The Black Heart Plum

In the early ages of the Daeva Empire, Raeya and Khetura reigned as sovereigns, commanding authority that would later elevate them to godhood. Raeya, with her mastery over the death and the Aether, was captivated by Khetura. He was a man of extremes, revered for his unpredictability, and feared for the same reason. Raeya’s dark allure and fierce demeanor enticed Khetura, whose influence embodied of the chaotic forces of destruction and creation.
Together, were passion and discord, an unstoppable force that blended order and chaos, life and death. Since their initial meeting, Khetura and Raeya had a strong emotional bond, yet they never fully consummated their relationship. On the night they first slept together, Khetura bound them together and claimed Raeya as his in all titles.
Over a series of nights, the others bound themselves to the pair and through them reborn as quasi-immortals. Though their immortality was not absolute, it was enough to inspire both reverence and fear among their subjects.

Birth of the Black Heart Tree and the Pantheon

Beneath the surface of their reign lay a dark secret: Raeya’s Black Heart tree. The Black Heart tree was born from a convergence of intense emotions and events before her coupling with Khetura. Raeya’s hatred and desire for revenge against those who had betrayed her turned their bodies into soil. Her acceptance of her powers and abilities turned their flesh into seeds. The blood of those who had wronged her nourished the tree’s roots, their treachery fueling its growth.
Raeya did not visit the tree during its rapid growth. Only after her coupling with Khetura did she finally visit the tree. The wood stood out from any other tree in existence because of its exceptionally dark hue, while its leaves boasted an otherworldly vibrant shade of green.
On an impulse, Raeya ate the fruit. Expecting a bitter taste, a surprising twist of sweetness unfolded on her tongue. Khetura’s love and protection for Raeya as she enacted her revenge, however, shaped the fruit born from the tree, a testament to their enduring bond. Because of its shape, size, and sweetness, Raeya called the fruit Black Heart Plum.
Raeya and the others indulged in too many Black Heart Plums, becoming intoxicated by the fruit’s intoxicating essence. Over several nights, Raeya, Khetura and the others indulged in the Black Heart Plums. Through shared intoxication and the fusion of Raeya and Khet’s powers, their shared passion birthed their quasi-immortality. Though their immortality was not absolute, it was enough to inspire both reverence and fear among their subjects.

The Departure to Veneros

Despite the prosperity that Raeya and Khetura brought to their realm, the people of the Daeva Empire harbored a growing fear of their quasi-immortal rulers. Whispers of dissent spread among and they feared what their immortal overlords might become if their powers continued to grow unchecked.
This fear turned into resentment, sowing seeds of rebellion that threatened to rip apart the very fabric of their divine rule of the new pantheon. Raeya and Khetura, aware of the unrest and the threat that loomed, devised a plan to escape the mounting danger.
Raeya and Khetura, along with their fellow quasi-immortals, left the Daeva Empire and create a new home for themselves—a continent named Veneros. This new land was to be a sanctuary, a place where they could exist free from the fear and suspicion of mortals. Before they left, Raeya took much of the tree with her, still wanting to leave parts of it as a testament to her life and the place that was once been her home.
The gods then staged an elaborate ruse, pretending to transcend their mortal forms. In a grand ceremony, Raeya, Khetura, and the others enacted a dramatic display of magic, convincing their subjects that they had left the mortal plane to become true deities. With the empire believing their gods had transcended to a higher state of existence, Raeya and Khetura, along with the rest of their pantheon, slipped away to Veneros.