For: Heavens Aflame - A Civil War Amongst the Deities
Area: Advanced
ThemeAlternate ThemeAlternate ThemeThese also apply to any "children" of his, particularly the giant ones.
Name(s):
Apex, Ruin, Saigai, Clades, Apada, Sakuna, and others depending on nation and time period.
Titles: Devourer of Dreams, Harvester of Hope, Endbringer, Father of Monsters, King of Cataclysms
Gender: Male
Patronage:
Disaster,
Power, Nature, Fear, Nightmares, Monsters, Storm, Volcano, Earthquake, Drought, Famine, Flood, Tornado, Hail, Meteor, Plague, Poison, Swarm, Insult, War, along with Humility, Respect, and Obedience.(weirdly enough)
Parentage: Ventu and Lake Sharzunates itself.
Pantheon/Affiliation: None, Imprisoned in Lake Sharzunates
Appearance: Apex will usually remain in his default form shown above, but he can take on other forms depending on the disaster he intends to cause. Whenever a man-made disaster is on the horizon, he will take on the appearance of a human who will experience the disaster very harshly before "dying," as a proclamation of mortal futility and vanity.
Centres of Worship/Places of Power:
Apex has no use for temples, for all he requires is that the mortals below his feet fear and respect him, and such things would be trampled under his feet eventually anyway. Given his ego and usual size, he would consider himself a place of power as it is, but he is also partial to volcanoes, fault lines, hurricane systems, and the breeding grounds of future plagues and swarms.
Servants, Prominent Followers and Worship Base:
Apex desires that the whole universe fear and respect him, so he claims no followers and worshipers in particular, as they can fall at his whim and a flick of his tail. However, Apex wants the universe to know what he has done to prove the gods' power over men. To this end, whenever he meets a mortal either particularly defiant against him or one respectful of his power without fear, he marks them with a powerful ancient magic to make them into a Harbinger. This magic allows the Harbinger to observe Apex's actions when he wants them to be seen, as well as survive them if they are near Apex when he strikes. These mortals are feared by others who know the truth behind their glowing veins, and they are seen as signals of doom. Which, frankly, they are.
Psychology: Apex is an arrogant, spiteful being. His only desire is do what he wishes with the universe, whatever that may be, and to keep the mortals under his heel for eternity. He hates civilization and progress among mortals, as well as their practice of magic, for to him that is theft of what belongs only to the gods. He is disrespectful to any gods not of the same generation as himself or below him in power and stature, which many are. He has a very special hatred for Aroesus and his ilk, for subverting the old ways of their shared father Ventu, who did as he pleased with the universe as Apex wishes to do. He is merciful to those who fear or respect him, and especially to those who do not fear death at his hands, without any ill will towards him. For to Apex, these are mortals who understand the fundamental truth of the reality they live in: that gods like Apex are forever higher than mortals, and can do as they wish with no heed to the mortals' objections.
History: Apex was born in response to Aroesus' rebellion. Seeking to create an ultimate weapon, Ventu laid with Lake Sharzunates itself to sire Apex. Apex was then released into the world, instinctively seeking to destroy what Aroesus and the other gods had created. He left few survivors where he went, and Harbingers remained to proclaim what he had wrought. He laid gods low whenever they resisted him, and pantheons fell before his roar. Finally, Aroesus and his brothers were able to subdue Apex and force him back into his mother's womb, where he was cast into a deep sleep. Finally, Aroesus could stop chasing his father's bastard son and take the throne. But Apex had mated with Malebazus and tore monsters, large and small, from her womb to cause strife in the world long after he was gone. As long as he remained, so would they; death and defeat made only for a temporary trip down to Malebazus before eventually returning to the mortal world.
Now that Aroesus has died and the guards have abdicated their posts, the chaos of Sharzunates is threatening to give birth to him once more. And when he awakes, he will bring disaster to the gates of his traitorous half-brother's pantheon, and show the worlds of spirits and men the true meaning of godly power.
Relationships: Apex is mated with Malebazus. He hates Aroesus, as well as any deity that claims to care for the mortals in any way or lends them aid.