Araphine
Araphine is the caring god of peace and recovery. Soldiers who are left dying on the battlefield may catch a glimpse of her face, before miraculously recovering from their deadly wounds. Elders whom lay alone in their death bed may see her holding their hand in comfort as they fade away. Those who have lost their homes to tragedy may see her quietly helping them rebuild.
Once she was the daughter of Heliod, lord of the sun and self proclaimed king of the gods, and the youngest of all deities. When he saw his daughter was born with a crown of laurels upon her head he was overcome with extreme jealousy, believing that his daughter planed to become Queen of the gods herself. Not understanding that her laurels were representative of her domain of peace, Heliod stole her crown, placing it atop his own head and making it his symbol as a sign to the other gods that he was the one destined to rule. He simultaneously cast her out from Nyx, and stamped out any signs of her existence to hide her from the other gods, fearing she might one day try to win their support.
Having been stripped of much of her divine power, and placed permanently in the mortal realm, Araphine has spent a great deal of time mingling with mortals and has developed a fondness for them. Though often times her works get mistaken for the actions of other gods, due to how few even know of her existence, she never takes offence to it, and remains satisfied that those she have helped are able to move on from the tragedy.
Araphine does not have the power to maintain her form for indefinite time, but her natural form is that of a young human maiden with bright Orange hair the color of the sunset. Her form is far more mortal looking than all of the other gods partially due to her fondness of them and her love of their simplicity. She wears a simple cloth dress with gold adornments and an ever-present, warm, gentle, smile. Upon her head rests a simple gold laurel crown, one of her symbols of peace. Often times however she takes other forms to disguise her works from her jealous father. She may appear to mortals as: an extra nurse treating soldiers in a medical tent, a kindly herbalist offering salves and potions to people in need, a knight aiding her wounded comrades and calling for peace, a wandering cleric helping those beset my natural disaster, and many others.
Araphine's Influence
Araphine does not have much sway nor power over the mortal world compared to the other gods. She never held sway over forces so powerful to begin with, but thanks to the medaling of her father, her power has sunk far lower than it was at her birth. Whereas all mortals must give constant reverence to Heliod, Karametra, and Thassa, whom govern the sun, harvest, and sea respectively, they do not have need of Araphine's gifts all at once. Therefore her power grows and fades with the needs of the people.
Ironically, this has lead to many situations where her power is greatest during times when the aspects she governs seem to be at their weakest. As a war draws longer and longer, the people harmed by it grows, and those voices who desire peace grow ever louder. They call out to Nyx asking for their prayers to be heard, and Araphine answers their call, growing in strength to meet their needs. As the war or disaster ends, when Iroas and Mogis have weakened as warriors no longer battle, she is at her strongest, helping those who have been harmed recover from their wounds and rebuild their homes. But as this goes on and peace returns to the land, the people who once called out for help go silent and her power wains.
It is only through the faith of the few who know of her that she has been able to continue her existence through these times
Araphine's goals
Having been granted a unique sense of mortality do to her fragile existence, she, more than any other god, understands the plights of mortals. She wants for nothing more than to help them recover from their tragedies and achieve peace in their lives. Though she has a near infinite patience for mortals and them mistaking her gifts for those of others, she wishes that more knew of her and her aspects, so that they may call out to her more easily in their time of need rather than waiting for another god who may not respond to such an insignificant call. She wishes for her name to spread across the land and for all to know of her, thereby increasing her power to help others in return. Despite what her jealous father thinks, she has no desire to return to Nyx and sit among the other gods, nor does she have any ambition towards the throne that he claims.
Divine Relationships
Thanks to Heliod, most of the gods don't even know of her existence. Only Kruphix and Klothys truly know. Kruphix sees Araphine as a curiosity. A god who has lived among mortals their entire life, never returning to Nyx, is surely one of the most unique things Kruphix has ever recorded, and he monitors her often. Though she is aware of his observations, he is careful never to meddle in her affairs, which she views with a cautious respect.
Heliod is constantly working to undermine her with every free moment he has, attempting to stamp out her existence fully so she does not threaten his position as self-proclaimed king. Araphine despises her father for all he has done and continues to do to her, but her humility and weakness keeps her feelings from growing into fury as other gods would had they been treated as she was.
Pharika is acutely aware of Araphine's influence, receiving praise and thanks from many whom she did not heal. While she does not know it is Araphine who is performing such miracles, she has a deep distain for the being that is stepping on her domain and healing those whom could have proved useful for her research. Araphine herself has a similar distain for Pharika as she is unable to comprehend why she only choses to heal diseases and help mortals for her research, instead of out of goodwill for them as Araphine does.
Araphine's understanding of mortality have given her some respect for Erebos, as she knows that all mortals come to an end eventually, though she is not overly fond of his greed. She has a distaste for Athreos as she is often forced to watch as he takes away a mortal's soul that she believed she could still save. Athreos has seen her before but pays her no mind as he continues his work, and Erebos's only indication of her is when the underworld receives fewer dead than he had anticipated, frustrating him from time to time.
If Araphine had to chose between Iroas and Mogis she would side with Iroas hoping that his victory would bring a quick end to the bloodshed, but she despises both of them for the needless death and destruction their wars bring.
Worshiping Araphine
Only a select few know of the existence of this god of peace and recovery, and even fewer know her name. When the world is calm and the people are satisfied, her very being hangs by a thread, and her existence is only retained by the few who know of her and her plight. They offer their prayers to her constantly, knowing that she is needed for when others cry out for help. Though this thin lifeline she exists on, she has gained an insight on what it means to be mortal, and so she treasures and reveres those who work tirelessly to give her life.
Whenever she can she grants her followers the gift of healing, instructing them to use it to further her work, and spread her name through the world. Her followers often work quietly however, taking there time as they slowly spread her name. They fear the fury Heliod brings down upon them any time they become too obvious about spreading her name, but they find their bravery in the knowledge that their god will be there to heal her precious followers.
Children
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