A JOURNEY THROUGH THE DEPTHS OF HADES

• TARTARUS
• ASPHODEL
• ELYSIUM
• THE TEMPLE OF STYX
• THE SURFACE

MYTHOLOGY ; DEATH &̲&̲ REBIRTH

❝ So Sing, Oh Muses, OF PRINCE ZAGREUS. Endlessly toiling, always-dying; never-dying Zagreus. Son of the God of the Dead, Prince of the Damned, God of Blood and Rebirth, who bleeds red as mortals do, instead of ichor gold. Lover of Death and Torment, Life amidst the Dead. Protege to Swift-Footed, Lion-Hearted Achilles. The Forgotten Heir. The Unknown God. The Forbidden God. A rebellious divinity who knows no sense of belonging; of Olympus, of the Underworld, yet without place in either. Born of both thrones, claimer of none. Thrice Born and Infinitely Died. Always living, always dying. The immortal of countless deaths. ❞

Long ago Zeus, God of the Sky and Ruler of Olympus, tempted the Goddess Persephone, who’d been hidden away in a cave by the protective Demeter to avoid potential suitors, under the guise of a serpent and a new horned god, EUBULEUS ( Εὐβουλεύς, ) was born. When he was small, barely an infant, he proved his potential to his father by climbing atop the God King’s throne and wielding the famed lightning bolts in his tender fingers. Zeus was convinced that he had found an heir in young Eubuleus, but Hera took notice of the child and was unable to contain her displeasure. Upset that her husband had violated the very frail sanctity of their marriage and made yet another child with another woman, and furious at the thought of the illegitimate Eubuleus being considered as the successor to Zeus’s throne, Hera forced her way into Tartarus and set the Titans free.The Queen of Olympus ordered them to kill young Eubuleus, who was still a child at the time, in exchange for the opportunity to seek revenge against Zeus for the events of the Titanomachy. Hera provided them with seven toys which they would use against the child: a mirror, a knuckle-bone, a ball, a spinning-top, a wheel and a fleece.One day while Eubuleus was alone, the Titans disguised themselves with masks of chalk. They lured him out of his father’s sights with the six toys while he was alone and then to him, but of course that proved to be a ploy, for while he was distracted and playing they saw it fit to strike. They caught him off guard when they ambushed him, which gave them a window of opportunity to catch the young godling when he was least expecting it. Eubuleus tried to fight them off by turning into various animals — and in some respects he held them off well — but then Hera bellowed harshly in the air, making the gates of Olympus rattle with her envious cry, making the young god collapse. The Titans held the boy down. They seized him then proceeded to cut his limbs off, severing his body into multiple bleeding pieces by brutal dismemberment, cooking his parts over a fire before they ate his body. Eubuleus screamed as he was dismembered, burned and subsequently killed, thus alerting his Lord Father. When Zeus learned of the murder of his son, his rage was intense and swift. He attacked the Titans with a vengeance, striking them with his lightning bolts, and shut up the murderers of horned Eubuleus within the Pits of Tartarus.Nothing was spared, save for Eubuleus' heart and remnants of his blood, the first of which was retrieved by the Goddess Athena before it could be devoured and taken to Zeus. Zeus used the heart when he impregnated Semele, giving birth to the second Eubuleus as a reincarnation of the first, who was then named DIONYSUS ( Διόνυσος, ) the God of Wine and Madness. When his blood was spilt on the ground as he was being torn apart, it absorbed into the earth and eventually found its way into the Underworld, giving birth to the pomegranate fruit.Meanwhile his soul was taken by Thanatos, Death Incarnate in his younger years still, and given to His Mother Night by her request. Eventually Persephone was married to Hades, the God of the Dead, by tumultuous circumstances, and became the Queen of the Underworld. She and Hades stayed together for a while, living beneath the earth in relative peace and falling deeper in love until they decided that they wanted a child together. Unfortunately, they struggled to produce one. Hades was never destined to have an heir, for within the Land of the Dead producing life had been near impossible, so Nyx had approach her daughters, the Fates, to convince them to give them a child from Eubuleus’s remains. They obliged and ensured that the memory of Eubuleus’s past life was forgotten by all, giving his remaining essence to the King and Queen of the Underworld in the form of a potion that was promised to give them a child.Persephone was impregnated, and thus Eubuleus — now ZAGREUS ( Ζαγρεύς ) : THE GOD OF BLOOD, REBIRTH AND LIFE — had been reborn as the son of Hades and Persephone.Tragedy struck soon-after his birth however. While Zagreus was only a baby, he died in Persephone’s arms. In her grief, the Goddess fled the Underworld and sought to live in a place above the Realm of the Dead but below the notice of the Heavens.Little did she know that stillborn and immortal Zagreus resurrected after she’d left.And so HADES had been left with his son, whose existence only seemed to cause a despair so deep that it drove away his beloved wife.The God of the Dead was never a soft man but the tragedy that ruined his marriage made him retreat into his work and close his heart to everyone, even the family that he had left. Out of all of the inhabitants of the House of Hades, it was his accursed son who’d been subject to most of his ire. Zagreus grew up never knowing the love of either his father or his mother — only a childhood of verbal abuse and neglect.Hades hardly bothered with his son, his focus being put on his work instead, and when he did pay Zagreus mind he was often harsh on him — cold, bitter and even angry. Hades still attempted to raise Zagreus to be the heir to his throne but the young prince never took a liking to the duties he’d been meant to fulfill, neither could he perform to his father's satisfaction. He had high, almost impossible, expectations placed on him as the Prince of the Underworld and the only potential inheritor of Hades’s throne, but he could never seem to meet them no matter how hard he tried. Zagreus was always a restless god whose bright and energetic disposition never fit in much in the gloomy Underworld, much to Hades’s dismay. The differences between them often caused them to clash, souring their relationship overtime. Zagreus has received no small amount of insults, berating or words of dismissal from his father over the course of his loveless childhood and as a result he became very resentful of Hades and the Underworld he ruled over.Nyx, Goddess of the Night, had the role of Zagreus’s motherly figure passed onto her in Persephone’s absence, and she did well to raise him in her stead, though she had to lie to the young Son of Hades during his youth about the identity of his true mother to keep conflict at bay. Her sons, Thanatos and Hypnos ( Death and Sleep Incarnate respectively, ) served as Zagreus’s childhood friends. He also came to have a personal history with the First of the Furies, Megaera. In his youth a Hero of the Trojan War, Achilles, had been tasked with training him in the martial ways, making him Zagreus’s long-time friend, mentor and surrogate father figure.Zagreus’s sense of unrest about his family and his life in the Underworld grew overtime. When he’d grown his tolerance for it had reached its limit, spurred on by his bottled-up emotions and the truth he discovered about his true parentage — of Persephone being his real mother — he decided one day to ESCAPE THE UNDERWORLD. His Lord Father forbade Zagreus’s rebelliousness so he, in turn, sent all of his forces ( the souls of the damned, the Erinyes, the skeletal remains of the Lernaean Hydra, the Heroes of Elysium and the duo of Theseus and Asterius: the Bull of Minos ) to stand in his way and bring him back to the depths of Tartarus by way of force. Zagreus’s battle against his father’s realm was tumultuous, difficult and endless. He’d been killed dozens, even hundreds of times by the myriad of enemies that worked under his father in the process … but not even death could make him surrender. The Gods of Olympus eventually caught wind of Zagreus’s toil and, intrigued by their long-lost relative, decided to lend him their aid throughout his journey in the form of blessings. His friends in the Underworld, such as Nyx, Thanatos, Hypnos, Megaera, Charon, Achilles, Patroclus, Orpheus, Eurydice, Sisyphus, Dusa and Skelly, all decided to eventually help him as well. One day he’d finally make it to the surface, where he would clash with Hades Himself in one, final battle to the death — until he’d fall to his son, vanquished by who he once called to be “ the God of Nothing. ”Zagreus, at last, left the Underworld and seized the opportunity to reunite with his mother, Persephone, once again … but the Fates would never be so kind as to allow the young prince his happiness. He’d been bound to the Underworld — unable to stay out of his father’s realm for long, and thus it had only been inevitable that, shortly after his long-awaited escape, he’d been taken by the River Styx through a painful death and returned to the depths of Tartarus.The Prince of the Damned learned that he wouldn’t be long for the surface world even if he fought as hard as he could to reach it, for the Underworld would always claim their Prince if he ventured too far or was away for too long. Even still, Zagreus, ever the determined deity, went about battling through the Realm of the Dead in an endless cycle of toiling and combat, all for the sake of seeing his mother yet again. Zagreus and Persephone had several meetings — all of which were cut short by the God of Blood’s imminent deaths, but they were fruitful and through them, Zagreus sought to mend his family; his mother’s aching heart, his father’s distant ways, their once loving marriage that had been strained by tragedy and grief. Eventually, Persephone agreed to return to Hades by her own admission, and so Zagreus, Son of the God of the Dead and the Goddess of Spring, through his endless rebellion of his father’s ways, granted the Underworld the presence of their benevolent queen once more.Zagreus’s position in the Underworld seemed to have improved since then. He’d gone from a renegade and hardly respected Prince to the official Protector of the Underworld and Head of Security. His escape attempts turned from violent bids to leave into official business and stress-testing. He was allowed to continue them, but now they are done under the pretense of challenging the very infallibility of the Underworld’s security. By fighting through the realm, he’d reveal its weaknesses and give way to improvements that would better hold their reputation for being inescapable. In his job he’d also found purpose in defend his home realm from unwelcome invaders and intruders alike.

❝ ZAGREUS. Eubuleus. Sabazius. The First Dionysus. The Chthonic Dionysus. He who eternally bathes in blood and darkness. ❞

THE CHARACTER OF ZAGREUS

NAME : Zagreus.
SPECIES : Greek God ( 3/4ths God, 1/4th Mortal. )
AGE : ???????????????????
DOMAINS : Blood, Rebirth, Life, Blood && Familial Relations, Hunting, Nocturnal Mystery-Rites && Relationships.
SYMBOLS : Serpent && Bull.
TITLE : Prince of the Underworld.
HERITAGE : Zeus ( Original Father && Current Uncle, ) Persephone ( Birth Mother, ) Hades ( Current Father, ) Nyx ( Foster Mother, ) Chronos ( Paternal Grandfather, ) Rhea ( Paternal Grandmother, ) Demeter ( Maternal Grandmother, ) Unidentified Mortal Farmer ( Maternal Grandfather. )
ORIENTATION : Biromantic Bisexual.
HOME : The House of Hades, Tartarus.
AFFLILIATIONS : The Chthonic Gods. The House of Hades. The Greek Pantheon.
OCCUPATIONS : Prince of the Underworld, Underworld's Head of Security, Protector of the Underworld, God of Blood && Rebirth.

ZAGREUS is the Greek God of Blood, Life and Rebirth. He is the rebellious son of Hades and Persephone, raised by the Nyx, Embodiment of Night, and trained in martial combat by the Hero Achilles. He is the Prince of the Underworld, though he doesn’t take well to performing his royal duties ( which largely consist of completing tedious parchment work that he’d literally rather die than do for the rest of eternity. ) Despite his chthonic heritage and upbringing, he displays traits that befit a God of Life ( and a mortal ) far more. He is known for his positive attitude and upbeat demeanor, which often makes him a positive influence for the oppressively dour Underworld and the beings that inhabit it. Unlike most of the residents of the House of Hades, he is laid back and characterized by his good humor, wit, sharp tongue and kindness. He is unconditionally polite to those he meets, only ever expressing rudeness whenever he is continuously mistreated. He’s a great conversationalist who usually makes the effort to interact with anyone he meets, no matter how aloof or intimidating they may be. He likes to make small talk with others, even beings who can’t or won’t talk much to begin with. Regardless, he tries to facilitate friendly banter whenever he converses with another, sometimes to questionable success that hardly deters him.Zagreus is an endlessly curious god. He has a strong desire to learn and obtain knowledge through places he wishes to explore the people he meets outside of his home realm. Eons spent being sheltered and confined to the depths of Tartarus made him woefully naive, to the point where he didn’t even know what birds were for most of his life, nor did he understand the concept of winter until he met his grandmother who ushered in the seasons. His inquisitiveness is boundless, so much so that he fought through Hell and died countless times for the sake of it. He’s very enthusiastic about learning even the most basic of things and carries an open-minded mentality that is lost on his father. He also has a passion for history, which was nurtured by Achilles, and takes whatever opportunity he can to study it. Naturally, because of this, he yearns for adventure too.Contrasting the pride of most of his godly relatives, he is humble to a fault despite his status as both a deity and a prince. He’s hardly one for boasting ( unless he feels that someone needs to be humbled, of course. ) He takes insults and other forms of offenses to himself surprisingly well. Most of the time he doesn’t let harsh words get to him unless they’re especially personal or come from those who he really cares about. He even tends to be self-deprecating at times. This trait of his could be attributed to his low, practically non-existent self-esteem, caused by the many years he spent being disparaged and reviled by his strict and emotionally distant father. Simultaneously, he also tends to carry himself with a certain cheeky confidence about him, particularly when he’s faced with an enemy, which he possesses due to the pride he has in his own fighting capabilities ( which seems justified, considering his prestigious training and all the foes that he’s vanquished. ) That, and his own recklessness. He infamously has no sense of which impulses to act upon and which to keep in check, neither does he have much of a sense of self-preservation. He will charge head-first into situations and battles that could potentially kill him without much care for his own safety. This impulsivity and blatant disregard for his own safety feeds into a sense of masochism he’s potentially developed from his constant dying, in ways that most would probably consider unhealthy or self-destructive.If he’s curious about something he will often pursue it, even if it’s incredibly dangerous and could ( and would ) result in his death. His experiences dying countless times and his inability to stay dead emboldens him to explore places and interact with beings that could threaten his very life. At this point he is soundly unafraid of dying, a fact strengthened by his personal ( and intimate ) relationship with Thanatos, Death Incarnate, and the way he’s thoroughly acquainted himself with the dead as their prince.He is extremely restless, always moving and always looking to be active with the seemingly endless energy that he possesses. He infamously can never keep still for very long ( a reason why he failed to become a proper heir to his father to begin with ) and hardly takes the time to rest unless he’s coaxed into it or wants to give his own friends a much-needed break. He is very energetic and has trouble doing the official underworld duties his father relegated to him, and decided to forego them in favor of his escape attempts. Zagreus always works with good intentions in mind but his confident attitude, sarcasm, recklessness and occasional obliviousness can lead to rocky relationships with the ones close to him, such as Megaera and Thanatos.Zagreus has a penchant for using his influence for mending relationships around him, as well as befriending everyone he can with general kindness and gifts of Nectar and Ambrosia. He regards his Olympian family members with respect and politeness. Zagreus is very forgiving and amicable with the residents of the house and the peaceful denizens of the Underworld, but despite that shows annoyance towards certain characters that bother him enough.
Zagreus’s most dangerous quality is his determination. He never gives up on anything, whether it be his quest to find his mother, his battle waged against the forces of Hell or even the task of reuniting his mentor with his partner long-lost. He’s unwaveringly persistent and holds resilience like no other. His fierce spirit and his strong willpower see him through any challenge or adversity he comes across. He’s persistent, unwaveringly so, and holds resilience like no other. Not even death && defeat can or will stop him from achieving whatever he sets his mind to nor keep him at bay for long. Most infamously he was determined to escape his father's oppressive rule of the Underworld and meet his birth mother, Persephone ; a goal that he accomplished despite it once being thought to have been impossible.

ABILITIES

* On top of his natural abilities Zagreus is also highly skilled in the art of combat. Ever since his early childhood, he’s received extensive training from the famed Hero of the Trojan War, ACHILLES. He’s mastered hand-to-hand combat. He is a master swordsman, a master spearman, a master of archery, overall a master marksman and a master wielder of the shield.

BOONS

ZAGREUS is favored by the majority of THE OLYMPIAN GODS. His family on Olympus often like to send messages to him in the middle of his battles, which appear in the form of glowing orbs with the respective deity’s symbol that only he can activate by invoking Hades’s name, and give him a selection of BOONS for him to add to his arsenal.

ZEUS : GOD OF THE SKYTHE KING OF OLYMPUS. THE THUNDER BRINGER. One of Zagreus’s two uncles. THE GOD OF THE SKY was always one to favor his hellborn nephew. Ever since knowing of Zagreus’s existence, he’d been incredibly enthusiastic about it — eager to get him onto Olympus, even, thus he is more than willing top grant the Son of Hades power over THE SKIES AND LIGHTNING, so that he may leave his enemies JOLTED ( or cursed to inflict damage upon themselves or their allies whenever they attack by way of being struck by Zeus’s lightning. ) And once Zagreus CALLS upon the God King, then NO ONE will be spared from his divine might — the strike of his nigh-unstoppable MASTER BOLT, which boasts such power that it can vanquish the strongest of Titans and the greatest of monsters.Under the influence of Zeus’s Boons Zagreus may be overcome with POWER. He’ll become more confident ( than usual ) and unafraid to display the surprising proficiency in which he wields his Lord Uncle’s Lightning.POSIDEON : GOD OF THE SEA AND EARTHQUAKESOr as Zagreus calls him: Uncle Number II. THE MASTER OF THE SEAS, THE EARTHSHAKER, BROTHER TO ZEUS AND HADES. Of all of his brothers he is by far the most affable, despite the great power and influence that he possesses, normally carrying a very laid-back and chill demeanor, not unlike the waves he rules over. Yet the seas, as many unfortunate mortals know, have the capability to be utterly devastating once they are stirred; a phenomenon that symbolizes Poseidon and his often ruthless temperament well. His control over the oceans is true, as is his willingness to aid his nephew whenever he can. With his blessings, Zagreus can summon forth the power of the sea at will and imbue it in his attacks. Any enemy hit by the waves of Poesidon will be KNOCKED BACK and RUPTURED, taking rapid damage every 0.2 seconds that they move. A CALL FOR POSEIDON allows Zagreus to become on with the sea itself. A WAVE will rise from the ground and carry him steadfastly, allowing him to rush and damage his enemies with the power of the oceans, while being completely invulnerable until the call wears off.Under the influence of Poseidon’s Boons Zagreus’s moods can range from easy-going and lighthearted to wrathful and ruthless. Like the seas, he becomes unpredictable, temperamental and carries with him a fury that is extremely dangerous when it is provoked.ATHENA : GODDESS OF WISDOM AND WARGODDESS OF WISDOM, MASTER OF WAR. ATHENA represents a thoughtful approach to warfare, bringing protection and tactical advantage to any fighter she deems to be worthy of her aid. In stark contrast to her brother Ares ( a God of War in his own right ) Athena puts emphasis on victory through strategy, and aims to create warriors who work with THEIR MINDS, rather than their body’s violent instincts. Now, she blesses her chthonic cousin with wisdom and defenses similar whenever fate brings him to her blessings. Her Boons can DEFLECT any attack that comes for Zagreus by the use of a shield he can manifest at any time. ATHENA'S CALL will invoke the summoning of an impenetrable shield around Zagreus that makes him invincible to any form of attack so long as it stays up ; a protective measure from his strategic cousin.The usually reckless and headstrong Zagreus gains a rather tactical mind when blessed by Athena. He actually thinks through his actions more, and strategizes to achieve victory over his enemies ( or at the very least heavily considers it. ) He may use his wits more in combat and more easily capable of controlling his emotions for the sake of being logical, beginning about that intelligent potential that lay dormant within him in favor of his usual tactics of charging into battle.ARES : THE GOD OF WAR.INFAMOUS, RUTHLESS, BLOODY ARES. The most scorned of all of Zeus’s divine sons. In that, he has much in common with Zagreus, and perhaps that is one reason why he has devoted himself to the Scion of Hades and his rebellious cause. The Underworld’s Prince, trained by Swift-Footed Achilles, has earned the favor of Warlike Ares by slaying his enemies en-mass with efficiency, strength and swiftness rarely paralleled, establishing his power as A WARRIOR feared all throughout Hell Itself. When empowered by Ares’s Blessings, the Son of Hades DOOMS any enemy that is unfortunate enough to cross his path. Once they are hit by Zagreus’s attacks their pain is inevitable, appearing in the form of a sharp manifestation of pure cursed energy that unavoidably pierces Zagreus’s enemies from above, inflicting damage every time that the Son of Hades hits his mark. Additionally, Zagreus can also use Ares’s Boons to create BLADE RIFTS that bring pain and death to all those who touch them and increase the power behind his attacks, making him all the more formidable, violent and brutal as a fighter. ARES'S CALL turns Zagreus into a large, spinning blade rift that is not only impervious to damage, but also incredibly powerful and dangerous for anyone who comes into contact with him.Ares’s influence tends to bring about Zagreus’s more aggressive tendencies. He becomes more violent — BLOODTHIRSTY, as he approaches battle and spares his enemies no mercy.APHRODITE : GODDESS OF LOVE AND BEAUTYThe most worshiped deity on Olympus and perhaps even the most fearsome by influence alone. Lady Aphrodite is as deadly and ruthless as she is alluring — a woman not to be trifled ( merely ask every participant of the Trojan War for confirmation on the matter. ) Zagreus, Her Little Godling, is one man who’s been fortunately blessed with her favor ; and it is through that favor that she graciously grants him the ability to CHARM AND WEAKEN any opponent he faces. A CALL to Aphrodite Herself will summon her to the battlefield to unleash a lovingly deadly, heart-shaped attack onto his opponent that causes great damage. May the Fates grant his enemies mercy while he is empowered by her LOVE AND PASSION, for neither the God of Blood nor the Goddess of Beauty will.The influence of Aphrodite, fittingly enough, brings out the romantic in him. He may become more flirtatious, with enemies and especially his own lovers, and simultaneously more heartless to all that oppose him.ARTEMIS : GODDESS OF THE HUNTPATRON OF THE MOON AND PROTECTOR OF YOUNG WOMEN , though in this instance she serves as a benefactor to her hellborn cousin as well. Her hunting skills are widely renowned throughout Olympus. She never misses her mark — and with the power she gives Zagreus through her Boons, she makes sure that he doesn’t either. Any attack guided by the power of Artemis will deal CRITICAL DAMAGE to those unfortunate enough to be hit ( which they will be, for Zagreus lives up to his name as “ the Great Hunter. ” ) Once she is called, ARTEMIS HERSELF will take her bow and shoot Zagreus's adversary with impeccable accuracy, causing them immense harm once they are pierced by her heavenly arrow.Artemis’s influence on Zagreus gives him an intense focus, and causes him to act more aloof in a similar manner to his antisocial cousin. Essentially, the ideal hunter who can mark any prey he sets his sights on.HERMES : GOD OF SWIFTNESSTHE MESSENGER GOD who quite literally never fails to deliver. Among the Gods, he is by far and undoubtedly the fastest ( not to mention the most mischievous. ) Typically he would use such speed to traverse the realms, carrying messages for the divine and mortal alike, though on occasion he's more than happy to make a pitstop in order to lend his cousin of the Underworld his aid. Aptly, all of his Blessings contribute to Zagreus's speed : the pace in which he runs, the swiftness of his attacks, his reflexes, his the speed in which his body heals itself. Not only is Zagreus guaranteed to escape the Underworld faster than he would otherwise, but he's also made all the more evasive and difficult to hit in battle.DEMETER : GODDESS OF THE SEASONS AND HARVESTGRANDMOTHER TO ZAGREUS. Her abilities ( or at least , the ones that she lends to her grandson ) consist of eternal frost to signify the grief she still feels over her beloved daughter, Persephone. With her power , Zagreus can bring about A CHILL that can make even Gods shiver, freezing his enemies in their place and slowing their advances to a crawl until they are rendered practically stricken by bitter cold and immobile. A CALL TO DEMETER will summon A WINTER VORTEX to the battlefield which consumes all and hits Zagreus’s adversaries with a lethal flurry of chill and snow.Her influence on Zagreus freezes him, internally and externally. He becomes colder — more apathetic to the suffering of his enemies, and feels less like a person and more like a force of nature not to be reasoned with or trifled with.DIONYSUS : GOD OF WINE AND MADNESSDionysus is one of Zagreus’s best mates, the cousin ( other-self ? twin ? brother ? ) who he is the closest to and his reincarnation ; all of that to say that the Olympian party-goer happily lends the Prince of the Underworld his aid any opportunity he gets. Dionysus’s wine is unique in many ways and extremely potent ——— capable of causing even the most alcohol-tolerant of foes to be hopelessly DRUNK and even POISONED with exposure — a dangerous combination of delicious damage and damning disorientation !Zagreus tends to become more relaxed, when he falls under Dionysus’s influence, as if he’s drunk with the finest of wine. He becomes unpredictable with his newfound mental freedom … more-so when he embraces MADNESS.THE THYRSUS OF DIONYSUS gives Zagreus access to BOONS OF MADNESS : a liberation from his inhibitions, a descent into INSANITY. Lacking control over this unstable blessing will cause those around Zagreus to be inflicted with frenzy, regardless of who they are, as soon-after the God of Blood becomes consumed by madness.Should A CAST of Zagreus's blood hit his enemies, they will be compelled, for a brief moment, to attack each other if not themselves, as the Maenads would mutilate and dismember. ATTACKING foes will stun them into startlement and confusion, and his more SPECIAL ATTACKS make him more aggressive in his assault; more powerful due to it, yet unable to control who he hits, as if his mind becomes clouded by a purple fog. When he DASHES through the battlefield it's almost like a dance smooth and dangerous and erratic at the same time. It leaves those around him unable to keep up. The longer DIONYSUS'S THYRSUS is held, the more MADNESS settles and strengths its grasp around Zagreus's mind. The already reckless god loses himself more to IMPULSE, making him FASTER, allowing him to hit HARDER with empowering BLOODTHIRST but unable to control who he hits, and gradually unable to distinguish friend and foe. THE GRAPE VINES creep around his body to protect him from himself, and spills nectar and ambrosia down his throat to heal his wounds and offer a mockery of peace. And once his body reaches his limit, once he can neither physically nor mentally take anymore, he can call upon DIONYSUS HIMSELF who will then rip the madness from his mind and offer him relief — a complete clarity of mind, and release from his suffering, his pain and anguish ...

WEAPONRY : THE INFERNAL ARMS

STYGIUS, THE BLADE OF THE UNDERWORLD, must have been among the finest weapons ever wielded, back when it was whole. Back when the six elder gods sealed the Titans in the deepest recesses of Tartarus, that blade evidently played no small role in their success. It must have been Lord Poseidon who brandished that blade before he opted for that trident he so likes. Now the blade lies broken, survived only by its burning soul. I knew that Master Hades would pay little heed if I provided all the shattered remnants of the thing to his own son, who naturally was able to reconstitute them into something more than functional, indeed. It has been long since last the blade had a partner, &̲&̲ as I transported it, I could sense its eagerness to return to battle; to relive its own memories. I am left to wonder, who else shall someday bear this blade? The Master's son, among his charitable qualities, isn't warlike enough to want to use it forever.

It must have been a sight when lord hades wielded VARATHA THE ETERNAL SPEAR versus the Titans, driving back those fiends into the depths, together with the help of his Olympian brothers and sisters. The master since has traded in that terrifying weapon for an even larger two-pronged fork he likes to brandish in threat, noting sometimes its superiority to the trident of Lord Poseidon, which he insists is a mere copy. VARATHA, meanwhile , has seen better days -- but, it is a weapon built for WAR. &̲&̲ war shall always find it, as I suspect. after all, it now lies in the hands of the Lord Hades's Heir, in whose command it much resembles the two-pronged fork Lord Hades came to favor since that time. Father &̲&̲ son are much alike at least in this.

AEGIS, THE SHIELD OF CHAOS, predecessor to the very Aegis wielded by Lord Zeus &̲&̲ by Athena, his most favored daughter ... the Lord of Thunder defended his brothers &̲&̲ sisters using that very shield when, together, they conspired to drive the Titans back into the lowest reaches of the Underworld. The shield was shattered, yet a burning effigy remains, its power still intact. A power sealed within the visage of a monstrous entity even the titans feared. Its might is uncontrollable, &̲&̲ it scarce functions as a manner of defense. Instead, its writhing maw augments its wielder's might, shattering bone &̲&̲ solid rock with little effort, &̲&̲ considerable zeal. The family of weapons used to end the Titan War, the other members of it seem almost alive in their own way ; but, there is no almost about this. It instills in me a feeling I would rather leave unnamed. May the next bearer of AEGIS meet it on agreeable terms.

CORONACHT, THE HEART SEEKER BOW is certainly the finest bow ever conceived, &̲&̲ wielded once by none other than Mistress Hera who stood side by side with Zeus, on better terms back then, as they drove back the Titans under a storm of arrows &̲&̲ thunder. Hera since abandoned her once-warlike ways -- quite understandably, for she has greater matters to attend to now. However, CORONACHT yet yearns for further bloodshed. That it shall find in the hands of Lord Hades' own son, whom I taught the ways of such weapons. May it serve the prince better than it served me. That is to say, may it serve him better than it served my master from my mortal days.

What is a weapon if not the extension of one's will to survive, to destroy ? The ancient cyclopean forge-masters who created the INFERNAL ARMS in accordance with the fates' design must have understood this when they delivered the singular TWIN FISTS OF MALPHON in secret to the gods. Any other weapon must be held in hand, but MALPHON bonds with its bearer utterly, engulfing them with primal strength and alacrity. It is said even the Olympians hesitated to embrace the TWIN FISTS, until Lady Demeter, her hands accustomed to tilling the land, stepped forward &̲&̲ accepted the gift. the Titans recoiled from MALPHON'S RELENTLESS ATTACKS , overwhelmed by its FURY , unable to defend against it as one might a spear or blade. The Titan Hyperion suffered the worst of it, his undying body pulverized to such an extent that even his legacy was destroyed. I can only imagine that was not the first such legacy brought to ruin; &̲&̲ that each time, MALPHON created another, greater legacy in its wake. One to be told &̲&̲ retold for aeons to come.

Least known among the gods who stood together to depose the titans is the lady hestia, reclusive goddess of the hearth, &̲&̲ one-time wielder of EXAGRYPH, THE RAIL OF ADAMANT ; an artifact of metal and of flame so DREADFUL that the gods themselves abandoned it once their fell work was done. THE RAIL has a form &̲&̲ function to befit one's nightmares -- while other weapons of the gods inspired mortal counterparts, i am relieved to say THE RAIL'S cruel design has not yet been discovered in a stroke of mortal inspiration, to conduct their wars. let us pray for their sake that it never shall. for now, its secrets remain trapped within the darkest regions of the underworld, along with the remains of the titans defeated by it. someday, however, i imagine it shall break free from this place ; for any weapon once possessed by eris, lady strife herself, becomes possessed of an eternal hunger to destroy.

THE CULT OF ZAGREUS

tba