Tortuka
"Tortuka is the only known example of apotheosis in a living being. This is likely due to the extreme longevity of the Aspidochelones. It may be worthwhile to experiment with godcrafting focused on other long-lived species" - excerpt from Illustrata's notes on Tortuka
Tortuka is the largest and most notable member of the Aspidochelone species. When the giant turtle was young, many centuries ago, Tortuka was injured in a collision with a Kaphtori pirate ship, somewhere in the Southeastern Region. After the collision, Tortuka was no longer able to dive below the waves. The sailors who injured the giant chose to try and nurse the creature back to health, feeding it and caring for its wounds. Over time, Tortuka became a token of good luck, and then a home for the pirates, and eventually a god in their own right.
During the slow process of apotheosis, Tortuka grew far beyond the scale of a normal Aspidochelone. They are easily the size of a small island, and the pirates who care for the turtle have built the entire town of Chelone on their shell, complete with taverns, houses, and docks. Tortuka mostly drifts with the current, but can still swim when the need arises, announcing the sudden shift to their passengers with an enormous bellow that can be heard for miles.
Chelone sustains itself by harboring pirates who raid the shipping of the Great Ring. Tortuka typically circles the entire ring about every two years, allowing the pirates constant access to new targets. Locating and approaching the great turtle is a tricky business. Ships who know the turtle's patterns can often make a good guess about where it may be, assuming they haven't deliberately changed course to confuse those who might wish to end the threat of the pirates. The most reliable way to locate Tortuka is via the Unseen Lighthouse.
The Unseen Lighthouse is a tower built upon the highest point of Tortuka's shell. It looks like a regular lighthouse, except that the beacon is always dark. Instead, those who have formed a bond with Tortuka (usually by being longtime residents) find that they can close their eyes and see the lighthouse in their mind's eye. This is a gift directly granted by Tortuka, and seems to be dependent on the state of mind of the seeker. It fails if the person searching for Tortuka has any treachery against the community in their heart, or if they are under duress, or even if they suspect they may be followed home. So far, nobody has been able to use the Unseen Lighthouse to attack Chelone or Tortuka.
The few times hostile vessels have found the great turtle, they have not been successful in their attacks. Approaching Tortuka is a delicate process that only its residents can perform confidently. Ships that do not know how to approach or who arrive displaying hostile intent risk being attacked by Tortuka, and the great turtle is more than capable of destroying a ship with a single snap of their enormous beak. Furthermore, the pirates are no small threat themselves - they are experienced seafarers and very capable of fighting off all but the most powerful fleets.
I like the concept of the Unseen Lighthouse. I suppose someone must have built it at some point. Which makes me wonder if the dwellers ask Tortuka for permission before building on them... which in turn makes me wonder how much communication can be made between them. As for the Unseen Lighthouse's use as a sort of mental beacon, does Tortuka's ability to grant that to their people come from their status as a god? Or perhaps all Aspidochelones have similar functions. I also wonder (after having read the Aspidochelone page) about Tortuka as a creature themselves. Are Aspidochelones genderless creatures, or is Tortuka's gender as an individual unknown? In the case of the former question, given little is known about Aspidochelones' reproductive methods, I suppose people mightn't know how to determine their genders. Do you have any plans for an article for the Lighthouse? I'd love to see more about it, and about the dynamics between Tortuka and the inhabitants of Chelone, particularly as it relates to their cooperation and communication, if applicable.
These are all great questions. I have a first take on answers, but may change them when I next bring the article up for revision. Communication between Tortuka and the people of Chelone is still a work in progress. They have established some levels of empathy with their god, but I have a note in the article about Voyniós that the pirate priests have sent a delegation there to learn how better to communicate with Tortuka from the priesthood of the stone tortoise. The Unseen Lighthouse is empowered by Tortuka’s apotheosis, so definitely divine in nature. There will definitely be an article about it; lighthouses are a key element in this world, and are the connective element of the largest religious organization (the Order of the Lightkeepers, a confederation of ~6000 lighthouse based mystery cults). The Aspidochelones have two sexes, but it’s notoriously difficult to sex a regular turtle, much less one that is the size of an island and would object to someone climbing inside their shell to poke their cloaca. They have no idea what sex Tortuka is, and gender is equally mysterious.
Oh. I imagine none of the parties involved would be up for such an invasive experience, haha! After reading a little about the Egregoric Force I think I understand more about apotheosis as it relates to this situation. I suppose that'll be my next stop for interrogating you. XD Hopefully I'm not taking up too much of your time. So... what do people do when they eat? Try to capitalize on the mayhem and catch fish for themselves? Or, perhaps, lock themselves in their houses so as not to get caught up in the chaos? (And maybe not witness the horror?) Lol! I'll definitely be checking out Voyniós. ;)
I have a section in Death and What Comes After on apotheosis that I think explains it pretty well.
Death and What Comes After