Sloth — Roleplayer Guild

True Name: Hephaestus, otherwise known as Vulcan

Alias: Harold 'Harry' Smith

Age: Circa 3000, appears roughly 34

Gender: Male

Pantheon: The Twelve Olympians (Greco-Roman)

Godly Appearance:

	In the old days of classical Greece, Hephaestus was the epitome of a man who was forged by the hammer and anvil; gray eyes that seemed to flicker like the embers of a fire, arms the size of small tree trunks, a barrel-chested torso and skin that seemed to be eternally covered in a coat of ash, but never burned. Truly a beast of a man as far as his upper body was concerned. Hephaestus retained a full head of brown hair kept at medium length to accompany a similarly cropped beard. In stark contrast to the rest of his burly physique, Hephaestus was born with a lame and limp left foot, and because of this was often ridiculed by his fellow Olympians as deformed and imperfect. Though he crafted masterwork jewelry for his fellows, Hephaestus garbed himself in a simple tunic, befitting his nature as a simple smith at heart.

	As the blacksmith of the Gods and lord of the Forge, Hephaestus was never seen without his omnipresent hammer, with which he crafted innumerable artifacts of Greco-Roman legend. From the divine palaces and thrones of Olympus, to massive mechanical automatons, to the armor and weapons of some of the greatest heroes of mythology and the chains that bond Prometheus. Truly, it was said that if it could be imagined, Hephaestus could create it, no matter how impossible.

Earthly Appearance:	

	Hephaestus has been a humble man since his birth on Mount Olympus, and this has translated to his time amongst humanity, taking the appearance of a man roughly in his 30s. Though he still has to walk with the aid of a cane, Hephaestus still retains the physical features where one might confuse him with a bear if it weren't for his leg. As far as "fashion" is concerned, Hephaestus dresses like one might suspect a lumberjack would, with thick flannel shirts and jeans covered in soot to go with a simple pair of workman's boots. While he hasn't bothered to change anything cosmetic such as hair color and the like, Hephaestus' eyes have taken on a more soot like coloration. While considered rather plain by his fellow immortals, Hephaestus has sort of a gruff attractiveness when it comes to humanity, despite his not actively seeking out mortal consorts.

	Most noticeably, Hephaestus' only extravagant adornment in his mortal form is his cane. This is more than likely due to its true nature as the smith God's hammer. Fastened with ornate black leather, the handle of Hephaestus' cane takes the form of, what else would you expect, a hammer. As for the rest of his artifacts, the automatons of his former abode seem to have been replaced by custom built automobiles and marvelously crafted computer rigs.
 
Personality: 
	Hephaestus is one of the less remarkable of the Gods in terms of pure, raw force of personality. He's loyal to his fellows, a faithful husband, and generally does whatever is asked of him. He is known as something of the introvert amongst larger than life personas on Mount Olympus, with simple machinations and desires. It would not be inaccurate to say Hephaestus simply wishes to be left alone with his hammer and anvil to create wonders unimaginable, but that is not to say he is without wroth, even if he has only shown his rage an extremely few amount of times and at the expense of a very specific trio of the Olympian brood.

	As far as the mortal realm is concerned, Hephaestus always considered it a great curiosity that piqued his interest a number of times, and was one of the most active Olympians on Earth not only during the age of heroes, but after their fall from power. Hephaestus has great pride in humanity's ingenuity and creative spirit and has often sought out some of mankind's greatest minds for acquaintance; from Daedalus to da Vinci and Carnegie. 

Godly Abilities: 
	As the patron god of blacksmiths and artisans it can be expected that Hephaestus was considered the greatest smith in existence during the Greeks' time at the top of the food chain, and taught humanity, along with Athena, the finer arts of civilization. From Hermes' Helmet and Helios' chariot to the armor of Achilles and staff of Agamemnon, Hephaestus has personally crafted a large number of the greatest artifacts in Greek legend. Outside of his limitless divine artifacts and smithing skill, Hephaestus is also associated with the element of fire, especially when in conjunction with the raw force of nature known as volcanoes, which happen to be named after him. 

Mortal Abilities: 
	In his ageless mortal form, Hephaestus has probably suffered the least amount of power withdrawal of the Olympians. While he can no longer craft hulking automatons or forcibly erupt dormant volcanoes, Hephaestus is still one of the brightest and technologically ingenious minds on Earth, capable of conversing on the complexities of computer code just as easily as the building of automobiles. Though incapable of producing fire, Hephaestus is practically immune to its negative effects, and can capably work a forge without the need of gloves or safety equipment. 

Miscellaneous: 
Hephaestus has the rare distinction as being one of few Olympians not born out of wedlock, seeing as he's one of few children born directly to Zeus and Hera. The most notable of his fellows of course being his brother, Ares.
Hilariously enough, out of the Olympian deities, Hephaestus is by far one of the least adulterous, with only one notable bastard known as Ericthonius. Other than this instance, Hephaestus has been surprisingly faithful to his cuckolding wife.

History: 
	After the fall of the Greco-Roman pantheon to the monotheistic religions of the Jews, Christians and Muslims, Hephaestus found it incredibly easy to integrate himself into human society, though he has maintained contact with whatever members of his extended family have sought him out, and perhaps due to his own naivety, he has sent a few gestures of good will to his divine wife over the centuries. 

	Humanity was always in need of innovators, and unlike the Olympians, they wouldn't ridicule one for a simple limp in his left leg. Hephaestus moved from one role to the next with no difficulty, whether it be as an Italian inventor during the Renaissance to a number of English Industrialists in his personal favorite era of humanity, the Industrial Revolution. Many designs were perfected by Hephaestus during this time. Steam Engines, the Bessemer Converter, the Telegraph, even early cameras and cars. Odds are if you know what it is even to this day, Hephaestus had a hand in it.

	While one would expect Hephaestus to amass quite the fortune during the explosion of mankind's technology and industry, he always seemed to be a genius behind the curtain. His joy came from the creation of machines, not from the gathering of wealth. Seeing as the industrial seat of power was rapidly shifting towards the United States, Hephaestus immigrated there midway through the 19th century, and swiftly ingrained himself in a circle that included the likes of Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and Cornelius Vanderbilt. He has remained there ever since, taking up residence under a number of aliases anywhere from Pittsburgh, to Detroit, to the Big Apple itself.

	Hephaestus hit something of a lull after World War II and his part in the Manhattan Project. He lived something of a normal life as a local handyman until he saw another technological revolution underway, this time in the form of a shift from analog and mechanical technology to the digital format. In no time, Hephaestus found himself being a project lead at Microsoft during the production of the Windows Operating System and a programmer of the Apple II. Since then Hephaestus has become a renowned university professor and part time mechanic. With the urge to return to Greece overwhelming him, Hephaestus has made his way to the Olympians' ancestral homeland, though he can't say he's looking forward to the family reunion.
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