Old King Caed

The Witness; the Silence

It's just him -- just Caed, out on that island. He's been there for ages; people rarely ever go there. And once they do, they never stick around for long.

— Sailor of the Apathaen Sea

The Old King sits upon a charred throne of wood, barely moving. He's nearly 500m tall when standing, and yet he rests upon his massive seat, bright red skin only half covered by the armor he wear; a broken crown is embedded in one shoulder. His face entirely seared off, forever quieted for the crime of being the sole witness to the planet's first instance of deicide; Caed was once the god of Loyalty and solemn Silence, of speaking only rarely when it mattered -- yet now he sits barely moving, never again uttering another word for the remainder of time.
He's never moved from this location of his punishment -- the spot in which he first confronted He'an's assassin. He remains nearly motionless upon his ancient burnt throne, a 300m tall construct built of an entirely unknown wood, witnessing the world around him gradually descend into darkness with his hollow, burnt out eyes.

Serenity of the First

Caed was the first god to ever come into existence; the first to be elevated to the level of the divine, blessed with indescribable power and an immortal body. By definition, he has existed for as long as gods themselves have been a concept. Possibly because of this, when Caed and the rest of the gods still lived while walking the planet's surface, he was the one god that managed to command the respect of the rest of them; it did not matter which he talked to, all would become quiet when it was Caed's turn to speak. For some, it was a begrudging respect. For others, it seemed like it was natural.
None of the other gods really knew where they came from, and it's not clear if Caed ever did either -- but his benefit of being the first meant he knew how the others came to be. The information on the subject is murky, unclear as to whether Caed was responsible for creating the rest of the gods, or if he was simply the one that brought them together. Texts from The Comprilith seem to state both possible explanations as actual fact -- sometimes even within the same book.
It's thought that Caed's power over the other gods may have even been what kept the planet safe in the early Days of Creation; he brought them together in a mostly cohesive unit, rather than allowing them to break down into the type of catastrophic infighting not seen until many millennia later with The Seven Day War.

Power of the Initial Gift

One theory gaining traction -- especially in the modern day environment full of rumours running rampant describing strange Legion activity -- is that Caed was actually struck by the very first Gift from the Sky when it impacted with Cathedris.

The idea put forth is that Caed was once a mortal being, belonging to an early version of humanity, when this otherworldly object full of boundless power crashed through the planet's atmosphere, striking Caed.
Rather than being vaporized on the spot, he instantly ascended from mere mortal to titanic god -- and it's thought that this first Gift might still be inside him. The Gift residing within Caed might even be the artifact that's responsible for his powers; or at least, it might be what's responsible for his power over the other gods, for it seems unlikely that a group of immortal beings with near limitless power would ever obey another of their own without some other influence compelling them.

If there's a gift inside him, if it actually exists... it's likely the most powerful gift out of the entire collection.
It holds the key to humanity's ascension. The power to command absolute loyalty.
It has within it the power to command gods.

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— Dr. Anabelle Evingston

Birth

Born on the 1st day of the 19 Days of Creation.

Kill Count

Killed no gods during The Seven Day War.

Death

Died on 3rd day of The Seven Day War.

Killed by

Qur, after Caed confronted him.

Present-day Power

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Movement

Caed moves -- but only slightly. His gaze wanders around the landscape he surveys, and he shifts his arms and legs from time to time, but never leaves his charred wooden throne.

Creation and Destruction

The effects that Caed has on his environment are terrible, but not physical. An aura of extreme unease encompasses Caed's Island, and it gets worse the closer to Caed you gets.

Awareness

The stationary God-husk appears to always be watching, witnessing his surroundings; however, with no eyes left upon his burnt face, it's not clear if he's aware of anything he "sees".

---

Scraps from The Comprilith

Seven giant rings of various metal, said to be Caed's from long ago. Once, for an unknown reason, he took them off -- never to wear the rings again.

An ancient map of Cathedris as it was, with entirely unfamiliar borders drawn, seeming to predate the gods themselves. Most of the geography is utterly incomprehensible, but there is one large recognizeable portion with two words able to be translated upon it: "Caed's Kingdom".

Silenced

Throne of Gods

Caed is said to have had a weapon -- many in fact, but never one crafted by the smithing duo of Codod and Farad. Instead, the object they made for Caed was the seat upon which he still sits; the Throne of Gods, the amplifier of Caed's great power.
The throne is built out of the same unknown wood that Codod and Farad favoured in their other constructions; it's a massive seat, kept aesthetically simple overall, but adorned with simple silver metal detailing that matched the limited armor that Caed liked to wear.

Maximum Potential

Just like how other gods' weaponry benefited and amplified their powers, so too did the Throne. When Caed sat upon it his power to command loyalty and respect, to silence those when it was time for him to speak, was cast over the entire planet.
It's said the effect did not last indefinitely and weakened the more he used it, as those under its effect began to grow resistant to after time; thus Caed only ever used it in times of great need, or when trying to shape the trajectory of the world.

Current Power

Despite being in a decrepit state, and despite the charring that mars the surface of it, the Throne of Gods still amplifies Caed's powers -- but at a reduced range. Most seem to think that the area of effect likely doesn't extend any further than the shores of Caed's Island.

Loyalty had rotten, leaving behind naught but unease.

— 'On Caed, a History of the First God'

Whether through using his abilities too often throughout the years, or because the other gods had grown resistant and wary of it, Caed's power to command loyalty began to wither, and eventually, rot. For the most part, it seemed as it the degredation of his power did not matter; things had remained stable for so long that it was unlikely to ever change. And then, it did; and when Caed attempted to confront the god that had kicked off a new era, using his power to wrestle a confession out of the assassin, he failed.

Disquiet; Discomfort

An awkward silence, a pregnant pause; a lull in conversation when there really aught to be something said. The silence that now envelopes Caed is full of everything that makes us uncomfortable. The air is oppressive, the atmosphere is hostile, and anyone upon Caed's island can only report one simple feeling: unease.

Caed's Island is entirely uninhabitable because of this all encompassing feeling; no mortal can spend longer than a few days upon its surface, less so if they tread too near the silent god-husk. And yet, humans visit the island often, for it is full of secrets that they are determined to unearth.

Connection to Below

Despite clearly originating from Caed himself and weakening the closer to the shore one gets, the aura of unease that blankets the island also seems to penetrate deep into the planet below. Under the island is a complex network of caves that seems to stretch for kilometers into the abyss, and it's reported that the terrible feeling only gets worse the deeper into the dark you go.

Scraps from The Comprilith

A human sized crown; said to be Caed's original crown, before becoming a god. It's authenticity is highly debated as the "ascended human" theory is entirely unproven.

Three different petitions signed by various groups of other gods, each time asking for Caed to either use his powers less, or to use them on those who did not sign the petition in question. It's unclear if any of these documents ever actually reached the Old King.

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Some think that this simple fact proves two things. First of all, that there is indeed a Gift from the Sky embedded somewhere within Old King Caed. In general there appears to be some sort of connection between the many different Gifts, and the one embedded in his core could have acted as a conduit -- directing his aura of unease deep into the planet to where the Errant Thoughtseed was found within those twisted abyssal caves.
The second thing proven, is that there must still be one more Gift down in the darkness; for the oppressive feeling of unease extending into the depths has not yet faded away.

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