Name/Titles: Dareos, Father of Trade, Gold-Eyed Snake,
Gender (if applicable): Male
Patronage: Trade, Narcotics, Lies, Subterfuge, Political Intrigue, Snakes, Corruption
Parentage: Daeros was the result of a pair of particularly frivolous Deities’ drunken night together, and was quickly forgotten about by both his parents soon after his birth.
Pantheon/Affiliation: Deity
Appearance: Daeros most commonly takes the form of a man in his mid to late twenties - tall, dark and handsome, he has eyes the colour of white gold; intense and seductive, they draw in those to whom he speaks, mortal or otherwise - and attempt to enthrall them, trapping them in the draw of his striking - almost addictive - visage.
The God’s skin is a light brown, smooth to the touch and completely hairless - save for a small tuft of coal black hair upon the point of his angular chin. The hair that sits upon his head is of the same colour, cut short to accentuate his chiseled jawline. Daeros, when he moves, leaves behind him a faint, pleasing aroma - a scent that no one can quite put their finger on, but which pleases anyone regardless of their tastes in perfumes.
He’s handsome, certainly, but in a way that seems almost.. poisonous - Daeros, like a drug, is addictive; everything about him is alluring, to a member of either sex - from the deliberate way in which he walks, to the heavy, cloying way in which he speaks - the words that come from his handsome mouth are cloyed with lust and promise pleasures beyond anyone’s wildest imaginations.
Daeros, if wearing clothes, has a near unlimited number of outfits - depending on the context of his surroundings, he can be seen wearing anything from a golden loincloth to concealing robes made from precious silks. At all times, however, a pair of earrings - each in the shape of a snake - can be seen in either of his ears; and, if one looks closely, the miniscule beings will even seem to blink on occasion.
The God’s very presence - like the narcotics he is responsible for and help mortals to discover - is almost addictive; he’s a dangerous, poisonous specimen - and if one was foolish enough to open up to him, they’d find themselves only wanting more.
Centres of Worship/Places of Power:
Statues of Daeros are present, whether openly or in secret, in nearly every government office in Lymaeus, regardless of what city-state it happens to reside in. The Patron of Politicians, and Lies - which go almost hand in hand - politicians of a shadier nature pray to the male deity in an attempt to gain his favour in furthering their own selfish agendas.
Daeros even has a ‘home’, of sorts, on the mortal plane - a large temple, built from massive stone blocks and located in the centre of Lymaeus’ largest jungle is where he makes his home; and where some few of his most devoted mortal followers who are lucky enough to make it through the wild, overgrown and treacherous jungle alive to earn his favour in person. The Temple has no inside walls, as such, and is lacking in doors - rather, it has massive archways and wide walkways, and is lit by flickering torches when the sun goes down at night. As well as being home to Daeros whenever he is on the mortal plane, and the occasional zealot, the temple is also inhabited by hundreds of snakes - large and small - to whom the God can communicate if he so chooses. The temple also contains a set of sealed-off chambers in which Daeros keeps his personal harem; particularly beautiful mortal prostitutes, and their demi-god offspring (as a result of their copulation with Daeros), are kept high on opium and watched over by large serpents whenever Daeros isn’t around to enjoy them himself.
Servants, Prominent Followers and Worship Base:
Daeros’ mortal following is quite broad, compared to some other deities, and encompasses several groups of very different people. His worshippers encompass many different social and economic classes, with every sort of tradesman from someone hawking their wares on a street corner to a wealthy, successful merchant murmuring prayers and burning sticks of incense as offerings to him.
The Patron Saint of Politicians, Daeros is followed by many powerful men, including kings, but the politicians of democratic nations are the ones who worship him most fervently. A corrupt, selfish being, Daeros encourages his worshippers to pursue their own selfish gains, and watching their well-thought out plots unfold is one of his favourite pastimes.
Although he does have some followers of an honest nature, Daeros is predominantly worshipped by liars and thieves - whether they be openly criminal, or practice their immoral agendas through underhanded political maneuvers. As well as politicians, he is also followed by criminals, assassins, lying tradesmen and corrupt government officials.
Daeros watches over the drug-addled dreams of those mortals who are addicted to narcotics, and controls these followers by promising them excellent highs if they swear to do his bidding. These mindless addicts could be classified as ‘servants’, as they do a lot to fufill Daeros’ agenda on the mortal plane.
The God does not have any particularly interesting immortal servants, but he has a number of massive, intelligent snakes at his disposal - and a web of politicians, merchants, kings, addicts and criminals who he has wrapped around his finger.
Psychology:
Daeros, as one would expect, is a God whom is prone to scheming - he likes to have his little plots, and enjoys politicking and setting people against one another - even if it is just to watch them bicker for his own selfish amusement. Mildly sociopathic, Daeros usually doesn’t care for the wellbeing of others - mortal or divine - and will do whatever he needs to achieve his goals; so long as he can get away with it afterwards.
Something that Daeros completely loathes is purity - virgins are seen as a wasted opportunity to the God, as are irrationally religious zealots of other Gods; and he will often make it his mission to try and corrupt these mortals - to entice them to wander from their original Patron and to join his ever-growing, corrupt and immoral flock of followers; which is not always the best way to make friends amongst the ranks of the Pantheon.
History:
Daeros was one of the first - and only - offspring of other Gods to attain himself a strong and secure position within the ranks of the existing Pantheon, and he did so through the influence of his parents - and the ease with which he was able to corrupt those around him by telling them what they wanted to hear. By whispering lies of various kinds in the ears of many different Gods, Daeros secured himself a place in Aroseus’ Pantheon - and was even known to whisper to the King of Gods himself, on occasion; but he was extremely careful when it came to dealing with the unpredictable man.
Unlike many Gods, Daeros did not hold himself high above the mortals who worshipped him - he saw them as interesting creatures, and often found them more intriguing than the self-absorbed, vain deities that surrounded him in the Realm of Immortals. He found himself spending more and more time on Lymaeus, walking amongst the early civilisations of mankind - and was instrumental in introducing the early system of bartering, which would later develop into much more complex economic systems.
A God who took a personal interest in those of his followers’ lives who he deemed interesting, Daeros was surrounded by devoted mortal followers - and many of these were more than pleased to give their bodies over to him; something which he indulged in on numerous occasions. The mortal plane is littered with his descendants, and many of the ancient tales of demigods and legendary heroes told in various mortal nations are about his descendants - whether or not he knows it.
When Aroseus began to slink more and more into madness - and became even more intently set on bedding the demi-god Lyrikes, Daeros was infuriated; Lyrikes had a dislike for him, and managed to talk Aroseus into not including Daeros in his confidence. Luckily for the immortal, however, his previous relationship with the King of Gods saved him from condemnation on Lake Sharzunates.
When the King was slain, along with his lover, Daeros was far from sad - he was ecstatic. This new power vacuum would allow him the chance to take control of the Pantheon, if he played his cards correctly. A much more interesting political game than any Daeros had ever seen before was about to begin, and he was determined to come out on top.
Relationships:
N/A - Need to discuss with other players; I plan to do so soon!