The Provider

### **Overview**

The Provider is a Moddess responsible for sustaining and supporting life. This influence extends beyond that of her home domain in Panacea and affects all living things in every realm. The Provider strives to ensure that life continues to exist and thrive in all its forms.

### **Described Appearance**

Out of all of the Mods, the Provider changes her appearance the most, commonly borrowing the features of different flora and fauna. During one encounter, she might adorn herself with butterfly wings and multicolored feathers, but for another, she might appear as a mass of moss and bones coiled in spirals. If wishing to disguise herself, the Provider may also appear as a harmless animal or plant.

### **Relationships and Perception**

Depending on which culture you ask, the Provider is either one of the most loved or most hated of the Mods. This clash of opinions is primarily due to the manner in which she distributes her assistance. At its core, the criticisms directed toward the Provider tend to center around a perceived slight. Either not enough aid was given, or too much aid was given to someone else. This opinion is further polarized by her chaotic and unpredictable behavior. During times of great disaster, the Provider might visit and save one city from the brink of destruction, but willfully abandon its neighboring city to flames. In other instances, she might spend decades with a population, nurturing and helping it to flourish, only to then leave it in one night without warning. Furthermore, the Provider displays an unapologetic disdain for civilization and technology, teaching that both lead to the stagnation of a population, via a process she calls, "over-pruning." Not surprisingly, this opinion does not warrant her much popularity in most organized societies.

The Provider's relationships with other Mods is much less complicated and is generally well liked. Each Mod recognizes her as a formidable ally and actively seeks her favor toward their own cause.

### **History**

Very little uncontested information is known about the Provider. This is especially true regarding past events. Mortals who had known her well often abandoned the use of written language, passing knowledge and events by word of mouth instead. Nearly every culture across the cornucopia has some sort of disaster tale corresponding to the Provider in one way or another. While a Dweller historian might chuckle at a bedtime story involving sinking continents, most Nereid clans will still sing songs about the old times, back before they had been gifted with gill and tail.

### **Intent Behind Panacea**

Although active in most other realms, the Provider is the least present in Panacea. This is because the Provider architectured Panacea to be a self-sufficient dimension in which each species exists as a part of a well-balanced cycle of life and death. Hunger is the main driving force behind the cycle, acting as an incessant call to action that no one can resist in favor of stagnation. The Provider considers those living in Panacea to be the most well-provided for out of every realm, simply because life perpetuates itself there for 100% of the time, with or without her being present. In fact, life competes so well in Panacea, that most Mods are opposed to letting flora and fauna from that dimension escape into other realms, simply out of the fear they will outcompete any already-existing life. Explorers visiting Panacea for the first time often remark about the abundance of never before seen species, among other things, like an insatiable hunger, and susceptibility to feral madness.

### **Interview about Mortals**

When asked if she knew who made the mortals, the Provider did not reply.