#kaetal

Kaetal’s court and servants. They are a warband, a conquering tribe of warriors accepted only for their strength, rage, and unrelenting willpower. Power is the only thing they worship. Withstand the storm and prove your worth.

The Calamities

The Prince of Spite

A young man with lightning scars across his body. He is thin and hands are worn, but his eyes spark with violent lightning. He wears a crown made from wrought iron that constantly crackles with energy.

The Prince is a hollowed host to whatever raging storm lies just below his tired surface. His mind and soul are swirling storms of energy and anger. He is the most volatile member of Kaetal’s court, wielding incredible, uncontrollable lightning. He is treated almost like a super weapon, unleashed, rather than commanded. Whole armies and cities have been destroyed by him alone.

Kaetal has something of a soft spot for him, but their true relation is unknown. He could be a younger soldier, a brother, or perhaps something else entirely. Nobody knows for sure.

The Herald

A stout, broad man possesed by a wild fury. His teeth are sharp, jagged glass and he has arching blue warpaint on his face. His eyes are wide with rage and they gleam with energy. His hands fidget and shake, as if something powerful is inside of him and trying to escape.

The Herald is the sign of the coming storm, the sign that Kaetal or others will soon arrive. He rides upon a dark cloud that streaks lightning behind him.

The Herald is an unstoppable force, a juggernaut of thunder. Between his booming voice, his incredible strength, and his jagged teeth and axe, nothing shy of a god can stop him.

Mother of Rain

The Mother of Rain is a crying woman, thrown into destress by her endless grief and the endless downpour she brings with her. Her black hair is soaking wet and her skin is coarse and worn from exposure to the rain. Her long blue dress swirls like a river. She grieves for the so many she has lost.

Her tears, falling from the sky as rain, cloud the world. Her rain dulls the senses as she saps the life from you. She poisons your very soul, filling you with only bitter resentment and dread as sorrow washes over you.

Servants

Storm giants

Colossal titans whose bodies are made of billowing, black thunderclouds. Each titanic step is booming, partly from the thunder, and partly just their sheer weight. Their very presence is heavy and weighted, bearing down upon soldiers and stone alike as a crushing dread sets in.

When Kaetal seized power she took tribes of wind elementals and made them swear fidelity to her. Storm giants were the result.

Grenadiers

Hulking suits of armor with holes in the chest and arms. From within the armor you can see a being composed of pure electricity and power, constantlly shaping and reforming, confined within the near unpenatrable shell they pilot. They are Kaetals strongest infantantry units and strike fear into all who see them.

The Grenadiers fight by taking an orb of their energy from the portholes and throwing it as a grenade. These energy orbs are the size of a basketball and create devastating shockwaves. The sound of a single blast can be heard from miles around.

Aquisitioners

Shattered holy swords swirl in a whiwlwind, clanging and cutting with incredible, intense speeds. To Kaetal, the greatest shame is a broken weapon. So, she collects the sundered weapons of her fallen foes and binds them, taking noble weapons of truth and justice and hope, and turning them into horrible maelstroms of anger and mindless violence.

When not active them form together into a horrible, jagged form, all menacing angles and sharp sides and points.

There is a reason gods and godhunters are needed to kill gods. Gods can reconstitute their insides and make any number of disposable elemental domain pieces to fall into. The only way to truly get past this is via divine energy, weaponry, or blessings.

In addition, they naturally heal at incredible rates and their endurance is typically much stronger than a regular person. If the god’s domain is less sturdy and more fluid, like water or fire, typical means of damage don’t really hurt. Even without falling into their domain, their bodies are much sturdier than a mortal’s.

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Vel is largely made from reinforced ice with a permafrost skeleton structure. His blood is something akin to liquid nitrogen, easily sealing himself back up or flash freezing materials to repair himself. Incredibly sturdy and tank-y, easily the highest natural armor of the Sovereigns. 

The skin of a god is typically normal with minor augmentations, but Vel has full dermal armor as a base state, making him incredibly dangerous and durable. Arrows pathetically bounce off of him and direct cannon blasts don’t do much more than crack him.

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Arlana dissipates into fire and smoke and can pull herself back out. She can also spawn embers to pull herself from further sources. With embers and smoke, she has impressive range in terms of healing and regrouping. 

Her fluid form makes her extremely dangerous and fast in open areas and the speed in which her smoke and embers move can allow her to effortlessly escape, regroup, and heal.

She becomes especially dangerous in open areas with fuel, like fields or forests. Her fire burning more only adds to her domain

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Sha bleeds liquid gold and his bones are an amalgam of interlaced materials. His method of magic is touch and as a result, his injury and flayed/bleeding body can convert nearby materials to gold/silver/gems/etc to heal himself.

Easily the weakest physically due to his poor design, but a master at pulling himself back together.

He is known for covering a battlefield with his own viscera, turning it into his own playing field. Conversion of materials is a rare ability and makes him incredibly resilient. Gods often fall back into their domain to heal, turning parts of themselves into pure element, but Sha largely refuses and thus, heals the fastest in his base form via conversion.

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When Inet has to physically interact with things, most of the time she simply turns invisible and projects a manifestation of herself. She’s one of the only gods to ever physiclly be in more than one place at once. Coupled with invisibility it is near impossible to ever truly land a hit on her.

Her true physical form is made from crystal, creating sharp, jagged edges when harmed. Her blood is like ink, staining surfaces with texts and secrets.

The orbs that constantlly float around her can be consumed to quickly heal her or sent away to conjure a (slightly) weaker projection. This allows her to be in up to 6 other places at once or heal herself instantlly 6 times, the orbs working as the same fuel supply for both.

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Kaetal is known for her power and speed, but her incredible healing is perhaps what makes her even more scary. She uses much of it to keep herself together, often healing in a mere instant from very serious wounds, making her seem completely unstoppsble. Combined with her speed, she is rarely seen genuinely hurt and staying that way for more than maybe 3 seconds.

When actually, truly injured, she bleeds lightning in a pretty horrific display.

Due to her high energy consumption and consolidation, she has a tendency to collapse after incredibly strenuous battles while not even appearing to have any wounds. She gets burn out, smoking from her mouth and eyes.

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Ko, as a god of plant life, isn’t exactly one entity. All gods are part of their domain, but for him in particular, his physical form is like an extension of a sacred forest, a disposable copy. A physical form is required for the larger extent of his abilities. As a result of this and his paranoia, he always prepares seeds, spores, and fungal pods to either heal himself or regrow a body.

His home sacred forest expands for miles and miles, covering a wide region. Within the heart of this region lies ruins and within their depths lies his true, original, physical body. While within his sacred forest or connected territory (of which there are many) he is nearly impossible to stop and a fatal kill is only temporary if it is not his original body.

As gods, their domains are parts of them. They can hear and see and feel what goes on around them, using their domain as microphones and cameras

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Sha: the clinking of coins, the chirping of birds. What happens under the mid day sun. The sound of paint brushing and stone being chiseled and metal being worked

Arlana: the buzzing of bees, the warm breaths and sighs. What occurs by candlelight or lanterns. Laughter and singing. Everything done in the heat of the moment

Vel: the cold glares, the cool breeze. The cracking of ice. All crowns and rings. What happens under the full and new moons

Kaetal: ragged breath and clashing steel. The thunder and pouring rain. Everything done with a racing heartbeat and said through gritted teeth

Ko: the quiet judgments, the rejections. The thorn bushes and what they cut or pierce. The rustling of leaves. The darkness of the forest

It was a dark and stormy night when the chaos broke.

The enemy was marching upon the mountain stronghold. An invisible, infinite enemy, illuminated only by the flashes of lightning. There were hundreds of them, maybe thousands, it was too dark to truly tell.

But the warrior knew that the odds didn’t matter. She may be out manned, out armed, but she knew what she had to do. If even a single enemy soldier breacher the gates her people would be slaughtered. That was the way of the world.

She takes up her axe and her spear and issues a command to her small, but formiddle force. Her voice, powerful and angry, cracked through thunder.

Goddess of rain, storms, and fury. She is the pouring rain and the storm you can’t ignore. She’s a clenched fist and the beat of a wardrum.

Traits: Pure black eyes and blue, glowing lightning tattoos. Black circlets hover on her ankles

Motifs: Skulls, war drums, axes, spears

Colors: Vibrant blues, blacks, and tans

Personality: Overly enthusiastic and aggressive as all hell, Kaetal revels in nature’s wrath. She’s a dangerous thrill seeker, always looking for more and more. She is incredibly temperamental and capricious, going from calm and content to wild and manic in the blink of an eye.

She revels in chaos and conflict, always arguing and standing her ground.

She is not a mindless, bloodthirsty beast, but more of a proud, joyous warrior. Surprisingly bright and informed, she knows what she is doing. She understands repercussions and intentions and circumstances, simply choosing to not care, knowing she can handle it. She despises pacifism and the unsure and sees innocent bystanders or the defenseless as weakness.

Relationship with the others: She has earned a reputation for generally being the most dangerous of the main pantheon. Whereas all others have a plan, she will wage a war simply for the fun of it, with no goal other than crush her enemies. Not for a lack of ability, skill, or power, she simply takes no interest in waiting, but her consistently impressive feats has made this behavior justified. She is the pantheon’s big cannon and ready and raring to go for any scheme.

Their rule: She doesn’t do much in the way of governing, instead preferring a tribute sort of order. Expanding territory, holding a reign of terror, etc. Less of a leader and more of a localized force of nature.

Their court: Her court serves as her war band, a fearsome army to back her up. They are her harbingers, signaling the great and fearsome storm to come.

Notable crimes: Forcing gladiator events where she duels those who have sinned against her. Decimating entire cities to find new followers.

Sustained by: Chaos. Through storms and natural disasters she is able to stay alive and well. Mixed with recklessness and thrill seeking, she causes many great cataclysms. Rioting also gives her strength, so she whips up mayhem when she can.

Home: A large plateau at the center of a great plain. At the center of the plateau is a massive metal and stone tower spiraling up to the heavens. This tower is akin to a Tower of Babel. During storms it becomes almost completely electrified and looks as if the whole thing is composed of lightning.

Origin

Pinterest

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There is a reason gods and godhunters are needed to kill gods. Gods can reconstitute their bodies and make any number of disposable elemental domain pieces to fall into. The only way to truly get past this is via divine energy, weaponry, or blessings.

In addition, they naturally heal at incredible rates and their endurance is typically much stronger than a regular person. If the god’s domain is less sturdy and more fluid, like water or fire, typical means of damage don’t really injure them. Even without falling into their domain, their bodies are much sturdier than a mortal’s.

Sha, Prince of Sunlight

God of radiance, splendor, and the sun. He has ambitious eyes and a sly grin. He’s the precious thing you stow away and the attention of a thousand eyes.

Traits: Golden eyes and shimmering hair. Gold dust freckles and small cracks on his skin, like cracked porecline

Motifs: Sparrows, coins, crowns

Colors: Gold, yellow, reds, white. Appears across different cultures in colors of royalty and regality

Personality: To put it plainly, a little bitch. He’s petty, shallow, and incredibly vain. He thinks he can buy anyone or thing because in truth, he can. He keeps a happy, care free atmosphere and almost always has a menacing smirk. He loves to scheme and cheat and pull luxuries out from under those who displease him. His attention can leave you wealthy or penniless, depends on how interesting you are.

He loves gambling and building/paying for massive works in his name. As a result there are many pyramids, towers, and temples dedicated to the sun. He visits these constantly, always inspecting them and making sure they are properly cared for.

Easily the most self absorbed of the gods, they are also the most self aware. They are deeply aware of their flaws and attempt to cover them, surrounding themselves in riches to hide the fact. They wear a ludicrous amount of jewelry, commissioned paintings and statues, and have been known to create theater masks in their likeness. They are never who they seem.

Notable crimes: turning those who defy him into gold

Sustained by: Commerce. Most gold in the world was made by them. As a result, greed and trade and the act of paying are enough to keep them alive. Cities made in his honor have all coins marked with his symbol

Home: A golden city lying in a desert oasis. Towers and buildings made from beautiful marble and assorted precious metals. His temple is a golden pyramid.

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Lord Vel, Sovereign of Snow

God of ice, snow, and the far north. He is the frigid winter night. He’s the pure black sky with no stars and an ominous moon.

Traits: Frostbitten skin and black veins. Wears many rings

Motifs: Rings, the moon, shields

Colors: Dark blues, steel gray, black

Personality: A boisterous man with a focused mind, Vel always seems to be planning something. He is very much like a proud king or CEO. Ruthless, determined, and is both feared and loved. His temperament makes it quite hard to tell if his jovial nature is true or if it was nearly to make you lower your defenses.

He’s extremely possessive and always plans to win. He takes immeasurable pride in what is his and always desires more. He is infamous of taking prizes and war trophies back to his kingdom, never to be seen again. Those who step into his territory, those who disrespect him, or that which he simply wants, are up for the taking. He has a habit of freezing prizes into ice sculptures.

He stands well above others, but lavishing in his glory with them. He’s a warrior king who marches with his men and will destroy cities for them. That being said, his expectations are quite high and if not lived up to, he won’t assist. It’s common to find a few bodies scattered around the north, the poor souls who couldn’t survive his long, conquering marches through the frozen terrain.

Notable crimes: destroying any ship that sails under a full moon. Freezing an entire kingdom because they did not pay “proper homage”, when in truth, he was simply greedy for more territory

Sustained by: The acquisition of territory. The more frozen land and seas, the larger the frozen wastelands, the more powerful he becomes

Home: A near-impenetrable, ever-expanding fortress made of solid ice in the far north. It is said that the corpses of beasts from ages past, or whatever manages to captivate his interest for long enough are preserved within the labyrinthine, frozen walls.

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Arlana, Mistress of Fire

Goddess of fire, mania, and desire. She is the warm glow and the raging inferno. The gentle kiss and the enchanting song

Traits: Long, flowing black hair the wisps like smoke. Deep, red, jewel-like eyes. Embers float off from her skin

Motifs: Bees, petals, amber, gems

Colors: Amber, crimson, ruby

Personality: “Hestia if Hestia hated kids”

Alana is a petty god fueled by want and desire. She loves people. Drinking, eating, partying, sex, etc, but absolutely despises commitment. She pledges no oath and swears no fidelity. She is goddess of song and she sings for all.

The most cunning and seductive of the gods, Arlana is nearly impossible to forsake. She’ll sink her claws in, leaving her mark, and it’ll be impossible to escape. She can make anyone love or lust for her and make her more desirable than she truly is. She toys with people, using and abusing and neglecting anyone she so pleases. Her charm has made others self harm in attempts to please her.

Her rituals and traditions all deal with fire and are probably the most dangerous out of the whole pantheon. Probably because she enjoys watching people getting maimed or dying during them.

Rated R for Rip your heart out

Notable crimes: Immolating people she finds attractive, setting entire cities ablaze with passion or literal fire to the point that they’re obliterated

Sustained by: Festivities. Solstice festivals and parties or events fuel her. She also has a number of holidays and practices revolving around burning effigies.

Home: A sprawling palace at the base of a volcano. A large port allows people from all over the world to come and join the festivities. The volcano is a nest of massive, amber-dripping bees that produce lava as they expand her palace.

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Lady Inet, Grand Seeker

Goddess of knowledge, stories, and learning. She’s a burning library and the thing you can’t quite remember. She’s the feeling of loss, like something was taken, but you don’t know what.

Traits: Short silver hair and pointed crystal nails. Crystal orbs orbit her

Motifs: Snakes, cloaks, crystal

Colors: Lighter shades of blue, reflective and iridescent crystal, white, gray

Personality: Hellbent on seeking all there is to know, Inet scours the globe to find all that she can. Though she doesn’t care for studying or organizing or record keeping due to perfect memory, she does keep grand libraries that house the massive volumes of “scraps” and “loose ends”.

She’s known for destroying many of her sources once she’s done with them. She monopolizes learning.

She’s perceptive, seeing and hearing nearly anything she focuses on. She is also known for being clairvoyant, simply knowing what will happen before it does. This mixed with her paranoia and spitefulness has resulted in any defiance against her being put down before it could truly start. People were slain simply for thinking negatively of her for too long.

She’s a loner as far as the main pantheon goes, always keeping her followers and servants in the dark.

Notable crimes: Restricting education and advancement for cultures she doesn’t like, ie burning historical books, stealing their libraries, etc

Home: A flying, teleporting library with columns of solid crystal and walls lined with scrolls. It’s said that the interior is much more vast than what it looks like from outside, but that’s difficult to confirm as the crystalline doors have been forever closed to any mortal.

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Ko, the Verdent Peacemaker

God of plants, medicine, and poison. He is the grasping vines and the overgrown roots.

Traits: Vines wrap around his neck, wrists, and ankels. A weapon or two is always logged into him.

Motifs: Verdant pools, vines, hanging trees

Personality: A seemingly zen person who always has a knife up their sleeve. They trust nothing they don’t 100% control. As a result, all things under them become part of their forest. Every plant, every follower, every attending nature spirit. They become a part of a vast spiritual and physical root system.

His controlling nature has left him a god of justice and vengeance, often taking matters into his own hands and acting as an authority so he can “manage” the “bad seeds” of humanity. He presides over his trials much like a mad king, insisting that every ridiculous rule and tradition of the court be followed. Most of the proceedings are in fact just for show.

He seems to be oblivious to how corrupt his “justice” system is. Despite the fact that his entire jury is composed of mind-controlled or indoctrinated zealots, he sees nothing wrong with how it works. His closest advisors and followers all have a mind-affecting flower planted in one of their eye sockets that allow them to retain their memory but have their morals and beliefs twisted to be completely and utterly devoted to him.

Along with Vel, he probably has the cruelest methods of imprisoning or publically executing his enemies. He’s very “eye for an eye”. People praise him for dealing with criminals well, though he is very zealous about his job and has a tendency to go overboard.

Notable crimes: Walls off massive forests, forbidding entry to anyone or thing that isn’t part of his network. He often demands human sacrifices from hanging trees, the trees absorbing the heathen/criminal and turning them into a barely sentient drone.

Sustained by: Protected forests. Many spirits and nature gods draw power from the places they consider home. Ko has a dozen forests dedicated to them and keeps many sacred groves in his primary temple. Is also lowkey a god of executions.

Home: A cavernous garden courtroom, deep underground, sustained by the heat of the earth and lined with the most extravagant greenery from around the world. It’s less inviting than it seems: the clear, deep pools are concoctions of various acids and poisons instead of water, and many of the plants are aggressively carnivorous. Scattered and half-embedded in the mossy earth are countless graves and skeletal remains.

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Kaetal, Master of the Skies

Goddess of rain, storms, and weather. She is the pouring rain and the storm you can’t ignore. She’s a clenched fist and the beat of a wardrum.

Traits: Pure black eyes and blue, glowing lightning tattoos. Black circlets hover on her ankles

Motifs: Skulls, war drums, axes, spears

Personality: Overly enthusiastic and aggressive as all hell, Kaetal revels in nature’s wrath. She’s a dangerous thrill seeker, always looking for more and more. She is incredibly temperamental and capricious, going from calm and content to wild and manic in the blink of an eye.

She revels in chaos and conflict, always arguing and standing her ground. She has earned a reputation for carelessness and generally being the most dangerous of the main pantheon. Whereas all others have a plan, she will wage a war simply for the fun of it, with no goal other than crush her enemies.

Surprisingly bright and informed, she knows what she is doing. She understands repercussions and intentions and circumstances, simply choosing to not care. To her, a man murdering his family and a man killing in self defense is the same. So long as people hate, so long as they act on that hatred, they are in her favor. She despises pacifism and the unsure and sees innocent bystanders or the defenseless as weakness that must be cleansed.

Notable crimes: Forcing gladiator events where she duels those who have sinned against her.

Sustained by: Chaos. Through storms and natural disasters she is able to stay alive and well. Mixed with recklessness and thrill seeking, she causes many great cataclysms. Rioting also gives her strength, so she whips up mayhem when she can.