Fall
The Pumpkin King
The Seasonal Lord of Autumn, more commonly known as the Pumpkin King. He is the deity of Fall, Withering, Ill Omens and Dark Tidings.
Divine Domains
The Pumpkin King holds dominion over the season of Autumn, although he is more commonly associated with scary creatures and dark omens. He grants his divine followers access to the Chaos, Darkness, Earth, and Weather domains, as well as the Entropy, Moon. Petrification, and Seasons subdomains.
Powers the the Pumking King can grant to his most devout followers include speaking omens of the future, summoning Pumpkin Golems, aging creatures and objects with a touch, creating strange disguises, and transforming creatures into a more monstrous version of themselves.
Artifacts
The Pumpkin Kings weapon is known as the Withering Scythe, or sometimes the Scythe of the Grim Harvestman. The weapon causes intense, acidic withering to areas it strikes, aging flesh to the point were it falls of the bone. He is also said to have numerous, personalized Jack-o-Lanterns carved inside his realm, the center of the Patch, all of which have unique and special magical properties.
Each of the Seasonal Lords also have their thrones, which are powerful artifacts in their own right. The Withered Throne of Fall is carved out of an ancient tree, and said to hold an immense amount of primal magic.
Holy Books & Codes
The Pumpkin King prefers artistic expression rather than physical writings, and thus many of his holy codes and stories are depicted through art and song rather than written word. Many scary stories have been writen about his exploits or that of his minons, and such tales are often used to scare children and are read during bedtime or around a campfire.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
The most prominent sigil of the Pumpkin King is a laughing jack-o-lantern, but a brown, dead leaf is also another symbol used when associating his more autumnal aspects. He is also heavly associated with drawings of the scythe, signifying his status as a harvestime god.
Tenets of Faith
Like most of the followers in the Fey Court, the Pumpkin King's main tenants revolve around the stewarding of the natural world. His more devout followers tend to be those who accept and embrace the fearsome aspects of nature. Many of his followers are more monstrous creatures and aberrations who struggle to find an accepted place in the world, but don't seek out excessive violence on those weaker than them. He has very few antipaladins, as most of his followers prefer to only scare people onto the right path. Those few usually make it their mission to inflict torments on the most deserving and to strike terror into the common folk, so that they will continue to act in respect of the things that go bump in the night. Such devout followers usually follow an iteration of the following code:
- Fall comes for all things. I will act to ensure that nothing exists beyond its natural time.
- I will remind the people of this world of the darkness that lurks right outside, so that they will not fall into complacency.
- I will not shy away from dark tidings and harsh truths, nor keep those from others. To do so will only weaken them in the long run.
- I will not allow the foolish rules of mortal society to dictate my enjoyment. I will indulge in whatever brings me joy, for as long as it continues to do so.
- For those who stand against the natural way of things, I will burn them in the fire of their own fears.
- Just as the fall prepares the way for winter, I will act with the proper foresight to ensure my survival.
Holidays
There are two major holidays for followers of the Pumkin King, held on the first and last day of fall respectively:
Day of Laughter: Held of the 1st of Matra, it is the first day of Fall, and the day that the Pumpkin King sheds his mortal form and ascends to the the form of a full deity. On this day, his followers become very active, spreading pranks and performing shenanigans. The day is often very popular among many juveniles, even outside of the religion, as a day of fun mischief.
Mask Day: Held on the 40th of Kura, it is the day the the Pumpkin King returns to a more physical, demigod status. On this day, residents of all realms dress up in costumes and wear elaborate masks. This is done in the hopes of appearing as one of the Pumpkin Kings monstrous servants, so that when the wind bearing the Pumpkin King back to his patch passes by, he will not snatch you up in the hopes of keeping you as his guest for the rest of the year. While played off as a minor, superstitious event in most of the realms, it is taken extremely seriously in Skovasil, where the entrance to the patch resides.
Divine Goals & Aspirations
Beyond ensuring the successful transition of the seasons, The Pumpkin Kings goals are ever shifting and capricious. Indeed, it seems that in his free time, he is only concerned with entertainment and scaring mortals, though many scholars debate that this tactic also serves both to temper moral ambition against those who are above them, and to push those ambitious enough to face their fears into greatness.
Physical Description
Body Features
While walking the mortal world, the Pumpkin King is said to resemble a very slender but energetic scarecrow-like man. Instead of a normal head, a flaming pumpkin adorns his shoulders.
Facial Features
The Pumpkin King is said to have a Jack-o-Lantern for a face. Accounts differ on its appearance, with some stating that the pumpkin moves like a normal face, with others exclaiming that the King removes his jack-o-lantern and replaces it with a new one with the appropriate expression for whatever emotion he is trying to convey.
Special abilities
The Pumpkin King is said to be able to breathe out terrible flames from his jack-o-lantern head. Tales say that unless he wants to be seen, he is constantly shrouded in a dark mist, and is able to create fearsome illusions of himself and confuse and jump around a battlefield. Vines arise in his presence, hindering a creatures ability to run away, and that those who gaze directly into his eyes will ignite in flames, and that no creature, no matter how brave, can stand strong against the sound of his terrible laugh.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
The Pumpkin King is said to be the oldest of all demigods, predating even the first children of the gods, the Titans and even potentially the Realm he usually rests in. Legend speaks that during the emergence of the early gods from Ygg, a single leaf was shaken loose from its mighty branches. That leaf would transform into Fall, and set the Seasons in motion as a true deity.
Eventually, the first snowfall coalesced into Winter. With this the Pumpkin King suddenly found his power reduced to that of a demigod, and he immediatly began to search for the reason for his lost power. The process took hundreds of years, but he eventually found Winter. Originally intending to take back his power, he was instead smitten by her cold beauty, and instead courted her, spending hundreds of more years warming her cold heart. Eventually, the two joined, and in their Union, she became the Ice Queen.
From this, Spring, the Prince of Rains was born, and the Ice Queens godly power was transferred to him, and the first spring rain began. This spring lead to the creation of many gods, and soon, a second child was born, Summer, the Princess of Flowers.
However, the onset of their children seemed to greatly weaken both Fall and Winter, and soon the four began fighting over their godly power. The Princess of Flowers, saddened by the conflict, eventually sought the help of a friend, Vohmana, the Celestial Paragon of Freedom. Vohmana agreed to aid, acting as an arbiter to help them share the power equally. With her guidance, they Lords now pass their power to each other at certain times of the year, ascending from demigod to true god for a scant few months, of which to mortal senses seems like the passing of the seasons.
It is believed that the Pumpkin King was the one to order the Fey Court and grant them their Soveriegn titles. The most common belief is that he did this as a mockery of the ancient courts of Usoram, who he long disdained, but some stories say that he did this spite a specific mortal king, who claimed the superiority of civilization over nature. That kings name, if he truely existed, has long been lost to history, and many consider that the main point of the mockery. Mortal kings will come and go, but the court of nature is forever present.
Social
Contacts & Relations
The Pumpkin King is considered the true leader of the Fey Court, and thus is related to all of the Fey Sovereigns, although the Fey Court seems to act with little to no set rules, and the Pumpkin King seems not to interfere much at all with the actions of Fey.
All the Seasonal Lords have great respect and deference to Vohmana, the Celestial Paragon of Freedom, as she seems to facilitate their process of transitioning through the seasons.
Due to their love of performance and their tendency to associate with monstrous beings, many speculate that they may be some connection between the Pumpkin King and Grimm, the first corporeal undead, but many of the Pumpkin Kings druids dispute this claim.
Others speculate if there is a connection between the Pumpkin King and the Titan of fear, Phob. Some believe that the Pumpkin King was involved in her imprisonment, and maybe even claimed her domain of fear in the hopes of further weakening her.
A Goblin legend speaks of an attempt of Gob to burn down the Pumpkin Kings Patch, which created the Lumplins. The Pumpkin King seems to have taken it as a joke, and many historians fear for the fire damage that the world could suffer should the two demigods ever be reunited.
The Pumpkin King currently seems to have a most favored servant, a strange creature simply known as "Stiches". It appears as a scarecrow-like figure, but seems to have incorporate many parts of living beings into its construction. It will stalk a chosen prey across the world for months at a time, often appearing before it in this distance. It is always followed by a flock of ravens that seem to act as scouts for it and seem to enable its travelling ability.
Family Ties
The Pumpkin King is the wife of Winter, the Ice Queen, and together the two of them birthed the other two Seasonal Lords, Spring, the Prince of Rains, and Summer, the Princess of Flowers.
While the exact origins of the Fey Sovereigns are unknown, many speculate the the Seasonal Lords were instrumental in their creation. Many believe that the Duke of Dusk, the Duchess of Dawn, the Joined Jarl, the Murky Marquis, and the Pope of Putrefaction all stem from the Pumpkin King in some manner.
Hobbies & Pets
The Pumpkin King is said to constantly surround himself with animated Jack-o-Lanterns, as well as creating masssive Pumpkin Golems to patrol The Patch.
Speech
The Pumpkin King is said to constantly laugh, often interrupting his own speech with fits of laughing, coughing, and bursts of flame.
Relationships
Wealth & Financial state
The Pumkin King is said to have amassed a massive horde of magical treasures and artifacts, both just from being an ancient being, and from foolish adventurers who seek to slay his monstrous minions. Some also believe that those who disappear during Mask Day are whisked off to his Patch, and thus the blame for when powerful mortals and their treasure disappear is often attributed on him.
Divine Classification
Seasonal Lord
Religions
Alignment
Chaotic Neutral
Realm
Church/Cult
Honorary & Occupational Titles
His main title, the Pumpkin King is the one most commonly refered too, even above his own true name. Some abbreviate it to the just the Pumpking. Other names for him include the Whisperer in the Dark, the Laughing Man, or the King of the Old Court.
Date of Birth
1st of Matra, 400 AC
Year of Birth
400
3703 Years old
Spouses
Winter
(spouse)
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
The Patch
Pronouns
He/Him
Gender
Male
Eyes
Flaming
Quotes & Catchphrases
The followers of the Pumpkin King have several aphorisms:
"We all Fall eventually": Said as both a jest and a threat, the phrase signifies that old age and death will come for all things eventually, and the idea should be embraced rather than avoided.
"I am what lurks in the dark": Often in whispers as a threat before utilizing magic to transform (or to reveal their original form), this phrase is said to spread as much fear as possible.
"Everyone scream the Pumpkin Cry!": Often yelled at celebrations or revelries, and often by Lumplins, it is followed by either raucous screeching or acts of arson (often both).
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