Ink
Quickwit; Labor-In-Shadows; Midnight Oil; Umbrae
Symbol: A long black quill pen above a black inkwell
Home Plane: Arborea
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Cleric Alignments: Neutral Good, Chaotic Good, Chaotic Neutral, True Neutral
Portfolio: Creativity, invention, passion, discovery
Worshipers: Inventors, engineers, writers, wizards, innovators, alchemists, nocturnal creatures, night owls
Domains: Artifice, Darkness, Knowledge (Thought), Liberation, Magic (Arcane), Rune (Language)
Favored Weapon: Repeating crossbow
Physical Description:
Ink is a fluid creature, female by usual inclination, though this changes when the mood strikes her or she wants a different perspective on a problem. This fluid, flexible nature takes a physical manifestation in her shape, which is that of a roughly draconic figure composed of an inky black, gelatinous liquid. The surface of this liquid can become light-absorbent, making Ink almost invisible, or it can shimmer like oil poured onto water. Being a fluid creature, Ink's exact size also tends to vary considerably depending on how densely she chooses to pack her body, ranging from the size of any great wyrm, all the way to that of a tiny mouse, and she is also able to adjust the number and function of her available limbs as needed. Ink is known on occasion to wear a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles over her luminous green eyes, though it is unlikely that she really needs them.
Description of Nature, Personality, and Dogma:
The essence of creativity, that primal spark where knowledge and inspiration meet hard work, all coming together to produce something new out of things that were old. This is the nature of Ink, and the sort of moment for which she lives, either in herself or, vicariously, in mortals. Ink seems antisocial at first, but this is only because she is busy working on something - which is almost all the time. Engaged in conversation about whatever it is that she is working on right then, and she quickly opens up, revealing that still waters do indeed run deep. From there, Ink soon proves to be surprisingly friendly, good-natured, and an excellent conversationalist, even if she is rather absent-minded at times. Sadly, Ink has a great many good intentions, but her inventions only sometimes match her intentions, and her influence has produced as many life-saving creations as it has life-taking ones.
The freedom to exert one's creativity is a major point of doctrine for Ink and her followers. While she and (most) of her followers can understand the need for safety, especially for those not involved in the invention process, Ink judges a society based on how much leeway they provide to those trying to devise new things, be they physical inventions or just philosophical ideas. With this doctrine of freedom, of course, comes a strong sense of duty and responsibility. Those who follow Ink's teaching see it as a holy duty and calling to innovate, to stretch boundaries, to try new things, and especially, most importantly of all, to create, whatever the consequences.
Clergy, Places of Worship, Important Rituals, and Servitor Races:
Some people are just born thinking differently than others in their society. This is not necessarily a state of mental disorder, but rather a different view of the world, or an ability to see a subject from more angles than a given culture normally allows. These sorts of people are the ones that are drawn to Ink, and she to them. The first time one of these individuals tries to create something, Ink reaches out to that new inventor, enlightening the acolyte's mind. Some cannot quite handle this infusion of divine inspiration, and instead attempt to fit into the rest of "normal" society. Others embrace it, and these are the ones who become Ink's clerics. They are usually pretty easy to spot, even though Ink does not require any sort of standardized uniform from her clergy, because of their tendency to wear protective eyewear, especially goggles, and their tendency to have messy hair and clothes and a faraway look in their eyes. While not all inventors and engineers are clerics of Ink, all clerics of Ink are inventors and engineers, or take part in some other profession where they are able to use knowledge for practical application or creative endeavor.
Most craftfolk, regardless of their tendency towards creative invention, keep a shrine of Ink somewhere on the premises of their place of work, in hopes that she will bless them with skill and insight and even an opportunity to create something new and useful if it is possible. Temples to Ink often look more like vast workhouses or factories than temples, as much of their interior areas, those not devoted to the mundane tasks of life like sleeping and eating, are built as laboratories and sites for the construction of inventions. Most of these areas are magically shielded so as to protect innocent bystanders from mishaps, but anyone actually inside such areas are usually on their own.
The Day of Rest is Ink's day, a day once every tenday when all work except for the bare essentials comes to a stop. This is a day intended to allow bodies and minds and creative juices to recover, and so while few of Ink's worshipers like it much, most of them take that day off anyway, since it makes practical sense, and having it imposed upon them by a deity makes it easier to accept. Even those who are not of one of Ink's favored professions like the Day of Rest, and so it is generally observed around the world.
History and Relations:
Born right before Hawl (who was the middle child of Bahamut and Tiamat's brood), Ink, the ever-creating, might be said to be the inspiring force that brought Hawl, the god of knowledge, into being. Ink was best friends with Hawl's twin sister, and when she was killed in the war against the Fallen Ones, Ink was heartbroken, but then began to lavish her affection on Hawl instead when Hawl took up the remnants of his twin's power and portfolio. It's not the same, of course, but both Hawl and Ink make the most of it, and have found that they do enjoy each others' company, and they often share a similar base of worshipers. For the most part, Ink isn't terribly interested in the machinations or relationships of the gods. She has a few very close friends, such as Hawl and Nimbus, with whom she likes to talk, and she adores and dotes upon her oldest brother, Paradox, who was her playmate in child-godhood, and who she still thinks gets wonderful ideas; she never stops Paradox from playing with the things she creates when he wants, even if it means that they might break, and Paradox loves her for it right back, doing his best to avoid ruining her projects beyond recovery, though his nature makes this next to impossible. Ink does not get along at all with Lugscar, who actively despises the thought of innovation, and she has trouble dealing with the more lawful-minded deities. Surprisingly, despite her good tendencies, Ink gets along better with her mother, Tiamat, than with her father, Bahamut, since Tiamat has always been less inclined to tell Ink what she shouldn't do, while Bahamut has occasionally put limitations on what Ink was allowed to do, saying that some of her projects were dangerous and would result in others being hurt (he has almost always been right, incidentally).
Favored Offerings and Justifications for Direct Intervention:
Since she is always engaged in some project or other, Ink always appreciates offerings of useful materials. Simple offerings include paper and writing materials and glass and various tools of practical make. More elaborate offerings include rare materials, metals and stone and gemstones, preferably in significant quantities, or the same materials as found in her simpler offerings, but of much greater quantity. Ink accepts these offerings by collecting them as soon as the light in the chamber where they are being offered is turned out.
Ink is not too terribly concerned with most mortal matters. Daily details are inconsequential to her, and if she weren't immortal and didn't really have need for such things, she would be the sort of person to neglect food and sleep for extended periods in her pursuit of a particular obsession or project. It is the pursuit of passions that interests Ink deeply, and she finds that her own projects are often enhanced when she helps mortals with theirs. This knowledge drives Ink to be of assistance when mortals are trying to create something new, or pursuing a particular passion. This assistance usually takes the form of inspiration and guidance beyond that which the mortal in question would normally have, or protection from the dangers that could come from mistakes made in the process of pursuing a given passion, whether those mistakes result from absent-mindedness or from deliberate sabotage by others. Attempts at deliberate sabotage when something new and exciting is being created especially upsets Ink, and she is very likely to intervene in such cases.
