Ivacus: God of Exploration and Motivation

Description

Pathfinder Ivacus is a small, diminutive sort at first glance, originally part of a race of servile lizards called Kobolds that often work under powerful wizards or dragons in exchange for protection and a share of their spoils. Standing at only about 2'6", he is slim but toned from spending much of his time trekking across Revaliir's various landscapes. He has tannish scales and yellow, draconian eyes. He is often wrapped in various, ragged robes of varying drab colors, occasionally hooded, which he wears to signify his station as a traveler, carry important items within their many pockets, and due to feeling comfortable in these same clothes he wore for much of his life. If he needs to be clearly seen as an agent of the divine for whatever reason, his tattered clothing will be replaced with immaculate royal purple leisure robes. Indeed, even in official business, he cares more about comfort than looking formal or intimidating.

Titles:

Formal: He Who Walks the Endless Road; Pathfinder Supreme; The Strength of the Weak

Casual: Pathfinder; Navigator; High Ranger; Captain (at sea)

History

Ivacus, Pathfinder Supreme, formerly Ivacus Manaclaw, was once a travelling kobold hermit with a penchant for getting himself into ludicrous misadventures with necromancy, lack of foresight, and a foul mouth. After leaving his family whom worked in service of a wizard as a mere teenager, he spent over a decade with no home, travelling out of his knapsack. At first, he wasn't quite sure why he was doing it; he hated it to begin with. The feeling of homesickness and the pain of being alone despite his antisocial tendencies almost drove him backwards at many points. But as he continued, he found it was a sort of calling to him; he had met more interesting people, done more exciting things, and seen more incredible vistas, than he ever could have imagined. There soon became no reason to stop travelling, in his eyes; though it was nice to settle down to a home, his journeys throughout Canelux and Parvpora became his life. He was consumed with wanderlust, yet comforted by it .

However, as the years wore on, the overwhelming loneliness was not lost on him. He had always travelled by himself as he had rarely found anyone he honestly related to (or in some cases, could stand the company of for more than two seconds). Perhaps it was because very few shared his nomadic mindset, or perhaps that he was still looking for himself to begin with and thus had no idea who he would mesh with. He desired some form of companionship, some form of connection to people that he missed.

It was a confluence of these two unquenchable desires that brought the attention of the Voice to this young creature, and gave him an opportunity to satiate both. Though initially incredibly resistant to his calling as the patron god of his fellow wanderers and the power of inspiration, he eventually came to realize it was the role he felt he would have always been meant to play. It was the purest expression of himself, plain and simple…it gave purpose to his very being. It was a drive that somehow managed to coexist amicably with his natural selfishness and introversion.

Thus, after his ascension and spending much of his time attempting to avoid his responsibilities, he eventually became what the Voice had called him to be; an aide to travelers and the self-motivation-impaired of all sorts, to fill the world of Revaliir with more driven people. However, as he cares little for the moralities of societies, he feels no qualms about helping those who seek (subjectively) more sinister things than others.

Personality

He is still very much the same lizard he was before his ascension in many respects. Selfish, passion-driven, egotistical, and more than a little stupid at times, most would think him to be a very poor choice to be a god of anything. However, his experience and love of the journey of life, both physical and mental, has made him one of the most qualified people on earth to understand the double-edged sword of the nomadic life. And though in his normal life he rarely showed compassion, he now possesses a considerable amount of it for people who live like he did, or take up any sort of great, all-encompassing quest. To see them succeed, in Ivacus' eyes, makes him a success. By making their stories known, he immortalizes his own.

However, he is not just the god of the journey, but the god of the inspiration that begins said journey; there is nothing he loves more than forcing someone to drop whatever mundane crap it is they're doing and fight for what it is they really want…mainly because he can't stand people who are content living boring lives to begin with. He especially sympathizes with those having crises of identity, though, and often takes especially good care in guiding them towards the right direction.

Naturally as a god of exploration, he himself loves to trek and explore things in his spare time. He will often spend time travelling Revaliir as if he had never been deified, aided by a divinely-inspired compass that seems to reside within him, and will generally assist those he comes across.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The words "curious specimen" would be the best way to describe this diminutive figure, dressed in tattered rags, with a wand in one hand and personal grimoire in the other. Unlike most of his ilk, hiding trinkets and treasures away beneath the earth as they serve great beasts or deities, this Kobold has taken to life above ground, alone, wandering in search of…something.

But what is that something? What does Ivacus, black sheep of the reclusive Manaclaw Clan, want? He reveals very little to others concerning that particular aspect of himself. And with a smokescreen of unpredictable mood swings, a detached attitude, and seemingly inane mannerisms peppered with bits of charm and grace at a whim, all anyone can truly make of him is that he's out for himself in some way or another. The more insightful might notice a pattern of following extreme passion rather than rationality, but his interest in things can wax and wane in the blink of an eye, making it even more difficult to discern what he truly wants, or if he even truly wants anything.

Perhaps all that remains constant about him is his general eschewing of company and society. Even among Kobolds, he was a disagreeable sort that invited chaos into a familial structure built upon tradition and filial piety, which led to his nomadic status. Though according to him, this self-imposed exile is only due to him not being able to "find anyone interesting to talk to in this god-forsaken realm of stuffed shirts." In this respect, when he does interact with civilization, he acts like a rebellious teenager, putting society's mettle, and people's sanity, to the test in any way possible. He is a contrarian to the very last, if only to amuse himself.

This attitude, combined with an inherent affinity to magicks cultivated in all heirs to the Manaclaw name, culminated in an interest in necromancy. Not due to any form of malice or outward desire to take over the world, but simply because others find it disgusting. Desecrating the sanctity of the dead is nothing to him: in his own words, "bodies are just mounds of maggot-ridden garbage; you should be thanking me for putting them to good use!"

Ultimately, he could perhaps best be described as a Byronic hero of sorts: enigmatic, passion-driven, willing to push the boundaries of social limitations beyond the pale, and charming.

Well, as charming as a 2'6" selfish lizard man with a complete lack of filter and inhibitions can be, that is.