Aether

Aether is the physical manifestation of the sky and of the winds, their master and their servant of their both. He was borne from a coalescence of the air over the nascent Paradisus, given mass and density by the sheer will of the wind, and he has reigned over his sky-realm ever since. His efforts to make the air over the Isles breathable were instrumental in the arrival of mortal horses to Paradisus, or perhaps he helped shape the mortal horses to breathe his air, but in any case, his role in bringing life to those early, barren rocks, and indeed, maintaining it can not be overstated.

And yet, despite this importance, Aether does not take himself too seriously. In fact, he doesn't seem to take anything too seriously, because, for this God, all the universe is a playground. A perpetually youthful creature, Aether is as a foal in terms of both appearance and manner, and like any foal, he attends to work only begrudgingly and plays with vigour. Fortunately for mortal horses, he rather enjoys the tasks they rely on him for. At every moment, Aether is directing the winds, sending breezes, gusts and sometimes gales sweeping across the island chain, but when he does so he moves the clouds so carefully crafted by the water Goddess so that their rain reaches everywhere it should, or at least, everywhere Aether wants it too. This responsibility, Aether adores, for it allows him to express his chaotic, playful nature without incurring the wrath of the other Gods; none of them are going to complain if the wind blows from South one day, instead of the North.

But Aether is foal-like in more than just his attitudes to work and play. He is also rebellious, impulsive, and unreliable, and loves nothing more than baiting a rise out of others. He is something of a clown, a natural jester, and pranks and tricks are his favourite tools. Frequently he wanders the lands of Paradisus in the form of a pale young foal, looking for mortal horses to tease and play pranks upon. His pranks range from the very simple, such as shouting 'Boo!' from behind a tree, to the incredibly intricate and meticulous. He will pretend to be a homeless, orphaned foal until a kindly herd takes him in, then spend his time spreading rumours or openly teasing, and he has a love of riddles. His victims are not limited to mortal horses; he is not above goading the other Gods too, especially the more staunch, stuffy ones, though this is a somewhat more risky endeavour.

Like any foal, Aether requires supervision, which must be provided by the other horses. He must be reminded to make the winds blow, and when he flies into a tantrum and whips up a hurricane, he must be placated. Nevertheless, despite his tantrums and tricks, pranks and playfulness, Aether is good at heart, if extremely chaotically so. When he appears before a mortal horse and makes himself a pain in the rump for a few days, the aim is always fundamentally to improve something for the better. He might jump out at a dozing horse, just in time for him or her to notice the stalking predator about to pounce, or spread rumours that a stallion and mare have both expressed interest in one another, even though both have never in fact voiced their feelings allowed, so that they might be brought together. His most intricate plans can bring together entire herds, or start a dynasty of horses that remains intact for generations. He's not always necessarily aware of what he's doing, only that he has an urge to do it, but it is a result of his fundamentally good natured.

Aether is very fond of his particular followers, those who choose to favour him over the other Gods of he Duodecim, and frequently appears before them in his foal body so that he and they can frolic together. He expects no offerings or sacrifices, and yet delights in gifts of toys or natural curiosities. Just don't expect these gifts to garner you any special treatment beyond the sight of a foal-God dancing in glee upon receiving a present. He pays little attention to prayers most of the time, but the most serious ones will get through to him, and he will respond, sometimes rather over-enthusiastically. He has no particular code of conduct that he enforces upon his followers, mostly letting them go, but genuine, long-term suffering upsets and confuses him, and anyone who inflicts such suffering upon other mortals will be met with punishment..