Calypso

Description

Calypso is the goddess of dreams and sleep, and as such is ruler and keeper of Fantasia: The Mists of Dreaming. Because mortals' consciousnesses drift into her plane when they sleep, she interacts with mortals frequently and indirectly. Souls also pass through Fantasia on their way to Tartarus and Calypso must subtly work to keep the surrounding planes and their inhabitants segregated: dreaming mortals stay in their own dreams and return to Orentia after their visit, souls of the dead pass through the mists without interfering with the affairs of the living, and never the two shall meet. Calypso keeps a keen eye on interplanar travelers, and has little patience for any mess they cause.
Though Calypso is a single god, she exists in three separate aspects: The Vivid Maiden, The Lurid Vixen, and The Dread Crone. The Maiden represents chaos, madness, and separation from reality, and is often associated with strange, nonlinear dreams. The Vixen represents desire, ambition, and lust, and is often associated with dreams about one's desires and goals. The Crone represents fear, pain, and clarity, and is often associated with nightmares.

Appearance

Calypso does not have a physical form outside of the mists of dreaming. When she does appear to beings in other planes, it is only through a reflection, a mirage, or some other trick of the light that is present. Calypso appears as one or more of her three aspects, and when all three of her aspects are present it is because a matter has her full attention - for better or for worse.
The Vivid Maiden appears as a young, adolescent girl with brightly colored hair in messy curls. Her appearance takes after no particular race, and instead appears slightly alien, verging into the uncanny valley. She wears a diaphanous dress of shimmering light and skips about barefoot. Her kaleidoscopic eyes never appear the same, changing color and brightness each time the observer blinks. The maiden has wings like that of a butterfly, the multicolored surface of which looks like stained or shattered glass. Her wings produce a glittering, opalescent dust that, when ingested or inhaled, can erase memories in small doses, or shatter the mind and drive one to madness or coma in larger doses.
The Lurid Vixen, while often depicted as a beautiful woman in a low cut dress, has no constant appearance. Instead, her appearance changes to match the innermost desires of those that see her. While this may cause her to take the form of a potential lover, she may also appear as a humanoid representation of wealth, power, or another such object of desire. She has the white feathery wings of a migratory bird. The feathers of her wings, when touched, send one into a deep and powerful sleep that cannot be awoken from by normal means.
The Dread Crone appears as a wrinkled, old woman with red eyes, a hunched back and crooked nose. Her wretched form appears to be molded from the most gruesome features of each race. She wears dark, tattered clothes that hang from her scrawny frame. Her frayed grey hair hangs down to her ankles, and her nails ar long, cracked, and yellow to match her teeth. She is horrifically ugly, and every pore, hair, and wrinkle of her appearance stands out in more wretched detail than should ever be visible to the naked eye. She has the leathery black wings of a bat, and the fingers of each wing are tipped with gruesome barbs. A single prick from one of these barbs will inflict one with unimaginable pain, boiling their mind and breaking their body with unceasing torment, and torturing them to death over the course of a week.

Personality

Calypso's aspects each have a distinct personality. While the three share a single consciousness, they often differ in opinions from eachother and alternate between referring to themselves as "I" and "We."
The Vivid Maiden is bright, cheerful and flighty. She is energetic and curious, and has a short attention span. She has a joyous fascination for what could be, and skips about the mists of dreaming searching for something new. She smiles near always, and can be heard giggling in the margins of dreams. She is frustrated by rules and those who impose them.
The Lurid Vixen is calm, observant, and indulgent. She is persuasive and enables the desires and pleasures of others. She has a devoted obsession with the things people want and the things they want to be real. She moves with a tender grace and wears a sultry expression. She is annoyed by ambivalence and people who are happy with the status quo.
The Dread Crone is foul-spirited, cruel, and cantankerous. She is as wise as she is spiteful, and harshly corrects any foolishness she sees. She is eternally burdened by the cruel reality of that which is, which can be seen through her eternal scowl. She suffers no willful ignorance or optimism, and feels compelled to "correct" such behavior.

Worship

Calypso is worshiped sporadically by those who find themselves dealing in her domains, and while general worship is generally directed at Calypso as a whole, prayers are frequently asked of one of her aspects specifically. Many a parent knows a bedtime prayer said over their child's bed to grant sweet dreams and restful sleep, and those seeking clarity, rest, or wisdom frequently turn to Calypso for aid. Artists often seek the patronage of The Vivid Maiden while looking for renewed creativity or new ideas. Lovers, spouses, and sex workers often pray to The Lurid Vixen for aid in matters of love - both sexual and romantic. Finally, the powerful and desperate pray to the Dread Crone for aid in making difficult decisions and for wisdom at any cost. Shrines to Calypso almost always include a depiction of all three of her aspects, and are found in bedrooms and dormitories but also near stables or docks and crossroads for travelers praying for rest. Clerics of Calypso tend to be healers and scholars rather than crusaders. They favor vestments of soft linen or wool and keep their temples and shrines quiet and clean. Clerics of Calypso teach problem-solving through mindfulness and contemplation and encourage both through meditation and occasional drug induced trances.

Symbol A lidded eye, surrounded by and/or containing a complex symmetrical pattern.
Titles The Formless Maiden, The Vivid Damsel, The Lurid Vixen, The Dread Crone
Portfolio Dreams, Visions, Madness
Domains Light, Peace, Twilight
Favored Weapon Sickle