Hades

### Aliases

God of the the Dead, the Underworld, and Riches, King of the Underworld, Lord of the Dead, Master of Souls, the Silent One, the Rich One

### Relatives

Kronos (father)Rhea (mother)

Zeus, Poseidon (brothers)

Hera, Demeter, Hestia (sisters)

Persephone (niece/wife)

## Physical description

### Height

10'5 *(preferred form)*6'5 *(mortal guise)*

## Statistics

### Power Tier

4

*"Those who would rule should lead by example."*

*-Hades, Lord of the Dead*

Hades, often referred to as the King of the Underworld or the Silent One, is the Olympian God of the Dead. He is the ruler of the realm of Stygia, where the souls of worshipers of the Olympian Pantheon travel after death. The firstborn son of Kronos and Rhea, Hades is one of the most powerful deities in existence, and is a principle member of his pantheon. His name is respected and feared across Creation, for his considerable power, but also his honor, diligence, and unyielding sense of justice.

# WARNING. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS OUT OF DATE. SOME OF IT MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

### Early Life

Hades was the first son and fourth child born to Kronos, the King of the Titans, and his Queen, Rhea. Shortly after his birth, he was brought before his father, like his elder sisters before him. Rhea had hoped that the birth of a son would cause Kronos to spare the boy his sister's fate, but alas, Kronos, driven by paranoia, could not find any mercy in him. Hades, like his elder sisters, was swallowed by his father. Shortly thereafter, he was joined by his younger brother Poseidon and a large, baby shaped boulder. He grew up with his siblings within Kronos's stomach, and was eventually freed by Zeus, his youngest brother, when he fed Kronos an emetic which forced him to disgorge Hades and his siblings. The young gods then fled to Zeus's home of Arcadia, whilst the Titans were in disarray. There, he was reunited with his mother Rhea, before he and his siblings decided to go to war with their father for his crimes.

### The Titanomachy

After Hades and all his siblings barring Hestia elected to go to war with Kronos, Hades participated in the preliminary attacks launched against his father's forces. However, despite their considerable power, Hades and his siblings were raw, inexperienced fighters, and they were handily beaten and forced to retreat. Realizing they could not defeat Kronos and his forces by themselves, Hades, along with his brothers Zeus and Poseidon, as well as his sisters, Hera and Demeter, ventured into the Pit of Tartarus. There, they battled through hordes of monsters, until they managed to free their uncles, the Elder Cyclopes and the Hekatonkheires from their prisons. In their gratitude for his assistance in freeing them, Hades was gifted the Helm of Darkness, a warhelm which allowed him to vanish from the sight of even divine beings, and radiate intense waves of fear. Shortly thereafter, Hades and his siblings took Mount Olympus, the second highest mountain in Greece, as their fortress. The newly dubbed Olympians then launched an attack against Mount Othrys, with Zeus blasting the fortress and the top of the mountain to rubble with his Master Bolt, while the Hekatonkheires rained down boulders on them from above. However, due to the powers of Kronos, the Titans were able to take the time they needed to recover somewhat, and thusly, the battle was far more even then expected. Hades used his Helm to decimate the minions that had come to the Titan's aid, but had the misfortune of coming across his cousin, Atlas during the battle. Atlas knocked the Helm from his head, and they engaged in a fearsome duel, which eventually saw Hades victorious. After defeating Atlas, Hades and Poseidon engaged in a joint duel against the twins Hyperion and Iapetus, which they eventually won. Hades then dragged his defeated foes before Zeus, and bore witness to Zeus casting the Titans who had fought against them into Tartarus.

### Rule of Stygia

After defeating the Titans, Hades and his brothers drew lots to divide rulership of the world. Hades received the domains under the earth, and shortly thereafter, he descended to his new kingdom. Whilst travelling the vast underground caverns beneath the world, Hades began to hear hushed whispers, and the sound of rushing water. He discovered a dimensional rift, through which flowed the Styx, the River of Hate. Hades, using his magical power, walked down and across the river, through the rift, and into a dark, gloomy realm filled with despondent souls. Horrified at their misery, Hades began to ask them what they were doing here, one of the souls revealed that a Titan by the name of Thanatos had been sending them here, on orders from Kronos. Apparently, he had found ghosts floating about to be irritating, so he had commanded Thanatos to dispose of them. He had been taking them as far as the river, the Styx, whereupon the soul would need to swim across, which usually resulted in the soul being burned away. During the conversation, Hades was suddenly set upon by three winged creatures armed with flaming whips. Using the power of his Helm, Hades effortlessly cowed them into submission, and learned that they were the Furies, charged with keeping the spirits from leaving. Apparently, they were completely unaware that Kronos had been cast down. Hades decided that the current situation was unacceptable, and thusly, he laid in ambush for the Titan Thanatos by the river. When he arrived, Hades surprised and subdued him, threatening to cast him into Tartarus for serving Kronos and mistreating the souls by making them swim the river. However, he was taken by surprise when Thanatos changed his form, and revealed that he was not a Titan, but rather a being similar to Hades and his siblings. Having heard of the fate of Hades and his siblings, Thanatos had apparently thought it best to masquerade as a Titan when leaving the realm of his mother, Nyx. Hades's anger had been diverted, and he decreed that since this place was now within his domain, Thanatos would serve him, and that they would immediately begin bettering the existence of these souls. Hades began by hiring a ferryman by the name of Charon, who would ensure that the souls did not have to endure the waters of the Styx. Later on, Hades also discovered an entrance to Tartarus, which he ensured was heavily fortified with help from his uncles, the Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires.

Noticing that their had been no discrimination in the way the souls had been sorted for this afterlife, Hades decided to implement a new system. He then spent the next few years dividing Stygia into three subrealms; Asphodel, Elysium, and the Fields of Punishment, the last of which was located within Tartarus itself. Asphodel, a grey, somewhat drear place, would be home to those that had lived an average life, accomplishing no great deeds, good or ill. Elysium would be for those who had lived lives of nobility and honor, a beautiful, idyllic land of peace and harmony. The Fields of Punishment would be for the truly wicked, a place for the evildoers of the world to suffer eternal torment. While constructing these places, . Once the constructions were complete, Hades set up a court system, where judges would evaluate newly arriving souls, and assign them to one of the various sections of Stygia, which is what the realm was being called. Hades then procured a magical, three headed hound by the name of Cerberus, which would be used to protect the entrance to the realm. It was only after all this was complete, the order and prosperity of his domain assured, that Hades constructed for himself his own palace, a great fortress of black and bronze. He also crafted for himself a new symbol of his rule, the Staff of Hades, or the Black Bident.

## Physical Appearance

Hades appears to be in his mid forties, with skin that is quite pale and inky black hair which he usually wears in a long dark mane that flows down to his shoulders. He also usually sports a full dark beard, only an inch or two in length. Of all his brothers, Hades most strongly resembles their father, Kronos, having been described by those who knew the Titan King as his spitting image, for Hades possesses the same golden eyes, as well as his nose, jaw, mouth and cheekbones. His features might be described as handsome, especially for the standards of the middle aged man he appears to be, but his stern and somber countenance is off putting to many, as is his deathly pallor.

Hades is quite tall, standing slightly higher than Poseidon and slightly shorter than Zeus. Hades has a prodigious amount of muscle, though on his tall frame, it appears to be leaner, and he lacks the bulk of either of his brothers, especially Zeus. The Lord of the Dead possesses a lean, lithe body, with his muscles being dense and wiry, though he possesses fairly large hands and feet. It has been remarked upon that he looks like a former NBA basketball star by halfborn who have met him.

## Personality

The most reserved of Kronos's sons, Hades is much like his sire in his introverted nature. He is not an outgoing individual, preferring intimate company within his home to large social gatherings. He is quiet and contemplative, prone to letting others speak before expressing his own opinions. His demeanor is rather reticent, but when interacting with strangers, Hades is usually polite and cordial, so long as they remain courteous.

Yet while he is not gregarious, Hades is far from meek or shy. When the need arises, he has within him the force of personality to command obedience and inspire terror, skills which prove essential in his role as Lord of Stygia. Hades is a stern ruler, who values order and efficiency, and works tirelessly to keep his domains well run, finding chaos and disorder to be offensive. He strongly believes that those in positions of authority have an obligation to work just as hard as their subordinates, and embodies this view with his diligence and conscientiousness.

Even more so than order, Hades values justice. He has a powerful sense of morality, with firm beliefs on what is right and wrong. Honesty, loyalty, dedication, and courage are all traits that he values, and he believes that anyone who displays such traits should be respected and rewarded. On the other side of the coin, Hades despises liars and traitors, those who exhibit cowardice, sloth, or greed. He is quite harsh with those who break his values, as evidenced by the numerous torments he has inflicted upon the wicked souls in his charge.

Hades is quite creative with his punishments, and while he is usually somber and serious, not prone to jokes or laughter, he does have an ironic sense of humor which tends to color the torments he inflicts on evildoers. And while he is normally cool headed and calm, Hades is capable of terrible vengeance when roused. He does not forget offenses, nor does he forgive easily. Hades is prone to brooding upon wrongdoings, and when presented with the opportunity to revenge himself upon transgressors, he seizes it and acts with cold, calculated fury.

For all his harsh sense of justice and his general lack of warmth, Hades is not without his virtues. He may be stern, but he is also fair, and is open and honest in all his doings. While ostentatious acts of affection or kindness are not in his nature, Hades is still remarkably considerate to those he cares for, and his fastidious nature manifests as he makes all manner of subtle gestures to ensure their happiness.

Though not prone to great gales of mirth, Hades is not joyless. He delights in the company of family and close friends, and enjoys art, music, and poetry. There are a few beings who can make him smile, and an even rarer few that can make him laugh, and it is these individuals who he treasures above all others.

## Stats

### Traits

**Power Level:** 4

**Strength:**4

**Dexterity:** 5

**Endurance:** 4

**Intelligence:** 5

**Charisma:** 4

**Perception:** 5

### Skills

Academia: 4

Artistry: 1

Brawl: 3

Charm: 2

Command: 4

Craft: 2

Deception: 1

Empathy: 4

Intimidation: 5

Intrigue: 2

Leadership: 3

Marksmanship: 2

Medicine: 2

Melee: 3

Occult: 4

Performance: 2

Seduction: 2

Stealth: 5

Stewardship: 6

Survival: 2

Torture: 5