Deities
Themes
Avarice, Secrecy, Sacrifice
Gods and spirits of lesser power, you hail from a more primitive time. You are every bit as divine as the Olympians, but are rarely treated as such. You have carved out a place for yourself in the modern world and defend it diligently. Most of your kind tend to be withdrawn and secretive, but can never quite disentangle themselves from the machinations of other gods and heroes. Perhaps you now have a chance to break free.
Playable Characters
Ariadne - As mistress of the labyrinth, Ariadne has always had a talent for solving puzzles. Charmed by the warrior Theseus, she was tricked into giving up the labyrinth’s secrets, so that the hero could escape, slaying her brother, Asterion, in the process. Her reward was being abandoned on a deserted island as Theseus sailed away with her sister. As might be suspected, it is now difficult for Ariadne to trust anyone. Fortunately, her suspicious nature has been put to good use. Ariadne originally took a job as Laelaps's girl Friday, but he realized fairly quickly that she’d make a better investigator. Now she and Laelaps are partners, and Ariadne’s first case is more important than she could have possibly imagined; find out who killed Zeus to prove Hera’s innocence.
Ascalaphus - Groundskeeper at Tartarus Prison and henchman of Hades, Ascalaphus knows more about the Underworld than anyone, save Hades himself. Transformed into an owl by Demeter, as punishment for allowing Persephone to eat the six pomegranate seeds that sealed her fate, Ascalaphus now finds inhabiting a mortal body confining and awkward. Which begs the question; what wouldn’t he do for the chance to fly once more?
Calliope - Perhaps the best known of the Muses, Calliope has watched as each of her sisters have been forgotten, one-by-one. Determined to survive, she has taken a job as a burlesque performer at the Titan-owned Cornucopia Casino, and works part-time at Aphrodite’s Dove & Pearl, Escort Service. Meanwhile, she has been looking for a patron to inspire (a writer would be ideal). This way, she can tell her own story, ensuring she will not be forgotten, and leave this hardscrabble life behind.
Circe - Circe is well-aware of her infamy, and she wears it like armor. Few people know the true story of the woman who trapped Odysseus on her island for over a year, but Circe knows that most people don’t want the truth. They don’t see the wife, or mother, or maiden; they see the witch. So the witch is what Circe has decided to be. An illicit botanist, the ingredients for the drugs manufactured by Morpheus are grown only in her greenhouses. It’s funny how people will utterly despise you, but still feel entitled to what you have. Take Ambrosia, for example… so much power in one little vial, and so many people willing to do whatever they can to get it.
Dionysus - Once worshiped as the patron-god of an ecstatic mystery cult, Dionysus has been reshaped into a hard-drinking, no-inhibitions, party-god. Co-owner of The Temple nightclub, and deeply in debt to the Titan crime-family, he’s one step away from everything crashing down, which would not only harm him, but those he holds dear. If there were some way he could regain even a fraction of his former power, it would be more than enough to keep the wolves at bay.
Eris - Goddess of strife and discord, few gods have thrived in the modern world quite as well as Eris. A journalist and gossip columnist for New York Magazine, Eris delights in meddling in the affairs of both gods and men. A major player among information brokers, she has a nose for breaking news, and is more than willing to get her hands dirty for exclusive access to the right story.
Eros - The god of carnal desire, and the most popular escort at the Dove & Pearl Escort Service, Eros is Aphrodite's eyes and ears. Closer to a friend and business partner than an employee, Eros and Aphrodite have cornered the market on transactional love. Eros in particular wields significant power in the gods’ affairs (sometimes literally). Yet, despite these manipulations, he remains beloved by nearly everyone. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
Hecate - It is somewhat ironic that the much diminished goddess of magic and mystery works as a stage magician at The Cornucopia Casino, but perhaps this is simply misdirection. Rumors swirl about Hecate’s intimate, invite-only soirees, where guests emerge completely refreshed and powerfully renewed. What really goes on at these gatherings, and what secrets are Hecate and her followers hiding from the other gods?
Morpheus - A psychiatrist at Tartarus Prison, and part-time illicit chemist, Morpheus, and his partner, Circe, were instrumental in creating Ambrosia, a drug that temporarily grants godpower. Happy to work for Hades, as long as he has license to experiment on his subjects, the modern god of dreams is starting to seem more like the prince of nightmares. Almost universally loathed, Morpheus is only tolerated because of his ability to bolster the gods’ diminishing power.
Orpheus - A washed up rockstar, and co-owner of The Temple nightclub with Dionysus, Orpheus has chased the high of money, fame, drugs and notoriety, but he’s never found anything that matched the first spark of love he felt with Eurydice. He knows that he’s part of the reason she’s trapped in Hades’s clutches, but he still hasn’t figured out how to free her. Still, with Zeus’s recent death, and the throne up for grabs, maybe Orpheus has another chance. Hades can defy the will of man or god, but he still must bow to his king.
Persephone - Goddess of spring. Goddess of death. Persephone has always been a dichotomy. The child of Demeter and the wife of Hades, she has one foot in her mother’s world and the other in the Underworld. Obsessed with death, even as a child, Persephone now works at the county coroner’s office and wrestles with Hades’s attempts to manipulate her position. As expected, this has caused some strain on their marriage, but Persephone has yet to cut ties with the kingpin of the Underworld completely.
Tyche - As the goddess of fortune, Tyche was once the owner of The Cornucopia Casino, until the Titans’ hostile takeover in 1924. Now she manages it for them, and uses her powers to sway the odds in the house’s favor. Unsurprisingly, Tyche is seeking a way to wrest the casino back from Titan control. She's just been biding her time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to present itself. Fortunately, she has luck on her side.
Zagreus - The only child of Hades and the mortal priestess Semele, Zagreus lives with one foot in his father’s world and the other in his mother’s. When his mother was alive, she did her best to make sure he never wanted for anything, but his father’s love has been more difficult to obtain. Hades has never let Zagreus forget that he is the heir to the Underworld criminal empire, and that he has some big shoes to fill if his father expects him to hand over the family business.