Vrovona (God)

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Vrovona the Victorious is the former ruler of the Empire of Vrovona. His domains include the sunrise, conquerors, exploration, competition, noble combat, loyalty, and the paying of tribute. He is the longtime foe of Astor the Hidden and a close friend of the Twingods Veser and Naios. Vrovona is a fiery god of the sun, and has no equal in acts of war. His empire, which he has named after himself, is viewed as a direct manifestation of his deific glory. Vrovona's wisdom has mostly been passed down in the form of an epic poem, the Cycle of the Sun, an account of Vrovona's adventures across A'therys and throughout the Cosmic Mesh.

## History

The God of Triumph is well-known in A'therys as a god of honor, and his people similarly consider this paramount. Thanks to this, his nation has long been one of the most powerful and stable. Vrovona considers everything the sun touches to be a part of himself, or at least his domain, and thus his lands, his cities and his subjects are all manifestations of himself. As a result, Vrovonic citizens across the ages have identified strongly with their god and eachother, rendering them a powerful force to be reckoned with. Vrovona constantly invaded lands across the world, though he never used or even understood the concept; instead, he was simply unifying his disparate holdings. Those who fought dishonorably against him were not worth their lands, and so he destroyed them, while foes that pleased him often were treated very well. So long as the occupied territories offered up their resources to his imperial dominion, they were considered a part of Vrovona and enjoyed all the benefits inherent in that.

Though he is one of the more stable and honorable in terms of human understanding, as a god he is not without his quirks. Vrovona abhors hidden things, typically understood to be lies or tricks, but he also had an unusual occupation with gold. He considered gold the domain of the sun, and thus his, and to see it hidden beneath the earth or hoarded in treasure troves infuriated him. Many of his conquests were to free the gold of the region from its subterranean prison, which was then returned to his palace for his own use. After the gold was delivered to him it would typically disappear; none ever knew what he did with it or where it went, it was simply an understood fact that all gold was Vrovona's and that was that. Also interesting is that his masterful command of his armies and unparalleled understanding of war so not reflect his utter ignorance of death. This is not to say that he did not understand the concept of dying: mortal injury was a part of war, and as such it was clear to him. However, the effects of death, the weight of dying, these things were foreign to him. A popular anecdote tells of the slaughter of an entire Vrovonic battalion during the Sundering of the Eclipse at the hands of a vastly larger Itheri force. When a messenger returned to Vrovona and asked what should be done, the god merely laughed and asked if they had fought honorably before sending another detachment of the same size to face the threat. Vrovona cared for his people as he cared for himself, but his godly disconnect was quite apparent in cases such as these.

## Appearance

As with most of the gods who ruled nations, Vrovona was a daily fixture in his capital city and the lands beyond. He was a towering figure with fiery red skin, standing several heads over the largest of Vrovonic Legionnaires. Vrovona had a suit of enormous armor that he would wear into battle, forged of purest steel and shining gold which gleamed as bright as the sun. When not engaged in war he would go without his cuirass, preferring to go bare-chested. His boots, gauntlets, and greaves were ever present, however, and would be replaced with a similarly huge fur cloak. Regardless of attire, Vrovona was never without his flaming sword, an awe-inspiring affair too large to be wielded by anyone other than himself. The God of Triumph wore a mask of pure gold, molded into the shape of a face and surrounded by castings resembling the rays of the sun. The mask functioned as his helmet when he donned his armor, the great golden rays inspiring his Legion and terrifying all who opposed him.

*Originally written by OccidentalAnvil for the more official A'therys wiki*