Io'a (ee-yo-wa)
The Ur-Predator, The Inevitable; Lieutenant Lichlord of the Kelpeater Empire
Io'a was one of the most powerful and influential Colonial Gods of the Waking First Age, originating from the plane of Lorgain. The Ur-Predator was a Šaru'um ("Great Lord") of the Kelpeater Empire, Second Fist of the Šar'šara'ani ("Lord of Lords"), Inum'indiron'aravaut (sometimes shorted to Ina'ut).
Io'a was one the Empire's two veteranmost Fists (lieutenants specializing in warfare). He was a calamitously powerful druid-barbarian who specialized in exploration, tracking and the colonization of new territories. As a demigod he was frequently worshipped as a great lord of hunters, a defender against monsters at the edge of civilization and the triumph of humanoids over nature.
Like most of the First Empire's inner circle, the Ur-Predator was likely Ula'thau'la.
The Ur-Predator's alignment is unknown but was likely Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil.Appearance & Heraldry
See also: Lichlord Io'a Image Gallery (External)Though widely confirmed to be Ula'thau'la, Io'a was often portrayed as tall and pale of complexion, indicating he may have had some Ghentish or Arakh blood.
Io'a's taste in Warbodies was eccentric. While most Lichlords chose warbodies that were towering in size, Io'a's were powerfully-built, four-armed but otherwise unexceptional bodies. All Kelpeater warheroes are entitled to regrow their "birthright" second pair of arms, but aside from this sanctified thing, he did not want any advantage beyond his own abilities when hunting prey. Nothing gave him a greater sense of meaning than hunting a mark larger than himself. Nonetheless these bodies would sometimes come with mild adornments, for example he was known to wear a spotted jaguar's head in place of a human's.Godhood
Though all Lichlords of The Kelpeater Empire were worshipped as undead gods, Io'a's Domains, Favoured Weapon(s), Divine Skill(s), etc. are no longer known, though they likely involved hunting, tracking, stealth, nature, warfare and transformation.History
For decades before the expansion of the new Kelpeater Empire, Io'a was worshipped by Empyreal subjects as a great monster hunter and icon of humanoid supremacy over nature. Stories of him challenging and defeating great mythological creatures, like the great Linnorm Lord Mušussu, were popular among bards and sermonists.
Though posessed of tremendous predatorial cunning, Io'a was politically guileless and spent large periods occupied with dead-end quagmires, often engineered by the tactician and then-Insurgent Goddess V'Shaat al-Avra. This eventually lead to God-Emperor Ina'ut withdrawing Io'a's command and requesting his return to Godshome. Instead, Io'a and his armies settled themselves in the jungles of the Emerald Expanse, naming it the sovereign nation of Iyō. Here he ruled for at least a few decades, until perhaps one of Ina'ut's assassination attempts succeeded, or a mark finally bested him. Both Kelpeater and early Maraian texts confirm leadership of Iyō then fell to Io'a's long-time Number Two, Ka'arthon the Quester, however this regime changed marked the beginning of a steady decline for the Alanthian diaspora.
Some of the Iyō would eventually be subsumed into the Maraian Clans of the Lowlands and Emerald Expanse, particularly the modern Chiyō, Izuka and Oronaga. Scattered remnants of Io'a's kingdom, for example the Aiyō and Ukyō, have retreated further into the Expanse to maintain their freedom. The Ukyō peoples have a tense but peaceable relationship with the arborial Ong peoples to the far Voidwest of the Endless Jungles.The Lowland Wars
Even outside the reach of the Insurgent Gods, other heroes would rise to challenge the theo-military empires of the Kelpeaters. The Empire of Iyō spread north from the towering cities of Alanthan'aravaut through the Emerald Expanse, eventually facing a tenacious resistance from the native Umeki and Naru peoples of what is now Marai. Under the leadership of an old, one-eyed monk generally referred to as Hanavira-no-Kishiki ("The Knight of Petals"), Iyō faced its first major string of defeats, eventually even causing Io’a to be abandoned by his master, the God-Emperor Ina'ut himself.
Things only turned around for the aggressors due to a betrayal by an equally brilliant, equally skilled young Umeki warrior, who defeated Hanabira-no-Kishi in a duel and thus assimilated some fraction of the resistance into his own army. It is said his only reason for doing this was to test his strength, by being on the losing side. The Betrayer and the Knight of Petals would eventually Ascend, becoming The Crimson Serenity and The Field Marshal respectively.
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