Seigna

Goddess of Beasts and the Hunt

"The hunt is not just an action, it is a test. To hunt is to desire, to chase, to achieve or fail. To survive on your own actions. To truly hunt is to truly live." - Seigna, on the first hunt of the Ehrlen people.

Seigna, also known as the Great Huntress and the Beastmaster, was the second god to emerge in the second wave of gods from Nora's blood alongside Deign and Orloch. The most reserved out of the trio, Seigna kept to herself in their initial meeting with the first generation of gods. She simply stood back and watched idly as Orloch challenged Artur's leadership and traded blows with both the Lawbringer and Elanaah. Though she admired Orloch's tenacity, she felt that he was too rash in his anger and quick to act on his thoughts. She studied them both as they fought, analyzing strengths and weaknesses with her keen eyes.
With the aid of Elanaah, Artur came out as the victor and Orloch begrudgingly admitted his defeat. Seigna offered no contest to Artur's vie for leadership -- it was a position that she never held an inkling of desire for. She took a quiet seat amongst the first Council of the Gods and absorbed all the information she could before an eager departure. She held no issue with Stirna's Decree and actually felt inspired by their divine purpose to fill the world with life in their own creations. Seigna left the meeting resolved to explore the world in its entirety in order to get a better understanding of how she should begin crafting life itself.
It was deep in the forests below their meeting spot in the Worldspine where she created her first animal, an owl. The great grey and brown plumage gave it camouflage against the trees and the powerful wings and talons gave it strength and speed. It was then that Seigna asked herself, what would these be used for? She knew that her new beloved creation could not be set against Risen, and must have a counterpart. It was then that she created the mouse. Her inspired pattern of thinking continued until she had filled the forests of Ehlanui with an abundance of life. While Elanaah originally thought it as a gift to pay tribute to her or earn her favor, it was simply the first place that Seigna had wandered after the first meeting of the Council.
Seigna set out from the forests of Ehlanui to the west and found the desert in which Sturn had made his home. Even though Sturn had begun to fill the land with serpents, she still found that there was room in the ecosystem for more, adding birds to the skyline and various prey and predators to the desert until she was perfectly satisfied with the food chain. Sturn was unbothered by the additions and welcomed the beasts to challenge the position of his serpents. He made certain that everywhere her beasts could be found, his would be as well.
This pattern continued throughout the entirety of the world until every crack and corner of Nora was filled with a new life of her own design. Beasts filled the lands, the seas, and the skies, creating diverse ecosystems and intricate food chains that allowed for interference by the Risen. It was during this time that Deign would join her for a short time, keeping his distance per her orders but paying great respect and adoration towards her creations. He was particularly in love with the reptiles she created and no animal filled him with such a pleasure as her creation of the pangolin. He asked Seigna for her blessing to use these beasts as a template for his Risen and she responded that she did not care so long as the originals would still be left in their environments. Deign heartily agreed and went on to create the Hidefolk, Shellfolk, and the Dwehrlen. Seigna continued on her journey of learning, now observing how the Risen interacted with the animals that she created.
It was then that she created the concept of the hunt; to seek, capture, kill, and ultimately eat the various beasts throughout the world. Naturally, many of these would prove too much of a threat to be challenged by an individual Risen or even fatal to be consumed, but those were lessons that the fledgling creations of the gods had to learn. Seigna partook in her own hunts, though as great as these beasts could prove, none of them stood a chance against a god without Magick of their own. She was beginning to feel a lack inside of herself and a desire to placate it. The other gods ensured her that it was the fact that she had not created a Risen of her own. She knew this was not the answer she was looking for, but their continued insistence pressured her into eventually relenting.
Seigna found that the jungles south of Nioyaathep where she did most of her hunting were some of the few places left in the world without a local presence of Risen. It was here that she created her Risen, a race of agile and adaptable Risen specialized for navigating the twisting trees of what would come to be known as Mahangangahere. She named them Ehrlen as a combination between Ehlen and Ohrlen as she believed naming them after herself would be too vain an effort. They came to know her as an absent creator and quickly took to taking care of themselves and establishing great settlements amongst the canopy. The Great Huntress was just that, dedicating her time to advancing herself and her sport rather than watching over the fledgling creatures.
Around the time that Orloch created the concepts of war and conquests, she found herself drawn back to the jungle to challenge his efforts. Her Ehrlen were the first people that he declared war against, and she welcomed his challenge, meeting him on the battlefield. The two fought regularly and pulled no punches against one another. Whereas Orloch proved his might and ferocity at the front of his forces, Seigna proved her agility and strategy from her time hunting the many beasts throughout the jungles. She often evaded him and left him littered with arrows as she commanded the Ehrlen from the trees deep in the jungle.
Orloch displayed more than a desire to fight, however, being drawn to Seigna's willingness to partake in his wargames and her own predilection for violence. She told him outright that she was not interested in marriage as she did not wish to be 'conquered like others amongst their kin'. At the same time, she would not lie and say she did not welcome his affections. Seigna led Orloch on a new hunt around the world as she chased her own quarry and he chased her. Occasionally he would catch her and reap the benefits of this successful hunt; whether he actually prove her superior in an instance or whether she fancied his affections enough to let herself be caught could be debated. Eventually, their union led to the birth of a child, Camille. Camille was born in the image of her mother, save for the telltale third eye and protruding lower canines of her father. The two would offer her guidance and insight in her youth but largely left the girl to care for herself and discover her place in this world.
A trial would be called later under the Council of the Gods as Sturn gave Magick to the Dahlen. Like with most affairs, Seigna remained silent through the discussions unless directly called upon for her input. She ultimately gave her support for Magick to be spread amongst the Risen. In addition to granting this power to the Ehrlen, she began the creation of Magickal Beasts throughout the world. These would be new or further enhanced variations of the animals and beasts she had spread previously, each possessing new abilities or levels of power. Magickal Beasts proved to be more formidable adversaries for the Risen and completely revolutionized ecosystems as they became more prominent. With the risk came the reward, however, and materials from these Magickal Beasts proved to be incredibly useful for crafting.
Seigna found herself once again remaining absent from the affairs of both the Risen and the Gods, tending to her hunts of the newly empowered beasts. She had finally made a creation worth hunting in her eyes and could not feel more proud. Various Risen settlements would pray to her for an easement from the threat of these creatures, and she would dismiss them in kind. She did not welcome prayer from a point of weakness; it was the Risen's duty to adapt to the evolving state of the world. The Great Huntress would take the occasional trip to check on Camille or have the occasional rendevous with Orloch, but kept largely to herself.
Another trial would be called to bring the Council of the Gods together to condemn Sturn and his actions once again. Seigna found the crime of adultery to be a ridiculous one, one of the many reasons she refused to partake in marriage, believing it to be an issue for Artur and Elanaah to solve amongst themselves. However, she also understood the transgression that it was and Sturn's repeated transgressions against the laws set before them. She believed that if they didn't draw the line somewhere then there would be no line at all. And, as much as she held her unspoken affections for Orloch, a world run in a manner befitting his whims would not be one that lasts. Seigna condemned Sturn's actions but pushed for a different outcome than execution. She was the first to suggest his ultimate punishment of banishment.
When the Council of the Gods was dissolved, it took Seigna no time at all to follow them. No goodbyes were bid to the Ehrlen and they in turn expected none. They believe that whatever business the gods have found themselves in now, Seigna has found a new and greater hunt than they could imagine to take up her time and interest.

The Great Huntress

Seigna possesses the power of divine creation bestowed amongst the gods. She first used this power to create the various mundane animals found throughout the world. This led to the creation of fully fledged ecosystems where the animals, plants, and Risen grew to keep each other in check with an ever-evolving cycle of life. The creation of animals has been credited as the greatest creation besides that of the Risen, doing more to create a sustainable life in the world and options for new diets and ways of living. She is still said to watch over them and punish those who would trample upon the state of nature with no respect for the beasts of the wilds.
In tandem with the creation of animals, Seigna also created the concepts of hunting and from it, all of recreational sports. She was born with the urge to track and chase prey all throughout the world and encouraged the Risen to do the same in order to provide themselves with an earned meal. The desire to hunt evolved from one of necessity to one of sport, where she and others began to take part in the hunt purely for status and enjoyment. However, she always instilled the belief that any life taken in this manner would still be utilized to the fullest, whether it was supplied for crafts or excess meat shared with a neighbor. This would later be evolved with her creation of Magickal Beasts, a great and powerful species that possessed supernatural abilities and proved a much more dangerous quarry.
Seigna also created the Ehrlen, a Risen race of adaptability and fortitude to survive the harsh environments of the jungles of Mahangangahere. She was never keen on creating Risen and was insisted upon by her godly kin which led to their name being a combination of Ehlen and Ohrlen. The Ehrlen are mostly marked for their large prehensile feet that enabled them to scale the trees like no other Risen and build great settlements in the canopies.
The Great Huntress was commonly armed with a longbow named the Lunar Ballista that was crafted from moon ore for her from Deign. In addition to her weapon, Seigna was born with a gift of perception that superseded the rest of her kin. She was able to discover impossibly hidden tracks and find any target that she set her eyes upon. When paired with the Lunar Ballista, no target could escape her hunt once she began.

Icons of Seigna

Seigna bears the appearance of an Ehrlen with dark skin and long, braided hair bedecked with beads and bone. She is muscular and toned with an athletic build that belies her strength and abilities. Her body is covered in the Tao Makoa tattoos of the Ehrlen when it is not covered in light armor of leather and hide she has collected from various hunts. She is rarely found without the Lunar Ballista, a longbow crafted by Deign, and a quiver full of arrows on her person. She carries no other weapons, preferring to work with her bare hands in situations where the bow fails her.
Emblems depicting Seigna's worship are of a panther's head roaring in front of a moon. These are typically cast in silver and adorned with emerald or obsidian. Certain Ehrlen shamans, however, will cast up images of owls, as they were her first creation in the world.

Followers of the Great Huntress

Worshipping Seigna through prayer and devotion is not enough to gain her favor. Prayers must come with an offering or sacrifice in order to reach her ears. These offerings are typically comprised of recently hunted animals, though occasional Risen sacrifices have been offered as well. Whatever the sacrifice, they must have been gathered by the exact individual seeking to garner Seigna's attention and favor. If the offering is from another individual's work, they will only earn her scorn and divine punishment. Altars for the offerings can be found in the Church of Combined Faiths or any Ehrlen village.
The shamanic councils found amongst the different Ehrlen tribes throughout Mahangangahere all pay tribute to her via a regular animal sacrifice. In times of need, the council will hunt together as 'one spirit' in order to track down larger and greater prey than they can normally handle on their own. Magickal Beasts will often be the target of these hunts as they believe that the more challenging the target they pursue, the more favor they will receive from the goddess. Each sacrificial ceremony is commemorated with a performance; each shaman will don the hide of a beast that they themselves have hunted previously and put on a performance for the tribe, acting as the beasts and hunting one another accompanied by percussion and cheers from the crowd. Afterward, they take upon a fast until they receive the sign that they are looking for and pay tribute to Seigna by letting her be the first to feast from their offering.

A God's Tattoos

One of the greatest early traditions of the Ehrlen was Tao Mokoa or the art of spiritual tattooing. Each member of a tribe would go out on a hunt for two items when they came of age; they would go out in search of a beast to feed their family and would also search for pigments to be used in tattooing their bodies afterward. These were always performed by a Tuhinga-Tao-Mokoa, a shaman-like position in the tribe of a member who dedicates their life to this skill.
When Seigna first bestowed Magick upon the Ehrlen, they began to experiment with adapting it to their current lives and traditions, and Tao Mokoa was one of their greatest successes. The Tuhinga-Tao-Mokoa was now able to imbue Magick into the process and gift strength and abilities to the receiver. The first Tuhinga-Tao-Mokoa who was able to achieve this skill was a second-generation elderly Ehrlen named Marama Nate. In appreciation of her skills and aptitude, Seigna visited the elder and let the Risen work on her body as a canvas. Instead of showing fear, Marama aimed to cover her creator's body in a canvas of her design, working tirelessly for three days. Marama proudly claimed it was the greatest work she or any Ehrlen after her would do in this field.
The work cost every bit of life she had left in her old body, but she gave it willingly, dying a week later in her family home. She died smiling and proud, and it is said that Seigna herself returned to escort her soul to the Realm of the Dead.