ForsakenGods:Diana Hunt

Created for the Forsaken Gods pbp by JLynn.

ARTEMIS

Diana Hunt

Traits

Thrill of the Chase 5

Argent Bow 4

Healing Touch 3

Her Twin (Apollo) 1 (I'm hoping that choosing this as a weakness isn't too narrow a focus. But I was picturing it as Artemis' inability to say no to her brother or to go against him even when he's wrong or mistaken. Sort of an exaggeration on the "doting sister" image.)

Belief: 5

Occupation: Bounty Hunter

Description

Diana is a tall woman who appears to be in her mid-twenties. Her long dark hair is the color of midnight and her aquiline eyes are a steely blue. She tends to wear tight-fitting clothes provided that they don't impede her freedom of movement, and she stalks the moonlit nights with a feral grace. (I was also picturing Diana's eyes changing color from blue to an opalescent (moon-like) hue whenever she uses a diefic power.)

Motivation

Artemis, as Diana, has a strong tendency towards her huntress aspect. It influences her life in the mortal world by motivating her to chase down bail bond jumpers for a living. Unfortunately, she's bored with the grind of the job but sticks it out for lack of something better to do. However, lately she's been getting a nagging feeling that something big is stirring just over the horizon. And it has caused her to ponder questing for her fabled silver bow which she lost track of centuries ago, since it may prove necessary in the Times to Come.

Artemis basically has three sides to her representing three archetypes. The Hunter, the Archer, and the Healer. And each side is represented by one of her Traits (Thrill of the Chase, Argent Bow, and Healer's Touch). On paper, it's evident which side is dominant at the time because it's the one rated at 5. But if Dan allows it, that can change from time to time.

For Artemis to "become" the Archer, she has to recover her Silver Bow. Of course this should be rather epic in scope since it's a big deal. The successful completion of this task raises her Argent Bow Trait to 5 and lowers whatever used to be 5 to a 4.

For Artemis to "become" the Hunter, she must successfully hunt and capture the solitary creature that inhabits her Realm. I've decided that it shouldn't be a unicorn but rather what it is changes from time to time depending on certain factors, such as (for example) Artemis' greatest fear or someone she's angry at or a mythic creature she might dream about like a dragon. The catch is, she is never able to catch the thing unless she is in possession of her Silver Bow. It is the only instrument capable of enabling her to succeed. When she does (succeed), her Thrill of the Chase Trait becomes a 5 and her Argent Bow Trait decreases to 4 and she becomes the Hunter. This has the side effect of causing her Silver Bow to fade away and once again become lost in time and space.

And for Artemis to "become" the Healer, well I didn't really think that far yet. Maybe she has to save someone she would normally rather let die, like an enemy or archrival? I'll have to ponder this one some more.

Oh, and as a twist, I thought of a way to use Artemis' weakness as sort of a saving grace tool. If she ever goes off the deep end and starts wreaking havoc for whatever reason (insanity, grief, rage, etc.), her brother Apollo would be the one person best suited to confront her. Or something like that.

Realm

A silent glade of seemingly infinite proportions (appears to extend from horizon to horizon but in actuality may be quite small and just wraps around) draped in cold moonlight. It is always night there and can only be reached when the moon is shining in whichever realm Diana currently happens to be in. There is also a lone unicorn that roams freely upon that plane. Diana hunts it every time she visits yet never catches it. She believes that this is to remind her that it is the act of hunting itself rather than the actual capture of the prey that is important. (Sort of a "it's the journey that matters, not the destination" lesson. Oh, I hope the unicorn bit isn't too cheesy.)

Myth

In ages past, on a day long forgotten, when the moon was full and blazed with silver glory, Artemis cried out to it for a female companion, a sister to confide in for her brother lacked the necessary patience and compassion to pay Artemis any heed, and she was so very lonely. The Moon granted her her wish and a crystal drop of purest moonlight fell from the sky to land at Artemis' feet. From it sprang a young girl of sublime innocence whose safety was entrusted to the goddess. And for a time, the two happily spent every waking moment together.

The tragic events of what happend next has been lost to history but what is known is that moonchild's life came to an untimely end. It is said that only Artemis knows or remembers what really happened to her and that she bears the weight of that guilt with her forever. And for this reason, it is said that any girl born under the full moon who is of virginal blood and virtuous temperament may call upon the goddess for protection and that she must heed it as penance for failing to protect the original moonchild of eons past.

Recuperating

Hunter's Solitude - Diana must stalk and take down an animal using only what she can find in her environment (rocks, sticks, vines, etc.), and must do so alone, and then perform a short ritual at its completion where she marks herself with her prey's blood.

Archer's Zen Meditation - With only one quiver's worth of arrows, Diana must select a challenging target and attempt to discover the perfect shot for it before she runs out of arrows.

Healer's Grace - Diana must spend at least an hour's worth of time administering to the pains and injuries of either man or beast. But it must be for altruistic reasons without regard for reward or payment.