POSEIDON
GOD OF THE SEAS
Name:
Poseidon, God Of The Seas
Appearance: Standing at 7'6" inches in his mortal form, Poseidon typically favors flowing black hair held back by a golden circlet or royal make and quality, and deep, absorbing eyes that shift colors depending on his mood. Most times there are the blue of a sunlit sea. Sometimes they shift to a deep green, a variety of colors between blue and green, and deep black, like the depths of an ocean canyon when he is angry.
Poseidon's mortal form is typically muscular, bronzed from exposure to the sun and bare to the waist. When appearing to mortals, he favors a simple white wraparound garment about his lower stomach, stretching to his upper legs and embroidered in blue and gold at the edges. When he makes a public appearance, his famed trident, steel-tipped and golden-shafted, is always either in his hand or near to him. He typically wears brown sandals when he must travel by land.
Personality: Poseidon is a god that can be difficult to understand at times. Proud, self-sufficent, and stubborn, Poseidon can be both very gentle and very fierce, like the oceans which he governs. In his wrath, he has been known to be quite vicious and vindictive, particularly when he feels betrayed. Once he has picked a side, he is known to dig into a position and defend it loyally. At the same time, Poseidon does not like undue haste, and will take his time to decide an issue. He is not fond of politics per se, prefering to avoid most of the quarrels of Olympus in his own undersea domain, but he does not shut himself off completely from his divine brethren and does take the occassional interest in their affairs. Living as he does underwater, Poseidon has developed a fondness for philosophy, poetry, and the arts. He sees much of the beautiful things humans can make when motivated, and has formed a collection of the most beautiful works in his palace, scavenged from shipwrecks. Poseidon is a god who can be moved to laughter, to philosophy, to art, and to wrath by things that may seem of little consequence to mortals, making him wise, passionate, and, at times, dangerously unpredictable.
Background: Poseidon is one of the original Olympian deities, born of Cronus and Rhea and older brother to Zeus and Hades. Like his siblings, he was imprisoned in Cronus's stomach to prevent the rise of a king who could challenge Cronus's rule. When Zeus escaped his confinement and freed the other Olympians, Poseidon stood as Zeus's right hand in the Titanomachy, the war between the Olympians and the Titans. When Zeus stood triumphant at the end of the war, the three sons of Cronus knew that the time had come to choose a new Lord of the Universe.
Lots were cast for the role, and Zeus, the middle brother, came out the winner. To him went mastery of the skies and lordship over all things, including the gods. To Hades, the youngest brother, went dominion over the dead and the Underworld. But to Poseidon came Lordship over all water and control over earthquakes, as well as power second only to Zeus's own. He found that he didn't mind. Let Zeus have the headache of being King of the Gods. It just meant more time for Poseidon to find and develop his own interests.
Powers: Primarily, Poseidon controls all water. He is most famous for mighty storms and tidal waves, hence his title "Lord of the Oceans", but all water, fresh and salt, lies under his sway. He can summon forth powerful earthquakes on a whim. Poseidon is known as the god of equines and can change his shape, favoring an equine form, but others are not unheard of. He is known to appear in the dreams of mortals on occassion. His legendary trident can shake the ground on his command and shatter whatever it strikes (he often wields his earth-shaking powers in conjuction with a swing or a slam of his trident against the ground, a personal quirk of a quirky god). He can grant the power of shapeshifting and breathing in deep water to others at whim, and command horses and the creatures of the sea to do his bidding. Like other gods, he can teleport himself from place to place at whim. Poseidon has not wielded his full might since the days of the Titanomachy, but his power, if ever fully unleashed, would be second only to that of Zeus himself.
Favorite Cities: Athens, Olympia, Mytilene, Argos. Poseidon once contested against Athena to show his benevolence to Athens. Athena won, but, after he calmed some (and retracted the flood he'd sent against Athens), he came to hold the city in fondness. Argos is the home of heroes, and Poseidon is quite interested to see who will claim the Golden Fleece. Olympia is a personal project of Poseidon's, an attempt to build a mortal city to perfectly reflect the glory of Olympus, and Mytilene mostly attracted him because of the poetry of Sappho and he has learned of Cassandra's interest in the place. The rise of her priesthood there is something Poseidon takes a keen interest in, as new deities fascinate the Lord of the Oceans.
Hobbies: Tracking the rise of new deities like Agippa and Cassandra. He is fascinated at the concept of new deities, and somewhat disturbed too. The idea of redundant deities offends him, as he will tell anyone who asks him about the many lesser sea and river deities that fall under his control. He enjoys racing his gleaming chariot in the ocean depths, and sinking the odd ship now and again (he doesn't bother to justify himself when he sinks a ship, its' just fun for him). Tending the deep-sea creatures and protecting the ocean species from extinction from ignorant fishers also occupies his time. Collecting things from shipwrecks and admiring his collection are other ways he kills a dull day.
Mannerism: Towards his worshippers, Poseidon is a mostly benevolent, occassionally capricious deity. Every time he is swamped by mortal prayers and demands, he just reminds himself that it could be worse. He could have ended up as King of the Gods and be stuck with all the things Zeus must put up with. He actually pities his younger brother on these days. When appearing to mortals, Poseidon can be patient and calm, or brusque and peremptory. It depends on his mood.
Sacred Animals: The seagull, the albatross, and the octopus. He doesn't know why, he just likes them.
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