For WBW, bit out of it to give a proper question, but Phorcys' colors, design, and assigned card(The Tower) caught my eye, anything about him or what got him stuck with The Tower?
Phew oh man, Phorcys is a main player in my lore so this is a strong start!
Phorcys was initially born to a small fishing clan on one of the many atolls that exist within the SOATC. A genuine magical prodigy he voraciously sought out magical knowledge from a young age absorbing every meager scrap of magical knowledge he could. As he grew older he began to Harry, harass, and parlay with every trader that passed through his village’s territory for any time they might be able to give him.
Unfortunately, curiosity killed the cat.
One day a trader passed through the area that Phorcys had bargained with a thousand times and he found while browsing their wares they had a bound tome in their possession. When he attempted to barter for it, however, the trader swore up and down they could not let the youngster have it.
“Some things are simply not for the young-“ the wizened guardian had shook his head.
Phorcys didn’t accept that answer.
Sneaking into the merchant’s camp as they slept Phorcys took the tome and retreated to a secluded cove where he broke the enchantments binding it. From the second the book fell open Phor’s life was forever irrevocably changed.
Madness gripped the youth, words flooded his mind clouding his sight, voices spoke through him that were not his own.
Taken by the power of the tome and acting as a vessel Phorcys summoned a horde of leviathans, abyssal eldritch monstrosities and the first children of the Tidelord. The young pearlcatcher crumpled to the ground spent by the effort falling into a deep sleep.
The creatures decimated the atoll slaying or consuming every single soul. When Phorcys awoke to what he’d wrought he was alone.
Broken, alone, clanless, Phorcys turned to vengeance and then to duty. He spent a decade tracking the beasts he’d summoned and even managed to bind one of them to him as a summon to be weaponized against its kin.
Vengeance did not move his heart to sing. It did not fill the hole that lived there, so veangeance gave way to duty. He spent his time afterward going from clan to clan chasing rumors of leviathan activity. Sometimes he’d reach the clans in time, others… he’d find similar scenes similar to his own atoll.
Eventually he came to the young Sirenian Empire after hearing tell of their oracular queen and the possibility of the knowledge of leviathans being used. It was here that he found understanding, a home, and purpose in Asha’s court as her high mage.
Outside of Lore Phorcys was the main inspiration for the Neritian faction! The blue/red/gold color scheme was obviously inspired by him, and I found that creating a faction of leviathan-worshipping seers that formed an ethnic background for him really compelling, almost as if fate deemed his presence in this breaking of the cycle.
From a design standpoint behind the scenes I really loved the blue primary with a blood secondary thematically in a “blue blood” kinda “noble” vibe without being noble. Phorcys at the beginning of his character arc was uppity, grandstanding, and condescending and dressed very luxuriously. If you looked closer though you would have seen that his clothes were threadbare, that his condescending candor was merely a tool to keep others at a distance.
Phor now is still a little uppity, but he cares deeply and is fiercely protective of the home he’s found. He’s also the single most powerful mage in my lore and has expanded his roster to include even more summons!
The Tower is “his” arcana. The tower symbolizes, tragedy, upset, catastrophe- all things he’s acquainted with. In its inversion though there is opportunity, resilience, and transformation. Phor’s story is a tale that serves as a reminder that regardless of your past mistakes, regardless of how you have hurt yourself or caused harm, there is redemption in a myriad of forms. To get there though, you have to keep living.
Thank you so much for the ask!!
