Inspiration:
The
name "Aloquin" was actually a corruption of the
name "Anakin" Skywalker from Star Wars. Indeed, the
character of Aloquin was inspired by a kind of fusion of
Darth Vader and the Emperor. From Darth Vader he got his
ambiguous and competitive relationship with his son Jason,
and from the Emperor he got his tyrannical ambition and
devastating lightning attacks.
Physical
Description:
He
was an imposing deity standing at 6'4"
tall. His ears were pointed like an elf's, his skin was snowy pale, his hair is so black it
had a purple sheen,
and his cold, vigilant eyes ranged from sparkling silver to
dull gray. He wore fancy yet comfortable outfits of
smoothest silk, embroidered with glistening specks of
stars, serpentine dragons and purple flames.
Character:
Aloquin was the personification, incarnation, emanation,
and avatar of one of the Cosmic Dragons: the primeval Chaos Dragon, a
deity of chaos and destruction. The Chaos Dragon's powers served as a complement for the
stabilizing and creative powers of the Order Dragon. The harmonious dance between
the Chaos Dragon
and Order Dragon drove the evolution of the universe, for
without death there was no life, and without destruction
there was no creation. The Earth Dragons were sacred
creatures to the Cosmic Dragons and, as such, the Cosmic
Dragons incarnated on each Earth Dragon as the divine
Dragon Twins to oversee the life that would thrive upon
it.
But
when Dinictis, the incarnation of the Order Dragon on the
Earth Dragon Caldor, attempted to do away with her twin
Aloquin, she threw out of balance the mutually-beneficial
co-existence of order and chaos. Twice she had sealed him
in the Land of Illusions, where his resentful hatred for
her festered and grew. Helpless he watched from the astral
plane as she demonized his name, stripped him of his
immortal power, and took his ineffectual, semi-divine son
Jason as her husband. By the time of his second escape
from the Land of Illusions, any warmth or emotion he had
have evaporated from under the flames of his insatiable
rage. Thus Dinictis' prophecy that Aloquin desired to rule
with an iron fist was fulfilled, but only by her own
doing. Without the complementary influence of the Order
Dragon to temper his instinctive impulses, Aloquin used cold intellect and ruthless manipulation
for the purpose of doing to Dinictis what she had done to
him: trap her to perish in the land of the dying Earth
Dragon.
Specialties:
Aloquin's
typical wizardly arsenal was primarily elemental, centering
around lightning, wind, and ice. He also had knowledge of
spells to drain another's energy, be it their life-force
or immortality, and was adept at traveling by converting
his body to light and projecting it through subterranean
crystal gateways.
Star Wars. This
is especially fitting in respect to her relationship with
Aloquin (Anakin/Darth Vader/Emperor) and Jason (Luke
Skywalker). But probably more obviously she was inspired
by Crysta from FernGully, especially in her look and
hairstyle. She also has many qualities of fertile
Earth/Mother goddesses like Isis and Gaia. The name itself
derives from the Paleontology name for a small, sabre-toothed
ancestor of felines. In the Caldora stories, this idea of
ancestor is taken to the wider perspective of Dinictis
herself being the ancestor of all life on Caldor.
Physical
Description:
She was a regal deity standing at 6'2" tall. Her ears
were pointed like an elf's, her skin was a bronzed tan, her
hair was black as night, and her eyes were the color
peridots shimmering in the sun. She wore various green
dresses embroidered with the patterns of field and forest.
Character:
Dinictis
was the personification, incarnation, emanation,
and avatar of one of the Cosmic Dragons: the primeval
Order Dragon, a deity
of stability and creation. The Order Dragon's powers served as a complement for the
chaotic and destructive powers of the Chaos Dragon. The harmonious dance between
the Order Dragon
and Chaos Dragon drove the evolution of the universe, for
without life there was no death, and without creation there
was no destruction. The Earth Dragons were sacred
creatures to the Cosmic Dragons and, as such, the Cosmic
Dragons incarnated on each Earth Dragon as the divine
Dragon Twins to oversee the life that would flourished
upon it.
Dinictis
was born with the powers of an Acora, the ability to know
the past, present, and future of all things on the Earth
Dragon Caldor. When she first met her twin Aloquin, the
incarnation of the Chaos Dragon, she saw that in his heart
he desired rule alone over unhappy subjects whose land
torn by war. To prevent this from happening, she used the
Crystals of Power to seal her unsuspecting twin in the
Land of Illusions. What she did not realize was that it
was in the Chaos Dragon's nature to be as he was, and it
was much her job to offset his destructive tendencies as
it was his to offset her creative ones. Had she left
Aloquin to rule beside her, they could have worked out a
constructive compromise that would have upheld the cosmic
balance and benefited both parties.
By
distoring the harmony between order and chaos, and shifted
the scales in favor of a forced everlasting life. When the
stage in the Earth Dragon Caldor's life cycle came for it
to die so a new Earth Dragon would be born, she usurped
natural order once again by aborting the fetus. Though her
intentions were to save the life of Caldor and the
thousands thriving upon it, much as any one of us would
wish to prevent the death of a loved one, the fact
nevertheless remained that she allowed the present Earth
Dragon to survive past its prescribed lifespan. This was a
crime on par with the abomination of undeath, and
endangered the Earth Dragon's future generations.
However,
in and of herself, she was a kind, nurturing, and caring
goddess whose Utopian regime was loved by all. She was
acknowledged as the goddess who guided the first mortal
creatures out from the primal waters, and is therefore
known by the epithet of "Bringer of All Life"
and the ancestor of all. Over time, she grew tired of
knowing the future and transferred this knowledge to Lynn,
who she trained to be Acora in her place. She took Lynn's
sheltered disciple Jason as her husband, knowing full well
that he was the son of Aloquin and a mortal. She gave him
Aloquin's immortality and pronounced him King to rule
beside her. When Aloquin finally escaped from his astral
prison for the second time, he did rule his subjects with
an iron fist and plagued Caldora with war just as she had
forseen, but it was a self-fulfilling prophecy that she
played a large part in bringing about.
Specialties:
Dinictis' typical sorcerer's arsenal was primarily
elemental, centering around fire, earth, and water. She
also had renowned healing abilities, and the Acora power
to know all that is and was upon Earth Dragon Caldor.
Inspiration:
The terrifying appearance of Yugashii was inspired by none other
than the great Hindu goddess Kali Ma, who is often
depicted as a black-skinned goddess wearing a necklace of
severed human heads and a belt of severed human arms.
Likewise, his name is derived from "Kali Yuga,"
the last of the four evolutionary ages in Hinduism, when
all semblance of order and rightness falls apart. There
"Yuga" simply means "Age" (Age of
Iron), but in the storyworld language it comes to mean
"storm" or "tempest," while "shii"
means "blood," yielding an alternate combined
meaning "Age of Blood." His personality is somewhat reminiscent
of the Greek god of war, Ares, and particularly how he is
portrayed in the TV show Xena. This is most evident in his
relationship toward his avatar Kowhani, which is similar
to Ares' relationship towards Xena.
Physical
Description:
Yugashii did not really have a physical description
because he was not a corporeal being. When he did appear
visually, he took on the form of his intended audience.
However, his skin was always charred black, his teeth
jagged and sharp, his eyes like burning embers, and his
hair flaming scarlet. His clothing was made from the skins
of his slain enemies and sewn together with their hair. He
painted his face with the blood of his enemies in the
distinct pattern of three drops on the forehead, and two
stripes on each cheek known as the "Crimson
Flower." Most prominent of all, he always carried two serrated
blades.
Character:
Yugashii's name means "Tempest of Blood," but he
was also worshipped and known by countless other names
across the cosmos, all identifying him as the universal
god of war or Warrior Spirit. In contrast with the many
terrestrial gods, he was a cosmic deity, not bound by
time, place, or physical form. But perhaps the most
significant difference was that he was truly immortal, and
his existence was not tied to any land or memory. A truly
ancient and eternal deity, he was born when the first drop
of blood hit the ground, and if ever he was to perish, he
could be reborn just as easily. Some said it had to be a
drop of innocent blood, others said it must be blood spilt
in anger, but these were moral judgments and Yugashii was
a deity beyond moral discretion. It all amounted to the
same thing: so long as there was bloodshed
anywhere in the cosmos, he would exist.
His
invocation perfectly illustrated the kind of deity he was,
and the environment in which he lived:
"I
invoke the Warrior Spirit, Who lives in a castle made of
your species bones, Which is decorated with your
species entrails, Surrounded by a moat filled with your
species blood, Which is strewn with your species
body parts, Who wears
clothes made of your species skin, Which are sewn with
your species hair, I invoke the Warrior Spirit!"
(use
at your own risk)
As
far as he was concerned, there was time enough for peace
in death, and life was driven by war. He
thrived amidst conflict and turmoil, but his true passion was
for martial skill. His immense popularity
stemmed from his ability to grant victory on the battlefield. This power, known
as "Yugashii's favor," was a highly sought-after
commodity that his countless devotees ruthlessly competed
with one another to gain. Attaining Yugashii's favor was
an arduous task that few were cut out for. Not only did it
require a strong military record, but also the upholding
of Yugashii's sacred principles. Yugashii stood for the
ageless logic that might makes right. He did not
discriminate between the species or the sexes, but would not
tolerate weakness or vulnerability in any of his
disciples. The weak found safety in numbers, but the
strong believed in the power of one, relying on nobody but
themselves for the realization of their goals.
The
greatest threat posed to this ideal was the notion of
friendship. There was no room for friends in the Yugashii
mindset. Even if one rid oneself of fear and became
self-sufficient, friends were still an emotional
attachment that often got in the way of desired
objectives. They could be taken hostage, held for ransom,
skewer set priorities, cause much unnecessary stress, and,
of course, they could betray you. A true warrior could not
have distractions in order to be able to strike without
hesitation. Although it was understood that enemies slain
in battle by one's own skill were honorific sacrifices to
Yugashii, the most sacred of offerings was the slaying of
close friends. This ultimate test of loyalty to the god
was failed by the majority of his followers, but those
that went through with it became fearsome fighters indeed.
The
greatest honor Yugashii could bestow upon a mortal was
choosing one to be his avatar. Only a handful of beings in
the universe won this title, for it required extraordinary
martial prowess on par with the god of war himself. For
the duration of the possession the avatars became the sacred temples of the
deity and the god literally lived inside them, so there was only one Child of Yugashii
in the universe at a time. It was even rumored that
Yugashii could die with them if they were killed. The avatars could access his
divine powers and wreak unspeakable havoc upon their
enemies. Some of these powers included a battle aura that
paralyzed surrounding opponents with fear, an aura of
searing flames that burned any who came close, the ability
to fight faster than mortal eyes could discern, and the
blessing of inevitable victory. They painted their faces
with the blood of their enemies and left ghastly trails of
carnage in their wake. Only three beings from
Caldora and Lossi were chosen to be avatars: Neijar,
Raven, and Kowhani. Yugashii's favor as well as the status
of avatar could be lost if the disciple in question
strayed off their god's philosophical path, developed
distractions, or lost their martial skill.
Yugashii
was fundamentally honorable by nature, detesting
backstabbing and trickery in favor of an open show of
force. Doomed were those who tried to cheat him in any
way, for he was quick to anger and had a long history of
switching sides and betraying his business partners. The
most noteworthy of these on Caldora and Lossi being
Aloquin and Suknuru respectively. He never sought
alliances, but allies constantly sought him. Because of
this, he seldom took alliance seriously, seeing it more as
a refuge for the weak than a mutually-beneficial pact.
Though Yugashii was a morally neutral deity, he always
favored the strong, and it was not unusual for him to
declare his allegiance based on the winner of a duel
between leaders of the opposing armies. The most
noteworthy of these on Lossi being the duel between Raven
and Kowhani.
Specialties:
Yugashii was the god of war, blood, fire, and fear. His
trademark power was the ability to grant victory in
battle, but he
also had lesser powers such as Aura of Fear, Aura of Fire,
and Bladestorm.
