Izanami

Gaia (sister)

Izanami, originally known as Nyx, is one of the seven Primordials who took part in the creation of the cosmos. She has given birth to numerous deities and other potent spirits, some on her own, and some by mating with powerful fathers, such as the Amatsukami through Ouranos. Izanami has not been as directly involved in Creation's history as some of her siblings, for she prefers to act through pawns and subtle manipulations rather than personally exert her will. Among many pantheons, Nyx's reputation is rather sinister, and she is largely regarded with caution. However, her persona as Izanami is far less known and dreaded, and little is known about her beyond the fact that she is mother to the Kami and rules the Netherworld of Yomi.

## Biography

### In the Prime

Nyx was the fourth being to gain consciousness in the endless expanse of the Prime. She was the middleborn of the seven Primordials, with Aeon, Gaia, and Ouranos her elders, and Apophis, Ra, and Tartarus her youngers. Nyx found life in the Prime to be dull and unstimulating, taking little enjoyment from manipulating the endless, shapeless swirl of energy, as many of her siblings did. Instead, she found manipulating her fellow Primordials far more interesting.

The first such manipulation occurred when she and Ra were discussing Ouranos, and Ra admitted he found their elder brother to be a simpleton. Nyx gleefully conveyed the insult to Ouranos, who brutalized Ra for his statement, though he did not explain his reasoning. Greatly amused, Nyx suggested to Ra to seek Apophis's aid in acquiring revenge upon Ouranos, resulting in the two joining forces to try and pummel him. Following their failure, Nyx attempted to convince Ouranos to attack Tartarus as well, simply to test his power against him, only for Ouranos to be dissuaded by Gaia. Resentful of Gaia's intervention, Nyx nevertheless continued on, later convincing Ra and Apophis that their attack on Ouranos had failed due to the other's incompetence.

Eventually, Nyx was able to spur Ra and Apophis into a continued feud, using their constant battles as her main source of entertainment in the unending boredom of the Prime. Much to her annoyance, however, Ouranos was pushed by Gaia into continually ending their battles, cutting her fun short time and time again. Though Nyx attempted to persuade Ouranos to ignore Gaia, she never could succeed, to her endless frustration.

### The Plan for Creation

Along with her siblings, was persuaded by Ra to support his plan for Creation, mainly out of desire to escape the dreary existence of the Prime. In particular, Nyx was tempted by the proposition of creating lesser beings, which would surely be a source of great entertainment. When Apophis refused to support Ra's plan, and Tartarus proposed he be forced to participate, Nyx gleefully agreed, greatly amused that it was the naive and demure Tartarus who had suggested such a course.

### Age of Genesis

As Creation unfolded, Nyx was the mind behind the initial design for the Void, though the power used for making it largely came from Ouranos. Beyond that, however, her contributions were minimal, with Gaia, Ouranos, and Ra primarily forming and regulating energy and physical matter, whilst Aeon imposed order upon space and time. After Ra created the first sun which lit the first world, bringing forth Light into Creation, Nyx petulantly leaked the essence of the Void into the realm, shrouding it in the first Darkness, frustrated that she had not participated in its grand design.

For a while thereafter, Nyx was shunned by her siblings, and forced into the company of her fellow outcast: Tartarus. The youngest Primordial eagerly took to her company, and was so delighted by her presence that Nyx began to feel a sliver of guilt for all the times she had tormented and mocked him in the past. That guilt faded when Tartarus shared the plans he had developed for the construction of souls. Seeing an opportunity to regain her status with the rest of her siblings, Nyx finalized the design Tartarus had shared with her, presenting it to her siblings and claiming that it was entirely hers. What little shame she felt at betraying Tartarus was overshadowed by her resurgent popularity, and the acclaim she gained for all time as the creator of souls. Eventually, Nyx told the lie so frequently she almost began to believe it herself.

Later, when the time came to create the first life, Nyx opposed Tartarus's suggestion that they be made equal in stature to the Primordials, and able to reproduce without a partner. As the concept of gender was brought forth, Nyx chose to become female, in the hopes that she might use her new sex to beguile Ouranos, who had already begun to assert his dominance over the Primordials.

When Tartarus presented the realms he had crafted by himself to his siblings, Ouranos laughed at his attempts. Wanting to ingratiate herself with him, Nyx joined in, and derided Tartarus's incompetent craftsmanship.

Some time afterwards, when Tartarus's realms were being assailed by Apophis, and he came to Nyx begging her for help in fending him off. Knowing of Ouranos's contempt for Tartarus, and having heard how he scorned Tartarus's plea, Nyx did the same, refusing her younger sibling aid, going so far as to feign laughing in his face, hoping her contempt would help her curry Ouranos's favor.

### The Age of Thunder

Early during the Age of Thunder, Nyx did little to upset the status quo, though she coveted Gaia's position as Mistress of Creation. Nyx travelled fairly frequently, visiting the worlds her siblings had wrought, and taking amusement in manipulating the young races that occupied them. Initially, the Queen of Shadows made her will felt openly, commanding armies to war for her entertainment, forcing intriguing couples together or breaking them up on a whim, and sending monsters to terrorize cities at her decree. As millennia passed, however, she found that it was oftentimes more interesting to pull people's strings secretly, such as by nudging someone towards a chosen course through manipulating their dreams, or disguising herself as a lesser being and immersing herself within a role. Thousands of years passed, and steadily, she grew more adept in the art of deception, and twisting people to her will.

Yet the one being she wished to control the most, Ouranos, remained beyond her, infatuated with Nyx's dull sister, Gaia. Continually irritated by this state of affairs, Nyx was eventually persuaded by Ra into rebelling against Ouranos's rule, alongside Apophis and Tartarus, beginning the War of Light, Creation's first great conflict. After the tide of battle turned following Apophis's capture, Nyx and Tartarus both betrayed Ra to Ouranos. Nyx was delighted with this turn of events, as she was able to escape any serious punishment by successfully seducing Ouranos at long last, thanks to the tyrant's irritation over Gaia's protests over his treatment of many of their children.

Nyx ascended to become Ouranos's concubine, and began to produce a wealth of children to rival Gaia's brood. Nyx raised all her early offspring to resent their half siblings, for though Gaia had fallen somewhat in his esteem, Ouranos's children with her still stood far higher in his favor than his children with Nyx. The two halves of Creation's ruling family bickered constantly, engaging in petty conflicts which saw worlds burn, civilizations broken, and entire species annihilated. Though Nyx's children occasionally proved victorious, often through cunning and manipulation, such methods were little valued by Ouranos, who saw brute force as the finest method of enacting one's will, much to Nyx's annoyance.

Eventually, Nyx's position as Ouranos's mistress was taken from her, and she was exiled from Ouranos's court at the request of Gaia in his attempts to reconcile with her.

#### The First Wedding

After Ouranos forced Ra to kneel to him, flung Apophis to the furthest corners of the cosmos, and declared himself Lord of All Creation, Nyx was among the first to pledge her allegiance to him, loudly proclaiming that she was in awe of his stupendous power, and voicing her support for his righteously deserved rule.

Nyx and countless other beings were made to attend Ouranos's wedding to Gaia, with Ra being made to officiate the eternal union. All were required to offer gifts to their glorious sovereign. Nyx offered herself, hoping to ensnare Ouranos and humiliate Gaia. She publicly declared her love for Ouranos, and her desire to sit beside him as Mistress of Creation, and to bear him mighty children. Undressing herself before all, Nyx offered herself to Ouranos right then and there, thinking the show of devotion would play upon Ouranos's vanity and see him succumb to her temptation, and that he would cast Gaia aside for her. All seemed to be going to plan, as Ouranos praised her beauty, declaring that it was only natural that she offer herself to him. Nyx was in the midst of reveling in her victory and dreaming of her days as queen when Ouranos stated that the Lord of All Creation would not settle for second best, shocking her utterly and shaking her ego to its core. Even more mind boggling, Ouranos banished her from the wedding, declaring that Gaia was his one true love.

Nyx fled in shame, the echoes of laughter ringing in her ears. She brooded a long while on the defeat, and eventually, resolved that she would one day wrest Ouranos from Gaia, no matter how long it might take, and secure herself as Mistress of Creation.

### Golden Age

Following the retreat of Ouranos into the High Tempest, and the resulting shock felt across Creation, Nyx was one of the first Primordials to succumb to the Great Slumber. Her first saw her comatose for three centuries, her second for eight, and her third for seventeen. Naturally, this new development was a source of immense frustration. Another irritant was the fact that her brothers, Ra and Apophis, had both managed to create divine children single handedly, using the power of Primeforging, a feat which she failed to replicate.

To rectify both issues, Nyx drew upon the store of Ouranos's essence she had compiled during her time as his concubine, using it to impregnate herself with a series of children, and claiming she had crafted them all from the Prime. Among this clutch were the twins, Thanatos and Hypnos, who she sent to the courts of Kronos and Ra, respectively. Hypnos in particular was tasked with discovering how Ra was able to stave off the Great Slumber. To her disappointment, Hypnos eventually returned empty handed, and Nyx was forced to wile away the centuries dipping in and out of sleep.

### Silver Age

By the Silver Age, Nyx exhausted the last of her supply of Ouranos's essence, using it to give birth to the Amatsukami, who would go on to found the Kami pantheon. Taking on the new name of Izanami, she focused most of her attention towards attempting to supporting this latest batch of offspring, having come to view her elder children as disappointments, unable to achieve the supremacy she felt was due to her children. Part of her plans to propel the Kami to a state of preeminence involved grooming them to one day make war against and subjugate the Shen, a pantheon composed of her eldest children, and the greatest source of disappointment and humiliation to her.

Near the end of the Silver Age, Izanami entered a Great Slumber which she has yet to awaken from.

## Physical Appearance

Izanami appears as a young woman in the prime of her youth, appearing to be somewhere in her mid twenties. Her hair is long and black as night, flowing down just past her shoulders. Though she is breathtakingly beautiful, with the lithe and graceful physique of an exotic dancer, her every movement filled with fluid, seductive grace, many of her typical features are quite inhuman. Izanami's smooth flesh is corpse pale, and her eyes shimmer with dull amber flames. When she smiles, her full lips part to reveal a set of canine fangs. Her voice is smooth and sultry, having been described by those who hear it as deeply alluring and seductive.

Typically, Izanami dresses in flamboyant and rich clothing, adorning herself with jewels of all sorts, though pearls are a particular favorite of hers.

## Personality

One of the first and greatest beings in Creation, Izanami has always been accustomed to having power over others. One of her first hobbies was manipulating others for her own personal amusement, and it is one she continued throughout the history of the cosmos, especially as more and more lesser beings were brought into existence. As such, she has come to view other beings as pieces of entertainment, meant to be bent to her will and bring her amusement. Ultimately, Izanami considers herself to be the most intelligent being in the universe, superior to all others, deserving of praise and obedience.

Of course, simply dominating others through sheer brute force is dull and uninteresting. As such, Izanami prefers to use deception and manipulation to twist other beings to her will, finding enjoyment in toying with other people's emotions. Oftentimes, she accomplishes these manipulations by taking on various "roles", fabricating various identities for herself in order to interact with figures who interest her. Izanami finds the act of pretending to be a certain character to be very engaging, and she has a great flair for drama, especially enjoying using her various persona's to inflict emotional anguish upon people, which she finds tremendously entertaining.

In truth, she is quite cruel, enjoying watching all manner of beings struggle emotionally, considering it to be the highest form of entertainment. Heartbreak, loss of loved ones, descents into debauchery, wrath and abuse are all incredibly diverting to her. In particular, Izanami enjoys watching those who are successful, virtuous, or happy descend into corruption or despair.

Due to the countless millennia of practice in manipulating people, Izanami is capable of tremendous feats of charm and persuasion. She lies as easily as she breathes, and is capable of masterfully portraying most any emotion she wishes in order to get what she wants from people. Highly intelligent, she is capable of formulating all manner of complex plans, most of which involve influencing others to perform acts she finds amusing. One particular form of influence she enjoys exerting over others is sexual manipulation. Vain to a fault, she relishes in being desired by others, and using that desire to influence their actions, taking immense satisfaction in the control she can exert using her body. As a result, she is incredibly promiscuous, and often enjoys flirting with and seducing all manner of entities.

However, while Izanami is skilled at playing the master of others, she is not a master of herself. When things do not go her way, Izanami is incredibly petulant and spiteful, and stews over slights and failures for vast periods of time. Given her usual success at controlling others, and the self image she has constructed of the universe's ultimate genius manipulator, contradictions to this image are utterly infuriating to her, given the damage they do to her vanity.

Due to her megalomania, Izanami is also an extremely possessive being, particularly towards her favorite subjects of manipulation. She views people she takes an interest in as "hers" even more so than she does with every other being in the universe, and is easily enraged when any individual influences them into actions contrary to her own wishes, knowingly or otherwise. Any being who interrupts one of her many plots is sure to earn her undying ire.

Izanami's petulant nature makes her extremely capricious, and while possessed of tremendous intelligence that enables her to construct vast and intricate schemes, she often changes her mind on what goals she wishes to accomplish. Her priorities shift frequently, the importance of certain plots rising and falling, the goals changing or even being completely reversed with minimal provocation.

In short, Izanami is the universe's ultimate mean girl, whose intelligence is used to fuel petty vendettas instead of ever accomplishing anything of lasting consequences.

## Skills

Above all, Izanami is a manipulator. She is skilled in all forms of deception, able tell lies without effort. A masterful actress, she can portray virtually any emotion she wishes. She is skilled at assuming false identities, able to fabricate herself illusory personalities and backstories near instantaneously thanks to her thousands of years of experience in trickery. In particular, she is also highly adept at impersonating existing figures, able to analyze people's thought processes and mannerisms with minimal observation, after which she easily can replicate it.

Her masterful skill in deception also makes Izanami adept in the arts of charm and persuasion, skilled in using whatever understanding she gains of people in order to perfectly play upon their desires, fears, and hates in order to move them to her chosen course. Every iota of knowledge she has of someone is a weakness she can exploit to convince them to believe what she wants them to believe, and bend them to her will.

Furthermore, Izanami is also an exceptionally talented seductress, having honed the art of beguilement through thousands of years of toying with the emotions of other beings. Using her mastery of acting and deception, she is easily able to adopt whatever persona and mannerisms will be most effective at entrapping her chosen target.

Another enticing gift Izanami possesses is her talent as a performer. In addition to being a legendary actress, capable of portraying almost any feeling perfectly, she is also masterful in playing a vast plethora of musical instruments, and is gifted with an enchanting singing voice. Additionally, she is a very polished dancer and contortionist, particularly skilled in all manner of erotic movements.

While charm and deception are her preferred methods of influence, Izanami is also not above simple brute force intimidation to get her way every now and again. She is quite skilled in inspiring fear, making threats both veiled and apparent, and when she is truly in a foul mood, is quite practiced in the arts of both mental and physical torture. The latter also results in her having a fairly adept knowledge of anatomy.

As one might expect for one so skilled in the arts of manipulation, Izanami is incredibly skilled at reading people. She is able to discern when she is being lied to almost without effort, practiced in reading all forms of emotion, and winkling out secrets that people would rather keep hidden.

Izanami is also fairly knowledgeable in various matters of academia, largely as a result of research garnered for impersonation purposes, and is also well versed in matters of the mystic, thanks to having been present for the early days of Creation.

Another area where she shines is in the field of stealth, as after millennia of infiltration and sneaking, she has begun quite adept. However, she does heavily supplement physical skill in stealth with her vast magical potential.

Despite all these social talents, however, Izanami is greatly lacking in most aspects of combative skill. She considers physical battle to be utterly beneath her, dispatching any so foolish to raise a hand against her with magic, or preferably, pitting her faithful minions against them. While she does have some basic understanding of tactics and strategy, she has no experience leading battles, preferring to simply watch as they are fought.

### Traits

**Strength:** 2

**Dexterity:** 5

**Endurance:** 3

**Intelligence:** 5

**Charisma:** 4

**Perception:** 5

### Skills

**Academia:** 3

**Alertness**: 4

**Artistry:** 3

**Brawl:** 0

**Charm:** 6

**Command:** 1

**Craft:** 1

**Deception:** 6

**Empathy:** 5

**Intimidation**: 4

**Intrigue**: 6

**Leadership:** 3

**Marksmanship:** 0

**Medicine:** 3

**Melee:** 0

**Occult:** 3

**Performance:** 5

**Seduction:** 6

**Stealth:** 4

**Stewardship:** 2

**Survival:** 3

**Torture:** 4