Goddess of Beasts and Stories

The Birth of Varana:

In the realm known as the Endless Wilderness, beast people roamed under a thick blanket of fog, menaced by horrific monsters. Their world had been shaped, formed and filled by the Gods; and then abandoned. They cried out for help, but received no answer. 

Dissatisfied with the Gods that had birthed their world, a young lioness turned to the behemoths that walked above the fog.  The Vin-Anir-Al-Asai, or locally, fog striders; walked through the endless wilderness, unaware of the plight of the beast-people.  

The young lioness donned her pack, full with gifts from her tribe, and began to climb the strongest of the fog striders. She climbed up a single one of its legs, using her knife to carve places to rest. As she climbed, she comforted herself with the stories that her mother and her mother’s mother had told her; finding solace and strength in the familiar.  

The young lioness continued to climb, making her way through the thick fog that blankets the endless wilderness. She climbed for so long that her pack began to cut into her shoulders, deep gouges fully formed and bloody by the time she reached the top of the great deer Van-Alar. 

There, she confronted the spirit of Van-Alar and pleaded with it to help her people. To save them from a life under the fog. The spirit was moved by her plight, but spirits often do not fully understand the perils of what it means to hold a physical form. And Van Alar was no different. It wished to know more and delved into the young lioness’s mind, searching for stories. The young lioness’s mind could not take the strain as the stories and spirit of Van Alar flooded into her. Her mind split into three, two heads growing onto her body through the gouges formed by her pack. Her minds expanded throughout the endless wilderness, finally comprehending the depth and breadth of the stories in the wilderness, held within the fog itself. It was then that the young lioness became Varana, Goddess of Stories and Beasts.  

Her body altered forever, Varana commanded Van Alar to knell in the lower forest, allowing her people to easily board the fog-strider. Connected to all life on the endless wilderness, she compelled every fog-strider in the endless wilderness to knell, bringing all that she could above the fog. The beast-people rejoiced and celebrated Varana, thanking her a thousand times over for lifting them from the fog. They populated the fog-striders and were finally able to live in peace. 

Appearance:

Varana, being Queen of her realm, freely appears to her people. Undoubtedly the most striking aspect of her is the fact that she is indeed a lion woman. Not only that but she stands at around 10″, cutting an impressive figure across the fog striders. Adding to this however is the three heads atop her neck. Each are fearsome and deadly in their own right, but all gaze out at her realm with the same fearsome gaze. Often noticed, but never mentioned, is the scar on her right head from slaying the terror of Vil Alal bare-handed. One of her greatest deeds, but one with a painful reminder for the goddess. Varana is all too aware of where she came from and so will often appear in the traditional garb of her people, frilled, loose fitting robes to protect against the heat; but covered in straps designed to tighten the robe for climbing. But of course, Varana is also a fierce warrior and so under her robes is always a set of armor. Though, occasionally in more formal settings Varana will appear in a black, two-piece power suit. 

Temperament:

The Queen of beasts is indeed somewhat savage, but this does make her any less capable or shrewd. Varana loves her people and will do anything to defend them, often at great risk to herself. However she will also freely manipulate powerful figures in the Endless Wilderness against each other if it is to the benefit of her rule. She also all too well remembers her great climb up Van Alar, and so sees those who will not help themselves as decidedly expendable. Should one petition Varana for help, be prepared to work for it.

The Goddess of Stories has few vices, but stories are one. Varana’s collection of ball bearings is incomparable, numbering well into the millions. She will, despite thousands of years of rule, still hoard stories away; convinced she will need them some day for some great purpose. Varana regards the other New Gods as useful allies, that she will support, but would not hesitate to abandon any of them. She has no love whatsoever for the Old Gods, as she sees them as corrupt, lazy masters who must be moved aside. 

Worship:

Varana is venerated and celebrated across all of the endless wilderness as the saviour. of her people. Almost all villages or even homes will have a shrine to Varana, taking the time to offer up ball bearings to the Goddess of Stories. But of course, Varana plays an active role in the administration and ruling of The Endless Wilderness, and so evoking her name in a casual day to day basis is seen as somewhat gauche.

The greatest holiday in the Endless Wilderness is in service to Varana, The Day of Ascension. Poorly named, the Day of Ascension is in fact a 5 day long celebration marking Varana’s climb up Van Alar. Feats of strength (mostly climbing) are performed, large amounts of food are consumed and above all, stories are told. Indeed, it is said that the Day of Ascension is full of so many stories being told, so many ball bearings being made, that for a brief moment the fog clears and the lower forest can be seen.