Aethys is the goddess of souls. The opposite side of the coin to Varkanus, as life and souls are interlinked. They are considered spiritual siblings as they both served their now-dead father Vark, who they both killed together even if they might hate each other now.
As his sister, she's considered a good alternative to him. However, she is only 'good' in comparison to him, and has historically sought thrill and fun often at the expense of mortals. She used to be much more war-like in the past, but has seemed to take her soulkeeping duties more seriously after the Omniborn Crisis.
Part of the trio of death alongside Ashus and Theratis, Aethys cares for all the souls that have passed into the afterlives—when she’s not off doing something more exciting. In Triadist beliefs, she represents both life and death, and therefore the chaos of magic. They consider her to be the true ruler of the afterlife as well as the gardener of souls. In the Aethian Dominion, she even has her own dedicated sect of Triadism called Aethian Triadism in which she is the chief deity of the triad.
She commanded the Golden Souls in the first era, a group of elite knights that did her bidding. They were led by her one and only champion, Valkan Zuriel, who was the closest person to Aethys. When Varkanus challenged her domains, he won the Tournament of Champions in 1E750 in Aethys' name. The Valkani Games in the modern day still celebrate this victory. Some say that Valkan was even closer to Aethys than just being her chosen champion. Many stories sourced from the Tritons talk of a 'soul-bond'. It's said that Aethys and her angel performed incredibly personal sacred rites, and gave part of their souls to each other in a method not dissimilar to a phylactery.
After Valkan's death, it's said that Aethys wept for years, but took solace in the fact that a part of Valkan's soul lived on within her. While many of the Golden Souls still might live, Aethys has never named a new champion since.
It's said that the race of Tritons were made when the goddess Aethys laid with Sigmus in order to distract him and steal a small portion of his soul. This union infused this part of his soul into the water around them, growing golden fruit that turned into the race of Tritons. The first two tritons were the minor gods Aquesko and Aquescue, who are considered to be the children of Aethys. Her purpose for doing this is lost to time, some attest it to her whims or a plan of great destiny.
Her other child is the god Betus, a human god of love born when Aethys seduced Gunian the Archivist into giving her some lost knowledge of vismancy. While not directly their 'mother', one of the many myths revolving around the birth of the Atakasi Trio is that Aethys stole one third of Omegus' soul, which then birthed the three siblings Atrius, Aklim, and Aesin. Whether she is truly their creator or mother or not, Aethys shows up as a chaotic force that either helps the three or acts against them in many of their stories.
Followers
Gold and white marble have long been attributed to her, and serve as the materials most of her temples are built out of. Tritons and many oceanic races worship her as their chief deity due to her control over life and souls. The Tritons of the Aethian Dominion especially worship her as their creator, as its said that they were born out of a union of Aethys and Sigmus. She is often counted as a life goddess much like her brother Varkanus. As the goddess of wealth, she is occasionally worshiped by nobility.
As one of the three chief deities of Triadism, most of her worship outside the Aethian Dominion is within Lunar territories. She is definitely considered to be the darkest and most chaotic of the three goddesses of the triad, in direct opposition to Aetaos.
Triadists conduct funerary rites that involve cremation followed by the scattering of the ashes into the ocean. A traditional sea-burial is generally not favored, as polluting the ocean with blood is seen as a negative sign of Varkanus. However, if there is no option but to dispose of bodies in the ocean without cremation, such as in the case of a shipwreck, it is allowed. Many of these practices are said to be the way they are as to fully release the soul of the deceased, and to prevent necromantic powers from ever taking over their bodies.
Gallery
Post-Rebirth Aethys (Credit: Rana)
Mid-Rebirth Aethys (Credit: Rana)
Soul-Aethys & Warrior-Aethys Doodle (Credit: Rana)
