Vapos

Vapos is one of the two gods worshiped by followers of the Gemellus faith, a religion from Etiam typically associated with individuals of a more combative, aggressive and xenophobic personality. Vapos definitely fits in with this stereotype. A fierce, proud and overly-competitive stallion, Vapos is one whose wrath is to be feared.

He and the other Gemellus god, Audustio, came into existence when the twin volcanoes of Etiam erupted for the first time, forming the island from molten lava and spilling forth the two stallions from which the volcanoes would later take their names. These stallions, considered brothers, were at each other's throats from the start. They immediately began to compete, each trying to prove that they were stronger, faster and more powerful than the others. They used their control of all things hot to create fabulous displays from fire, lava and steam, though as they were immune to harm from such things, the intention was merely to impress. Don't be fooled though; while these brothers might greet each other with insults they know that together they are stronger than each alone, and if one is threatened the other will come to his defence. Their competition is like training, keeping them both strong and sharp, rather than growing soft.

Vapos was initially dubious when mortal equines came to Etiam, not wanting them to spoil his fun, but when it became clear that they were going to worship the brothers and their volcanoes, well, Vapos quickly warmed to the idea. A new competition started then; who could accrue the most devotees? If more prayers were sent to Vapos, or more offerings and sacrifices made to him, he would proclaim himself the most loved of all gods, at least until Audustio was taking the lead again. Vapos watched with amusement as the four founding stallions of Etiam, Iacto, Capesso, Raptum and Aufero, warred amongst themselves for power on the island. There were times when he wanted to interfere, to give one the upper hand, but he decided that they were providing enough of a spectacle without his encouragement.

When it comes to his followers, well, Vapos is an unpredictable god at best. He's not outright cruel to them, but who he chooses to favour is often seemingly random; he might help mare collect a stunning collection of gemstones while ignore one that is at death's door from thirst. Making offerings and sacrifices helps, the more extreme the sacrifice the better, and praying to him exclusively rather than to his brother as well will earn his approval. There is some correlation between how much one gives to him and how much he helps in return, but at the same time, two might give the exact same sacrifice and one's prayers be answered while the other is ignored. Having said that, he doesn't want all of his followers to die from his neglect, so he will sometimes swoop in and save a bunch of horses from death, in as dramatic a way as possible of course.

Vapos does not concern himself with trying to teach his followers any particular moral code, indeed, he practically encourages them to be clannish and xenophobic, violent to outsiders, because it amuses him to see them fight. Stallions can do what they want when it comes to claiming and stealing mares, and neither amoral behaviour nor revenge for that amoral behaviour is punished. Having said that, he again does not want all of his followers to die, so anyone attempting mass murder is likely to abruptly stop living when their blood starts boil.

Both Gemellus gods draw their power from heat and volcanic activity, but Vapos, as his name suggests, takes particular strength from steam. Geysers, hot springs and any other source of steam are particularly sacred to him, and there is a particular sect of his followers that deliberately scald patches of skin to leave scars that later grow white fur. Vapos has a particular fondness for these horses, and considers them his favourite little pets. He rewards them for their sacrifice with all manner of luxuries, with those who scald the most skin over the years getting the best rewards. Furthermore, while both brothers are able to control all things hot, Vapos is particularly strong with steam, and can make any water boil at will.

When it comes to gods from other religions, Vapos has nothing but hate. He despises them for being the only thing standing in the way of him and Audustio taking control of all the horses in Paradisus, for the followers of other faiths, in particular the accursed Duodecim, vastly outnumber the followers of Gemellus. Nevertheless, Vapos plots and schemes. He feels that if he took out the smaller religions first, the Tantum and the Sorores, and brought their faithful under him, he might stand a better chance.