| Domains | Fire, Duality, Battle |
|---|---|
| Aliases | Flame of Regrowth |
| Plane | Quelmar |
| Avatar | Elvar |
Halcyone is a Quelmar original god, first birthed/witnessed in PR 467 during Act 3 of The Fantasial Freeze. It is the offspring of two known divine entities: Xuihcoatl, the Turquoise Serpent (Aztec mythology) and Chthuga, the Living Flame (Lovecraftian/eldritch mythology). Through the combination of two ancient and powerful rituals and the accidental disruption of a null, Halcyone was forced into a vessel known as "Countdown" and emerged from its Vessel after multiple cycles of death and rebirth through the events of the Community Campaign. Intended to be an instrument of The Paladin's will to destroy Quelmar, Halcyone instead stands as a deity to represent those in need of warmth, a staunch opponent of Great Old Ones, and a guiding light for individuals in search of identity.
Description[edit | edit source]
Like its parent Xuihcoatl, Halcyone takes the form of a great wingless serpent, with shining emerald scales, fierce scarlet eyes, and gold-tipped horns ending in vicious points. From its parent Chthuga, Halcyone has various growths about its body that resemble cancer on a tree, and these growths occasionally leak small serpent-like monsters that resemble Halycone, but much smaller and weaker. Halcyone's presence is often indicated by bright emerald flames, and it occasionally flies about the night sky of Quelmar, resembling a green shooting star.
Works (to date)[edit | edit source]
PR 467 - The emergence of the new god appears to many as a new sun rising over southern Osugbo. The child-god in its unaware state chars a large swath of land near the Burrow.
PR 467 - Halcyone causes the gentlest volcanic eruption in Quelmar's recorded history. The lava flows and cools into fertile soil, and the volcano goes dormant for several generations after.
Worshippers[edit | edit source]
Formal worshippers of Halcyone are called halcyonites, and they pepper regions of southern Osugbo and Amusa. A song and dance ritual, inspired by Ta-Shedet dances of old, is often performed in quiet clearings where followers hope to connect more deeply with Halycone.
Farming communities may have small shrines to Halcyone, as it is the Flame of Regrowth, and its presence indicates the clearing of old growth to make way for the new.
Languages / Methods of Communication[edit | edit source]
Common, Draconic, Ignan, Great Old Speech, and Primordial. Halcyone can also communicate telepathically with beings across planes without the need for speech. As a divine newborn, Halcyone is more talkative and curious than many other gods. It may appear in a place simply to take a peek at what's going on or learn a new piece of information.
There is one known avatar of Halcyone: a half-elf named Elvar, who wears emerald scale armor and hair that looks to be flickering flame. Elvar does not share much on behalf of Halcyone, but is in connection with his god and occasionally appears in places where justice need be dispensed or Great Old Ones threaten the balance of the realm.
Powers, Abilities, and Other Manifestations[edit | edit source]
- Halcyone empowers its followers with an aura of fire and as a scale-hilted sword in times of crisis. It is known to bestow blessings on those in desperate need.
- Halcyone possesses fire of pure annihilation; its Harr-tinged origins result in fire that overcomes normal resistances to fire, designed to burn out the eldritch nature of other Harr-powered beings.
- Halcyone can create Regions of Calm, swaths of land that maintain an even temperature, untouched by harsh weather.
- Halcyone likes to fly. It doesn't have to, but it enjoys the activity all the same.
Notable Holy Sites / Places of Reverence[edit | edit source]
- The Haven is revered by those who worship Halcyone, as the site of its emergence into Quelmar.
- Minor shrines to Halcyone appear around the countryside of Amusa and Osugbo.
- (A story yet to be written... maybe in the next Quelmar adventure!)