GAIA
Aliases: Allmother, Gaia, Ge, Mother Earth
Sing at last, O Muses, of the Allmother, unbegotten and self-delivered. Bearer of the Titans — Land and Sea and Firmament lay honors upon her. Namer of beasts — the crea- tures of the World owe fealty to her. Adversary of Heaven — her sons war and betray in deference to her. From her is all produced and given! She attends to the growing, so grow tall, grow strong. She leads in the reaping, so die for her, and die well!
When Uranus thought to smother her and trap her own children within her body, it was Gaea who planted the seed of insurrection in Cronus’s mind, and granted him a mur- der weapon she personally forged for him. When Cronus gorged himself on infants in a clumsy attempt to outwit Fate, it was Gaea who provided Rhea with the stone and the cunning instructions to hide her lastborn son. When Zeus dared defy her, it was Gaea who came closest to starting a second Titanomachy, leading her Gigantes sons and Typhon himself against the youngest King of Heaven. Gaea, smiling and elegant, has been instrumental in two wars of heavenly succession. She’s looking forward to her third.
Gaea chooses to appear as a well-bred, matronly wom- an, buxom and soft, barely old enough to be a grandmother. As a primeval of Earth, her powers are varied — the source of prophetic fumes, she is the Theoi’s first oracle. The lit- eral fundament, she can conceal creatures and concepts on or within her figurative body. The origin of all Theoi, she exploits even the canniest God or Goddess. Though she cur- rently holds the Mantle of Mother Earth, Gaea herself is not motherhood — she is survival for only the fittest. She prefers sacrifices of black sheep, as her once-universal worship in Greece dictated, and she prefers children who obey.
However, never say Gaea doesn’t love her family. She happens to love the cycle of succession more. If there is an abler king, she will help him ascend, and well... there are so many possible times and manners of Zeus’s fall. Naturally, Gaea plans to be there, with weapons and alliances forged, her titanspawn and Scions in formation. Said Scions must be obedient, and never indulge in weakness; Gaea has been known to disown Scions who depend too much on her assistance. Terrible as this seems, Gaea never fails to seek justice for a hurt Scion, often going to dramatic lengths for vengeance.
Provinces: Creator, Primordial (Earth), Tyrant
Dominions: BEASTS (Black Sheep), CHANCE, EARTH, ENDURANCE, FERTILITY, HEALING, PROSPERITY, WILD
Contents
RELATIONSHIPS AND AGENDAS
Gaea cultivates close relationships with her daughter Rhea and granddaughter Hera, who either don’t suspect her machinations or are powerless to oppose them. While Gaea is neither confined nor tortured like other Titans, she knows her status with her grandchildren is tenuous, so refrains from direct actions, relying instead on intelligent titanspawn and Scions. A parthenogeneticist, Gaea is known to create Scions more often than she adopts or begets them, leaving her free to craft exactly the tool she needs in the moment she needs it; the result is a semi-divine legion equipped with adamantine weapons and breathtaking mother issues. Gaea wishes to return to the days of her universal worship, to create unimpeded once again, and to continue guiding the divine lineage of the Theoi.
OTHER PANTHEONS
In the last decade, Gaea has struck up an unusual alliance with Coyolxauhqui and the eldest Centzonhuitzanaua. The Allmother has much in common with what she would otherwise consider vicious barbarians; all wish for the end of their respective pantheons and have some experience at the attempt of it. Of all her entanglements, however, she finds most promising her connections with the Gods of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who revile Zeus and harbor no ill-will toward pantheon-labelled Titans. Were the Theoi to learn of this collusion, Gaea would need to pluck every string she could to manipulate her way back into their favor.
CURRENT PRIORITIES
Gaea keeps tabs on several different prophecies regarding Zeus’s succession by another: Notably, his son by Metis, his son by Thetis, his child by a thrice-living mortal, and his child by a two-headed serpent. She is confident in having found three candidates fitting these criteria, and while she counsels from afar and equips them for war, she continues the search for others. Ultimately, Gaea means to guide one to the throne of Olympus, so that yet another generation of kings is under her control.
BIRTHRIGHTS
FOLLOWERS
Harpyiai Titanes: Horrific hybrids of women and rap- tors, harpies were born of the ichor spilled upon Cronus’s sickle. Usually bound in service to the Erinyes, these Harpies choose to serve Cronus and his interests rather than Olympus.
Horai: Minor Goddesses of weather and the orderly procession of seasons, dutiful attendants of Gaea’s favorites. There were originally numerous Horai, but they’re down to four and dwindling in power. Their rage at climate instability only burns brighter.
Ichthyocentauroi: Born when Cronus coupled with the nymph Philyra in horse-form, these are centaur with fish-tails and lobster-claw antennae. Patient chaperones and adept seafarers, they attend allies of Aphrodite and Poseidon, though their loyalties are often brought into question by hawkish Theoi.
GUIDES
CHIRON: The first centaur has built a reputation and brand as Preeminent Heroic Mentor, despite being Cronus’s son. An expert in fields from gymnastics to medicine, his impressive list of references includes Heroes like Achilles, Heracles, and Sybilla Kostanian — the latter a modern graduate known primarily for crossing the Pacific in five soaring leaps. Curiously, Chiron is known to have definitely, definite- ly died 2000 years ago. His reappearance in the early 2000s have many Theoi conspiracy theorists trading suspicions.
Enkelados: A giant who served in the Gigantomachy — Gaea’s attempt at a second Titanomachy — until Athena threw the island of Sicily at him. He’s subsumed the volcanic essence of the island and now appears more fearsome than before, belching fire with his shouts and threats. He’s set on a rematch with the Theoi and will provide combat training to anyone who can help get him there.
Sphinx: A daughter of Echidna with a mortal’s head, a lion’s body, an eagle’s wings, and a serpent’s tail. Sphinx is too clever by half, and delights in terrorizing others with her intellect. Solving one of her riddles is the only way to gain her respect or her tutelage.
Typhon: A treacherous, shape-shifting giant, veteran of the Gigantomachy, Gaea’s lieutenant, and Echidna’s mate. He variably appears winged, with serpents for legs or for fingers, or up to 100 heads, or any other feature that will leave mortals screaming. He has an unusual gift for strategy and psychological warfare and loves anything to do with undermining Zeus.
The Wyomese Bear: A grizzly bear roughly the size and weight of a tractor unit, with six legs, an invulnerable hide, and twice the usual number of teeth, currently stalking the interior midwestern United States. All local wildlife obeys its commands and those of its ward.
RELICS
Blood of Uranus: A vial of syrupy, wine-dark fluid, glittering with cold stars. When applied to any part of Gaea’s body (otherwise known as the World), this grotesquely fecund liquid has the potential to create a new creature nev- er before seen — from as crude as a beast to as sophisticated as a God.
Echidna’s Scales: A chip of Echidna’s lower-body chitin, hard as a carbide alloy, ranging in size from smartphone to riot shield. Echidna’s scales are usually weaponized — they are especially conductive of poison, and wounds caused by the scale are guaranteed to infect.
Echidna’s Venom: A high-density polyethylene con- tainer of some of the most potent contaminant slime ever to curse the World. Rots non-living organic material, erodes metal, causes numerous infections. Curiously, has no effect on plastic.
The Mother’s Bones: A waterproofed canvas bag full of various stones of impossible age. Throwing one over your shoulder so that it lands on the bare earth will cause it to metamorphose into a fully armored myrmidon with perfect discipline and obedience.
