Hycianus and Hethys: Mythology
This week marks a huge achievement for this project. With the creation of 115 unique Hycian characters, the roster is now halfway complete!
To celebrate, the last two characters of this first half are something special. Hycianus and Hethys: the two gods of Hycia’s two Kingdoms! There’s quite the story to be told with the two of them!
The planet of Hycia is geographically split into two distinct Kingdoms: the Ocean Kingdom and the River Kingdom. Within each location there exists a great legend: one that speaks of a divine entity who watches over their Kingdom in its entirety. These two Hycians of unmatched power are hailed by all as the gods of this world: Hycianus of the Ocean Kingdom and Hethys of the River Kingdom.
The two gods belong to an ancient race of Hycians: creatures of great size and ability whose existence predates any sort of present-day civilization. Over the course of countless generations these goliaths would come to blows with each other, erupting into a great war known as the Tide of Terror. Without concern for anyone but themselves they would raze each other apart and bring total destruction to their domain, all in the pursuit of gaining uncontested power.
The fighting escalated into a great purge of life, one that left Hycianus and Hethys as the only two survivors once the dust had settled. Hycianus, a wise and stronghearted general, was left mangled from his exploits on the battlefield. Until the war was over he never stopped fighting in the hopes of restoring peace, but in the end he found himself as the only survivor amongst his own brethren. He was blinded from the terrible scars slashed across his eyes and face. Hethys, on the other hand, seemed to get off pretty scot-free. The Tide of Terror didn’t reach her home in the way it devastated other areas, meaning it had little to no psychological effect on her. Ironically, it would seem that Hethys managed to achieve her status of uncontested power by doing absolutely nothing.
Eventually the two goliaths found each other, but it soon became clear that they wouldn’t be very compatible. Hycianus was the stronger and smarter of the two, but he had become sick of the fighting that had devastated his world. Hethys, meanwhile, still thirsted for more power, but ultimately knew she could never defeat Hycianus if the two were to become enemies. It was clear to both of them that some sort of compromise needed to be made.
In the end, the two decided to simply leave each other be, letting themselves flow adrift throughout the oceans. Neither of them were all too keen on each other, but they were both in agreement that it would be best to put their past behind them. Thanks to this semblance of cooperation, the Tide of Terror has submerged into the realm of ancient history.
Hethys returned to her old home with a newfound sense of entitlement. To this day, she keeps herself stationary in the beautiful and lush atmosphere of the Delta of Plenty, watching over her Kingdom while adorned in a new layer of golden scales. With her size, strength, and otherworldly powers, her subjects all do what they must to keep her appeased (usually involving bringing her some kind of offering whenever they can).
Hycianus, meanwhile, has since sealed himself away in the never-ending depths of the Ocean Kingdom. Having given up on hope after the Tide of Terror, his disposition has gone quite sour. As more and more Hycian civilizations began to sprout up and thrive, Hycianus has shown no allegiance towards a single one of them. Over the course of countless generations his existence has been shrouded away into the realm of mythology. Most Hycians in present-day see him as nothing more than a fairy-tale.
