Verba

To all who read this text, I congratulate you for your interest in the written word, or at least your curiosity. I am Verba, whom you may know as the god of literature. My objective with this tome is two-fold. A secondary goal is to test my own writing skills, as I have always been curious as to my artistic potential. A being of pure artifice and aether, I sadly have no other examples to base a conclusion on, and thus must take matters into my own hands.

The primary goal of this text, however, is to present the written word, my treasure and purpose for being, to all the realms of creation, in the hopes of fostering an eternal, universal appreciation for the practice which may perhaps come to match my own. By reading this, you already have my blessing. Now you are able to see my agents, my friends, all around you. And with this blessing, and the power of your own soul, boundless in creativity, perhaps the magnum opus of all creation can be written.

May my words inspire you to continue creating great things.

— A translation of the introduction to the original volume of the Tome of Tales

A long, long time ago, a being was created of a perfect metal only used by the gods. The god of the forge, Jorferris, created a towering form which sat atop a pedestal in the center of an empty realm. Two halos of clockwork sat motionless, one upon his back and the other above his head, as his four arms rested at his sides. Upon its completion, it was but an empty shell, until it was granted life by Zoldith. The gears began to turn, its eyes lit up, and thus a god was born: Verba.

Verba is an entity of artifice, and yet is as soulful as any living being. His work as the god of literature is fueled by a passionate appreciation of the written word, and his love for writing is palpable. He is obsessed with the curation and preservation of all knowledge and writing, so as to protect it from all who would seek to destroy it. It is to this end that he manages his realm, the Great Library.

However, he is not alone in this pursuit. All throughout his realm, and all the realms of reality, his agents can be found. The Literri are small mechanical creatures which search all throughout the universe for those who are writing. Upon the completion of a written work, a Litteris will scan the work, unseen by all who they wish to hide from. Upon taking in the work, they return to Verba to show him what they have seen. Using these scans, he creates a perfect copy of the work to store in the library. No matter the medium or material, from stone tablet carvings to bound tomes to scrolls written in blood, each piece in the library is a perfect recreation of the original volume. No copies are allowed to leave the realm, but all are welcome to come and partake of them.

Verba himself is quite amicable, and has many friends among his divine company. He welcomes all who share an appreciation for the written word into his presence, and makes little fuss about motive. So long as the word is respected, Verba is satisfied.

Divine Domains

Knowledge, Writing, Storytelling, History

Holy Books & Codes

The Tome of Tales is a sacred book, said to have been written by Verba himself. It is a collection of stories, mostly assumed to be fiction, which serve as morality tales and inform the lifestyles of the Historians. According to legend, it has the supernatural power to instill in its readers a profound love of the written word, as well as to create a potent desire to protect the practice, leading many readers to become members of Historia themselves. These supernatural effects are only present in the original volume, though copies have a less potent recreation of the emotional impact purely through quality of writing.

Divine Symbols & Sigils

A clockwork gear with an open book in front of it

Tenets of Faith

All knowledge is precious and must be preserved.

Holidays

The Festival of Words, a two-week-long yearly celebration of the written word, where all those who fancy themselves as wordsmiths can come together to create beautiful works together.

Divine Goals & Aspirations

Verba's primary goal is the protection and curation of everything ever written, and by extension all written knowledge, forever. However, an equally enthusiastic goal of his is to create the so-called "Magnum Opus", a piece of writing which would symbolize the culmination of all creativity and advancement in the field of the written word. Whether such a thing exists in any time or place is unknown to all, but it is the god's firm view that his efforts to foster a love of writing in all living things will bring the Magnum Opus closer and closer to becoming reality.

Divine Classification

Deity

Alignment

Lawful Neutral

Realm

The Great Library

Church/Cult

Historia

Honorary & Occupational Titles

The Great Historian, the Artifice of Ages, the Curator of Eternity

Height

7'6"