Aklim is the Atakasi goddess of hunting and nature. She is the sister of Atrius and Aesin, and represents life itself in their culture. She is a skilled hunter, and strikes down any who would dare to threaten the balance of nature. A goddess of few words, she lets her actions speak more than her words. In many myths, she is portrayed as masculine or non-binary instead but still with feminine pronouns. Despite being older than their brother, Aklim was viewed as the most innocent of the three. She was one with nature, and came to represent life as a whole. She kept nature in balance, as the Huntress who would fight against any who would disrupt life. She was later associated with the second moon, Hirana.
Deltus is seen as the supreme ruler of many of her domains. However, he is also seen as one of the most gentle gods, who can spread nature but not necessarily have the heart to protect it from evildoers. Aklim is viewed as the goddess of nature who actually gets the work done. In the combined co-existing pantheon of the modern day, it is believed that the two gods co-exist. Deltus spreads nature, and Aklim is one of his protectors. This connection to Deltus has spread some of her influence to the Feywild, and she is the only bilari god to be known there and is considered to be an archfey.
Some myths believe that the goddess Aethys stole a part of Omegus' soul to create the three siblings, acting as a sort-of mother figure to them.
In 3E467, Aklim was weakened after a long battle with the god Gammus. By the time her follower Vasirr and the Chimera found her in the Shadow-Wild, it was too late and she was caught in Sol Sultana's trap. Sol stole Aklim's divinity to resurrect as a true goddess, leaving Aklim to be a mortal again. Aklim named Vasirr her champion, and accompanied him to Azydos where she met Theratis. She then spent a few years trying to ascend the Heavens to get to Araboth, a difficult endeavor for a mortal soul to make. When she finally made it to Jakuna's court, her tenacity was rewarded and her divinity restored.
Followers
In the modern day, her worship has decreased. Her myths are combined into the stories of Atrius or Deltus, and few worship her as a standalone goddess. However, these few do exist, and maintain ancient temples dotted around Eqos, out of view. These few hunters of Aklim are extremely dedicated to her cause, and consider it their religious duty to protect nature’s balance from disruption wherever they can. Together they are called the Great Hunt, and worked against the coming of the ‘Dark Hunt’. At the end of the third era, they were led by Aklim's champion, Vasirr. One of the rites of passage of her temples is to hunt down a great beast that threatens peace. Giant sharks, hydras, perytons... Even dragons. The symbols of these beasts then become the hunter's personal sigil.
Gallery
Aklim Portrait (Credit: Javic)
