Hermes

Hermes, the Messenger
Realm	Rogues and Wanderers, Luck
Symbols	Caduceus and a golden playing card depicting the Ace of Spades
Relatives	None
Allies	None
Enemies	None
Order Name	None
Temples	Ace of Spades Casino, in New Thera

Hermes, the Messenger encompassed the realm of the rogues, but also those of gamblers and individuals blessed with Luck. In the game of Blackjack, dealers often lauded those who scored the coveted card combination for which the game was named as smiled upon by Hermes.

History

The Messenger of the Gods was originally a Celani Who gambled with the Elder Goddess Raclawice for Her godhood and won. After a long period of absence from the realms during which He travelled many planes, He made His reappearance during the opening of a casino in Thera. Under the guise of a young mortal named Kalek (His avatar), He lured the Divine, including Maya Herself, into a game of dice; He won every toss to the disgruntled amazement of His Divine and mortal audience. By the third toss, the crowd had become quite adamant that there was foul play afoot, but the Great Mother simply laughed and hinted that there was more to the youth, who had won more than most would earn in a lifetime, than what meets the eye. At that, the Messenger God revealed Himself, inciting a mixed reaction of amusement and chagrin from the Garden and utter delight and cheers from mortalkind.

In 610, Hermes attempted a final gambit, wagering His divinity against the rogue God Bal'met in a loaded coin toss for the world of Krenindala. The deal went sour when Shaitan and Apollyon discovered the ruse. Gleefully stripping Hermes of His essence, Bal'met banished Him to Krenindala. Brimming with power, Bal'met slew Kastalia and injured Lupus after the Divine duo attempted to rescue the captured Messenger. Deciding that enough was enough, Ourania, Matsuhama, Miramar, Pentharian, Aegis, Pandora, and Daedalus mustered a united assault on the world to stop the beast God, but this also ended in tragedy. Daedalus found Hermes, but it turned out it that it was a trap. Hermes had been corrupted by the power of the Worldreaver, triggering a titanic wave of power which killed Hermes, Daedalus, Matsuhama, and Miramar, and snuffed out all life on the planet.

Divine Symbols

The arcane symbol of the Messenger was the Caduceus, His heraldic staff. Two serpents intertwined around its length, their heads facing each other at the top which was adorned with a pair of wings. His more public symbol was a golden playing card: the Ace of Spades.