[hider=Enki/Ea/Edgar K Irving][b]True Name:[/b] Enki/Ea

[b]Aliases:[/b] (During biblical times) Ephraim of Assyria, (Modern/Current) Edgar K. Irving

[b]Age:[/b] Over 5000 years old, appears in his late 50s

[b]Gender:[/b] Male

[b]Pantheon/Faith:[/b] Sumerian/Babylonian

[b]Godly Appearance:[/b] An old man even in divine form, though strong of figure. Although his long salt-and-pepper beard is his most distinguishing feature, Enki also bears the wide shoulders of a craftsman, and the kind eyes of a father. Put simply, he looks like nothing short of everybody's Dad. He is muscular and fit, as he must be, and often shirtless, though he would wear scarves or other trailing scraps of cloth from his shoulders. These representated two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, which give life to his people much like the Nile in Egypt. Aside from this, he often wore garments made of shimmering fish scales or the like to represent his status as lord of the waters. He carries no weapons, as he much prefers to deal with problems diplomatically, though he is rarely without fishing nets at his side, and is ofted depicted with a crown and the image of a double-helix snake, which would come to be oddly similar to human DNA.

[b]Earthly Appearance:[/b] Still quite old, 'Edgar' has made many changes to adapt to the times (and due to the strains of his extraordinarily long life.) His greying beard is shaved short, though he still grows it in full and well-kept, and his eyes have lost some of their strength with age, lined as they are with kindly crow's-feet. He is still quite well-built and still looks fit and healthy, though he hunches over and complains about age-related health problems a lot. His hair is slicked back over a receding hairline and he often covers it with a flat cap since it has come back into style. He wears fashionable clothes, though he knows that what is fashionable for older and younger people is vastly different. In all weather he can be seen in a thick tweed jacket, longer than usual, reaching down to his knees, over top of a neutral button-up shirt and vest. He often pairs this ensemble with dark blue jeans in varying states of wear, as well as brown leather mocassins for a smart yet casual look. He walks with a wooden cane, though he doesn't expressly need one, and tends to wear glasses outdoors, though he doesn't really need those either.

[b]Personality:[/b] Doting to those close to him, kindly and inviting to those who aren't, and quick to dispense this or that piece of advice to whoever will stick around to listen. As was his godly drive, he absolutely loves to dispense knowledge to anybody willing to learn, and above all else he respects young people with a passion for learning. Most people see him as a rambling old man who is stuck in the past, or a meddler who sticks his nose in everybody's business, and they might not be wrong to say so. He does have a tendency to be a control freak, and a meddler, and he can't stand people who willfully remain ignorant or refuse to fix their problems. As a god, he freely gave knowledge to humans, but he was also responsible for dividing the one tongue into many different languages. 

While he generally loves people and desires to help them wherever he can, he has a strong belief that those who don't pursue knowledge and work hard get what they deserve in life. He is smug about this and likely to lecture people who he perceives as lazy (though he will end up splicing some advice into this lecture in the end anyway.) He also believes that humans should overcome hardship to prove their worth, because every obstacle is a challenge, and every challenge is a lesson. Because of this, he tends to keep his lessons cryptic and hidden, only to be revealed later (probably when it's too late to do any real good.) Aside from his role as a teacher, he is also an avid craftsman and artist, though less so than a dedicated artist deity. His artistry is less a talent and more a passion, pursuing art as an ideal, even if he isn't the best at it.

He tends to play the 'old man' card in any scenario that isn't comfortable for him for whatever reason, and often simply for humour. It's true that he has been around to see the rise and fall of basically everyone, but his health and mental acuity are actually still as good as could be expected, so to those that know him well, his complaints fall mostly on deaf ears (making him complain more.)

[b]Mortal Skills/Abilities:[/b] Edgar has picked up a knack for quite a few trade skills over the years, learning everything from carpentry to painting to electrical work to vegetable farming. If it's an art, craft, or labour, he's dabbled in it. He's no expert at anything, however, as once he gets competent in something he tends to leave it behind for something newer and more exciting. If anything has carried over from his time as a deity, it's only his passion for helping others, his pride as a teacher. That is why he amasses skills under his belt, so that he can pass them down to others. Everything he has to his name has been acquired through mortal means - there is nobody left who remembers an old man like him.

[b]Immortal Skills/powers/abilities:[/b] As a deity, Enki's powers were varied, as well as somewhat vague. Most strongly connected with the element of water (and thus life) he was responsible for bringing the water of life to his people. Because of this root connection to 'giving life' he was also associated with fertility, knowledge, craftsmanship, all sorts of things. For many, he was the deity who represented masculinity and fatherhood. He was the creator and ruler of all knowledge as well as language, able to bring understanding or chaos to individuals or whole tribes. He is able to pull water from the earth itself, or bring rain to a scorching farm in need. He has no particular abilities that might help him in combat, but his skill at diplomacy is legendary. Of course, all of these powers are lost to him.

[b]History:[/b] As old as written history, Enki has witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations, including his own people. By the time the Greek pantheon rose to power, he was already walking the earth as Ephraim of Assyria, mostly devoid of his former powers, but still trying to enact his role just the same as he did when he was a primary deity. For an immense span of time, he wandered the Mediterranean and Asia, learning the new languages and cultures he came across, and making a living as a farmer, craftsman or fisherman, as necessity dictated. As the Greeks and Romans rose to power and philosophy became prominent, he moved to the empire and began a philosophical career, spreading knowledge where he could, and leaving little trace of himself behind when he moved on to a different area. He has held conversations with Socrates, Plato, Archimedes, and more, revelling in the deep insight he was able to gain from these free thinkers. He stayed in Rome for much of the life of Jesus Christ, hearing what this man had to say, and watching as the people around him were changed by his words and deeds. Though this interested him greatly, it wasn't his place to get swept up in every new religion that came along, and he would continue to question anybody he came across. However, it soon came to be a heated time in the empire, and there was little tolerance for a free thinker like him to stay around in this time of religious chaos. He resumed his wandering, spending much of his time throughout Asia where philosophy was still strongly valued.

He would wander between Asia and Europe for ages, never staying in one place for long (as his lifespan would become suspicious if he did.) As civilization became more and more refined and culture boomed and grew with the rise of monotheism, and Christianity spread through many of the lands he frequented, he changed his name to Edgar K Irving, officially hailing from Britain (or Britannia, depending on how far back you go.) When the Renaissance came, Edgar was overjoyed. This was a huge cultural boom, a time for artistry and free thought not seen in the west since ancient times. He travelled throughout Europe during this era, observing the growth of art, philosophy, religion, as well as new science and technology. There was never a more fascinating time in his life than this period, as though he had hit a second youth. Until the rise of the modern era, Edgar pursued artists and craftsmen like Leonardo da Vinci, spending as much time as possible picking their brains to see how these interesting people viewed the world.

Then, in the indolent modern era, with technology rising as it did, Edgar found a calling that he never had before, not since ancient times. He found a fascinating woman and fell in love. Everyone was becoming so much smarter so much faster with the rise of the internet, and she was a sly, driven woman. Her name was Marianne, and she had also spent much of her life seeking knowledge. By age 40 she had founded her own archaeological company, and achieved a Master's degree in archaeology, ancient history, philosophy, law, and sociology. "In this age where everybody's getting smarter and the spread of information is free, perhaps it is time to plant roots," thought Edgar, and that is exactly what he did. He got together with Marianne and they bought a house in London, adopting one daughter, named Dawn. For twenty years Edgar focused much of his time to raising his daughter while Marianne went to work or school. Neither of them lacked for money, so living in London was no problem, even if Edgar stayed home and tended the house and family. Now Marianne is 60 and retired, and Dawn is off in college studying graphic design. It should be a happy, peaceful life, but the guilt gnaws at Edgar's soul. He has watched his wife grow old, and his daughter grow into an adult, but he has not changed in twenty years. His family accepts it as a blessing from his genetics, but in another twenty years, what then? What is there to even say? What happens when his family is in the ground, and he is still alive? Can he just continue his lifestyle as a vagrant in times like these?

Filled with mixed feelings of guilt and fulfillment, Edgar feels the pull, the call to go to Athens. It is not strong, but it is constant. Will something happen there? Are those where his answers lie? It is too late to reclaim his lost power, and he's not interested in doing so at this point, but if that is where the so-called 'meaning of life' lies, if that is where his answers can be found, then he must go, no matter the cost.  After telling his family he is going on a short vacation (he was known to them as a sort of impulsive and quirky old man, after all,) Edgar packed up his travelling gear and bought a plane ticket to Athens. If what takes place there is not his story, then fine. But surely something can be learned there, even so. He would have a role to play, and he would find his answers, even if he had to squeeze blood from a stone to do so.

[b]Miscellaneous:[/b] His family is still very active in various communities. They are his rock, and what currently anchors him to this world. They may be helpful to him in the future for various reasons, but he cares about them almost too deeply. They are his stability, but also the root of his unstable thoughts. It is unclear what role they might play in this journey, but it is clear that whatever Edgar does, he does it with them in mind.[/hider]