Imber

Pronouns: She/her

During the creation of Paradisus, the sea came in a single giant wave, which broke upon the barren, rocky shore and sent up great curtains of spray, and from this spray leapt Imber, goddess and ruler of water. Under her command, the spray from that first great wave went up into the new sky to create the first clouds, which gave rise to a great rainstorm the likes of which have never been since, and that storm created all the lakes and rivers and streams and ponds that grace the islands of Paradisus today. When her work was done Imber retired to the clouds, where she has managed the rains ever since.

But oh, she could not just be left in peace, no. The other gods insisted on bothering her. In particular she was bothered by Ignis, the god of fire. When they first met, the intense, passionate personality of the fiery stallion overwhelmed her, and the two had a short but fierce love affair, but they were just too different for their love to last. Imber would get furious when Ignis' tantrums burned through the grasses and shrubs that Imber worked so hard to nourish with her rains, and Ignis would grow frustrated when Imber insisted on sending rain to quench his fires. Their love quickly turned to hate, and such began a cycle that has continued ever since, for inevitably they forget their disagreements over time and the fires of their love are rekindled. Currently, they are in a spiteful, cold-shoulder type stage.

In herself, Imber is a quiet and subtle mare, one who prefers to work behind the scenes, leaving only the barest traces of her influence. Secretive and private by nature, she takes offence to mortals and other gods alike prying too closely into her business, and is likely to retreat like an elusive shadow should one seek her too boldly. She is a peculiar individual, at once predictable and horribly unpredictable, for one could feel that they have come to know her very well only for her to suddenly reveal a new part of her that is totally unexpected. There are some that call her treacherous and they're not entirely wrong, for her allegiance can flip in an instant, but the truth is that she's just cold to the needs and wants of other individuals. She has her own secret goals that she must achieve, and she doesn't much care who gets hurt in the process. She's not completely uncaring, it's just that she cares about groups rather than individuals. She takes the responsibility she has as bringer of the rains very seriously, for she knows that without her care, the plants of Paradisus would not be able to survive, and by extension, it's animal inhabitants, and so she gets furious should someone attempt to threaten that. She is capable of warmth and affection, but that warmth and affection is not directed at any one in particular.

As you might imagine, Imber does not interfere much with the lives of her followers, and indeed it's extremely rare for her to talk to or otherwise directly interact with them in any way. Instead, she listens to their prayers and uses them to gauge the overall health of the region that follower is currently in. Lots of horses complaining of hunger and thirst? Some more rains must be required. Lots of horses complaining of damp beds and flooded fields? Maybe she can lay off for a bit. Otherwise though, Imber allows her followers to do as they please giving only the most basic of moral teachings; don't hurt others. So long as you follow this rule to the best of your abilities, she'll let you get on with your life. She has no interest it praise, adulation or other displays of worship, and doesn't really demand offerings or sacrifices from them; she considers it a waste when she has no need of them. She does make use of shrines though, as it is at them that she is most attentive to prayers.

When it comes to other gods, with the exception of Ignis, Imber mostly just ignores them. She'll meet with them in times of crisis, if something needs sorting out, and if any of them wish to bring problems to her attention she'll listen, but otherwise she keeps to herself. Gods from other religions, she totally ignores.