Babalon
Known as mother of Abominations to some, but also represents the liberated woman. She has become known as a "sacred whore that denies no one, but extracts a great price." She is the child of the male Isoko, Kelan, and his once chosen successor, Mallory, whom he was unaware was pregnant when the transfer began.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
In the tumultuous world of Alathor, amidst the crumbling remnants of the Nakhasi Empire and the rising dominion of new powers, there was born a demigod of immense and fearsome potential: Babalon. Her story is one woven with threads of abandonment, misunderstanding, seduction, betrayal, and a desperate quest for belonging.
Babalon’s creation is a tale of forbidden power, love, and tragedy. She was born from the ill-fated union of Isoko-3 (Kelan), the third Steward of Spring, and Mallory, a mortal Maian artist and philosopher. Feeling like a failure in his role as a Steward and consumed by the need to find a perfect successor, Isoko-3 believed he had found that in Mallory - a kindhearted, thoughtful and insightful, exceptional artist confined to obscurity in a small, remote village. He introduced himself and his intent, preparing and training her for the eventual transfer of the Isoko Power to himself - though he failed to tell her this was optional. They also developed an unconventional romance, which resulted in the accidental conception of a child shortly before the time he had designated to transfer the power to her. When that process began, Isoko-3 had the foresight to recognize something was amiss when it seemed that something inside Mallory, and not Mallory herself, was absorbing the power. He halted the process and together the discovered her pregnancy.
The interrupted ritual left the unborn child imbued with a portion of Isoko Power, granting her a unique, unstable essence, in addition to already being half-divine. Isoko-3’s ambition grew; he viewed Babalon as the key to surpassing Zun-3 and defying destiny itself - he would now wait instead until Mallory gave birth and attempt to transfer the Isoko Power to their child.
Mallory, now learning that she had a choice in the whole affair, wanted to give her daughter the chance to make that choice as well. Though she loved Isoko-3, she feared her lover’s growing obsession, and so fled into exile to raise her daughter in secrecy.
Babalon’s childhood was one of isolation and fear. Her fragmented divine essence manifested as the power to bring her imagined creations to life—some cute, some beautiful, but many would turn out as grotesque, monstrous beings reflecting her inner turmoil - though to her, they were all perfect. Despite their often harmless nature, beautiful or not, their appearances fueled local legends, branding her as the "Mother of Abominations."
As she matured, her mother prepared her for a life of survival, always aware of Isoko-3’s looming presence. Despite her efforts, Mallory eventually fell ill. On her deathbed, Isoko-3 reappeared, offering to complete the power transfer to save Mallory’s life. She refused, choosing peace over eternal burden, leaving Babalon to face her destiny alone.
With no family left, Babalon wandered Alathor, burdened by grief and her fractured power. At the same time, in an attempt to craft a legacy that would surpass his own, Isoko-4 continued to father additional children, many of whom he would in turn bring to Babalon to protect and raise while he went off again and again. Driven by a sense of resentment and rejection, Babalon distanced herself, growing increasingly embittered toward the celestial schemes, though she did her best to try and care for her siblings.
Tragedy struck when almost all of Isoko-3’s offspring were mysteriously slaughtered. Because her body was not found amongst them, rumors pointed to Babalon, though the truth remained obscured. Consumed by guilt and fearing divine retribution, she vanished, slipping into myth and legend.
The tale spread and expanded over time, until it was believed with certainty that Babalon was some manner of monstrous, vengeful, spiteful woman and that she had slaughtered her own family out of jealousy. The tyrannical Zun-3 caught wind of this tale and, consumed by his own fear of mortality and uncertainty of how a demigod could do such things, recognized her as a threat. At first, he pursued her creations mercilessly, using their destruction as bait. Their eventual confrontation was brutal, leaving Babalon gravely wounded and Zun-3 satisfied that her legend was nothing more than that. He relented, not out of mercy but solely because he no longer felt concerned that she was a threat. She barely escaped, her resolve hardened by her near-death experience.
Feigning her death, Babalon vanished into obscurity for nearly a century, surfacing only briefly enough to use her influence and power to encourage enslaved Maians to rebel when she heard rumor of a rising power, Emilee of Yeoria, in the west.
She was also visited by Isoko-3's successor, Vaylendra (Isoko-4), who had hoped to somehow mend some of the damage done by her predecessor. Babalon, still hurting, rejected her.
She has since resurfaced within the imperial court of Aurorum, assuming a mortal guise as a concubine to the reigning Emperor. Her ultimate aim was to lash back at Zun-3 by destroying what she perceived as his creations, Aurorum and The Exalted—but she found her motives and plans flipped on their head when heart softened toward the young imperial heir, Mithras, a compassionate idealist that she came to believe could challenge the empire’s theocratic grip -- if only he survived and remained uncorrupted by the world of politics and religion around him.
Recognizing his potential, Babalon became Mithras's secret protector, ensuring his rise to power by manipulating court politics and thwarting countless assassination attempts. Her whispered titles, “The Veiled Emissary” and “The Shadow Mother,” spread among both enemies and allies.
Across Alathor, Babalon is a figure of fear, fascination, and reverence:
The Unlikely Conception
Babalon’s creation is a tale of forbidden power, love, and tragedy. She was born from the ill-fated union of Isoko-3 (Kelan), the third Steward of Spring, and Mallory, a mortal Maian artist and philosopher. Feeling like a failure in his role as a Steward and consumed by the need to find a perfect successor, Isoko-3 believed he had found that in Mallory - a kindhearted, thoughtful and insightful, exceptional artist confined to obscurity in a small, remote village. He introduced himself and his intent, preparing and training her for the eventual transfer of the Isoko Power to himself - though he failed to tell her this was optional. They also developed an unconventional romance, which resulted in the accidental conception of a child shortly before the time he had designated to transfer the power to her. When that process began, Isoko-3 had the foresight to recognize something was amiss when it seemed that something inside Mallory, and not Mallory herself, was absorbing the power. He halted the process and together the discovered her pregnancy.
The interrupted ritual left the unborn child imbued with a portion of Isoko Power, granting her a unique, unstable essence, in addition to already being half-divine. Isoko-3’s ambition grew; he viewed Babalon as the key to surpassing Zun-3 and defying destiny itself - he would now wait instead until Mallory gave birth and attempt to transfer the Isoko Power to their child.
Mallory, now learning that she had a choice in the whole affair, wanted to give her daughter the chance to make that choice as well. Though she loved Isoko-3, she feared her lover’s growing obsession, and so fled into exile to raise her daughter in secrecy.
Early Life and Development
Babalon’s childhood was one of isolation and fear. Her fragmented divine essence manifested as the power to bring her imagined creations to life—some cute, some beautiful, but many would turn out as grotesque, monstrous beings reflecting her inner turmoil - though to her, they were all perfect. Despite their often harmless nature, beautiful or not, their appearances fueled local legends, branding her as the "Mother of Abominations."
As she matured, her mother prepared her for a life of survival, always aware of Isoko-3’s looming presence. Despite her efforts, Mallory eventually fell ill. On her deathbed, Isoko-3 reappeared, offering to complete the power transfer to save Mallory’s life. She refused, choosing peace over eternal burden, leaving Babalon to face her destiny alone.
The Rise and Betrayal
Conflict with Zun-3
The tale spread and expanded over time, until it was believed with certainty that Babalon was some manner of monstrous, vengeful, spiteful woman and that she had slaughtered her own family out of jealousy. The tyrannical Zun-3 caught wind of this tale and, consumed by his own fear of mortality and uncertainty of how a demigod could do such things, recognized her as a threat. At first, he pursued her creations mercilessly, using their destruction as bait. Their eventual confrontation was brutal, leaving Babalon gravely wounded and Zun-3 satisfied that her legend was nothing more than that. He relented, not out of mercy but solely because he no longer felt concerned that she was a threat. She barely escaped, her resolve hardened by her near-death experience.
The Shadow Rises: Infiltration of Aurorum
Feigning her death, Babalon vanished into obscurity for nearly a century, surfacing only briefly enough to use her influence and power to encourage enslaved Maians to rebel when she heard rumor of a rising power, Emilee of Yeoria, in the west.
She was also visited by Isoko-3's successor, Vaylendra (Isoko-4), who had hoped to somehow mend some of the damage done by her predecessor. Babalon, still hurting, rejected her.
She has since resurfaced within the imperial court of Aurorum, assuming a mortal guise as a concubine to the reigning Emperor. Her ultimate aim was to lash back at Zun-3 by destroying what she perceived as his creations, Aurorum and The Exalted—but she found her motives and plans flipped on their head when heart softened toward the young imperial heir, Mithras, a compassionate idealist that she came to believe could challenge the empire’s theocratic grip -- if only he survived and remained uncorrupted by the world of politics and religion around him.
Recognizing his potential, Babalon became Mithras's secret protector, ensuring his rise to power by manipulating court politics and thwarting countless assassination attempts. Her whispered titles, “The Veiled Emissary” and “The Shadow Mother,” spread among both enemies and allies.
Domains and Abilities
Divine and Mystical Aspects:
- Transformation and Rebellion: Symbolizing metamorphosis through adversity and defiance against predetermined fate.
- Creative Destruction: Manifesting chaotic creation through sheer will, reshaping reality through art and imagination.
- Guardianship of the Forgotten: Patron of exiles, orphans, and those who dwell in the margins of society.
Magical Affinities:
- Illusions and Disguise: Expert in reality-altering illusions, hiding her identity even from celestial beings.
- Shattered Vision: Through the Broken Mask, she perceives fragmented futures, enabling her to manipulate destiny itself.
Cultural Legacy
Across Alathor, Babalon is a figure of fear, fascination, and reverence:
- Auroran Mythology: Vilified symbolically as a heretic and manipulative seductress, for creating darkness and dark creatures that are unnatural and not of Zun's will, blamed for the fall of empires and the corruption of mortal leaders.
- Yeorian Reinterpretation: Honored as "The Shadowed Rose," symbolizing resilience and transformation through suffering, growth in darkness, and that even something that appears beautiful and fragile can draw blood.
- Kataria's Intellectual Circles: Studied to determine historical accuracy (a real figure or amalgamation of stories put under a single name), as a master manipulator of fate and prophecy, invoked in philosophical debates on destiny and free will.
Children
