortal guise are pushed to extremes, towering above mortal men with a cold and austere beauty, carven with sharp edges. His skin seems carven from obsidian, with blue-green lines of corpse light instead of veins running across the surface, a pair of great dark antlers rising from his temples. In his wake is a chill that is not truly cold, but simply an absence of vitality. When Hades calls on his Cthonic magic Or the rare times he is brought to any great emotion, the light which plays across and under his skin grows in intensity, but never quite enough to fully counter the very absence of light his stone-like skin represents.

Biography:

Contrary to what many later presume, Hades is the oldest of his surviving brothers. While there may have been sons before who were consumed by the violent paranoia of Chronos, there are none who survived imprisonment within his form. Thus, even before he was made Lord of the Dead, Hades was the most touched and warped by darker powers, dwelling long in a prison of divine flesh. Later histories seemed to tell the tale of Zeus uprising as one simple event, the disgorgement of the Olympian family from the gullet of their sire and his overthrowal being one and the same, but this was not the case. While the Titan was humbled, he was not defeated and had many allies among his kin. Thus the war for creation began, the young Hades going from the torment of imprisonment to the horror of war with no reprieve.

Of course, as it is known, the Olympians were victorious. Chronos was slain, his remains entombed within Tartatus for his ilk can never truly be killed for good, his closest allies entombed or exiled with only those Titans who had remained apart from the conflict or even aided the Olympians being spared the wrath of the victors. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, the brothers upon whom much of the war had being shouldered, drew lots to determine their domain. To the Gods there is no such thing as chance, and so Hades was always fated to draw the lot for the Underworld, and so the eldest brother became Lord of the Underworld, all that lies beneath the Earth and beyond the Dark Veil beholden to him.

Hades may now have been the God of the Death, but Death was not in his nature, as one of the Deathless Olympians, and so he kept many of the Cthonic beings who had always dwelled beyond the Veil in his court. He ate the fruit of the Underworld, thus ever binding himself to his domain, although in his case the transformation was more total. Hades is not simply Lord of the Underworld, he is the Underworld. The great rivers, the blazing fires and the endless meadows, often deities in their own right, are of his form and bend to his will as easily as a mortal can command their eyes to blink.

Many have taken Hades’ dour demeanour to suggest he was enraged by his share of the spoils of war, that he envied the lively realms of his brothers and the manner in which mortals and daimons would grow to love and worship them, but if this was true, it did not impact his capability. The Underworld was set in order by the King of the Dead, obeying and protecting its immutable laws while similarly changing to suit its austere but capable ruler. The roles of the Cthonic Gods were put to order where once there had been chaos and competition, the different realms of the shades were brought to order beneath the banner of the Deathless King.

Over the following aeons, with the rise of humanity, the work of the Underworld ever increased. The domain of Hades was not one to encourage love and worship from the mortal masses, yet all beings except Gods must inevitably pass on, and so few human societies did not in some way pay respect to the King of the Dead, ensuring, or at least attempting to, the place of themselves and their loved ones within the halls of the Underworld. The deathless gods of Olympus often remained aloof, with downcast gaze upon the one brother who ruled far beneath them, yet few gods are deemed as competent in their rule as Hades, binding together both Olympian and Cthonic Gods in his service with only rarely having to threaten his wrath. A similar approach Hades has held towards the mortal world across the ages, respectful of the duties and laws thrust upon him, yet unflinching in his authority when he needs to be. Few of his notable interactions with the mortal world did much to dispel the sense of dread that many hold for Hades, for many believe the invocation of his name alone is enough to cause misfortune, but the Lord of the Dead was once often among mortality in more subtle forms and it is during those times that his mercy was more often felt.

When the Gods of Olympus went into their long exile, Hades fully descended into his realm, although the work of the Underworld never ceased, the gods of Chton did not have the pleasure of their overworld counterparts in their hibernation. Hades administered his realm through the long years of isolation as well as he had the ages prior, noting only the ever increase as the ages of humanity went on.

The start of the great wars which brough about the end of the old age of humanity was a time of great chaos for the Underworld, a deluge of souls torn apart in the most violent of conflicts, while suffusing the Cthonic underworld with great power, was also disruptive in the extreme. Ever stoic in nature, the Lord of the Dead was initially against the intervention of the Gods into mortal affairs spearheaded by the awakened Zeus and Ares, he was inevitably drawn into the conflict at the calls of his siblings for aid. Notably, Hades has little known role in the eventually rebellion against Zeus. Few have ever called the bond between the three great brothers as warm, but perhaps it ran deeper than most knew.

Despite his original reluctance to become involved in mortal affairs, Hades influence is widespread across the world now. He seeks to build little in the way of a direct domain, outside the island that was once Iceland, but instead has subtle influence across the world in his compatriots courts. The worst of rumors even suggest that the sprawling subsidiaries connected to The King Of Those Below have begun operations in the territories outlawed by the Accords, among the humans who reject the rule of the Olympians.