Caussa

Caussa has no fantastic origin story. The sea or sun did not birth her, she's not the oldest or the wisest, she doesn't control the weather or make the flowers bloom. There are times when she feels useless and forgotten by the mortals. She watched as the inhabitants of Ortus praised Solum for the shade of his trees, Imber for her rain, Aether for the winds and storms. Even her two younger sisters, Vita and Nox, had a shrines overflowing with offerings. But, how often do they look to the sky and thank her for the sense not to try to play tag with a jaguar? Or not to step on the unstable rock that would send them falling down the hillside? Never. But, who was the first one they began blaming when they encountered someone with little common sense? You guessed it; Caussa.

Long ago, some superstitious mares decided that foals born during the year named after her would be more intelligent. Because she often feels unnoticed, when her year rolls around, she will often slip down to Ortus and find one or two newborn foals and bless them with above average common sense, extra critical thinking skills, or just general intelligence. Not enough to impact much, but just enough to keep whispers of the belief around. Something to remind them that she still exists and is still relevant.

Caussa is fortunate enough to be one of the only Duodecim gods that has a true family, though. She has 3 younger sisters, Verum, Vita, and Nox. She has always been the responsible guardian. Instead of taking a mortal form to enjoy the company of the Ortus equine, she remained ethereal to watch over all. When Verum started wars by giving the mortals more truth than they could handle, she descended to Ortus to give them calm and peace. Unfortunately, she came to the rescue too late. This was the event that changed their youngest sister forever. This was the war that killed Nox's beloved Durus. Naturally, Verum was going to tell Nox it was her action that started the war - the honest Goddess could do no less. However, Caussa knew how this would affect her. As it was, the loss would impact Nox for the rest of her immortal life. Giving Nox a singular cause for her pain would only give her a target for revenge, and even if they weren't her sisters, Caussa couldn't stand to watch the mourning mare have to make the choice between forgiveness and revenge. So, the Goddess went around to the rest of the pantheon, pleading for the sake of them all that no one tell Nox who or what caused the war. She used every bit of her reasoning skills, but by morning all the deities agreed: for the sake of Nox, Verum, and the newly found peace of Ortus, no one would speak of the cause of the war again.

Unfortunately, Verum was incapable and unwilling to lie. Instead, Caussa asked her to avoid Nox, at least until the war and Durus were no longer a popular topic of discussion. Of course, Verum saw this as deceit. Though she complied, Caussa knows this is not the end of their troubles and can almost feel her planning her big sister's punishment.

Being the voice of reason is not always easy. Since the war, Caussa finds herself questioning her motives more often. She has taken to spending more time with Sapientia for her wise advice, and Timor for his companionship. He was the one of the few Gods she could relate to, as far as being forgotten or misunderstood by the mortals. But when not with them, she watches over Ortus and thinks of how wonderful it would be to shed off all this responsibility and live a mortal life for a while. Many of the other deities have done it, after all. But, who would keep a watch over the world, and especially her sisters?