Utaba

"I will offer you everything that you deserve."

— Dominus Utaba

Dominus Utaba (pronounced: OO-tah-bah) was once a Kami who guarded a forest during the Antediluvian Era. She was eventually corrupted and transformed into a daemon as time passed. Utaba is now the goddess of apathy, carelessness, envy, and selfishness.

History

A Lover Scorned

Utaba once served as a Kami to a land that has been lost to the Thousand Year Flood. It is said that she guarded a grand forest that eternally bloomed with spring flowers and that her beauty was the envy of all. She was well studied in the lost art of weaving, maintaining the temperature of her domain to a perfect stasis of eternal spring.

She fell in love with a fighter that traveled through her forest, a love that he claimed to share. They spent an evening together, but Utaba discovered that the fighter had vanished when morning came. Utaba feared that something may have happened to him, so she embarked on a search to find him.

When she finally located the fighter, he had claimed another lover and pretended to not recognize her. Utaba was furious and her rage transformed her into an oni. The transformation and her anger overwhelmed her, leading her to devour both the fighter and his new lover.

The Oni Queen

Though the source of her anger was dead, Utaba's jealousy still boiled her blood. She roamed from place to place, hunting down happy couples and devouring them to sate her hunger. Why should they enjoy happiness while she suffered? Her power grew with every life she ended.

Her fearsome reputation led to many confrontations with adventurers trying to put an end to her reign of terror. This merely angered Utaba more, after all, she had been the victim and she deserved sympathy. As her anger grew, it shifted from a blinding wrath, to a cold, calculating fury. She would teach these foolish mortals about how she felt and put them through the same torment.

Utaba forged an alliance with her fellow oni and crafted a grand palace within her forest. This palace was a great den of sin that brought mortals from all over to partake in its pleasures. They were permitted to do whatever they wished, even indulging their darkest desires. This freedom caused many of her clients to become dependent on her generosity. They hung on her every word, never wanting to leave.

Once that trust was made, Utaba would take away everything from her clients and lock them in an isolated room. They would be forced to witness everything that happened within the palace, but never partake themselves. Just when their misery and jealousy reached its peak, Utaba would devour them.

Her immense power and sway over the oni earned her the title of the Oni Queen.

A Spirit Among Gods

When the Thousand Year Flood began, Utaba's beloved forest and palace were both swept away in a storm of primordial waters. Utaba and her surviving oni followers took their anger to war alongside the gods of order. Their refuge had been taken by Ezzoal, and the gods of chaos deserved to suffer for this crime.

Utaba found herself among gods and titans, she witnessed entire planes unravel in an instant. She was in awe of powers around her beyond her wildest imagination, and the gods threw it at one another like stones. She yearned to claim it for herself.

During a battle that scraped the lower planes, Utaba seized the advantage in a battle against an archdaemon claimed the power she yearned for. She pulled the divinity from the archdaemon's body and consumed it, taking it all for herself. This act transformed her from an oni to a daemon.

While other entities lost so much during the Thousand Year Flood, Utaba gained more than she could have ever dreamed. Yet it still was not enough to cure the ache in her heart.

Encounter with the Archdominus

The war ended when the gods of order and chaos were forced to make a peace agreement to keep their fighting from unwinding all of reality. Utaba and Dominus Uribal were the only beings left in the planes that could rule the daemon, a role that they both eagerly accepted.

Shortly claiming responsibility for the daemons, Archdominus Serallus approached the daemonic gods with an offer. Serallus has crafted a new realm, Diabolis, to serve the purpose of the original lower planes. Both Utaba and Uribal were welcome to take up residence there, but his offer came with a steep condition. Utaba and Uribal needed to serve obediently under Serallus if they accepted his deal.

Utaba was skeptical, she had never been a servant to anyone before and she was not inclined to offer her devotion to a stranger. She watched Serallus best the challenges of the other archfiends and learned about the type of man that he was. This stranger presented himself as powerful, but that power hid a myriad of secrets beneath its cold iron surface. Utaba yearned to unravel the mysteries underneath Serallus' armor and the only way she could do that is if she agreed to his terms.

Utaba took the deal with Serallus and created her Diabolic house as a mirror of the forest and palace that she lost to the Thousand Year Flood.

Dogma

Utaba presents and her followers spread a falsehood detailing that she believes that mortals should take every luxury they are offered. No temptation should be resisted, even if it hurts someone. Feelings of jealousy should be acted upon, why settle on being inferior to someone when you can do something about it?

Her clergy knows the truth. Utaba wishes for mortals to indulge in everything they have ever wanted only to take it away from them once they have become too feeble minded to realize they are doomed. A fate similar to what she suffered during her time as a kami.

Relationships

Utaba only seeks to ally herself with people who she finds interesting. If she loses interest in a companion, she will simply drop all contact and move on to the next interesting person. She rarely holds long term relationships of any kind.

Friends

Dominus Raglen and Utaba have maintained a partnership since Diabolis was established. Raglen has been the longest alliance that Utaba has ever willingly maintained. Both of them regularly feed into each others desires, leading to consistent collaboration between their followers.

Since they share dominion over the daemons, Utaba is always offering Uribal something that they want to keep their joint leadership steady and balanced. Utaba performs the "hard political tasks" for Uribal and siphons political power away from them in the process.

Enemies

Many of the Imperators dislike Utaba's actions and the behavior she encourages in her followers. She directly opposes Imperator Azotl, due to the fact that he believes one should not take more than what they need. The fact that he has followers that serve him despite these beliefs angers Utaba and she often encourages her own followers to tempt Azotl's away from his faith.

Utaba despises Overseer Celano for her restraint that keeps her followers from acting for themselves rather than others. Celano's boundless serenity and calm frustrates Utaba to no end. Utaba spends a lot of time learning different ways to get a reaction out of Celano.

Appearance

Utaba takes the form of an older kiyo with luminous green eyes and blackened fangs. She has long, coarse black hair that is streaked with white and grey, it is always pinned up in an extravagant crown. Utaba has very soft features that have hardened with age and she often tries to disguise them with heavy makeup. She dresses in fine silk kimonos and wears so much jewelry that the gems and chains seem to weigh her down.

Providence

If someone is struggling with jealously towards their peers and temptation to act in ways unlike themselves to pursue selfish desires, they will often claim that they have been cursed by Utaba.

References to envy being a "green-eyed monster" originate from Utaba's striking green eyes and the symbol of her faith.

Home

Utaba lives within the House of the Covetous Eye, the House is rumored to be so beautiful that many struggle to believe that it is a Diabolic realm. It is a lush spring forest filled with colorful floral blooms in every direction. There are grand palaces with scenic views that serve as grand resorts. One must be careful to keep their wits about them while visiting the House, for if they become too dependent on the luxuries the House provides then they are likely to be trapped there and devoured by the Dominus herself.

Servants

Utaba is served by daemons and titans known for their unusually generous behavior to lure more victims into Utaba's domain. On the Material Plane, oni still revere Utaba as their queen and will work with Utaba's daemons to claim lives in the name of their Dominus.

Praetors

Susei

A daemon with a massive maw, she is always hungry and most enjoys meals that are extremely difficult to make.

Kannagi

First Praetor and Utaba's son, he is a daemon known for his total lack of impulse control.

Religion

Utabans are usually found in large civilizations with temples in scenic locations. Utabans thrive in settlements with large discrepancies between classes where jealousy can run rampant.

Worshipers

The standard Utaban will always act on impulse. If they want something, they will take it the moment they want it. They are dependent on material gain, luxuries, and can regress to extreme and sometimes violent outbursts if they cannot get what they want the moment they need it. Utabans will force others to perform tasks for them and spend their lives chasing luxury.

Utabans typically join the faith after being tricked, or willingly entering an Utaban temple.

Clergy

Members of the clergy typically dress in very fine clothing with the head priests of locations dressed with the most fashionable clothing of the area around the shrine.

Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

The Utaban faith has one of the largest differences between the clergy and worshipers found on Phoenix. While the worshipers are spoiled and dependent on their material gains, members of the Utaban clergy lure new worshipers into the fold.

Utaban cult members outwardly appear as very docile, welcoming, and easy to take advantage of, but they are actually very calculating and cruel. Much like their Dominus, they welcome visitors to their temples and cater to their every need. The Utaban clergy will encourage their visitors to indulge in all of their fantasies and tempt them with darker pleasures the longer they stay in the temple.

Once the visitor has fallen for the temptation, the Utabans will offer an extended stay at their temple with all expenses paid if they worship Utaba as their new goddess. If the visitor disagrees with the offer, they will no longer be welcome in the temple.

The Carving

When a visitor welcomes Utaba as their new goddess, the clergy will pay special attention to them to maintain their dependency on the Utaban cult. They cultivate vile behavior in their visitors and spoiled their souls rotten. When a visitor's soul has become rotten and vile, the Utaban clergy will deprive them of all contact and lock them inside hidden rooms within the temple. Inside these rooms, the visitor may look upon the decadence they experienced, but never touch it, regardless of how much they beg.

On the eve of the spring equinox, the Utaban clergy will promise one of these forsaken visitors a return of their services from the hands of Utaba herself. They will then pamper the visitor for a full day, giving them everything they ask and more. At midnight, the members of the Utaban clergy will sacrifice the visitor by giving them a drink poisoned with the venom of a serpent and spider, then butchering their body with the fangs and claws of a tiger. Their soul is ferried straight to Utaba to be devoured.

This ritual is known as the Carving.

Temples & Shrines

Utaban temples are lavish resorts and spas, some are a single building while others span several acres of land. They are created to look visually appealing and staffed by powerful mages that can manipulate the weather to forever be pleasant regardless of the season. Temples are furnished with all manner of luxuries to ensure that their visitors will not want to leave. Every temple is built with trap doors and secret, sound proof rooms enchanted to allow visitors trapped inside to witness everything that they are missing.

Shrines to Utaba are hidden throughout the temples and are often mistaken as artwork. They often feature snake, tiger, or spider iconography and are presented with offerings of fine liquor— typically peach sake, Utaba's favorite— jade, gold, and spring flowers.

Holy Texts

The Mad Maiden of Spring

An antediluvian folktale from the Sakai people that has a variety of interpretations, it tells the story of Utaba's fall from grace.

Service from the Shadows

An unholy book that shares the practices the Utaban faith, how to cater to others and make them dependent on you, and guides to up-selling service.

Holidays

Utaban temples will regularly hold grand festivals of debauchery on major holidays in their regions to lure in more worshipers for the Carving.

The Carving

Celebrated on the Spring Equinox, the Utaban clergy will ritualistically sacrifice a resident of one of their temples in the name of their goddess.

Favored Animals

Utaba is primarily associated with snakes, tigers, and spiders. All three animals are equally represented within her temples.

Organizations

Order of the Covetous Eye

A dreadknight order that is known for their habit of masquerading as members of other organizations.