Famine

(Fah-min)

### **Summary**

The 2nd to last horseman made, Famine is the personification of all that is starving, rotting, or are in a drought. He represents all that is in lack, a creature of starvation and decay, Famine is best known for this impact on the world through blights and large scale plant death. Famine is described as the 3rd horseman, one who will arrive on a blackened horse. When Dhyarus created Famine, he told of:

“a man who is born from the sickness that has come to thee, one who will impose severe injustice for those without wealth, and one who shall gift to those of whom art better off.”.

Depicting famine as a man who will come to give to the rich, and will force the poor to go into severe famine and blight. In texts that do not refer to Dhyarus, Famine is described as a being who is weak, skinny, and typically in a state of constant sorrow. This state of permanent sobbing forced Famine to only be able to move and manipulate things through magical means, with 2-4 large black tentacles personifying him. It is sometimes said that Famine is the only horseman without a horse, as he was created by Dhyarus and forced to eat his own horse for the pleasure of Dhyarus. This is also the explanation of his constant sorrow depicted by those against Dhyarus.

### **Description**

Famine is portrayed differently between creatures in support of Dhyarus and his work, and from those who dislike Dhyarus. The more common interpretation is that of the ones who dislike Dhyarus, as it is what is symbolized by most churches or temples that carry symbols to him.

In the cultures of those who dislike Dhyarus, famine is depicted as a sorrowful young human, around the ages of 12-15. He is depicted with his full rib cage on display, with no skin coverings or muscle to hide his bones. It is said that his eyes are constantly red from his unending tears, and his back scarred and sore from constantly laying on the floor while sobbing. He has pale white skin, sunken eyes, and a boney face. This version of famine has anywhere from 2-4 tentacles, which he uses to move around and to get out of his pooling tears. These tentacles are large, and barbed. This version of Famine is depicted without a horse.

In cultures who are apologetics for Dhyarus or who like him, Famine is instead depicted with a large black horse. He is shown as a human with tan skin, long brown hair, and close facial features. He is shown as physically strong, who wears a blindfold to shield his eyes from the unjust. He carries a large obsidian scale, either to show a merchant's pricing, or to show justice. Either of the two are both a façade, as represented by the obsidian, Famine gives to the rich, and punishes the poor. His horse is a tall creature, with a muscular build and a pitch black coat, it is said that instead of eating food, his horse feasts on the emotions of other creatures, and those who stare directly into the horses eyes will become without emotions.

Famine is sometimes represented with the locust, being a symbol of his blights against wheat, corn, and rice plants. Famine is associated with no plants, but is associated with Obsidian, representing a lie or falsehood. Sometimes, if particularly wealthy people sleep near the death place of Dhyarus, they may dream of Famine. His form in those dreams is that of a man with pure black skin, typically standing up to 8 feet tall with deep purple eyes, drops of light purple tears coming down. It is often said by merchants that if you dream of famine, you will have great prosperity by raising your prices.

### **Personality**

Famine is a sorrowful creature, while hard in his resolve. He is often paralyzed by somber, humming quietly to himself in a sad tune, it is only theorized why he is so sad all of the time. Famine speaks few words, rather using actions and markets to say what he wishes for. He rarely contacts creatures outside of his citadel, only his remnants and actions can be seen or heard by creatures in the Material Plane.

### **Powers**

Famine has the innate ability to kill off plants, fish, and small game around the area of his citadel. Once every 10 years, Famine is able to send a blight onto anywhere he choses, killing hundreds of thousands of crops. These blights last anywhere from 2 months to 1 year, which can result in the death of hundreds, if not then thousands.

In addition to this, Famine is in possession of two artifacts known as The Ring Of Famine and The Robes of Famine. His ring gives him the ability to never starve or dehydrate to death, and his robes give him his innate power over tentacles. Both were crafted from the stomach and hide of Dhyarus, after he died his flesh and organs were crafted into the 8 artifacts that each horseman wields.

### **Realm**

Famine lives in Tasix, the same realm where all 5 citadels exist. Tasix is a large land of desolate black sands,  where Famine lives particularly is a large cornfield, expanding to the size of a large continent, in the very center of the maze corn is Famine’s Cathedral, made of dark slate with obsidian glass windows, the entire cathedral is decorated with hundreds of pieces of art that represent famine.

All throughout Famine's land of Tasix, locust swarms and rot golems live, consuming the dead corn for sustenance as they are in a constant hunt for more and more food. It is said that inside the land of Famine, if you are consumed by the flesh eating locusts or absorbed by a rot golem, you too will become a denizen of the corn maze.

### **Relationships**

Famine is the brother of all other 3 horsemen, they each have a relationship akin to allied soldiers. However, with Pestilence, Famine shares a brotherly bond the most with, as during the first 100 years of Famine’s weeping, Pestilence planted the corn field outside of Famine’s citadel to try and cheer him up. When it did not work, Pestilence turned each corn plant into a catcher for his tears, so that his brother would never drown in his own tears.

Unknowingly, Famine is hated by the gods, as are all other horsemen. However, because Famine out powers any god besides the Greater deities, no god dares to challenge the horsemen, for fear of losing their divine privilege to life.

Unlike the other 3 horsemen, Famine hates his creature Dhyarus, as when he was created and forced to eat his horse, he was severed away from the strongest emotional bond any creature in existence could ever feel. It was a mutual love filled relationship with the horse, but Dhyarus forced Famine to grow hungrier and hungrier before he gave him his ring, and thus Dhyarus had to eat his horse, otherwise Dhyarus said he would kill both Famine and Dhyarus. Pestilence tried to cheer up his brother after Dhyarus died by gifting him a new horse, named Coal; and while Famine loves the animal with his heart, and the deed for which his brother did, Famine still could not and will never get over his horse’s death.

### **History**

Famine was the 3rd horseman to be created, after War and before Death, he is the 2nd youngest of all horsemen. Like most other horsemen, Famine does not remember his life before he was forced into a position of godhood. All except for his horse, of whom he could never forget the bond of love with. It is sometimes said that Famine used to be a knight in his previous life, one who grew up with his horse and lived with him all throughout his life.

The first memory that Famine had was of his horse, named Cinder, being thrown into a cold metal cell by the soul of Dhyarus. This divine soul, clutching to life by threads was growing ever more weakened by the God's attempting to eradicate him. As thus, Famine was not fed, and at every opportunity that Dhyarus would pass Famine’s cell, he would shout names and make fun of him about how skinny he was, and how his horse required to be eaten alive if Famine wished to return to his home.

This insulting and screaming grew more and more, as Famine slowly starved to death. Right before Dhyarus was going to become destroyed, he forced Famine to eat his horse, telling him that if it didn't happen that he would kill them both and eat the horse himself. After Famine had eaten his horse alive, he uttered no word besides tears, being sent into a permanent hysterical state of nothing but tears.

This crying became constant, and eventually the land where Dhyarus had imprisoned Famine became the Citadel, with Famine’s brother’s War and Pestilence trying their hardest to cheer him up by planting him fields of crops, building him his citadel out of the prettiest gem they could find in Taxis, and making art pieces showing Famine as a confident strong knight. Nothing was able to quell his tears.

From that point, War tried his hardest to give famine a reputation for strength, he painted his horse black and went around the Material plane in a long pilgrimage to spread “the image of Famine”,  and when nobody believed that he was famine, he burnt down fields of crops and destroyed as many crops as he could, before moving to other countries and saying that it was done by sickness.

### **Notes**

* Before Dhyarus created Famine, no plant ever died from sickness or disease, and always gave the best of their harvest possible.