Celvanya

Celvanya, goddess of war. None shall stop her crusade against the end.

## Goddess of War

"A fortress is built with blood and toil. Only by blood and toil may it be taken."

## **Base Form**

Celvanya, being a goddess of war, has a form that suits this purpose. To start, Celvanya is approximately seven feet tall, dwarfing a majority of the mortals she meets. Celvayna's red hair is left mostly loose, save for a pair of side braids that are then woven together in a single braid and tucked behind her right ear. Complementing this hair is a pair of blue eyes. Celvanya's face has a few freckles, and there is a small scar on her right cheek from her time fighting against the apocalypse. Notably, Celvayna's face is also tattooed. Upon her forehead and beneath her bottom lip are a pair of intricate designs that hold no distinct meaning but are maintained by Celvanya regardless.

Celvanya's body as a whole is well toned and athletic in nature. She still possesses a notable amount of feminine curvature due to her divine nature allowing her to simply sculpt her form as she chooses rather than having to exercise as mortals do.

For clothing, Celvanya wears a green cape that is decorated with golden designs of branches at the shoulders and edges. This cape is bound with a brooch depicting a sword and an eye. This clasp represents Celvanya's self imposed duty of watching out for recurring elements of the apocalypse, and fighting them as they appear. Upon her torso, Celvanya wears a cream colored long sleeve shirt with the ends of the sleeves tucked into a pair of dark brown hardened leather bracers. Over this Celvanya wears a light brown hardened leather breastplate, though the protection it offers is frankly minimal compared to her innate defenses as a goddess.

Around her stomach is a red haramaki. Over this is a thick leather belt that holds a simple leather pouch. This pouch is a little larger than a softball, and typically only contains items that Celvanya has picked up in her travels. Currently, it contains nothing.

After that is a collection of strings of green and white, along with some beads and a ring of metal all woven together intricately. They serve no purpose other than looking nice. Finally, Celvanya wears a pair of dark brown loose cloth pants that are tied at the lower calves and ankles with wound leather. Celvanya doesn't wear any kind of footwear, as the speeds she can move at in combat would likely shred any she tried to wear.

## **True Form**

Celvanya's true form abandons the mundane clothing that she wears in an effort to hide the true nature of her divinity. In this form Celvanya wears a suit of golden armor with blue accents. This suit of armor clings to her form and accents her feminine nature, going against the grain of more practical armor as, like always, it provides little actual protection that Celvanya's divine nature doesn't already provide. In addition, she has a red waist-cape to preserve her modesty. Her hair has changed from a red color to a brilliant blonde color, and has increased in length dramatically, now coming to her ankles rather than her mid-back. In addition, Celvanya's height has increased from seven feet tall to ten feet tall. Celvanya's eyes have also changed from their normal blue color to a deep red color, and her ears are considerably shorter, though still pointed. In addition, when assuming this form Celvanya dissolves her sword into nothingness, and instead flings masterwork weapons at extreme speeds with little more than a thought rather than engaging in direct combat. Not to say that she can't do so, but her preference lies elsewhere in this form.

Additionally, Celvanya shines with a brilliant light while in this form, usually compared to that of the sun. Upon assuming this form, the ground around Celvanya is flattened, smoothed, and hardened into a distinct circular battle arena roughly 20 feet in diameter. These persist as a permanent alteration to the landscape even after Celvanya leaves or resumes her normal form.

## Domain(s)

***War*** - Celvanya is a divine embodiment of war. In general, Celvanya's approach to war is two-fold: In one school of thought it is imperative to consider the strategic value of a battle, and if the resources gained and lost over the course of it will be acceptable enough to engage with the enemy instead of withdrawing. Each battle should be approached with a thorough plan that takes into account the terrain, weather, and the equipment and training of the enemy. Battles should be won as quickly as possible in order to avoid excessively taxing the resources of the army and the morale of the soldiers present, and key locations are better kept intact so that they may be re-used to the benefit of allies.

In the other school of thought, it is sometimes best to throw out the notion of planning and instead act in an unpredictable and unconventional manner. To constantly act according to a rigid set of rules and plans for battle is to become readable and predictable, and when you have become readable and predictable, you have effectively lost the ability to make plans that would result in victory. Thus, to Celvanya, war is a delicate balancing act where one must be ready to shift their approach at any given moment.

## Myth

In a particular temple on an uncertain day, an old man is helped into a temple by a cloaked figure that aids his troubled walking with a hand upon his arm. The old man is brought to sit at one of the many benches in the temple, and he quietly wheezes a thanks to the stranger before beginning to pray. As he finishes praying, he looks up towards a prominent statue within the room. The being depicted in the statue is close to being human, save for a pair of long ears that adorn the side of her head. It's not clear if the old man can see the statue or not due to the grey coating his eyes, but the dedicated effort to look towards it catches the attention of the stranger who helped him into the temple.

Turning their own eyes to the statue, the stranger looks back at the old man before asking a simple question. "Someone important to you?"

The old man nods before clearing his throat. His voice is barely above a whisper when he begins to speak. "Aye... The statue of the goddess..." The man coughs a bit, and the stranger lays a hand upon his shoulder to help keep him stable. Once the coughing stops, the man begins to speak again. His voice is a bit clearer now. "The goddess Celvanya... One of the saviors of the world... I saw her once... In the flesh..."

The man pauses for a moment to catch his breath and think back to that day. As he does, he smiles slightly before beginning to speak again. "It was during a time of great turmoil... The land was vanishing... We were all doomed. Until she came... I was running, my wife behind me. She tripped... And was lost..." The old man pauses once more, this time to touch at a small locket that hangs from his neck. After a few moments he continues to speak. "I tried to help her, but the end was moving so fast... She was swallowed by it the moment I stopped to look... I moved to run again but the grief gave me pause. I turned to look towards the nothing... Waiting for the end. But then she came..."

The old man stops again, looking once more towards the statue. A tear comes to his eye as he remembers what he saw, and a few moments later he speaks once more. "I saw her for only a moment, clad in armor of gold and shining like the sun... It was so bright... So magnificent... I had to look away, but I could hear her efforts around me. A fierce whirling of weapons and battle... I lay helpless... Thinking that my end would come... I passed out... But when I came to she was gone, the nothing that had previously taken the land was gone... My wife did not return, but I lived..."

The old man paused once again, tears flowing down his face. Taking a moment to compose himself, he wiped himself clean with the dirty shirt that he wore. Looking up to the statue again, the old man finished his story. "I owe her my life... I come here every day and offer a prayer of thanks that I lived so that I can remember my wife... I can only hope she hears them..."

The stranger nodded before speaking again. "A fine thing to live for. Thank you for the story. I must be going now. Farewell." Rising from the bench, the stranger turned to leave. After a small moment of hesitation she placed an assuring hand upon the shoulder of the old man before whispering something into his ear. "I do."

The old man gasped and turned to look, but Celvanya was already gone.

## Notable items

***Sword of the Everlasting Warrior***, also called ***"The Everblade"*** for short.

Celvanya's personal sword and primary weapon. When not activated The Everblade is an oddly proportioned dagger with a thick blade made of what appears to be diamond. The blade design is similar to a cinquedea, though it has a handle and crossguard fit more for a hand and a half sword. What's odd is that for a blade so short the scabbard it's placed in is the length of a knightly sword.

The reason for this discrepancy is revealed when Celvanya activates the sword by pouring her anger into it. In most cases, a glowing blue blade manifests. However when Celvanya's anger is particularly potent a brilliant golden blade will manifest with brightness comparable to a sun. A god would most likely only be mildly inconvenienced by this brightness, but those lacking in divine ability would likely find it quite difficult to look at.

The weapon is indestructible as long as Celvanya exists, and only Celvanya can activate it. If she ever ceases to be, the sword will cease to be as well.

***Staff of the Tree that Was***, also known as ***Celvanya's Staff***

This staff is, quite frankly, nothing that special. In her crusade against the apocalypse, Celvanya came upon a tree that had been mostly consumed by the advancing nothingness that was erasing Galbar. Picking up what was left of it, she twisted it into the shape of a staff and carried it with her as a reminder of what she was fighting for.

Celvanya sometimes uses it as a focus for some divine act, but it's usually just a decoration upon her back and little more. Like The Everblade, this staff has been made indestructible, but unlike The Everblade it will persist should Celvanya cease to be.