All that glitters may not be gold
But not all that is dead is gone
Hence our Lord and our Servant, that corpse of old
Will surely return by dawn
~Varenci poem citing Zaphesto's many deaths and resurrections
Banned by the Etruscan Ministry of Propaganda in 276
DESCRIPTION
Physical
Zaphesto the Servant is, put simply, an animate skeleton. His texture is surprisingly smooth for the reanimated undead, and clear of any dark blemishes one might expect from a decaying corpse. He tends to decorate himself with a fancy suit and top hat, demonstrating his Varenci heritage and international affluence. Considering his line of work as a war general as well as a merchant, Zaphesto won't get too upset if circumstance results in his outfit getting damaged or mishapen - however, he will try to keep himself as well-dressed as possible, with the occasional exception where he will walk stark naked. In order to hide his appearance from others (so that he may walk among the mortals without creating too much suspicion or panic), he will sometimes wrap his head in a cloth and use goggles for visibility (think "Invisible Man"-esque appearance). He carries with him a nice cane that conceals a sharp blade to be used as a last-resort in personal combat. The cane itself is a simple, black-and-purple stick with a skull-shaped crest at the top near the handle. Twisting the handle around will release the bottom end of the cane to reveal the blade.
Psychological
Above all else, Zaphesto always sticks with his core belief: he is not a rich man nor a wealthy tyrant, but simply a public servant - hence the title. He sees the mortals around him not as tools or pawns, but as brethren of a different birth. When he is not organizing trade missions or providing tactical and reinforcement support for a battle, he enjoys spending his time providing assistance to others, most often through comic relief (even if his jokes end up being at the expense of his reputation). If one of his people are in need, he will do everything in his power to aid them - so long as it does not hurt the people as a whole. Though he may pout and act frustrated at times, it takes a sincere effort to legitimately hurt him emotionally.
In the end, Zaphesto is just a jolly old skeleton with a knack for trade and battle.
POWERS
As his appearance suggests, Zaphesto is a necromancer. He may summon dead matter to act as an extension of his will; this can range from bone shards, to full-scale corpses, to broken branches and decaying vines.
In physical combat, Zaphesto can manage to remain alive until his skull is destroyed completely - and even then, his remaining bones may go berserk for a second, as a chicken's body flails after its head is blown off. His frame is not particularly strong, but given his loose nature as a skeleton he can be quite nimble and reflexive. Using his cane, he may quickly strike a blow or leave a gash across his foes if they get too close.
ORIGINAL TRIBE
Zaphesto was originally the head of the Varenci tribe (pronounced Vuh-rehn-chee) along the southern coasts of Xochimilia. The tribe's culture and societal structure relied heavily on two things: the use of undead corpses as manual labour, and the exchange of resources between Varenco (pronounced Vuh-rehn-choh) and other villages along the coastline. The usage of corpses to take over the most difficult of tasks left room for the Varenci to expand on their culture, their sciences, their philosophies, and so on. Add to that the fact that their village was coincidentally founded right beside a large deposit of minerals and jewels, and you'll find that the city-state flourished like no other in the region.
Initially, the Varenci were surrounded by numerous warlords and conflicts, leaving the city itself subject to raids and attacks by their neighbours. However, it didn't take long for Zaphesto to assert his village's military prowess by developing a combat technique: strike quickly, reanimate the fallen corpses of enemies and friends, and add the undead as soldiers to your army until the enemy is overwhelmed by your forces. This method was successful enough to not only ward off warlords and pirate fleets alike, but in fact led to the creation of a "safe zone", where villages and settlements would be under the protection of Zaphesto and the Varenci. Thus a bustling city-state, full of internal trade and blossoming culture was born.
In order to prevent his people from becoming lazy from the lack of hard labour, Zaphesto instilled a strict lifestyle upon his people. Upon reaching adulthood, all males in Varenco were to perform either one year of hard labour among the undead, two years of volunteer service among the other settlements within Zaphesto's protection, or three years of trading beyond the region with foreign tribes and city-states. Upon completing this service, all citizens - male and female alike - were expected to perform a week's worth of volunteer service for the city-state every year. Food, while in plenty, was always rationed so as to prevent obesity and decadence - citizens were given more than enough, but never far too much.
Despite this strict lifestyle, however, the city-state and her protected villages always saved one day for a celebration of Varenco and its undead leader. This day was colloquially known as the Festival of the Skull, in which food rations were dropped for the day and in which dances and songs were held in the streets.
To the Varenci, death was not looked upon as a loss, but as a gain; the spirit of the departed was to find eternal peace, while the body would remain as a testament to the city by acting as a tool or a weapon. Oddly enough, famines and plagues were looked upon as times of golden ages for the Varenci; more deaths meant more civil servants.
Many merchants would depart from Varenco and travel across the world, bringing goods and stories with them. Tales of Zaphesto's festivals and conquests became known across the region, and even in the mountains to the north men knew of the jolly necromancer along the ancient coastline. This sudden rise in popularity, of course, was only a good thing in the eyes of Zaphesto; the more people to hear his crude jokes regarding death and hip bones, the better!
The turning point in Varenci history came when many other turning points in world history came: the war between the Children of Aton. Despite his care for mortals, Zaphesto initially chose neutrality so as to maintain the lifestyles of his people. However, after a naval attack upon his territory was revealed to be a Demon plot, Zaphesto immediately sided with the Angels, putting all of his resources and manpower into the war effort. This left the city-state exhausted by the end of the war, resulting in the unavoidable splitting off of fringe independence movements. Zaphesto himself planned on returning home and reasserting his undead army's dominance in the region; however, he never made it back home.
With the disappearance of the necromancer, the Varenco city-state exploded, with warlords of old resuming the conquests of their forefathers, all put down by a warmaster that was no longer around. The city itself withstood numerous assaults and attempts at raids, thanks to the strict disciplinary lifestyle adopted by the villagers, but at the same time it lost practically all of its territory.
This did not immediately spell the end of Varenco and the Varenci, however; large swathes of resources lay just outside the city walls, after all, and the city merchants were happy to spread the wealth across the world, which in the wake of mass disappearances from important leaders seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
The city remained an economic (and partly a military) powerhouse well into the 2nd century after Zaphesto's disappearance, until the Etruscans began to wage a war of attrition against the villagers. While the economic and cultural influence of the Varenci was among the strongest resistance to Etruscan conquests in the region, eventually the city fell when Etruscan warships entered the city's harbour, leaving a massive army to pillage everything the city had to offer. Many Varenci fought valiantly and were slain, their bodies never to be reanimated; others fled to friendly neighbours, only for the neighbours to turn on them out of fear of what the Etruscans might to do the friends of the Varenci. A few merchants managed to sail away, predicting a terrible disaster just days later - but these merchants and their descendants were rarely found on the mainland, and though their accents and customs gave their heritage away, they hid their names and their memories from most others.
To this day, Varenco has been rebuilt and place directly under the rule of the Etruscans, though time and time again various rebellions and insurrections have cropped up and been stamped out. Yet even today, there are whispers of the day where the city's beloved leader, Zaphesto, will return, and the reign of the skull will resume once more across the land....
FACTION
Initially, despite his love for mortals, Zaphesto opted for a neutral approach to the war; he would offer aid and support to the Angels, while keeping himself and his city protected and, on the whole, neutral. This changed, however, when an unknown fleet claiming to be the Angels set siege to the city via the coastline. Unbeknownst to the attackers, however, Zaphesto was crafty; he managed to use one of the fallen enemies as a spy, listening into the conversation of the attacking captain. As it happened, the fleet did not belong to the Angels, but to the Demons who sought to provoke Zaphesto into joining their side. Outraged, yet not at all surprised, Zaphesto ordered the complete conversion of the enemy fleet to his undead military, and declared the whole of Varenco as dedicated to the Angel war effort.
Over the course of the war, Zaphesto met with numerous other demigods and helped strategize offensives, particularly offering his undead capabilities to the war effort. It was with the funds of his own city that he helped arrange for the Pit to be constructed - and once the trickery of the Seer happened, he found himself more angry and more hurt than ever.
ANECDOTES
One thing to be wary of when it comes to Zaphesto: beware his puns. They are neither humerus nor handy.
OPINIONS
"Death is too good for her."
"Sounds like a great drinking buddy. Probably."
"An excellent martial artist. His discipline is to be commended, and a lesson from which my people should learn. Still, I find it unfortunate that the monk seems to be more focused on spirituality rather than the very real troubles of the world around him."
"Look, I've got no ill-will against the guy, but the bloody thing hates everything about me - my beliefs, my 'magic tricks', and worst of all, my suit and hat! If you were me, you'd be staying as far away from him as possible, too."
"I don't blame him for the Pit - part of its construction rests on me, after all. Otherwise, you won't meet anyone as knowledgeable as this bird."
"Honestly? I know nobody else will say it, but I'll say it anyways - he's terrifying. He could probably destroy my entire city-state empire if he wanted to - well, assuming I wasn't around to protect it. Either way, he needs to be watched."
"My people respect death, and as such they respect him. Personally, he's an okay guy-conglomerate-trinity-thing, I s'pose."
"If Chinasa needs to be watched, this guy needs to be followed everywhere. He's a slippery one, that guy - and I fear he may have just as much mischief at his core as the Fool."
"I don't know much about him aside from his craft - though I can assure you he is unrivaled in his field."
"Where Azoth is slippery as a metaphor, this guy can literally be slippery, so I'd keep an eye on him like the rest."
"Much like Kozz, she is the apex of her talent. I doubt many of my legions could do combat with her and live to tell the tale."
"He once made a deal with my merchants that crashed Varenco's economy for two weeks! This...thing is completely untrustworthy, and any sighting of him is a bad omen. Let me put it this way: this guy is the reason I never questioned the Pit project."
"Well...he's a dragon. That should say enough about him."
"Lots of names, lots of troubles, little to no words about either. From this, I will assume that he is either the saviour incarnate and will restore Aton to the world, or is a ticking timebomb waiting to go off and destroy everything around him."
"Many of my best merchants and sailors have been lost to her so-called 'children'. I know my limits, however, and will not let a grudge lead to all-out war with the mother of abominations."
"A traitor and a creeper. I'd rather my city dream of blackness than of this one."
"Nice guy, though he really shouldn't have joined with the other guys. Maybe his heart is misplaced - nothing a little comic relief can't fix, of course."
DESCRIPTION
Physical
Grindelhooke the Tempest is generally made of rocks, plants, and mosses, forming a sort of golem-shaped figure. He generally prefers to be made up of all three of those, but will settle for just one or two if circumstance prevents it. No matter how war-torn or old he may grow, Grindelhooke will always remain smooth and comforting to the touch, and at the "head" he will always form two small indentations that act as gentle eyes.
Psychological
Grindelhooke is, at heart, a kind soul that seeks only to make sure that nature is indeed nurtured and protected. He will help the sick, guide the lost, care for the young and old alike, no matter what the expense to himself. However, his duty as a restorer of nature can override his kindheartedness, as shown in the war between the Children of Aton. To him, there is nothing more pure than nature itself, and to see that disrupted is to see the corruption of all life.
POWERS
Grindelhooke is a restorer of nature. This means that anything corrupted or brought to ruin in the wild may be revitalized and given a second chance by Grindelhooke's touch. This mostly applies to forestry and small wildlife, however he can provide this ability to fallen predators and seafaring creatures as well, if he is given the chance to do so. While he can also use this power to combat pollution and environmental destruction, his capabilities in that regard are much more limited.
His abilities don't stop there, however. In times of crisis, he can summon great swarms of flora and fauna to come to his or somebody else's aid, acting either as an attacking army of wildlife, or as a rescue organization made out of pure nature.
He is also able to increase his size and strength by "growing" the flora and fauna on his body, and can accumulate more mass by acquiring more stone to place into his body. No matter what his size, Grindelhooke can use the stones of his body to withstand many a blow. Much like Zaphesto, he is killed whenever the stone acting as his head gets crushed.
ORIGINAL TRIBE
Similar to Akirakon, Grindelhooke's tribe disappeared long, long ago - but in a very different fashion. These druids of antiquity, instead of dying from exhaustion or pleasure, guided their leader across the land, and upon showing the restorer his nature as just that, they dispersed and integrated with other tribes, never to be heard from again.
Again, much like Akirakon, Grindelhooke honours these druids in his own way, usually by leaving a small insignia of the druids in places he has purified and restored.
FACTION
At the outset of the war, many were expecting the meek and kindly Grindelhooke to side with the Angels; what else would someone as goodhearted as the restorer of nature do?
To everyone's shock, Grindelhooke immediately joined with the Demons.
Though the crowd certainly wasn't his favourite, and though he never approved of the faction's actions, Grindelhooke stayed with the Demons based on a belief he had developed over time: mortals were doing nothing but destroying nature. If they were not removed, they would have annihilated the realm itself! If the protectors of the forests and seas were not going to act in defense of nature, then that left him - little ol' Grindelhooke - to do the job instead.
Grindelhooke took charge on the battlefield as a commander of forces, sending waves of rabid animals and walking trees to attack foot soldiers, as well as even a few Children of Aton themselves. However, eventually his army of life was defeated by Zaphesto's armies of the undead at the Battle of Krig's Peak. Grindelhooke remained in captivity until the creation of the Pit, in which he was sealed away, leaving the world outside to rot and die.
ANECDOTES
Grindelhooke often says that he will speak with "faeries", though he has yet to show any evidence of this. He may yet have gone mad from constantly having to correct to pollutive problems of mortals - though this is more than likely just an exaggeration by Grindelhooke's few enemies.
OPINIONS
"For what it's worth, she was a very capable opponent. That being said, she must pay for robbing nature of its caretaker."
"A very silly man. I can't make any sense of him."
"He has shown much self-control and self-actualization, which is deserving of high respect. Still, it couldn't hurt for him to take notice of nature around him now and then."
"A very violent individual. He destroys forests all the time, and has drawn my ire countless times. Maybe one day he'll get himself killed for good, and that'll be the end of it."
"He spends most of his time studying out in the desert, so I suppose he isn't a problem. Perhaps his vast understanding of the world will give way to a respect for nature...?"
"I do not know this one well enough to make an opinion."
"Death strikes within nature all of the time - that is the way of life, after all. But when the child appears and casts a fire across a field of flowers or trees - that I cannot stand for."
"I fear what this one intended to do, upon our planned victory against the Angels. He is not too kind."
"While I understand his profession to be his signature trait, the acquisition of metals from beneath forests can tend to ruin an entire ecosystem. I would advise he uses different materials for his forging."
"I know even less about this individual than the Chinasa one."
"At times she has overstepped her boundaries, and at other times she has been honourable. She walks a fine line that may one day test my patience."
"Of all the things I did with the Demons, only my association with this one is what I regret."
"The dragon appears to be sensible, yes, but his role assisting the Angels, I fear, has drawn a hatred towards me. I do not hope that is the case, along with the rest of the Angels."
"Whatever their powers are from, they are not of this world, I believe."
"No matter how crudely she designs them, her children are technically a part of nature, and as such I will respect and assist them. It was disappointing that she did not stand up for nature when it came to our most recent conflict."
"There is something about this one that is highly off-putting. Perhaps it is his human form?"
"An excellent adversary on the battlefield, however I cannot condemn his necromancy. That which is dead should remain as such - its time has passed."
