Hestia

* Elysium
* Classic

*Though the first exalted mortal for Kronos and Rhea, Hestia is often regarded as the little sister of the Olympian Elder Gods. Hestia has no ambitions or agenda, in fact, she despises politics. She has little interest in much of anything outside of caring for the Haven and the residents that reside within it. Hestia is a homebody. She rarely ventures out of the Haven, and likes to keep herself busy with maintaining the Haven, preparing Nektar, and cooking Ambrosia. When she does have free-time, she will spend it in the company of her many nephews and nieces, hearing of their plights and advising them, or enjoying a drink with one of her special lady friends. Though mortals of Earth once believed Hestia to be an eternal virgin, the people of Elysium celebrate her as an iconic omophilic goddess and patron of the Sapphic arts.*

## History

### Age of the Titans:

#### ~5,000 Years Before Titanomachy to ~669 YBT

As the Titans' influence and power grew, mortals began to spread their legend across the land. The Titans no longer wished to spend time among the mortals. Instead, they sought to spend their time in the 'Haven,' the impressive residence and research station that Ouranos and Gaia had built for themselves atop Mt. Othrys. So to this end, the Titan Rhea discovered a way to extract the essence of the most powerful Titan, Kronos, and bestow it upon their most loyal mortal followers. Rhea used her essence to stabilize this process, creating the gods.

#### 669 YBT - 650 YBT

Before the Titans chose her, Hestia was a humble slave to a healer in a small tribal settlement. Hestia is said to have treated the wounds of Rhea herself as the Titaness journeyed through mortal lands when her master refused to treat the inhuman Titans. Others say it was Kronos that Hestia saved from grave injury. Ultimately, it matters little, as the end result remains the same: Hestia was the first mortal given the Titans' essence as a gift, and she was summoned to Haven itself to serve the Titans as their personal attendant and caretaker to their precious Haven.

#### 650 YBT - 625 YBT

Throughout the next quarter-century, Kronos and Rhea would add five other exalted lieutenants to their retinue. The first was Hades, followed by Demeter, Poseidon, Hera, and finally, Zeus. In a sense, these six were now Kronos and Rhea's children. Though unrelated in their mortal life, they were spiritual siblings, connected by the essence of their 'father' and 'mother.' While the other five were often sent out to further the legend of the Titans and to handle the Titans' interest in the mortal world to allow the Titans able to spend more time in their Haven on Othrys, Hestia remained in the Haven to serve the Titans.

#### 625 YBT - 311 YBT

Hestia served the Titans faithfully for over three-hundred years, and while she had objections, she kept such things to herself until she overheard Kronos speaking to another Titan about locking Hades in Tartarus. Hestia protested such out of concern for her spirit-brother, and Kronos saw fit to lock Hestia in Tartarus before she had a chance to warn the Titans' spymaster. In truth, Hades had not been conspiring against the Titans but was running an inquiry into the Titan Mnemosyne's secret plans to seize power from Kronos. Mnemosyne discovered Hades was investigating her and manipulated Kronos into believing his lieutenants were conspiring against him.

#### 311 YBT - 103 YBT

Hestia was joined in prison by Hades, Demeter, and Poseidon soon after her own imprisonment. Hera would join the four later, leaving only Zeus free. First, however, Zeus' pregnant wife Metis was imprisoned, followed shortly by a duplicate of Zeus that alerted Hestia and the others that Zeus may return to rescue them.

#### 103 YBT - 0 OC

And return, he did. When their freedom was offered, Hestia escaped with the others. In the rescue mission, Zeus' wife Metis died, compelling Zeus to end the reign of the Titans once and for all. Though she had little desire for bloodshed, Hestia took up arms with the rest of her family as she felt it was her duty when Zeus called upon her aid.

### Age of the Gods:

#### 0 Olympian Calendar - 27 OC

Once the Titans were overthrown, Hestia's skills proved invaluable in claiming control of the Haven. Following the Titans' defeat, Hestia moved the Haven to Mount Olympus, thus giving the deities their collective identity as the Olympians. This gave them a new foundation to build their own pantheon to properly process the worship they needed to maintain their power.

#### 0 OC - 5 OC

Shortly after the rise of the Olympians, the Titan Iapetos led his family in a campaign against the gods. Attempting to destabilize Haven, the center of the gods' power, Iapetus' sons Prometheus and Epimetheus infiltrated the Haven. The two stole the Empyrean Flame, the Haven's power source, and kidnapped its caretaker, Hestia.

#### 5 OC - 6 OC

Hestia was again held prisoner while Prometheus conducted experiments with the Empyrean Flame and Epimetheus tortured Hestia out of boredom. Thankfully, Artemis and Apollo mounted a daring rescue of Hestia, capturing Prometheus in the process, though Epimetheus escaped.

#### 6 OC - 13 OC

In the aftermath of her torture, Hestia needed time to recover. As she did so, Athena and Hephaestus split the duties of the Haven's maintenance. Gaining access to Gaia's old laboratory, Hephaestus concocted a scheme to deliver revenge against Epimetheus for Hestia's torture. With Athena's help, Hephaestus created Pandora, an automaton goddess that would seek out Epimetheus and bring ruin to his kingdom in the west. Though Pandora was a success, Epimetheus' followers discovered Pandora's sabotage efforts and killed her.

#### 13 OC

When Hestia learned what Hephaestus and Athena had done for her, she was thankful. When Epimetheus' kingdom was brought down later, Hestia joined Hephaestus and Athena on a journey to recover Pandora's body. Upon her recovery, Pandora was stored in a gossamer vat in her birthplace in Gaia's old lab, which had since become Hephaestus' workshop.

#### 13 OC - 500 OC

Hestia never sought a throne in Haven. Knowing someone would need to attend to their new home's maintenance, Hestia figured she was the best person for the job. This meant Hestia was always looking for someone to replace her on the Council of the Twelve. Though she wanted to abdicate her throne at Aphrodite's wedding to Hephaestus, she remained on the Council when Hades gave his place on the Council to Aphrodite as a wedding gift. Years later, Hestia would abdicate her throne and nominate Dionysus to take her place, giving Hades' family a voice on the Council once more.

#### 122 OC - 1239 OC

Though she had retired from the Twelve, Hestia remained the Keeper of the Empyrean Flame, the power source of the Haven. This assured Hestia would witness many of her pantheon's most wild moments. Though rarely a key figure in these stories, Hestia played a supporting role in many.

#### 1239 OC - 2969 OC

As she was a more reclusive goddess, many mortals of the ancient world had the notion Hestia had taken a vow of virginity, but that was false. Nevertheless, Hestia allowed the rumor to persist simply as it kept men of the ancient world from trying to seduce her. In truth, Hestia slept exclusively with women, usually with mortal maids or temple priestesses, but also with nymphs and goddesses.

Two gods did try to seduce Hestia, Priapus and his satyr friend Silenus. The young pair were still godlings and had bet on which of them could seduce the most deities within a year. So at every festival, the pair had a neutral third party choose a target. Halfway through the year, the two sought out Hermes to choose their target. Seeing Hestia in attendance, the trickster god chose her, knowing the godlings would be unaware of the inclinations of her libido.

As Priapus and Silenus tried and failed repeatedly, Hermes worked his way through the crowd, alerting every other attending deity to his game. Finally, when Priapus and Silenus agreed to ask another deity for a target, they again chose Hestia. This continued until Hestia grew tired of these games and told them she would never be interested. When the two failed to comprehend what she was telling them, Hestia grabbed nearby Bia and planted a passionate kiss on her.

### Roman Empire:

#### 2969 OC - 3391 OC

In the days of the Romanization of the Olympians, Hestia adopted the name of Vesta. Like most Olympians, she dressed in the Roman style but never fully embraced the Roman culture despite its expansive growth. After five hundred years, the pantheon's Roman days were over. They had been outlawed in favor of the God of the Christians.

### Exodus:

#### 3391 OC - 3478 OC

To assure the pantheon's survival, Zeus sent Hermes into the cosmos to find a new world for the gods. The world Hermes found was occupied by primitive savage gods and their tribal followers, the gods who had overthrown the great and dreaded Titans felt confident they could tame this world to their liking. They were correct.

### Arrival on Elysium:

#### 0 New Olympian Calendar - 1542 NOC

During the Exodus and the subsequent Wars of Convergence, Hestia remained the Haven's caretaker. She helped Hephaestus design the Ascension Anchors. In addition, she was responsible for recalibrating the Haven's worship processor to accommodate Elysian psychic signatures. This produced a different type of essence-rich atmosphere in the Haven. This warped the flowers of Haven's garden and the grasses of its pastures. Though Nektar and Ambrosia could still be produced by the celestial hives and herds, the final product had a different taste. Though most gods have acclimated to the taste, and some seem to prefer it, Hestia still has to hear complaints from her pantheon's pickiest eaters and drinkers, who continue to ask her to recalibrate the worship processing.

### Now:

#### 1542 NOC

Nowadays, Hestia misses the mortals of Earth but has found the Elysian people to be an acceptable substitute and has grown genuinely fond of them. When she travels among them, she assumes the presence of the unassuming servant or humble caretaker; but the Divine Servant spends most of her time with her family, at home in Haven, cooking heavenly meals and tending to the Haven's hearth.

## Abilities

* **Divine Physicality:** Hestia possesses the following abilities, though the exact levels may fluctuate or cease to function due to lack of Nektar and Ambrosia in her system. Generally speaking, Nektar is processed by her body and converted into ichor which is required for replenishing ichor and channeling essence; while Ambrosia is processed by her body to heal injuries and sustain immortality. Hestia does require some level of mundane food and drink, though a diet strictly made of Nektar and Ambrosia can sustain her (though she may become increasingly disconnected and 'inhuman' as a result). The amount of food and drink Hestia needs is less than most other deities due to her divine gifts.
	+ **Enhanced Agility:** Hestia is more agile, coordinated, and dexterous than her physique would otherwise suggest.
	+ **Enhanced Awareness:** Hestia is more closely attuned to the esoteric, arcane, and mystical than mortals. She can perceive ghosts, unmanifested nymphs, and other passively invisible patterns at work in her environment.
	+ **Enhanced Durability:** Hestia is more durable, resilient, and resistant than her physique would otherwise suggest. Mystical weaponry, magic, concentrated essence weaponry, the natural attacks of other gods or divine creatures, and weapons forged of magical metals such as adamantine or orichalcum are the exceptions to this nigh-invulnerability. Most mortal weaponry cannot pierce Hestia's skin, though bladed attacks from incredibly strong mortals have left bruises or slight cuts on her and repeated blows can weaken her over time as her body burns through its consumed Ambrosia.
	+ **Enhanced Might:** Hestia is stronger than their physique would otherwise suggest. She punches harder than a mule can kick. In conjunction with her enhanced durability, Hestia can barehandedly punch through a brick and mortar wall without concern for harming her body.
	+ **Enhanced Speed:** Hestia is faster, more reflexive, and all-around quicker than their physique would otherwise suggest. She can usually dodge gunfire if she is aware of the attack and prepared to move.
* **Inheritance and Birthright:** Gods of Olympus will inherit three abilities: One Inheritance from their mother (or matron), one Inheritance from their father (or patron), and one unique ability called the Birthright.
	+ **Maternal Endowment: Arete of Restoration:** Upon her exaltation, Hestia was endowed by Rhea with the ability to identify entropy in systems organic or inorganic, physical or ethereal, practical or abstract. Furthermore, Hestia gained the innate knowledge of what must be done to restore the system to its proper function. As a result of this, Hestia also has a heightened affinity for essence related to order and stability.
	+ **Paternal Endowment: Arete of Endurance:** Upon her exaltation, Hestia was endowed by Kronos with a stamina that was beyond the scope of other deities. Hestia requires less sustenance and rest than other deities and finds productive toil gives her comfort. Hestia is seldom bored or exhausted when there is work to be done. This made Hestia not only an ideal servant and caretaker, but also a legendary sentry.
	+ **Personal Birthright: Sanctuary:** Hestia has uncanny insight into environmental ebbs and flow of essence. Once she is familiar with a place, she gains a heightened awareness to hostile threats and dysfunction in her vicinity.
* **Doctrine**
	+ **Council of the Twelve (Former):** Hestia is a former member of the Council of Twelve. She remains a reserve member of the Twelve, able to return to the Council when called upon by King or Queen to fill a vacancy.
	+ **Elder Goddess:** Hestia was the first being endowed with Titanic essence and made immortal using Rhea's perfected method.
	+ **Steward of Haven:** Hestia is regarded as the Sacred Steward of the Haven and its Hostess. It is generally regarded that the Haven is her home, and she allows the Olympians to hold court there and not the other way around. Hestia makes the rules of the Haven and residents must abide by them or be subject to the punishments for violating the Laws of Hospitality.
	+ **Goddess of Architecture:** Hestia has an instinctive understanding of the discipline of architecture. She can read and design blueprints effectively in regard to the creation of structures and infrastructure used for residence, commerce, industry, or civic needs.
	+ **Goddess of Domestic Arts:**  Hestia has an instinctive understanding of the disciplines known as the domestic arts: baking, cooking, cleaning, sewing, and other practical skills needed to serve the residents of a household. Hestia instinctively understands the recipe for any meal or dessert she encounters. She can also use essence to instantly decontaminate her surroundings or mend a person's damaged clothing. Hestia can also bestow such domestic skills upon mortal minds and has an intrinsic connection to mortals who have already mastered such knowledge.
	+ **Goddess of Family:** Hestia can sense whenever members of her family are near, and can sense the familial connections between mortals, spirits, and the divine alike. Hestia can also detect a mortal's sentiments toward their family members.
	+ **Goddess of the Hearth:** Hestia has the ability to sense the presence of any and all hearths within ten miles of her being. When she is in the Haven, this includes any hearth within ten miles of a Great Temple. When home prayers are made, Hestia can hear these prayers (instantly when within her sphere of influence but later when that psychic energy is brought to her vicinity). When at a hearth, she gets a sense for what prayers and sacrifices have been issued at that hearth.
	+ **Goddess of the Home:** Hestia has the ability to sense where any being makes their home, can conjure temporary shelter, and can wisp herself across vast space in an instant to return to her own home (the Haven). This purview bestows mastery of residential essence upon her.
	+ **Goddess of Sacrificial Fire:** Hestia has the ability to sense when sacrificial fires are lit, burnt offerings are made, or cremations occur within ten miles of her. When she is in the Haven, this includes any such events occurring within ten miles of a Great Temple. When such events happen, Hestia is aware of the purpose for these and can hear any prayers or eulogies made if she so chooses. This purview bestows mastery of Empyrean essence upon her.
	+ **Goddess of Sapphism:** Hestia has the ability to sense if a woman personally identifies as an omophile or amphiphile, or even if they have Sapphic curiosities. Hestia finds great comfort in the presence of such individuals, and she can bring them tremendous comfort with her presence. This purview bestows mastery of the Sapphic subtype of erotic essence upon her.
	+ **Quorum of the Six:** Hestia is a member of the Quorum of the Six. She is therefore given a say in the most important decisions affecting the Olympians.
* **Essential Doctrine**
	+ **Cantrips**
		- **Essence Types:** *Varies by Sourced Environment* - Hestia can absorb specific types of essence from her current environment. She can store this essence to engage in minor magical tricks at that time or at a later date. Essence not native to her current environment dissipates over time becoming less potent.
	+ **Spells**
		- **Essence Types:** *Order, Stability* - If Hestia has a greater affinity for a particular type of essence, she can accomplish more significant effects related to that essence type. Such essence does not dissipate when stored in her ichor.
	+ **Invocations**
		- **Essence Types:** *Empyrean, Erotic (Sapphic), Residential* - If Hestia has a mastery over a particular essence, then she can wield that particular type of essence to achieve legendary fears of essence manipulation. Such essence does not need to be sourced from the environment as she has become a source for this essence herself.
* **Theological Relics**
	+ **The Haven:** By decree of the Six, Hestia is the Keeper of the Haven. As such, Hestia is familiar with the processes of collecting Ambrosia and Nektar, and has the knowledge to repair and maintain the Haven‘s arcane systems and enchantments.
	+ **The Empyrean Flame:**  Hestia is the caretaker of the Empyrean Flame, one of the Divine Keys, and a relic of immense power. Its flame is so intense it can kill a god. In truth, the Empyrean Flame is not fire, but the pure essence that powers the Haven. When not in the Sacred Hearth in the Olympians' throne room, Hestia keeps the Empyrean Flame on her person using a special torch or locks the torch in a special vault in the depths of the Haven's underwork.

## Relationships

Hestia doesn't have any significant romantic partners, mostly just various mortal maids or temple priestesses. Though it true that Hestia has no children, it is not from a lack of intimacy, but rather from her choice to lie with women. However, Hestia is very close to her various nieces and nephews, as seen when she does have free-time, and she likes to spend it in their company, hearing of their plights and advising them.

## Trivia

### General

* While the Gods don't have a set sexuality, Hestia has an obvious preference for women, as she lies with them exclusively.

### Mythology

* In Greek Mythology, Hestia was the biological child of Kronos and Rhea. She grew up receiving marriage proposals from her brothers Poseidon and Zeus. In NeOlympus, the incest is avoided by making the Eldest Gods spiritual siblings, so there is no biological relationship, and the affairs with his own children are completely cut out.
* In Mythology, Hestia was a virgin and as such she had no offspring. But in NeOlympus, it is due to her being with women.

## Gallery

Hestia
(Elysium)Vesta
(Imperial)Hestia
(Classic)The Keeper
(Champion of the Titans)
### Appears In

NeonomikonHestia
CardQuorum of the Six
(Elysium)Through the Ages
## Links and References

1. ↑ NeOlympus: When in Rome Part 3
2. ↑ Neonomikon: Hestia