Vikneas

Origins in the Shadows

  Vikneas was not always a goddess; she began her life in the bustling, labyrinthine city of Stonegard, a place where shadows danced with light, and secrets were the most valuable currency. Born into a world of thieves, spies, and scoundrels, Vikneas learned from a young age that survival depended not on strength or magic, but on cunning, deception, and the art of the lie. She was a natural, her silver tongue and sharp wit allowing her to navigate the treacherous underbelly of Stonegard with ease.   As she grew, so did her reputation. By the time she reached adulthood, Vikneas had become a master of manipulation, a skilled rogue whose lies could topple kings and elevate beggars. Her rise to power was swift and ruthless, as she outwitted rivals, betrayed allies, and eventually took control of the city’s most feared and respected organization—the Rogue’s Guild of Stonegard. Under her leadership, the guild flourished, becoming a shadow government that controlled the city's wealth and secrets from the darkness.  

The Web of Deceit

  Vikneas ruled the Rogue’s Guild with a delicate balance of fear and loyalty, weaving a complex web of lies that kept her enemies confused and her followers devoted. She understood that truth was a weapon that could be bent and twisted to serve her needs. Her lies were not just tools of survival; they were an art form, a way to shape reality itself. Through subtle manipulations, she orchestrated events to her advantage, ensuring that nothing in Stonegard happened without her knowledge or consent.   Despite her power, Vikneas was never content to rest on her laurels. She constantly sought new challenges, new opportunities to test her skills and expand her influence. She began to see lies not just as a means to an end but as an end in themselves—a way to explore the boundaries of truth and fiction, to play with the perceptions and beliefs of others. Her manipulations grew more elaborate, her deceptions more intricate, until even she sometimes lost track of where the lies ended, and reality began.  

The Ascension

  Vikneas’s rise to godhood began with a daring act of deception that would forever change her fate. In Stonegard, there were rumors of an ancient relic—an artifact said to be imbued with the power to grant godhood. Vikneas, ever the opportunist, crafted a story so convincing that even the most skeptical believed it. She wove a tale of prophecy, divine right, and hidden power, spreading the lie that she was destined to find and wield this relic.   Her followers and enemies alike scrambled to either aid or thwart her quest, all while Vikneas watched from the shadows, manipulating every move. As the city descended into chaos, with factions rising and falling based on her lies, Vikneas realized that she had created something far more powerful than any artifact—a belief so strong that it could shape reality.   Luthos, the Goddess of Divinity, who observed the affairs of mortals from her celestial throne, was intrigued by Vikneas’s audacity. She saw in Vikneas not just a cunning rogue but a being who had, through sheer force of will and deception, created a reality of her own. Luthos admired the way Vikneas had turned lies into a form of creation, bending the world to her narrative.   Instead of punishing Vikneas for her deceit, Luthos decided to reward her. She appeared before Vikneas, acknowledging her mastery over lies and offering her a choice: to remain a mortal, bound by the truths and limitations of the world, or to ascend as a goddess, where her lies could shape the fabric of reality itself.   Vikneas, with a knowing smile, chose godhood. In that moment, she ascended, shedding her mortal form and becoming Vikneas, the Goddess of Lies. Her lies were no longer just tools of deception; they became the threads with which she could weave new realities, altering fate and perception on a cosmic scale.  

The Goddess of Lies

  As a goddess, Vikneas’s domain is one of shadows and uncertainty. She revels in the ambiguity of truth and fiction, finding joy in the confusion and doubt that her lies sow. Unlike other deities, Vikneas does not seek worship or devotion through grand temples or rituals. Instead, she is venerated in whispers and secret oaths, her name invoked by those who live in the shadows—thieves, spies, rogues, and all who deal in deception.   Vikneas’s followers are a reflection of her own chaotic nature. They value cunning over strength, guile over honesty, and adaptability over rigidity. Her blessings are subtle and unpredictable, often coming in the form of a perfectly timed lie, a concealed truth, or an illusion that deceives even the wisest. Those who earn her favor can bend reality to their will, but her gifts are as dangerous as they are powerful, for a lie, no matter how beautiful, can unravel in an instant.   Vikneas’s realm in the divine planes is a place of shifting landscapes, where nothing is as it seems. Her palace, known as the Hall of Mirrors, is an ever-changing labyrinth where truth is elusive, and visitors are challenged to distinguish reality from illusion. It is said that those who can navigate her realm without being deceived are granted a single, unbreakable truth, while those who fail are lost forever in the maze of lies.