Cavien

> "*I care not where it comes from, mortals. Give me blood! Tear flesh, spill guts, shatter bones! Paint the Earth red!*"
> ― Cavien, according to the (probably partly fictional) "Fall of the Knights"
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Cavien is the name given to the Dread Titan which inspired the Asarebian minor deity of the same name. To the Asarebians, he is usually known as Cavien the Bloodthirsty or Cavien the Gore-Drenched, and he is associated with violence and bloodshed. Most Asarebians consider him a neutral or even somewhat malevolent force that is appeased due to fear of retribution rather than earnestly loved, but the Mourralfes - the Roulonnais Vampires - have a strong appreciation for the deity.

The real Titan of Cavien was known to be active at several key times of conflict - namely the War for the World, Time of Troubles and Imperial Civil War - and there are Titans referenced in Elvetan and Nakkalite scripture which are almost certainly him, named Magoravel and Gorkalman respectively. In all of his incarnations - whether they be real or mythological - Cavien is an exceptionally bloodthirsty character who loves above all else the thrill and spectacle of violence. He has no grand plan or complex schemes like so many Dread Titans do; his sole ambition is to cause, watch and partake in bloodshed for his own entertainment, with no care for the allegiance of whose blood is shed.

It is known that Cavien frequently kills with his own hands, but he also takes great joy in inciting violence. Unlike some other Titans who enjoyed starting conflicts like Kanshur the Fateweaver and Keddaban the Laughing One, Cavien did not achieve this through manipulation - in fact, he despised deception, treachery and lying - but rather his sheer presence had the effect of maddening those around them into an ultraviolent rage. Cavien would also bring forth violence through the prolific use of Witches; he would imbue warriors with his power on the promise that they would commit great acts of slaughter and dedicate their kills as sacrifices to Cavien. It is unclear whether Cavien demanded this gesture because he simply liked it, or whether the peculiar rituals he demanded had the actual effect of transferring the life-essence of the victims to Cavien to magically empower him.

Whilst Cavien loved brutal violence and bloodshed, he took no pleasure in executions, and he was disgusted by torture and the slaughter of the defenceless. In fact, he reviled warriors who killed the defenceless, as he considered them weak and cowardly, putting their weapons to use against those who could not fight back rather than soldiers of their own calibre. Only deaths in battle satisfied him, and he would punish those who violated what he considered the warrior's code.

## Appearance

Besides the Asarebian depictions of Cavien in religious artwork, there is only one recorded source describing Cavien's appearance, coming from Inquisitor Keishu Hakodori in 947 - though he simply commented that "he looks the same as how the Roulonnaise depict him", which is not terribly helpful as there are two different mainstream depictions of Cavien in Roulonne. Both share many basic characteristics, but are notably distinct.

Common to both depictions of Cavien is his lack of skin; he is always depicted as if he has recently been flayed, with his muscles and bones exposed and constantly dripping with blood. He is also always depicted with bright, glowing red eyes, a pair of bony horns (sometimes shown as curled and sometimes as straight), and long golden hair. Like most Titans, he does not possess sexual organs. He is always depicted holding a weapon, but the weapon is highly variable; the most common depiction shows him with a spear, but he also appears holding a one-handed or two-handed sword or axe, a mace and a halberd. Only one known depiction of him shows him wielding a ranged weapon, which is a vaguely Asmocarian-style recurved shortbow.

Where the two depictions differ is primarily in his physical structure and mannerisms. The first variant is somewhat older and is mostly used amongst Humans and Orcs in the south of Roulonne, and it shows Cavien as a very tall, highly muscular and generally strongly masculine figure. It is fairly frequent for this version of him to be depicted with a beard, though the beard is usually rather short. This variant of Cavien is usually imagined to have a deep, gruff and booming voice, and is thought to speak in a laconic style, not wasting any words.

The second variant is more prominent in the north, but it is most clearly seen amongst all the Elfkin of the country (Elves, Black Elves and Vampires), who exclusively use this variant. It shows Cavien as a slim, gracile and somewhat androgynous figure, little larger than an Elf, always beardless and generally with longer hair than the first variant. This version of him is imagined to have a softer voice, and speaks in an eloquent manner, like an educated scholar. Another key difference is that whilst the first variant never shows Cavien wearing any clothes, the second variant always depicts him wearing golden jewellery and sometimes white or golden-coloured robes. It is also common for this variant to not be depicted as being soaked in blood, though in many cases his hands or fingertips do drip with blood.

It is unclear which version is more accurate. The argument for the first depiction is that it is older and bears more resemblance to the vague descriptions of Cavien found in other religious texts - though these descriptions are indeed very vague, and this is perhaps not a strong argument. The argument for the second depiction is that it primarily originates amongst the Mourralfes (the Vampires), who have always been the keenest worshippers of Cavien and so are the likeliest of all the folk of Roulonne to have communicated with and even seen the "real" Cavien. However, critics argue that the more androgynous image of Cavien derives from the hermaphroditic nature of the Vampires; since they do not particularly relate to masculinity, nor are they generally attracted to it, it makes sense that they would corrupt and adapt the image of Cavien into one they preferred. Ultimately, it is likely that the truth will never be known.

## Knights of Cavien

The Knights of Cavien, often also called Blood Knights, are an ancient ascetic military order in Roulonne dedicated to Cavien. They are often compared to European orders like the Teutonic Knights, Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller, in that they are a wholly independent institution - not beholden to any worldly authority - which is something of a cross between a military and religious order. The Knights of Cavien are sometimes labelled as "Questing Knights", for their main purpose is to honour Cavien by seeking out honourable and glorious battle and to slaughter those who would threaten the innocent.

There are two differing schools of thought within the order as to what exactly they are doing; some see Cavien as a noble (albeit brutal) warrior whom they glorify through honourable combat, whereas others see Cavien as a bloodthirsty butcher and they see their line of work as satisfying Cavien's desire for bloodshed through honourable means, as not doing so could cause the blood of the innocent to flow instead. In either case, historically their duty meant hunting bandits, mutants and the occasional Dreadfolk incursion from the Violet Mountains or a dimensional rift. The Knights of Cavien would also participate in wars, but insisted that they were not petty mercenaries; though they would indeed fight for pay, they would only participate in wars they considered to be just and righteous.

The Knights of Cavien have always been a highly multicultural and multi-ethnic group, made up primarily of Humans and Vampires but also a small number of Elves, Black Elves and Orcs. During the War for the World they became allies of the Sherahavi, but no Dark Elf was ever a member of the order. During the period of Draconic rule, the order was a unique bastion of tolerance in a highly stratified and racist society, treating all its members equally regardless of race or background.

Though they have always been - and continue to be - a religious order dedicated to worshipping Cavien as a god, the extent to which they had a more direct connection to Cavien as a Titan has varied through history. It is generally agreed upon by historians that the Knights of Cavien communicated with the Titan during the War for the World and that a large number of them were Witches, since it was widely reported by contemporaries that the Knights possessed unnatural physical and magical power. It is likely that their participation in the war and their contact with the Titan was influenced by Elanne vou Garellionne, who became a member of the order, and her companion Rixa the White-Eyed.

During the Time of Troubles, a number of the Knights became Witches of Cavien, but these were all expelled from the order and became known as the Renegade Knights. These Renegades abandoned the rules and duties of their order to indiscriminately seek out battle, and they did so to such an extent that many local warring factions temporarily put aside their differences to hunt them down.

The last period when it was known that the Knights communicated with Cavien himself was, of course, the Civil War. Though it is likely that the Knights did contact Cavien before this point, it was with the invasion of Thangor the Eternal that a majority of Knights recognised the entity that claimed to be Cavien to truly be their god and swore allegiance to him in return for his power. They used this power to fight against the Eternal Host, with many of them dying in the process.