Piqumi

Piqumi's Cat Form

***“**All these rich mortals give me the same stuff: gold, gems, silver, money. Oh Zaelphar, after all these years I still eagerly await the day someone offers me some catnip. Now **that** is an offering worthy of the Gods!**”***
— Piqumi

**Piqumi**, refered to by mortals as the **Fatemaker**, is the Goddess of Luck. She has withdrawn herself in Piqumi's Palace, a gigantic manor in southern Ostland. Despite being considered a Minor God, Piqumi is one of the most worshipped Divines in Enselonde.

## Appearances

Like most Divines, Piqumi's real form remains unknown to the mortal races of Enselonde. However, she has been associated with two main forms over the years. Primarily, she will appear as a cat with golden fur.

However, she also possesses a mortal form, posing as a female Human. She appears as a woman in her mid-30s, with black hair, skin as white as snow, and all-piercing golden eyes.

## Biography

### Appearance

Piqumi is the last Divine to appear excluding Usurper Gods. She crashed into Xiatang Island, one of the Gemstone Islands, in 977 BW, nearly 5000 years after the first Divine, Cossyxia, had been created by the One. Her crash quite literally made the islands luckier, as its inhabitants suddenly began finding drastically more rare ores and gems on the islands. Her role as a Divine was initially unknown, even to herself, and many of the other Divines considered her a deadweight.

Still weakened and heavily disoriented, Piqumi was taken in by a small family of Evin farmers who cared for her for the first months of her life. When they asked her for her name, the Goddess didn't know. Ultimately, she took the name Piqumi after the family's daughter, also called Piqumi, who had died in childhood. News of the strange arrival spread throughout Xiatang Island, and many flocked to see the new Goddess. Eventually, Piqumi gathered a small cult following.

The few mortals that worshipped her all began living abnormally successful lives. Merchants became rich beyond their imagination from ventures that appeared to be doomed to fail, rulers passed new laws and policies effortlessly, and the lowest of farmers rose to become great heroes. Those who Piqumi disliked would often see their lives collapse over time. Piqumi, still puzzled by what this meant, began experimenting with her powers. Before long, she finally realised just what her role was amongst the Divines, as she could grant people both extreme fortune and misfortune at will. The news spread, and mortals began falling over each other to worship her and beg her for her favour seemingly overnight, much to the annoyance of the other Divines.

### Wars of Gold and Green

News of Piqumi's divine powers and the incredible luck she granted spread like wildfire throughout the Third Evin Empire. The Evin had been created alongside the Harpies by Adyana, the Goddess of the Sky, to inhabit the at-the-time abandoned Gemstone Islands. What followed were religious clashes, as some Evin rulers began worshipping Piqumi over Adyana, while other traditionalist Evin maintained their worship of Adyana instead. A third faction sought compromise, worshipping both, but they were by far the minority.

The Third Evin Empire descended into a religious civil war and eventually collapsed. This would ultimately lead to the Wars of Gold and Green between various Evin warlords and kings. The Fourth Evin Empire, rose from the ashes of the Third and declared Piqumi an idol and banned the worship of her. The two Divines began to finally involve themselves in the chaos persoanlly. Adyana made it clear that she wanted Piqumi off her islands, and that she was ruining ruining her vision of the Gemstone Islands. Piqumi was not about to be bullied by the Sky Goddess, though. Before long, the two Goddesses began a series of proxy wars that would devastate the Evin population of the islands. The Fourth Empire fell to a Piqumi-aligned Fifth Empire, only for it to collapse in on itself a century later for another Adyana-aligned Sixth Empire.

Piqumi finally relented and gave in, agreeing to leave the Gemstone Islands. She moved to the Mainland to explore Enselonde disguised as a cat, which became her most common Divine Form. In time, the Sixth Empire would collapse due to a demographic crisis spurred on by the extreme losses of the Wars of Gold and Green, eventually opening the path for Human Freemen to dominate the Gemstone Islands.

### The Divine War

When the Second and Third Human Rebellions broke out, the political landscape of Enselonde began to change drastically. Some Divines sided with the old and established Freeholds, seeking to maintain the status quo, while others sided with the Human Freemen, seeking to grant total liberty to all. Piqumi couldn't be bothered about any of this. Instead, she moved to present-day Ostland, where she began building a palace for herself to enjoy. Throughout the two conflicts, hundreds of lords and generals sought her out, begging for her assistance. Each time Piqumi informed them that she was neutral in the conflict, but could be convinced to grant her favour for a sufficient offering. Influential figures of the Freeholds and the Kingdom of Humanity began offering increasingly larger bribes to the Goddess in an attempt to outdo their rivals. Before long, Piqumi had become the richest individual in Enselonde, and Piqumi's Palace grew and grew into a gigantic series of complexes of marble and pure gold. She later revealed that she never gave anyone any luck during the Divine War, though she did make some Artifacts.

Near the end of the Divine war, Cossyxia acknowledged that Piqumi had remained neutral in the war, but she still blamed her for escalating tensions by profiting off the conflict and encouraging people to go to greater and more desperate lengths for her. As a result, Piqumi also became a target for the Starslaughter. Cossyxia sent five of her Divine Offspring to capture and, if needed, wound her: Cephylica, Dhoraris, Hyribos, Sobium and, most notable of all, her second-born, Zofichar.

The five Divine Offspring stormed Piqumi's Palace, confronting the Goddess of Luck in her inner chambers. When Zofichar informed Piqumi that she was to be captured to end the Divine War, the Goddess laughed, and killed all five of them instantly in a display of extreme power that Giraldir later described as "possessing an unsettling amount of lethality for a Minor Goddess." Piqumi was left alone for the remainder of the Starslaughter.

After the Divine War, Piqumi agreed to go into Withdrawal, as it wouldn't require a change to her lifestyle. She made her Palace her official Divine Seal and officially Withdrew into it in 6 AW in the hopes of getting some peace and quiet. However, it didn't take long for the first pilgrims to start arriving.

### Fatemaker

Piqumi welcomed the first pilgrims with open arms, as she would end up getting bored without any contact. At first, it was only the occasional pilgrim, though their numbers increased exponentially. Before long, Piqumi found herself plagued with zealots begging for her favours at every hour of every day. While it was a minor annoyance to her, real problems began occurring when more and more thieves flocked to the palace. Every part of the palace, including the walls themselves, was worth fortunes. Fearing that they would pick the palace clean, Piqumi put her pilgrims to work.

The Fatemaker created the Order of the Golden Cliffs, a group that fulfilled many functions. They acted as a private guard to the Palace, as housekeepers who maintained and cleaned the complex, and as priests who oversaw ceremonies and the flow of pilgrims. The leaders of the Order of the Golden Cliffs became known as the Fateguard, who became Piqumi's Champions in practice, though this arrangement was unofficial.

When the Darkest Decade began, Piqumi ordered the Order to occupy the nearby Naerisi town of Ylhoria, turning it into a safe haven for any non-Human pilgrims and refugees. The Sapphire Inquisition made no attempt to attack the town, as they were smart enough not to cross the Goddess that could destroy them by changing their fates.

Once the Darkest Decade ended, the Kingdom of Fühlgart demanded Ylhoria be returned to them, yet Piqumi refused. Tensions boiled over until 1014 AW when a sizeable Fühlgartian force attempted to take the town. In the resulting Battle of Ylhoria, Piqumi briefly broke her Seal to fight alongside the Order, crushing the attacking force and restoring the Ylhoria firmly under her rule. Out of spite, Fühlgart banned the worship of Piqumi altogether, yet later repealed the decision after widespread protests.

### Present Day

During the Great War, Piqumi became concerned with Syarus and his violent actions. After he killed both Cynda Wintersong and Nyara, Piqumi closed her palace to visitors and began to modify it with traps and defenses that – while not fatal – would most definitely repel the mad God. These efforts proved useless when Syarus tried to kill Piqumi in 1214 AW. Syarus bypassed the defences and duelled Piqumi, though the Fatemaker managed to defeat him. She later stated that it was because Syarus relied entirely on the Godslayer's Blade and that he lacked the skill to wield his own powers properly, though maybe she was just lucky.

Syarus did not try to kill Piqumi a second time, and she has since reopened her palace to pilgrims. While technically still Withdrawn, she has become a firm opponent of Syarus and – according to some – has cursed him with every last bit of misfortune she could bestow upon the God.

## Personality

Piqumi styles herself as a just Goddess, though one can question her moral code. Some call her corrupt, as she happily accepts "offerings" (bribes) for favours. She doesn't always need offerings, though, and will help and hinder people of her own accord. Oftentimes, bribing her will just make her more inactive to see if she can gain more offerings from people willing to pay.

However, Piqumi is not as heartless as many portray her. She is curious about the changing world around her, often sneaking through it disguised as a mortal or, more commonly, a cat. Furthermore, she cares for her subjects in the Order of the Golden Cliffs more than most Divines would, personally ensuring their long lives and great fortunes. Finally, she takes her role as the Fatemaker rather seriously and doesn't arbitrarily ruin people's lives as some claim she does.

Those close to her are quick to learn that Piqumi, despite appearances, is actually quite insecure. Because she appeared so late into the creation of Enselonde, she lacks seniority, and many of the other Divines have mocked her in the past as being an obsolete Goddess. She's spent centuries honing her skills in combat to prove that she is a true Divine if push ever comes to shove, which led her to repel Syarus relatively easily.

## Champion

*Main Article: Champions*

Piqumi has never had an official Champion. However, the leader of the Order of the Golden Cliffs automatically gains the title of Fateguard. The Fateguard is Piqumi's Champion in all but name and receives some of Piqumi's power. The current leader of the Order is Zaelphar Fateguard, a local Faerian soldier who has turned into Piqumi's favorite Fateguard so far.

## Divine Offspring

*Main Article: Divine Offspring*

Piqumi is a Goddess who used to despise the idea of Divine Offspring. However, as the loneliness of Divinity grew worse over the years, Eitrius convinced her to at least give it a try. As a result, Piqumi has only one Divine Offspring.

* Tylia - Tylia is a Naerisi-like creation who serves in the Order of the Golden Cliffs. At the request of her mother, she has recently joined the fight against Syarus, joining the ongoing Vachstadt Rebellion as a Monarchist volunteer. As Tylia wields the Caelum Ensis, she has become one of the most instrumental fighters in all of Vachstadt.

## Artifacts

*Main Article: Artifacts*

Piqumi hasn't made too many Artifacts over the year, yet the ones that do exist oftentimes grant great fortunes to the owner. This has made her Artifacts some of the most coveted.

* Aurelica - Aurelica is a spear that was created as a gift by Piqumi during the Divine War. It can pierce through any armor, and grants the wielder immense speed. It is currently in possession of Appius Cantius Novellius, the leader of Legionary Daletia.
* Bottomless Pouch - The Bottomless Pouch is a small wallet that, once turned upside down, produces an infinite amount of silver coins. The Artifact is currently in possession of the Divine Order of Enselonde, who have hidden it in a safe location to prevent the Pouch from causing hyperinflation.
* Caelum Ensis - The Caelum Ensis is a one-handed blade that is perhaps the most coveted of all of Piqumi's artifacts. The Caelum Ensis will turn anything it strikes into solid gold. This makes it both a fatal weapon and a tremendous source of income. The blade was in possession of the Empire of Nytalyria but was destroyed after the death of Lyxis the Blind. However, the Caelum Ensis has resurfaced in possession of Tylia, Piqumi's only Divine Offspring.
* Coin of Heaven - The Coin of Heaven is a seemingly ordinary gold coin that has been blessed by Piqumi. The Coin absolutely justifies the term "lucky coin", as whoever possesses it is guaranteed to succeed in practically everything they do. It was in possession of the League of Whitecrest but was lost at sea in the  11th-century AW. It is rumored to be somewhere at the bottom of the Western Ocean near Frosthaven Island. However, while many Xyphians have searched for the Coin, none have found it.
* Fatemaker's Bow - The Fatemaker's Bow is a legendary bow crafted in the  4th-century AW. Its wielder is guaranteed to hit each and every arrow they fire, no matter how badly they would ordinarily miss. It is in possession of Abil Ardusin, one of the Desert Lords.

## Relationships

* Tylia - Piqumi always hated the idea of having a Divine Offspring but gave it a go. Now, Tylia is her pride and joy.
* Zaelphar Fateguard - Of all the Fateguards Piqumi has had, Zaelphar is her undisputed favourite.
* Cynda Wintersong - Piqumi related to Cynda as a young Usurper Goddess, and the two were friends. Piqumi mourned her death greatly.
* Eitrius - Not many would consider Eitrius a friend, but Piqumi likes him. He was one of few Divines who never judged her for being young.

* Syarus - Piqumi has many reasons to hate Syarus between turning Fühlgart against her, killing Cynda Wintersong, and attacking her Palace.

## Stories

*Main Article: Stories*

* Story: Syarus - To Defy Fate
* Story: Piqumi - Nostalgia