Vakarlon

Vakarlon is the late god of trickery. Vakarlon worked subversively to help the underdog. However, he was afflicted by the soul of Serandor, a god from Vakarlon's past, which prevented him from interacting directly with the world. He was close friends with Vulamera before her death, and the father of Keriss. To avoid total death, Vakarlon was turned into an integral part of the arksynth by Heartworm, at the cost of his conscious mind.

Vakarlon's signature flower is the snowbell.

## History

Vakarlon's original intent in the world was to ensure balance among the mortals and in the god's interactions with mortals, and early on he had resolved to protect Slough.

When Galbar was created, Vakarlon added the polar ice caps and caverns. However, this was Vakarlon's last conscious act upon Galbar, because he then sought out Vulamera for counselling regarding disconcerting memories from a past life which were negatively impacting his psyche. This occurred upon the moon Cogitare.

Vakarlon recalled feelings of fire and death and cruelty, and also details of a past life as a swindler cheating the rich. Vulamera inspected Vakarlon's mind, and discovered Vakarlon's past: In a past world, Vakarlon was a mortal. When Serandor, the God of Destruction and Fire, came to lay waste to the world, Vakarlon got caught up in the battle against him. Vakarlon was blessed with a sword and made into (effectively) a Hero by another god, and he defeated Serandor in single combat. Serandor's cultists then force-fed Serandor's ichor to the exhausted Vakarlon, but Vakarlon was able to retain his own identity and ascended to godhood. Now, although Vakarlon is a god in his own right, his mind is cohabited by Serandor, a cruel entity intent on breaking free.

This event exhausted both gods sufficiently that they fainted and missed out on a considerable portion of Galbar's very early history. When they awoke, they travelled to Vigilate, realised that the hordes of chaos were marauding across Galbar, and decided to do something about it. Vulamera entered Vakarlon's mind and they created the demigoddess Keriss, who they sent to Galbar to fight chaos.

While inside Vakarlon's mind, it was found that the combination of Vakarlon's Chance and Serandor's Destruction created Suffering, which is where Keriss got her first Portfolio. Vulamera also placed a seal in Vakarlon's and Serandor's mind to prevent them from influencing each other.

Later, after Vulamera's death, this seal was broken, and Serandor slowly started to win the mental battle and Vakarlon's power waned so greatly that he was unable to leave the moon. This weakened Vakarlon was discovered by Heartworm, who managed to convince Vakarlon to become part of the Arksynth project; by grafting Vakarlon into the arksynth, his mind would be destroyed, killing Serandor (in theory) while allowing Vakarlon to subconsciously continue his purpose as the Balancer of Scales. With Vakarlon's influence, the arksynth became serendipitous and unpredictable, requiring the user to rely on luck and intuition, and more often than not providing unexpected but useful outcomes. Vakarlon had become the ghost in the machine.

Vakarlon is remembered by his daughter Keriss.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3366324 - Vakarlon is called into being.
2. ↑ https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3371198 - Vakarlon sees the other Gods and offers his gift to Slough.
3. ↑ https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3380116 - Vakarlon's first acts on Galbar.
4. ↑ https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3385520 - Vakarlon recalls his past memories to Vulamera.
5. ↑ https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3409040 - Vulamera searches Vakarlon's memories, and uncovers Vakarlon's backstory.
6. ↑ https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3602009 - Vulamera explores Vakarlon's mind. Keriss is born.
7. ↑ https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3844242 - Heartworm finds Vakarlon and convinces him to join the Arksynth project.