Midas: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 18:32, 16 June 2024

Midas (pronounced MY-dahs) was an Eretreban hero-god who lived in the early tenth millennium. A master alchemist, he was obsessed with learning how to transform common materials to gold, a feat he finally achieved in a limited form shortly before he was discovered to have transmuted himself in the same manner.

Though Midas has been dead for many centuries, his faith lives on, albeit in a greatly altered form, as Midanism.

Edicts and anathema

Edicts: None (hero-god deceased)
Anathema: None (hero-god deceased)

Description

Born in Eretrebus in Y8996^*, Midas was by all accounts a reclusive and eccentric figure. After a brief stint in his youth as a moderately successful merchant, following in the footsteps of his family, he eventually retreated inwards and secluded himself on his estate on a mountainside in central Eretrebus. There he threw himself into his real interest, alchemy, with a particular fascination with the transmutation of metals.

He labored for years to little recognition, but his fortunes changed after a breakthrough in Y9038^*. In a dramatic reveal in Iareios, Midas proved he had mastered the ability to change living things to pure gold, demonstrating his discovery first on a potted plant, then on a butterfly, and finally on a horse. He began to attract a following as a hero-god very soon after, yet he was not to enjoy this status for long, as merely two years later in Y9040^* Midas was discovered dead, turned to pure gold, when a relative came to visit him on his mountainside estate.

Those who examined the copious notes Midas left behind were quickly disappointed, as he had evidently never written down in any form his most prized discovery. The cryptic notes and studies he did record, however, provided many secrets of their own, some of which the alchemist had never shared publicly during his life. Gradually these began to take on a life of their own, interpreted in new ways by the first few generations of those who professed to be his disciples. The modern Eretreban philosophy and mystery cult of Midanism is a direct descendant of these interpretations, albeit one that would likely be unrecognizable to the hero-god himself.

Rumors continue to swirl about the circumstances behind Midas' death. The Midanite canon is that he constructed himself an afterlife as the pinnacle of his experimentation, using the vast wealth he had gained through his alchemy to fuel this ritual. The Bank-Temple in Iareios is said to contain his physical remains, in whatever form they may be in, but neither the Grand Treasurer nor any Teller are willing to divulge their secrets.

Location of worship

During his lifetime the majority of Midas' followers were fellow inhabitants of Eretrebus, though he had some adherents amongst the inhabitants of the Ersas city-states and within the Halakran League. Unlike with modern Midanism, worshipers of the hero-god were found across social strata, including both the common folk and his peers in the upper classes.

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 |domains = Creation, Knowledge, Wealth
 |favored_weapon = None
-|symbol = Gold coin
+|symbol = Golden hand
 |sacred_animal = None
-|sacred_colors = Silver and gold
+|sacred_colors = Gold
 |divine_font = Heal or Harm
 |divine_skill = Crafting
 |divine_ability = Intelligence or Dexterity
 }}
-'''Midas''' {{Pronunciation|MY-dahs}} was an [[Eretrebus|Eretreban]] [[hero-god]] who lived in the late ninth millennium. A master alchemist, he was obsessed with learning how to transform common materials to gold, a feat he finally achieved shortly before his death.
+'''Midas''' {{Pronunciation|MY-dahs}} was an [[Eretrebus|Eretreban]] [[hero-god]] who lived in the early tenth millennium. A master alchemist, he was obsessed with learning how to transform common materials to gold, a feat he finally achieved in a limited form shortly before he was discovered to have transmuted himself in the same manner.
-Though Midas has been dead for many centuries, his faith lives on, albeit in a greatly altered form, as [[Midianism]].
+Though Midas has been dead for many centuries, his faith lives on, albeit in a greatly altered form, as [[Midanism]].
 == Edicts and anathema ==
@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 == Description ==
-Born in Eretrebus in {{Year|5996}}, Midas was by all accounts a reclusive and eccentric figure. After a brief stint in his youth as a moderately successful merchant, following in the footsteps of his family, he eventually retreated inwards and secluded himself on his estate on [[Mount Theumea]]. There he threw himself into his real interest, alchemy, with a particular fascination on the transmutation of metals.
+Born in Eretrebus in {{Year|5996}}, Midas was by all accounts a reclusive and eccentric figure. After a brief stint in his youth as a moderately successful merchant, following in the footsteps of his family, he eventually retreated inwards and secluded himself on his estate on a mountainside in central Eretrebus. There he threw himself into his real interest, alchemy, with a particular fascination with the transmutation of metals.
-He labored for years to little recognition, but his fortunes changed after a breakthrough in {{Year|6038}}. In a dramatic reveal in [[Iareios]], Midas proved he had mastered the ability to change any substance to pure gold, demonstrating his discovery first on a solid piece of lead, then on a statue carved of wood, and finally on a living horse. He began to attract a following as a hero-god very soon after, yet he was not to enjoy this status for long, as merely two years later in {{Year|6040}} Midas was discovered dead when a relative came to visit him on his mountainside estate.
+He labored for years to little recognition, but his fortunes changed after a breakthrough in {{Year|6038}}. In a dramatic reveal in [[Iareios]], Midas proved he had mastered the ability to change living things to pure gold, demonstrating his discovery first on a potted plant, then on a butterfly, and finally on a horse. He began to attract a following as a hero-god very soon after, yet he was not to enjoy this status for long, as merely two years later in {{Year|6040}} Midas was discovered dead, turned to pure gold, when a relative came to visit him on his mountainside estate.
-Those who examined the copious notes Midas left behind were quickly disappointed, as he had evidently never written down in any form his most prized discovery. The cryptic notes and studies he did record, however, provided many secrets of their own, some of which the alchemist had never shared publicly during his life. Gradually these began to take on a life of their own, interpreted in new ways by the first few generations of those who professed to be his disciples. The modern Eretreban philosophy and mystery cult of Midianism is a direct descendant of these interpretations, albeit one that would likely be unrecognizable to the hero-god himself.
+Those who examined the copious notes Midas left behind were quickly disappointed, as he had evidently never written down in any form his most prized discovery. The cryptic notes and studies he did record, however, provided many secrets of their own, some of which the alchemist had never shared publicly during his life. Gradually these began to take on a life of their own, interpreted in new ways by the first few generations of those who professed to be his disciples. The modern Eretreban philosophy and mystery cult of Midanism is a direct descendant of these interpretations, albeit one that would likely be unrecognizable to the hero-god himself.
-Rumors continue to swirl about the circumstances behind Midas' death. Some claimed he died in a mundane manner, perhaps when an experiment went poorly, while others believe he transformed his own body to solid gold in the manner now associated with the Midianites. The Bank-Temple in Iareios is said to contain his physical remains, in whatever form they may be in, but neither the Grand Treasurer nor any Teller are willing to divulge their secrets.
+Rumors continue to swirl about the circumstances behind Midas' death. The Midanite canon is that he constructed himself an afterlife as the pinnacle of his experimentation, using the vast wealth he had gained through his alchemy to fuel this ritual. The Bank-Temple in Iareios is said to contain his physical remains, in whatever form they may be in, but neither the Grand Treasurer nor any Teller are willing to divulge their secrets.
 == Location of worship ==
-During his lifetime the majority of Midas' followers were fellow inhabitants of Eretrebus, though he had some adherents amongst the [[Ersas city-states]] and within [[Halakros]]. Unlike with modern Midianism, worshipers of the hero-god were found across social strata, including both the common folk and his peers in the upper classes.
+During his lifetime the majority of Midas' followers were fellow inhabitants of Eretrebus, though he had some adherents amongst the inhabitants of the [[Ersas city-states]] and within the [[Halakran League]]. Unlike with modern Midanism, worshipers of the hero-god were found across social strata, including both the common folk and his peers in the upper classes.
-A small number of followers to Midas continue to persist in the modern day, largely under the belief that only his physical form died and his spiritual form continues to live on in some hidden [[plane|demiplane]]. Officially the Midianites consider this to be contrary to Midas' teachings and have attempted to stamp out his remaining worship.
 {{Deities}}