BingTheWing

Forgotten Sands: A Divine Journey into the Unknown

@Vec Hi, sorry for the extended delay, hope I’m still in 😅 I just finished finals, but I’ll be taking a long flight in a bit. I’ll try my best to get a small post up within 24-48 hours

Forgotten Sands: A Divine Journey into the Unknown

@VecThe peasant sympathy thing is implied to be involuntary to some extent. He doesn’t view himself as actively stirring up dissent, but rather merely as responding to material situations. But in any case, he is supposed to be one of those gods that kinda fucks off into the wild and does his own thing for the most part 😆

Forgotten Sands: A Divine Journey into the Unknown

Ariander, lord of arrows

Ariander

God of hunters and travelers

God Concept:

Ariander is the guardian of all those who look to the fruit of lands untilled and lands uncharted to thrive — while this usually includes game hunters as shown by his characteristic use of bow and arrow, his domain also embraces that of fishermen, military scouts, and traveling merchants. Above all, a prayer to Ariander ensures a steady hand, a clear day, and a predictable target on the other side of your weapon. Ariander is also venerated by those seeking safe passage through winding forests, dark valleys, or choppy oceans - when clarity of thought and sight are needed to survive.

Appearance:

Of the few mortals who have seen Ariander in the flesh, fewer still have actually recognized the nondescript hunter in front of them as the god himself. When hunting in the wilderness, Ariander takes the form of a young man armed with a long black bow and garbed in simple earthy tones, intently stalking his next kill. However, it is rumored that from time to time, when this hunter is illuminated by the golden rays of sunrise or sunset, his simple rags are momentarily transfigured into brilliant flowing robes of azure and bright orange.

Motivation:

Ariander is most revered among those who live life on the periphery–hermits, outcasts, and stragglers from society. In times of want, it is not uncommon for rural revolts to gather around minor cults of Ariander among the peasantry. But Ariander has no particular need for grand temples or elaborate prostrations—he prefers to test the piety of mankind by appearing at the doorsteps of various mortals disguised as a poor and shivering trapper, asking only for a hot meal and a place to stay the night. Their response to such a request usually precedes unexplained good fortune or terrible yet righteous curses befalling the chosen household. Just as Ariander loves hunting the largest of game, he also feels a calling to uplift the small and to bring the mighty low.

Roleplay Example:

The Parable of the Beggar

"Please, milord. Just a hot meal and a place to lay my head. Then I will trouble you no further."

The tramp outside the proud lord's gate was unusually young, but starvation had sucked all the life out of his bones. His only defense against the snow falling all around him was a tattered, dirty green cloak, wrapped all around his body as best as he could.

"There is no more food here!" the fat majordomo of the household hissed from the doorway. "The master and mistress are away." He made a shooing motion with his porcine fingers, each adorned with jeweled rings.

But one of the ladies-in-waiting, who was kneeling far to the side of the scene, could not resist looking up to observe the beggar. She felt that something was off about this gaunt young man—despite his malnourished appearance, she could tell that beneath his cloak, his gaze was flitting about perceptively from side to side, taking in the vastness of the landed estate in contrast to the wilting, freezing fields for miles around.

"Please, milord." The young man grimaced, revealing an incomplete set of yellowing teeth. "I'll die out here tonight, because of you."

But then, for a brief moment, the lady-in-waiting met the gaze of the young man, and she suddenly felt as if every single embarrassing, shameful thought she had ever had since she was a child filled her brain all at once.

In that moment, she realized that this young man was not a beggar—and perhaps this was no mere man at all.

Availability: 1-2x a week

Experience: Returning after 7 year long hiatus from forum RPing.

@Cyclone I suspect your god and mine would make excellent foils for each other, haha.

Forgotten Sands: A Divine Journey into the Unknown

Ariander, lord of arrows (RP sample WIP)

Ariander

God of the hunt

God Concept:

Ariander is the guardian of all those who look to the fruit of lands untilled to thrive—while this usually includes game hunters as shown by his characteristic use of bow and arrow, his domain also embraces that of fishermen, military scouts, falconers, and traveling merchants. Above all, a prayer to Ariander ensures a steady hand, a clear day, and a predictable target on the other side of your weapon. Ariander is also venerated by those seeking safe passage through uncharted areas, or even something as simple as clarity of thought.

Appearance:

Of the few mortals who have seen Ariander in the flesh, fewer still have actually recognized the nondescript hunter in front of them as the god himself. When hunting in the wilderness, Ariander takes the form of a young man armed with a long black bow and garbed in simple earthy tones, intently stalking his next kill. However, it is rumored that from time to time, when this simple hunter finds himself illuminated by the golden rays of sunrise or sunset, his simple rags are momentarily transfigured into brilliant flowing robes of azure and bright orange. Ariander can also be commonly seen riding on his black stallion steed Ussimo (occasionally on top of bodies of water) or with his falcon companion Yaerha perched upon his arm.


Motivation:

Ariander is most revered among those who live life on the periphery–hermits, outcasts, and stragglers from society. In times of want, it is not uncommon for rural revolts to gather around minor cults of Ariander among the peasantry. But Ariander has no particular need for grand temples or elaborate prostrations—he prefers to test the piety of mankind by appearing at the doorsteps of various mortals disguised as a poor and shivering trapper, asking only for a hot meal and a place to stay the night. Their response to such a request usually precedes unexplained good fortune or terrible yet righteous curses befalling the chosen household. Just as Ariander loves hunting the largest of game, he also feels a calling to uplift the small and to bring the mighty low.

Roleplay Example: WIP

Availability: 1-2x a week

Experience: Returning after 7 year long hiatus from forum RPing.

Forgotten Sands: A Divine Journey into the Unknown

Interested! Making a concept for a hunter/archery god.

𝙽𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝙵𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝙰𝚠𝚊𝚢

@DeadDrop Posted. My apologies if it's not up to par for the meantime.

𝙽𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝙵𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝙰𝚠𝚊𝚢

SET

Perched atop a building on the other side of the road, Set Liu watched and waited.

He was used to the boisterous cyber-cacophony of Night City assaulting his eyes and ears 24/7. But up here, it was deathly quiet--at least for a netrunner. Surprisingly, it made him nervous. His brief time in the chaos of Indonesia's jungles taught him that the longer nothing happened, the more that something would. That didn't make any real sense, but neither did anything that had happened to him over the past two years.

Set brushed his fingers over the cold steel of the submachine gun concealed within his backpack. He had shot people before, but he was leagues better at sending chooms into comas before they even knew he was there. It was for that reason he hated jobs like this--no matter how excellent the team, shit would always find a way to the fan. And this--at least for Set in the meantime--was not an excellent team.

All Set could see now through his cybereyes were vague silhouettes and outlines in the interior of the apartment complex. There was nothing to see, if he didn't know what he was looking for.

The team's comms crackled to life.

"I, uh, concur with Maya. I don't like the idea of wading through all these chromed-up numbnuts starting from the ground floor up. After we get his room number, the team should try and enter from the roof." He spat out some gum. "I could meet you guys there."

𝙽𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝙵𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝙰𝚠𝚊𝚢

@DeadDrop

Do we have any more specific info on the mark? Like an apartment number/floor location, etc.