Deviation Actions
Description
Princess Stacy
In her rise to power, Stahcia Palmyra knew that she'd never be accepted in most of the civilized places of Callona. That left only a few choices; Maeceyea, Equideyea, Tarkania, Centeyea. True, even the so-called civilized kingdoms had vast unpopulated regions, rife with humanoids and assorted monsters. But they also had patrols and laws. Most of them had religious zealots that would stand against the rise of the Ancient Gods. There was no guarantee, no matter how remote, that she wouldn't be discovered and opposed. The uncivilized nations, not so.
The Three Wars had shaken the people’s faith in their Gods. The Avatars had been cast out of the world, so the living presence of real Gods was no longer felt, at least not in the way it had been for hundreds of years. Many thought that meant the beginning of the end. If the Gods no longer walked amongst them, how long before their power to affect the world was also gone? How long until their priests lost their powers? The fear and uncertainty had begun to breed both fanaticism and paranoia, both for and against the Gods.
Bringing the worship of Marduk, Ishtar, Anu and Ramman back could weaken the already faltering worship of the Olympians and the Iniad. To many priests and politicians, that would be tantamount to heresy, even treason. So setting up her church and followers anywhere but in the wilderness would be a good way to make her life miserable, and probably very short. To avoid constant attacks at such a delicate and crucial stage, she needed seclusion and some amount of secrecy. Her best approach would be to hide her followers amongst the worshippers of another Love Goddess who was bent on conducting Herself as a War God,… Aphrodite.
Stahcia had already spent years amongst the Sisters of the Pearl and the True Hermaphrodites. Having learned many of their secrets, it would be no real challenge to duplicate their teachings and ceremonies in some remote spot and draw to her the needed special acolytes that might be taught the ways of the Ancient Ones. All she really needed was a fortress and a few statues in the right style, the rest would be easy.
In a remote spot in the mountains of Ogre Reach, she found just such a structure, an abandoned temple to Tyche. With the right amount of money, the right amount of seduction and domination, and the wisdom to play certain warlords one against another and kill the ones that she could, she had her castle, her temple, her court from which to begin her rule.
