Hekate

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Hekate is the goddess of magic, currently voiced by Melody Wingfield.

Hekate.jpg

Know Your Goddess

Height: 5’7″

Weight: 135 lbs.

Hair Color: Black and waist-length, widow’s peak. Typically worn down, usually with a few small braids adorned with beads, feathers, and thin leather laces. For business, a low bun held with an ornate silver hair spike capped with an alexandrite cabochon.

Facial Hair: None

Eyes: Amber or Jet

Distinguishing Features: In dim light, Hekate’s eyes glow like a firebrand in the night. She can shutter this feature entirely, in which case, her irises appear black as the void, making her pupils seem to vanish.

Family

Parents: Zeus and Asteria, The Starry One

Siblings: None

Spouse: None

Children: None

Professions

Hekate owns and operates the restaurant and nightclub, Nykteria. They share the same building situated in the City of Olympus on the edge of the God Complex.

Nykteria is the only establishment of its kind. There are no franchises. There are currently Keyholders in nine cities world-wide. These Keyholders maintain club fronts, which serve as portals into Nykteria. From the outside, patrons entering cannot tell that they have been transported to a different place. Entering, it looks like they have stepped into a nightclub. As a result, Nykteria has a whispered reputation of being anything from a pop-up rave to an elite social club to a front for the criminal underworld.

Nykteria is also one of the ways Hekate lures humans to take up residence in the city of Olympus. Those that enter may petition to relocate to Olympus. If they demonstrate the necessary skills, talents, and dedication for Olympus to approve their application, they may exit through the door leading back to the GC HQand into their new lives, living and working in the beneficial shadow of Mount Olympus.

Residence

Hekate resides on the 13th Floor of the GC HQ (God Complex Headquarters). When Hekate is not at her residence, she is typically at Nykteria, which means she could be anywhere in the world.

The white marble building that houses Nykteria occupies the back half of a central plaza in the City of Olympus. A crossroads forms each corner of the plaza. Roads leading from all points in the God Complex meet in the four roads that line this central square. The square is bordered by tall and evenly-spaced cypress trees on all sides, save for the end of the complex that faces the splendor of the GC HQ, the Mount Olympus for this generation of mortals.

Flanking the entrance to her plaza are twin bronze statues of the Lampadaes, the nymphs that serve Hekate. Each statue is comprised of three veiled nymphs standing back to back. Together, they hold aloft a hammered basin that holds an eternally-burning, magical flame. The statues are set on top of square marble bases. Each marble base contains dozens of arched recesses on each side where petitioners may leave votive offerings or light candles before continuing on their journey.

Past the guardian statues at the entrance, the plaza opens up into a wide green expanse of lawn, open to an unobstructed view of the night sky. Centered before the building is a large circular fountain surrounded by a meandering stone pathway that winds around it in an endless loop. The pathway is bordered by thick plantings of black hellebore and belladonna. Where the path loops back on itself, there are benches for sitting and meditating.

The building itself is unusual. Perfectly square, with thirteen columns on each side, there are no doors through which to enter physically from outside. This is because all entrances to the building are through portals set in various cities around the world. For mortals who live in the city of Olympus proper, the entrance to Nykteria can be found on the ground floor level of the GC HQ. This ensures that all citizens of the city must return to the feet of the gods before gaining entrance to Nykteria.

Personal Information

General Overview: Hekate is an ancient Goddess who finds herself at home in this modern era. As the ruler of liminal spaces, she has always found it fascinating how mortals live caught between their animal selves and their divine natures. Throughout human history, she has been at the crossroads of each moment that has shaped civilization. All is choice, and therefore, all is Hers.

The bright and shining daughter of the star Titaness, Asteria, and Zeus, Hekate spent her early years on Olympus, where she first met Hades and developed something of a crush on the King. She made friends with Thanatos and Dinlas and began spending more of her time in the Underworld. A cruel twist of Fate resulted in Hekate’s spirit twisting, growing darker and colder as she denied herself love, until she became the dread Witch Queen that most know.

All of that changed after Persephone and Hades ended their marriage. Hades stepped into the circle of Hekate’s heart. Old feelings and hopes stirred as their attraction grew, and eventually, the past untangled itself. Now in the arms of the one she, quite literally, carried a torch for, Hekate is somewhere she has never been and having to relearn herself and the world through the lens of love.

Nicknames: None of her choosing, though she has been called Kate, Katie, Hek, Heks/Hex, Heksie, My Lady, Princess, That Bitch, and a whole list of epithets few even remember.

Feast Days: Deipnon — the last day of the Lunar Month, true Dark Moon when there is no moon in the sky. Noumenia — the first day of the Lunar Month, when the first sliver is visible in the sky. January 31, August 13/14/15, November 30 are listed as Feast Days, however, these seem to be of likely modern origin.

Likes: Whiskey. Any strong drink — coffee, tea, alcohol. Ethnic food. The hour before dawn. Courageous choices. Mortals, bright fools though they be. Riding her motorcycle high speed down winding forest roads. Moonbathing. Dancing. Riddles. Chess. Bonfires. Dogs…all dogs.

Dislikes: Bland anything. Not a fan of daylight. Idiots with Ouija boards who create messes she has to clean up. Cowards. Being told what to do, not that she can remember the last time someone tried that. Vulnerability. Deliberate and dedicated ignorance. Substandard chocolate.

Flaws/Weaknesses

Not Your Damsel In Distress. Hekate has an independent streak and a terminal case of confidence in her own abilities. As a result, she has a tendency to try to handle things on her own instead of asking for help. She learned this the hard way when taking on the Titan, Ostasus, but old habits die hard. Or not at all.

Open Book. Hekate was once untouchable, an unbreachable mind and an untameable heart. Then, in a moment of desperate need, Hekate chose to open her mind, heart, and soul to Hades, surrendering them into his control in order to save her own life. That moment allowed Hades unfettered access to everything Hekate thinks and feels. From preferences to prejudices, Hades knows Hekate on a level that would make him lethal to her if he chose to use that to his advantage. That intimacy has only continued to deepen, strengthening his access to her. With Hades’ charisma, Hekate is extremely vulnerable to the influence of the King, to the point of him being able to soften her iron will, even on things she would normally fight to the death over.

Bitch Queen. Hekate has a volatile temper when provoked, made worse by a tongue she likes to keep sharpened. When provoked, she is far more likely to take matters into her own hands. Bite first, bark later.

Counterspell. The only thing magic is vulnerable to is magic. While the Witch Queen is adept at all forms of magic, she does not control all the magic in the world (or under it). Anyone with the ability to work magic has the ability to counter Hekate’s magic, including shielding from it, turning it back on her and forcing her to defend from it, or at least holding it at bay. While the goddess is formidable alone, mortals with magical ability that are joined together to combine their knowledge and strength can put up quite the fight. Hekate doesn’t mind — after all, she wants those with magic to grow in strength and power — but empowerment isn’t subjective. An empowered ally can become an empowered enemy.

Skills And Abilities

Immortality. Technically immortal. Immune to the effects of aging, cannot die by any conventional means, and is immune to all known mortal diseases and infections. As a deity, they are able to teleport, or "pop" anywhere in the mortal plane with a few exceptions, the God Floors of the GC HQ are mystically protected, so no teleporting to or in between them, anything on the non-mortal plane, i.e., the Underworld, Atlantis, and the Void, are non-accessible without a guide.

Babble-Speak. Hekate can communicate in all languages and dialects.

Eidôlios (Phantom Form). In addition to the basic appearance altering powers most gods possess, as Queen of Ghosts, Hekate can appear in an Eidôlios form as a spectral version of herself. While in this form, she cannot be seen except by those with developed medium powers. Immortals can sense a presence even if they cannot see her. Without a physical form, she cannot be harmed in this state, but neither can she affect the physical world. She can, however, make herself heard when needed.

Kaleokyon (Call the Hound). Hekate can summon a pack of infernal hounds with a thought. These hounds can travel far distances over and through the earth to deliver messages, fetch things as needed, and obey their usual commands from their Mistress.

Nekromélos (Death Song). Hekate has power over the souls of the dead from the time their spirits begin to separate from the flesh until they take Charon’s ferry and enter Hades’ realm. This includes both the mortal world and Propylaia. The Nekromélos, or Death Song, is an ancient chant by which Hekate can summon the spirits of the departed. It can also be used to animate corpses to speak or pause a mortal’s passing at the moment of death, keeping their soul in their body. A touch of this same power can, if the mortal or immortal is willing and chooses, allow Hekate to draw their spirit from their body to move ethereally for a time while tethered to her. No song is needed in this instance as there is no summoning call being made.

Pyrophoros (Fire Bearer). Hekate can create fire fueled by magical energy. She controls the qualities of the flames she conjures — heat, color, size, brightness, visibility — depending on need. She can extinguish these flames with a thought. Any candle/torch/flame she has lit with this power remains steady, even in high wind, and the item itself retains the memory and resilience of that flame until it is consumed or destroyed. She can apply this power in a thermogenic way causing combustion, though once this occurs, she no longer has full control over the fire as it has a source of fuel outside of her magic. Simple combustion (objects) presents little difficulty. Combustion of living things is more difficult, with plants lying on the easy end of the spectrum and immortals on the nigh-impossible extreme. For Hekate to cause combustion of a living thing requires her to open herself so fully to her own magical fire that she takes damage herself to cause the combustive effect. For plants, she will be weakened for several hours. Setting a mortal on fire will weaken her to the point of going unconscious once she releases the energy. An attempt to destroy something immortal with fire can burn her out magically for weeks or months.

Witch Queen. As Goddess of Magic, Hekate can shape physical reality with her will. For example, she can control the four elements in a limited capacity in her immediate vicinity (i.e. probably could not manipulate water in the midst of a desert, but could if at an oasis). She can create spells that both bind and remove obstacles. She is adept at ritual craft and can make talismans, potions, charms, hexes, and other things that carry magic with specific intent (these often require research, preparation time, and acquisition of sometimes very rare ingredients). She can summon and banish elementals, demons, wights, and other plane dwelling entities, though her skills and powers will be pitted against the creature. She is a skilled herbalist and alchemist, having spent many years researching and contributing to the knowledge of magical Orders throughout the world. There are too many forms of magic to list, but as Witch Queen, she either is adept at them, or has connections with someone who is. She will occasionally come when called as part of coven invocations, which keeps her reputation as She Who Shall Not Be Fucked With nicely intact.

Personal Attire

Normal Daily Wear: When not wearing her usual jeans, black boots, silk camisole and black leather jacket, Hekate’s style could best be described as Boho Goth. She wears a necklace of amber and jet beads, silver hoop earrings and slender silver rings on each finger, and is often seen with temporary tattoos of black henna on her inner forearms. When she is on official business, she prefers the pin-up look of tailored suits and vintage shoes, with a strong red lip.

Magical Artifacts/Weapons

Damasandra. Means ‘subduer of men’, a traditional epithet of Hekate. This magical knife was forged by Hephaestus for the sole purpose of performing the Kardiodaitos ritual (Kardiodaitos means ‘heart-devourer’, a traditional epithet of Hekate). When a devotee wishes to bond themselves to Hekate’s service (such as a Kleidoukhos, or Keyholder), they must offer Hekate a piece of their heart. This blade passes through flesh but leaves no wound, allowing Hekate to carve off a thin piece of the devotee’s heart, which Hekate then consumes. This ritual creates a permanent bond between Hekate and her servant, allowing them to call upon her with a thought and acts as a homing beacon for Hekate or her hounds to find her servant anywhere. It also creates a slight vulnerability for Hekate as the bond flows both ways, allowing the servant to know when Hekate is near and communicate telepathically with her. This servant must do Hekate’s bidding as part of the oath. This vow cannot be broken and is permanent as Hekate cannot vomit up the consumed piece of the devotee’s heart and cannot leave the bond intact. Should the servant choose to be released from the bond, Hekate will do so by returning and using Damasandra to remove the rest of their heart, which she will feed to her dogs. This leaves behind rather interesting corpses — heartless, with all veins and arteries perfectly cauterized. The knife is wickedly sharp on its own but requires the Kardiodaitos ritual to activate its macabre powers.

Strophalos. The Strophalos is the magical symbol of Hekate, bearing a serpentine path that forms three “keys” around a central star (for her mother, Asteria, and also Hekate’s own connections to stars). This medallion allows Hekate to separate herself into her triple form (Trimorphus). While in this triple form, her powers are the same as her singular form, except each part of her holds a third of her power. This separation is mainly used for strategy, allowing her to see from multiple perspectives, be her own privy council, and divide herself in battle for tactical offense. These separated forms maintain their full third power as long as they remain within 100 yards of Hekate. After that, the distance causes a dampening of the power. There is no way to tell which of the Trimorphus forms is Hekate Prime as they are identical. Doing damage to one of the doppelganger forms causes that form to dissipate, reallocating energy into the other two (thirds become halves). Hekate cannot do this herself and can only split in three or not at all. Doing damage to the Hekate Prime form actually does physical damage to the goddess herself. It also instantly causes the split powers to snap back into Hekate, doing additional damage that can must be soaked and can potentially render her unconscious. She can maintain the Trimorphus form for two hours, the approximate length of time it takes for the moon to change astrological signs in the sky. If she pushes it beyond that time, she must recover for several days before using the power again.


Historical Synopsis

Hekate is an ancient goddess hailing from Greece, Anatolia, and Thrace. She held dominion over the heavens above, the earth below, and the sea between, and was respected by Olympians and Titans alike. Accompanied by her hounds, she traversed paths between the Underworld and the world Above. As Goddess of Crossroads, offerings, and sacrifices were left where roads met and diverged. Goddess of the Night, of Witchcraft, of Necromancy, of the Moon and of Wild Places, of Ghosts, of Liminal Spaces and Thresholds. Bestower and withholder of wealth, prosperity, wisdom, and victory. Associated with: crossroads, choice, keys, serpents, hounds, the dark of the moon, torches, spirits, the dead, all forms of magic.[1]

Introduction written by Melody Wingfield

I see my reputation has preceded me. Good. I am the stuff of legends, after all — ancient and urban. Those things that go bump in the night? It’s true. They’re mine. Death. Magic. Darkness. All the beautiful things forsaken by the light.

Oh, for fuck’s sake, don’t tremble! I hate that. If you’re in trouble, believe me, you’ll know it. Right now, we’re just talking. Sit down. Have a drink. Better? Have another.

I know I’m intimidating, but that’s your fear talking. Fear is nothing but a big shadow cast by a small thing in the mind. That’s why I like darkness. On a moonless night, there are no shadows. And then, what is there to fear?

Everyone comes to my crossroads, carrying everything they own. I don’t mean possessions — I mean power. The things that can’t be taken away from you. The choices you’ve made, including the times you’ve chosen not to choose, are your power. Own your choices, own your power. That’s the basis of all magic.

Would you like to learn?

Then, seek me out in the Dead Hours. Bring me offerings of honey and myrrh. Leave gifts for my hounds and a feast for the dead. Kiss your hand to the moon-scythe at dawn that harvests dreams. Whisper my name as you cross the threshold in your comings and goings. Spoken oaths are light as air, vows fulfilled are stone — so give your promises sparingly and once given, engrave them on your bones.

Call me by any of my hundred names — I will answer. Call me with the silent utterance of need — I will come. And when you arrive at the crossroads, summon the Shade of your courage and choose your path. Do not look back, for all you leave behind you is mine — forever.

Shall we begin?