Vicus

## Alignment:

Vicus is truly neutral, largely due to the fact that he is believed to be entirely just and fair.

## Likes and dislikes:

Likes: Wisdom, Fine Architecture, Underdogs

Dislikes: Lies, Corruption, Greed

## Tenets:

Speak No Lies, for Truth is a foundation of Good Society

Know the Laws of your Society

Let No Corruption Infect Any Government

Right Injustice Wherever It Is Found

## Depictions/Concepts:

* Blue avian in light robes, sometimes with a crown of laurels. All meant to signify wisdom and purity of the mind
* A pigeon or a dove, sometimes with a blue ribbon around its neck. Sometimes a swarm of birds if the message has to be clear.
* Blue ink on ancient documents and laws.

## Personality:

Vicus has a very gray outlook on morality. He rarely looks at things as evil or good, but rather he views things as just and fair. In every discussion, Vicus is a very eager listener and based on how well you make your case, you may yet win his favor. After all, if you have a way to justify why your actions were necessary and fair, he will happily support your cause. This kind of behavior has been viewed as fickle, but he can in turn argue that society is just the same. Societal norms vary greatly from place to place, so everything falls down to the logic of the human mind and their environment.

Away from guiding governors and judging mortals, Vicus is quite a calming presence. He can come across as very relaxed, very friendly and forever fascinated by the minds of mortals. Despite his friendly demeanor, he is rarely swayed by emotional tales and will rely on his logic to make judgements.  He is far more a listener than a talker, relying on actions and very few select words to express his desires and complaints.

## Stories:

The majority of the tales surrounding Vicus are of strange doves crashing important proceedings which often foreshadowed a dramatic change in discussion or the reveal of new evidence in a court. Alongside that, some utter rumors of Vicus' dark blue ink adding minor alterations to ancient texts to better suit the present or some other ulterior motive. However, there are two stories that are most often brought up which involve Vicus.

First, it is an ancient tale of Vicus' first interactions with mortals. It is said that somewhere in the Western reaches of Oracle, a dove led a community of Avians away from a cruel ruler and unhappy circumstances towards much safer grounds. They settled and as their new civilisation grew, it was said a bird always watched over important events. A dove in their town house, a hawk in their courtrooms and an owl in their archives. They knew it was Vicus and soon dedicated their new kingdom of Aquila to him. They sent prayers and made sure to rule their city fairly to please their god. Of course, this delighted him and in the height of glory of the kingdom, it was said that the god walked amongst mortals himself to enjoy the wonders of mortal life and their ways. The city was his very first love, the first thing that Vicus adored and watched over like a doting father.

Yet all things come to an end. Of course the kingdom was not alone and others vied for the riches they saw within its walls. There were many who wished to conquer what seemingly was a utopia. To make matters worse, not all decided to be truthful and just, and despite the god's efforts, Aquila eventually fell and Vicus retreated into his home in the skies.

The second tale is more recent, but few know exactly how long ago it was, or where it even took place. Some presume it's a bunch of different events pulled together into one tale of divine intervention.

The story tells of a simple man who worked away as a lumberjack outside of his city (though some accounts claim he could have just as well been a farmer or a miner). He was an honest man, a man who had never uttered a single lie in his entire life. He was kind and generous to his neighbors, which gained him much love from some, but ridicule from others. At some point in his life, the man found himself face to face with a terrible crime. He became a witness to a murder, catching a woman who had just killed another. He made an effort to apprehend the criminal, but she fled and he hurried to take the victim back, uncaring of the blood that ended up on him. Little did the simple man know, the criminal was blessed with a golden tongue (as well as a purse full of gold) and when he attempted to bring the victim in, he was apprehended under suspicion of murder. The matter escalated so far as to reach a court hearing where a mixture of bribery and sweet lies almost sent the man to his death for a crime he did not commit. That is, until the doors of the courtroom flew open and a swarm of doves fluttered inside, filling the air above all those who came to witness it. They surged to attack the lying criminal, while the lumberjack was miraculously freed of his binds and surrounded by angrily cooing doves, the largest of which was adorned with a blue ribbon around its neck.

Needless to say, the man was freed and the woman was found guilty after a mysterious witness appeared with a crystal clear account of what happened that day. The dove upon his shoulder indicated to the judges that this testimony was not to be questioned. Thanks to this, the lumberjack was free to go back to work, but from that day forward he made sure to send up a prayer to Vicus in thanks for his divine intervention.