The tale begins on a perfect day in first-flower (spring). The sun was bright but fair, a gentle, warm and inviting embrace and the skies as clear and brilliant blue like the most primal and exact shade of that color incarnate. Even the gods have peaceful and lazy days, from time to time, and this
perfect day inspired them to play among the mortals.
Even Soffia, the
diligent and wise warrior goddess of the air, was overwhelmed with a
desire to join the other gods in their frivolity. Experiencing these distracting moods for the first time would not do for Soffia and so she spilled the moods, good and bad, out of her head. The two currents formed into two goddess daughters: Boreana, the ill-tempered and strong, and Pomona, the weak and fair. Both were beautiful but Pomona had the eye of every male. Boreana was austere but too aloof. Pomona, on the other hand, seem to invite their interest, returning their leering gaze, and playfully inciting their desires. They mistaked her friendly and joyous demeanor for an easy target. She was as capricious as her sister but they did not see the trap.
A few of the bachelor gods began to argue over
who would be the first to court her but one emerged, despite the odds,
to court Pomona.
Scourge the Violator was an upstart god. A disgusting and disturbing mortal who acquired power by illicit means but was, on the whole, regarded as a loser and a fluke by his rivals. The audacity of the ugly creature, his insectoid features and shrieking voice, made him a target of ridicule. He was a pest but it was too fun to see him fail to crush him. He had a way of failing spectacularly and coming out in one piece. That was how he became a god in the first place...
And so it was that Scourge made it clear that he would be the one to woo the windy maiden and Aurelian found the cocky lesser god's confidence amusing. He encouraged the disgusting creature to try and commanded the other male gods to not intervene in their entertainment. And so, Scourge took the form of his alter-ego, a handsome and wide-eyed mortal youth, and made his way to the field where Pomona could be found.
Scourge's disguise seemed to work. It seemed that the god's experience in his schemes being undermined by a noble young hero gave him insight into his performance as he acted the perfect gentleman, earnest and forthright, and earned the attention of the new goddess. It seemed like love at first sight as the foul god played on the maiden's naivete and he would impress the gods with his romantic pursuit.
But then Boreana noticed the bachelor gods watching the little romance unfold and, curiosity and jealousy, had her demand they explain why they were watching her twin sister's fun with such rapt amusement. When she heard of the game they were playing and of Scourge's deception, the wind turned.
The skies darkened and it began to rain. Their perfect day was ruined. The courting couple tried to run for cover and Pomona did not have a cloak. It seemed that Scourge had allowed himself to become too invested in his game, wrapped around the pretty goddess's finger, and used his cloak to protect her from the rain. As the rain hit his disguise, it washed away and revealed his true form to Pomona. The goddess was disgusted, pushing him away, and fled.
Scourge felt more than just defeat. The lie had become real. He felt something new and, as he knelt in a puddle, looking in the direction that Pomona fled, he would hear the voice of Boreana:
"I hoped you enjoyed your perfect day, Scourge. It will be the happiest day of your life, past, present and future. You will never know a more perfect day. You can chase it but it will always be just out of reach. In the past. I promise you that."
And Scourge the Violator knew the pain of loss and only in seeing others suffer the same pain would he ever feel temporary relief in his broken heart.
BOREANA & POMONA
Title(s)
The Sisters Foul & Fair, The Wind Maidens, The Tempestuous Two, The Latitude and Longitude, The Capricious Lass and The Laughing Maiden
Pantheon(s)
Naryan
Power Level
Lesser Deity
Alignment
True Neutral
Symbol
A black and white cloud
Realm
Elysium
Portfolio
Winds, moods, truth, change, joy & ennui
Domains
Tempest
Worshipers
Sailors, romantics, farmers, twins, poets
Favored Weapon
Mace
Holy Day(s)
-
SCOURGE
Title(s)
The Violator, The Worm, The Louse, The Pathetic, The Daisy-Picker
Pantheon(s)
Naryan
Power Level
Lesser Deity
Alignment
Neutral Evil
Symbol
A golden cockroach
Realm
Hades
Portfolio
Pestilence, Lies, Decay, Famine, Insects
Domains
Death, Nature
Worshipers
Cultists, villains, losers, creeps, knaives
Favored Weapon
Staves
Holy Day(s)
-
No comments:
Post a Comment