Dagon
King Deep
His name is a whisper even among the Dei who knew him. They will no more explain him to me than they will tell me all the secrets of their heart. At first, it was difficult to discern why this might be... yet the more one listens, the more one understands. Dagon is, it seems, responsible for some atrocities of the past - millennia past, yes, but the immortal remember. Some claim they can still smell the blood in the sea.
Overview
Some centuries ago, one of the great Dei of Astrum ascended from his watery throne and never returned. In the time since, Astrum's rumor mill has turned on endlessly, with some even questioning whether Dagon has abandoned his post, or even perished in away from his undersea home. Of course, for those who knew King Deep, it seems unlikely that anything could have slain him... while still avoiding the notice of Empirica Sin's many Powers.
Perhaps other rumors may prove more accurate. They say that Dagon simply grew bored and sought adventure and experience beyond the Golden Cage. The endless years, they say, can become tiring even for those made to bear them. Or, perhaps he had fallen in love with a mortal and left to live at their side - perhaps their lover has not yet perished... or perhaps they have, and Dagon has not yet found terms with his grief.. Perhaps.
It is an open question, but not an unanswerable one. The trouble lies in locating those with the knowledge, and wresting it from them.
General Information
Dagon was one of the first people I met when I woke up on, err, my second day in Amaya. To be honest, I thought he was a little quiet. At the time I would have said he almost came off as shy!
Now I don't... think that's true.
But he's hard to read. Dagon is quiet, and he's always watching. His eyes are really strange, too - I don't mean that in a bad way, it just feels like he never blinks. Sometimes, if you stand too close to him... you can almost hear the sea. I don't know if anyone here really knows him, except maybe Asmodeus. It doesn't help that he was mysterious even in the novel.
Actually, now that I'm thinking about it... I'm not even sure "what" he is. He's not an incubus, that's for sure. Maybe a Maero? That doesn't seem right, either, though. Maybe I should ask?
History
As the son of Tal, the Great Ocean, Dagon was expected to reach maturity as a Dei of reasonably power and follow in her footsteps as a pillar of The First Realm. What he became instead was a force so dangerous, and at times so destructive, that his fellow Dei were forced to turn to Tal for assistance. Her solution - her attempt to protect both her home and her son, sent Dagon on a mission into the heart of the enemy from which he never returned. The question is... why not?
Lone Son of the Sea
Dagon is a second generation Dei and the son of The Great Ocean, Tal and Sirhn, the Heart of the Deep. In his early years as an unsphered Dei, Dagon was a solitary boy. Like the ocean he called home, he was a mystery to his "peers," his fellow second generation Dei - even moreso to his parents, who should have understood him but did not. Instead of seeking the company of friends or family, Dagon found himself finding his closest companionship with the creatures of the deep.
But not just any creatures. No. Dagon's friends were the monstrous beasts from the farther reaches of the oceans - giant sea serpents and sirens, krakens and tortoises the size of small islands. In short, he developed an affinity for that which many would call sea monsters. Given his lineage this was not especially surprising... nor was it surprising when Dagon came into his sphere as the patron of the most dangerous and terrifying of sea creatures.
While not unexpected, this did create a certain awkwardness for Sirhn, whose sphere became subordinate to Dagon's. Sirhn's conflicted feelings of pride and resentment - or perhaps embarrassment? - created a distance between them that Sirhn found difficult to bridge... and that Dagon seemed oddly disintereted in bridging.
Dark Water
Indeed, Dagon's personality proved difficult to understand, even for Tal. While he had always favored his "subjects," the horrors of the ocean, it often seemed that he had little interest in interacting with other Celestials at all. Furthermore there did, at times, seem a certain darkness around him - a presence that at times made others uncomfortable.
Initially, this was considered a harmless eccentricity of his - while his beloved monsters might be the most dangerous of Empirica Sin's fauna, it remained a narrow sphere, which limited his strength. So even if he did happen to have a bit of malevolence to him - natural, really, given his affinity for destructive sea fauna - there was a limit to how much he could truly do.
This assumption proved to be misguided at best.
The Boy Who Ate the World
At first, when the young unsphered Dei of Astrum began to disappear, no one thought much of it. Unsphered, once they reach a certain age Unsphered tend to become restless and prone to disappearing on adventures as they seek to find their Sphere. However, when weeks, then years, then decades went by and these young godlings had not returned from their journeys, it became evident that something was wrong. The fate of the lost Dei would be a mystery for some centuries.
In the coming years, a failed attempt to establish diplomacy between Astrum and Incaendium resulted in the establishment of The Silent War. Dagon left Tal's court to seek his own domain in the sea near Astrum's northwest -- away from the politicking and demands of the Dei, nevermind the deivas.
Dagon established a humble underwater palace, Manalora, and rarely left its vicinity. He also rarely had guests, which is why it took some time for Dagon's mother to realize that Dagon's Od and Elemental energies not only seemed stronger than his Sphere would suggest, they appeared to grow - albeit slowly - over time. This suggested that something within his sphere rested on something that was also growing stronger or, perhaps, larger in number.
The obvious answer would be that the sea creatures were breeding... and they were, of course, but not in any way that should have affected Dagon's overall ability.
It was only after a group of Dei made a formal visit to Manalora to inform Dagon that The Silent War had begun to escalate that the truth of both the disappearing Unsphered became clear... because the envoys from Tal arrived to find the entire court strewn with the bones of the missing... and populated my massive water snakes that wrapped their coils around the columns in his watery home.
This is how it became known that Dagon was note, in fact, a minor Dei who lorded over the monsters of the ocean - that was only his secondary Sphere. His primary function was far colder, and more dangerous: he was death itself, for all things that lived or died in the water... the water that housed approximately 70% of all life, and served as the watery grave for countless sailors and ill-fated mortals.
TAL: [to the audience] You see, then, as I do: Those children, long mourned and yet unfound until this night, lie scattered across the sea floor in pieces. My son! My Son! My son has done this thing! At best, he did not stop it. How can I explain to the others? How can I explain and yet protect my boy?
DAGON: [enters from stage right] Mother. It has been too long.
[He leans over and lifts something from the sandy floor. It resembles a partial ribcage.]
DAGON: Do you like my garden?
TAL: Your garden?
DAGON: Yes. The beasts are my blossoms, and bones what remains of the meat I used to enrichen their soil. It takes a great deal of blood to grow a kraken, mother, did you know?
Death of the Sea
Death is, in itself, a natural thing without cruelty or malice. However, in Dagon's case, his affinity for creatures known to willfully lure others to their deaths combined with his embodiment of death had come together and birthed a far more dangerous being than any simple death god. He was not malicious, no, but he was heartless in a way that one can normally achieve through malice.
This was evident by the casual heartlessness with which Dagon had disposed of his former peers. Dagon thus became feared by all living things, even the Dei who feared nothing.
Even so, his strength continued to grow, and consequently, so did his influence. In time it became obvious that he had surprassed the Seventh, though he refused to take her seat as he was disinterested in politics or leadership. His ability to match with them, however, did buy him a great of freedom as it was near impossible to enforce edicts or laws on Dagon. Despite this - or perhaps because of it, Dagon soon became even more isolated than he had been. In time, Sirhn withdrew from Dagon completely, and only Tal remained comfortable in his presence.
Eventually, Tal would also turn away.
Blood of the Father
During A Celebration, Dagon and his father encountered one another for the first time in centuries and an argument sparked between them. Words were spoken, as Sirhn accused Dagon of being essentially monstrous - a killer of his own kind who had used the creatures whom they both loved and watched over as his tools of murder. Dagon seemed unphased and said little and eventually, Tal wrested Sirhn away from the celebration to calm himself before returning to the festival.
When she returned home hours later, she found Sirhn had been torn to pieces by the sea creatures that had long surrounded their home.
Dagon has always maintained that he had nothing to do with this - that his subjects acted on his behalf without his order.In a way it didn't matter; If his beasts would act independently to avenge his offense even against one who had loved and looked after them longer than Dagon himself had been alive. The extremity of the threat that Dagon posed to the Celestials was undeniable. Even Tal found she could no longer look her son in the face without revulsion.
Less clear, however, was what could be done about it.
The truth about Sirhn's death remains unknown.
Ocean Meets Land
Around this time, an unprecedented upheaval had occurred in Astrum's rival Realm, Incaendium. The "recently" ascended lord of House Asther - alread one of the stronger Archdemon houses, had waged a brutal war on the territories around him, reducing several bloodlines to ash and so inheriting their lumen. This had created an Archdemon line that had become overwhelming even within the context of Archdemon lines... and a single Archdemon, Samael Asther, whose strength was said to rival that of some of the stronger Dei.
Heaven's Seven had decided that this must be investigated. In order to distance him from Astrum, Tal asked Dagon to make that trip. It would not be half so dangerous for him as it would for others, as he was one with deathm, and carried an army with him wherever he went. At first Dagon refused... but she was eventually able to convince him by appealing to whatever regret he had about Sirhn... but also by drawing his attention to the novelty of leaving Astrum to seek outside waters.
And so Dagon made his way to Incaendium, and then to Amaya.
TAL: [to the audience] I fear I have indulged the boy for far too long. Now my love has paid the price for my folly. Must now my son suffer for his nature as my husband has done?
[She turns back to the rest of the Seven, hands extended as she bows her head.]
TAL: Colleagues mine. I dare not claim I do not understand your fear. DAGON has proven a threat as deep as the sea he calls home. Yet, is he not as we are? Does he not call the tides? Is his image less carved into the aether than is yours, or mine?
Death and the Demon
No one had anticipated just how well Dagon would take to the "culture" of the demons.
Initially, he presented himself as a water djinn who had migrated from elsewhere in Incaendium. Navigating the Crimson Court, his strange aura and ethereal beauty attracted Samael's attention, and so he was called to a private meeting with the Archdemon. That close, it was impossible for either of them to misunderstand what it was they were looking at - Samael recognized the aura of an immensely strong Celestial, and Dagon recognized a demon who could be a Dei... as well as, for the first time, a kindred spirit. Had they not both devoured their own to become what they were?
The two of them grew closer - a relationship that developed into something like a friendship, albeit one with a somewhat limited sexual component. It was in his capacity as Samael's friend with occasional benefits that he met the incubus who would become Dagon's first true friend, Asmodeus. As cold as he was, Dagon could not help but feel charmed by Asmodeus' fire and extravagance. When Asmodeus became one of Samael's , Dagon found himself spending a great deal of time in the ... enough that those who didn't know him assumed he was a hari suum himself.
Dagon didn't care, so he never corrected it. Eventually, he commandeered one of the empty rooms and... well. He never really became a Hari Suum, but he never left either.
The fathomless ocean, they say. Well, that's not wrong. Dagon seems inscrutable at first, absolutely. But personally, I think that just means people ought to pay more attention to what he's doing than what he isn't doing. That's how I met him, you know. There he was sitting off in a corner, making little water circles in the air, and I thought it was funny so I said so. I said he was funny. That's all it took, really... well, at least I think so. Dagon keeps saying it's because I smelled fishy, but that had better be a joke.
A Meal of Water and Blood
Dagon's presence within the became advantageous to Samael when, through Isis Asther's machinations, he came to believe that his lover, Cain, had fallen in love with another , the Maero Rami, as Dagon was able to lure Rami to a secluded area where he and Samael excuted him, leaving Dagon to devour the remains. Literally.
Since, Dagon has continued to live his "quiet" life inside the , watching over Asmodeus, observing the Blood Game with amusement, and increasingly filling the wing with tanks of interesting sea life.
He never did bother to report back to the Seven.
Character
Persona
As a person, Dagon is exceptionally difficult to read or understand. This is partially because he is a bit asocial and thus typically keeps to himself. This self-imposed isolation can tend to make him seem shy, or even timid... but of course, he is neither. The truth is, he simply finds most people and situations uninteresting and has little to no tolerance for indulging others, so he engages very little with the majority of people and things. That said, when he is interested in something, his interest is extremely focused - this is evident in his abandonment of the Dei in favor of the sea monsters that he loved, and of Astrum as a whole in favor of the demonic society he finds more engaging... as well as his willingness to live among and be mistaken for a hari suum due to his investment in Asmodeus and association with Samael.
Even then, it is nearly impossible to perceive the depths of that interest, as his external behavior changes very little when he is interested vs when he isn't. Indeed, most of the time Dagon's outward impression is consistent: he is placid as the calm sea, cool and a bit disconnected, removed from those around him, and disinterested yet observant.
Of course, there are exceptions.
It's said that those who have encountered Dagon's rage are forever changed by it, even if they are not physically injured. His eyes go dark as depths, they say, and even the air around him grows cold. Sometimes they claim his teeth turn sharp like a shark's, or that tendrils of liquid start to form... and even begin to solidify into something that appears to be living creatures...
...but that could be the lack of oxygen getting to their heads, as every one reports the feeling that they are drowning, despite being in the open air.
He is but you say? That, and nothing more?
Hm.
Certainly, you can think of him that way, yes. He'll not correct you. As for me, I hold my secrets when I must.. but for the sake of mercy, at least, I will tell you this much: in all of Incaendium there is one person and only one with whom I make some effort to avoid bad blood, and it is him.
Think on that before you take his silence for passivity and open your fool mouth in his presence.
Motivations
Dagon's motivations are as difficult to pin as the rest of him, but many believe he is driven primarily by engagement: because he finds so little interesting, he will pursue those things that do intrigue him with an uncommon degree of focus. Perhaps that is true, or perhaps he simply likes to play with his "food," so to speak. Either way, the most obvious and verifiable motivation he displays is caretaking, or hovering over in a metaphorical sense, those few things that he truly cares for. This includes all sea monsters, some level of sea life as a whole, as well as Asmodeus, Samael and perhaps Tal.
One thing he is absolutely not motivated by is power. Because he is fed by death, Dagon can only ever grow stronger... until the oceans, the rivers and the lakes go dry.
Quirks, Habits and Mannerisms
Dagon speaks quietly and relatively little. Because his form is somewhat malleable, he sometimes sprouts tentacles to attend to one or another thing - for example if he wants a pen that's on the other side of the room but doesn't feel like standing up, he may sprout a tentacle and let it cross the room to retrieve it.
He is often found sitting in the giant chaise lounge by the fireplace in the common room with Asmodeus.
Ethical Inventory
Dagon is profoundly amoral, perhaps even bordering on nonmoral. Much like the death that he embodies, he is a force of nature without concern for good or bad, right or wrong - a child can die as easily as an adult, and in some cases moreso. He has been known to cannibalize other sentient life forms, but he perceives this as no different than a person devouring a fish - life and death feed one another, and there is no purpose in attaching ethics to things as uncaring as life cycles and food chains.
A lack of ethics does not imply a lack of preferential action, however - he will always protect and defend those he cares for, but this is not because it is the "right" thing to do, but rather because it is the thing he "wants" to do... namely preserve those things he cares for or finds enjoyable. It is impossible to instill guilt in him, unless it is connected to something he cares about independently of whatever it is that he has done that someone is trying to guilt him for.
Secrets and Lies
Dagon is not, as a rule, secretive. That said, he has been somewhat closed off about his true nature for some time - it is known only to a few of those he has known the longest, or best. To all others, he claims to be a water djinn. This is primarily to avoid garnering too much attention.
Personal Taboos
None known.
Physical Appearance
Dagon appears as a slim-but-toned man of about 20 years old. He has pale skin with a grey undertone and blue eyes that resemble deep pools. His hair is curly and pale blue -- it could nearly mistaken for grey under some lights. Though semi-short, it is always flowing as though he is underwater. He is extremely beautiful, but in a slightly unsettling way that doesn't tend to rouse lust.
When interacting with others he tends to linger at around 5'8" tall.
Notable Features
None, aside from the blue hair and slightly grey skin.
Identifying Marks
None.
Clothing Style
Generally, Dagon dresses in what can be best described as 'watery' looking fabrics - silvery, bluish, often sheer or slightly reflective. The truth is, his garments are almost exclusively made of water that he has manipulated into a semi-solid form - it is cold to the touch, and gives the impression of being slightly damp, but does not give off moisture.
That is, when he is dressed. Dagon is not modest and does not necessarily feel the need to be clothed at all time.
He often wears living sea snakes wrapped around his neck. At times they come from the tanks and lakes inside Castle Asther's private gardens... at other times, it is not evident or known where he found them. He is also often seen wearing blue jewels - often massive ones - contained with silver or black metal. Or "metal," as the case may be.
Dagon seemingly never carries weapons.
True Form
When he reveals his full glory, Dagon is well over 100 feet tall. His hair extends to a great length, but also melts into water, which sometimes solidify into sea snakes - it flows around him as though floating. He will tend to 'wear' the sea - waves fall over him like cloth, and he moves them as though they are solid. He has been known to grab hold of swathes of ocean and pull them like a man tugging curtains or bedding.
In his most divine aspect, Dagon can form something akin to armor out of dark water.
Abilities
General Combat Style
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Physical Abilities
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Magic
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Psionics
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Elemental
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Threat Assessment:
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Extra Information
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Cold the sea- The dead man falls though blue turned black and down Where dark is light; and sound Becomes the call of King Deep.
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