Karomatzu

* Bust
* Emblem
* Shorthand

Siofmeaista (Draconic True Name)

## Symbolisms

### Symbol

His profile facing the left, with feathers fluffed and eyes vibrant.Simple symbol is much more artistic, consisting of a curved line with ridged feathers coming off of it, similar to his head. Has a singular dot where his "eye" would be, followed by three other dots around it.

### Color(s)

Purple (Primary)Violet, Magenta, Tyrian (Secondary)

### Portfolio

Purple dragons, lawful evil dragons, creativity, selfishness, tribute

### Favored Weapon(s)

Halberds, rapiers

**Karomatzu** (care-oh-mott-zoo) is one of the size Dragon-Gods of Halintar, the progenitor of the purple dragons and patron deity of the Southwestern Fringe. He is the second of the three chromatic deities created by the mother of dragon-kind, Tiamat, who is said in the creation myth to have created the Gods in their image to protect the realm in their absence.

His vast brood hides in the towering mountains of the region alongside the Tyrian Society for the Glitterati Elite, a sect of spies that have connections across the continent and the Stretch itself.

## Description

Sleek, feathered, and absolutely full of himself, Karomatzu physically and mentally embodies what it means to be a purple dragon. Not one piece of plumage is out of place, perfectly symmetrical down to every last head whisker. His wings glide silently above his domain, blending seamlessly into the deep blues and purples of the night sky. The beauty of his majesty strikes both awe and fear into the hearts of his people.

As all purple dragons do, Karomatzu is coated from head to tail in shimmering royal purple feathers, which reflect the stars and moonlight of the night sky beautifully. His snout is almost perfectly flat from the forehead to the tip of his soft nose, from which sprout a series of tyrian whiskers that allow him to read even the most faint of air currents for friend or foe. The wings that frame his head and sprout from his shoulders are perfectly balanced and symmetrical, tipped and accented with a deeper eminence purple, similar in shade to the small feathers that peer outward from his joints and sprout into a large fan at the tip of his tail. His four-toed paws have blue-gray paw pads beneath them, kept in a permanent state of softness thanks to dedicated manicurists who spend their lives to keeping them plush. His two eyes swirl with vibrant color, pinks and blues and purples wrapping around thin slit pupils, dots of shining white moving and sparkling like constellations.

## Personality

Vain and self-oriented, Karomatzu often cares little for the mortals who reside in his domain, keeping largely to himself alongside his brood and chosen members of the Glitterati. However, he does have an intense love of the arts, expressed in theater, music, or physical form such as paintings or sculptures. He'll often "scout" people at the many artistic shows and festivals, bringing the best of them to his domain where they live and create without the weight or cost of living holding them back (unless of course they offend the deity or his guild). The "laws" of the creative motivate his every action and decision.

Similar to his magically-talented sister in the High North, Karomatzu has an intense interest in the arcane, though preferring the magics that can make use of his artistic passions. He also doesn't bind himself to the moral quandaries that plague the metallics, dabbling in necromancy or "forbidden" magic that may cause danger or suffering to others.

Eager to stay out of trouble, the deity often tries to step around the laws of the land to keep tabs on the rest of the world using Glitterati spies. The Glitterati are a community held close to Karomatzu's heart, living in the mountains alongside the deity and his brood. Oftentimes this guild is headed by 2-3 "noble families" who govern the actions of the rest of their society. They train their progeny strictly in order to serve him, whether that be through artistic expression, further empowering their forces, or through infiltrating other countries or continents to obtain private or dangerous information from them.

## Homestead

Tucked away in the depths of the Violet Caltrops, Karomatzu's true home is inaccessible to the general public. It's said that Karomatzu build himself a great temple on the mountain peaks using only his powerful breath and knowledge of the arcane, wherein there are countless chambers for his people to live safe and far away from the rest of the Stretch as a whole. Only purple dragons seem to be able to fly to and from the location, though it's unknown if this is due to the sheer height of the homestead or if there's some sort of enchantment concealing it.

### **Brood**

Purple dragons tend to have a similarly condescending attitude towards mortals and other dragons as a whole. While they tend to not violently attack them like yellow dragons do, they're raised to see themselves as superior. Some of them spend their entire lives inside the bounds of the Southwestern Fringe, studying the arcane and the arts.

Those who do leave either do so to create their own pool of talent and wealth to soak in, preferring the company of their own vanity over that of others. Alternatively, some purple dragons feel the itch of curiosity and choose to begin "scouting" talent or seeking knowledge beyond what their broodmates hold.

### **Hoard**

As mentioned previously, Karomatzu and his brood have a tendency to "scout" talent in mortals or other dragons. This results in them often taking musicians, actors, sculptors, etcetera to live amongst them as a sort of living hoard of art. These mortals, whether they consider themselves fortunate or otherwise, live and perform/create for the deity and his brood until they either pass away, the dragons get bored, or they do something to upset the locals, in which case they are usually slain. The bodies and souls are then are preserved in precious metals or used as fuel for various arcane experiments.

Artifacts of artists or dark arcane power are also coveted and held in grand halls, meticulously organized in winding halls that seem too vast to peruse by anyone with a "mortal" lifespan. Precious jewels, metals, and foreign and exotic goods are also coveted, often just being worn by the hoard's residents or brood members.

## Powers

The patriarch of the Fringe, Karomatzu is the source of all purple dragons' powers, though his own abilities extend far beyond what any purple-blooded individual may dream to have. He also has godlike abilities beyond what's expected of his children, manipulated for his own benefit.

#### **Breath Weapons**

Though he only has one breath weapon in the form of his ***Force Breath***, Karomatzu has used his vast years of experience and high intelligence to learn to shape his breath in many ways. Legend says he used his breath to mold the Violet Caltrops, the mountains in which he makes his home, into the rising peaks and winding catacombs where his brood and closest followers reside. Witnesses have seen him wield his breath in countless forms, such as entire maze-like walls, a wave of sharp blades, or even countless hands reaching out and suffocating his enemies. It isn't always destructive in nature, but the power and effect of the breath it always beautiful and impressive in execution.

#### **Cloak of Darkness**

Despite being larger than even the eldest, strongest non-deity dragons, Karomatzu is surprisingly lithe and stealthy in his movements. Even without magical assistance, he moves with such grace that even the clearest blindsense couldn't pick up his movements, and so quickly that the mortal eye has trouble tracking his movements. He can also summon darkness to embrace him in a dense cloak, coating him in starlight and completely obscuring him from view.

#### **Muse of Prosperity**

It's said that praying to Karomatzu can bring wealth to one's family and prosperity in their lives, or even provide creative inspiration when one is experiencing a creative block. By presenting offerings to the tyrian deity and praying to his visage, it's said that he will visit artists with potential in their dreams as a muse to guide their hands and hearts. Some of the most impactful art of all of Halintar's history has been crafted with help from the guiding hand of Karomatzu.

#### **Overwhelming Grace**

As all dragons of great posture have, Karomatzu's presence alone can inflict great fear or admiration into the hearts of those around him. He often uses this to attract artisans moreso than scare people off, using his divine energy to inspire and empower the creative energies of those around him.

#### *Out of Sight, Out of Mind*

Ever since his creation by the hands of Tiamat, Karomatzu has been a highly self-centered and vain being. He cares for himself more than anything else in the universe, with his brood, his hoard, and his Glitterati followers tying for second. His routine has been fairly standard for his entire existence- spend months or even years secluded in his home, leaving only to "tax" his people, scout for talent, negotiate with his fellow gods, or deal with threats to the continent.

#### *Deicide*

Though the majority of the world is still unaware of it, Karomatzu was allegedly slain by the god-killer Curunthsh, who claimed his throne and followers for its own. The circumstances behind his death and where his body is, if any of it remains, is unknown.

## Relationships

### **Other Dragon-Gods**

#### *Ester Pyx*

Despite showing respect for the magical prowess their sister Paradoxie has, Pyx tends to regard Karomatzu with disdain for the same talents, claiming that he is not as skilled in the arcane arts as she is and that he uses it as a cover to hide his physical weakness. She also expresses distaste in his vanity, though worshipers of Karomatzu mock the silver goddess and her followers for it as she puts her visage all over the place as well.

Despite her snobbishness, the two deities' countries have allied themselves on multiple occasions, often to rally against Balktan, Tephra, or even Dinante. Up until the Queen's Inquisition (~400 ME) they tended to ally themselves at least once or twice every other century, but since then there hasn't been a strong connection between the two.

#### *Paradoxie*

The relationship between Karomatzu and Paradoxie is a fiery-yet-friendly rivalry, admiring one another for their talents in the arcane. She disapproves of his lack of interaction with his mortal population, and yet sees more of a relationship in his "scouting" than she does in Tephra's complete disconnect. Though they often fight one another as a result of being allied to opposing forces, there are hardly ever any hard feelings. The two often try to out-perform one another in their entrances to a meeting.

After the treaty, Paradoxie made a point to visit Karomatzu and his brood in five-year intervals around the end of the Umber Solstice. Though Karomatzu wasn't as regular in turn, he did visit the bronze deity's home once or twice in the past twenty years.

#### *Dinante*

Though Karomatzu shows disdain for all his "lesser" siblings, the wrath he feels towards Dinante is shared amongst him and his peoples. The desert-dweller and his kindred have mistreated the Fringe and it's people for countless centuries, marching into their territory to steal their resources and appropriate their art. With the creation of the treaty, the brass deity and his forces were banned from entering Karomatzu's domain altogether due to the atrocities they committed on their soil.

#### *Balktan*

Karomatzu dislikes all the other deities to an extent, so it's no surprise he shows blatant hatred towards Balktan as well. However, given the sheer distance between the two, as well as the entire volcano (and wrathful volcano goddess) blocking their path, he rarely has to look at the yellow scourge, much less even think of him.

#### *Tephra*

Though the two seem vastly different in their ideals and personalities, the orange and purple deities of Halintar find themselves allied more often than not. The rivalry between Tephra and Ester Pyx often leads to the silver dragon impeding on Fringe territory, and so Karomatzu brings forth Mantle troops to defend their trampled terrain. In exchange for the bulky support, arcane troops would be provided to push back against Paradoxie's forces.

### **Worshipers**

*(See: The Tyrian Society for the Glitterati Elite)*

As mentioned previously, Karomatzu's closest worshipers are the Tyrian Society for the Glitterati Elite, often simply referred to as the Glitterati. This guild of wealthy followers lives deep within the mountain alongside the purple deity and his brood.

Outside of the Glitterati, many artists of all sorts of mediums often pray to Karomatzu, hoping that he will provide them with a muse for their creations. Those who do find success may find themselves empowered by him, and may even grow talented enough that the deity himself will appear to bring them to his fortress.