MMM3 - Asian Pantheons FASERIP Marvel

target's nature. AM Edged damage, reducing target’s Health to 0 will permanently destroy the target with no chance for reincarnation. Shift Z material strength. ● Srivatsa: This is the shield of Vishnu. Vishnu can summon it at will, and it manifests on his chest as his holy symbol, the Endless Knot. IN protection versus physical attacks, CL1000 material strength. Talents: History: Nirvana and associated realms, History: India, Leadership, Occult Lore, Martial Arts A - E, Ancient Weapons, Weapons Master: Chakra, Bladed Weapons, Blunt Weapons, Archery Contacts: Daevas, Council of Godheads, Elders of the Universe, Olympian Gods, Yazatas, Xian ROLE-PLAYING NOTES Vishnu is a beneficent and eloquent deity tempered by centuries of existing in both mortal and immortal forms experiencing the heights of royalty and the underside of suffering. He is a sympathetic and intellectual deity tempered by philosophy and wisdom. As Parashurama and Rama, he was a warrior of incredible prowess, and as Krishna, he was a caring and loving monarch. As Buddha, he learned transcendental meditation to acquire a higher level of existence to attain enlightenment and self-discovery. HISTORY Vishnu is a member of an extradimensional race of beings known as the Daevas, a race of beings who worshipped as gods by the people of Ancient India. His exact origins are unknown, but according to ancient Dravidian myth, he is the son of the ancient earth-goddess, Ammavaru, who may be the primeval earthgoddess Gaea. (According to myth, she laid a great egg from which sprang Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva. Vishnu and his brothers used the top of the egg to create the sky and the bottom half the earth itself.) In the Vedic pantheon, Gaea was known as Aditi, the earth mother, and progenitor of the Adityas, the Vedic Gods. Vishnu was worshipped as a very minor sun god in the Vedic Pantheon. In his youth, Vishnu was a close friend of the Vedic thunder-god, Indra, but their friendship became estranged after Indra slew Vritra, a Naga, who was preventing rain to fall on Earth. Since Vritra and his family were allies of the gods against their demonic enemies known as the Rakshasas, Indra was punished when the gods agreed among themselves to sacrifice Airavata, his elephant-mount, that it's immortal life force could be used to return Shiva's son Ganehsa to life after the young god had accidentally been slain. (According to later myth, Airavata's head was given to replace that of Ganehsa's.) The Rakshasas apparently used this incident to force their ruler, Ravanna, into godhood and place all the Vedic gods into subservient and menial roles with Vishnu becoming a mere steward. Ravanna, however, was given the choice by Brahma to either live through seven lives as a friend of Vishnu or through three lives as an enemy of Vishnu. Ravanna chose the first option in order to return to heaven faster. Vishnu meanwhile separated his life force from his physical body and sent his soul through several animal and mortal forms named avatars, mortal beings containing aspects of his godly essence and soul. While in each form, he chipped away at Ravanna's power and extent of influence until it was at its lowest point and the gods could retake their proper places in the universe. In his first avatar, he took the form of Matsya the fish and warned the mortal sage, Manu Satyavrata, to save himself and his family in a boat against an upcoming flood unleashed by Ravanna. In this incarnation, Ravanna had been born as Hiranya-kasipu, Ruler of the Rakshasas, who had caused the flood. In his second avatar, Vishnu became Kurma the tortoise and dove to the bottom of the ocean to rescue amrita, the foodstuff that bestowed the gods their immortality. In his third form as Varaha the boar-god, he carried a clod of earth above the waters to mystically restore the earth after the flood. 248

Hiranya-kasipu eventually sought a boon from Brahma for immortality to protect his life. The extent of this spell was that neither man nor beast could kill Hiranya-kasipu during the day or night either indoors or outdoors. Vishnu was reborn as Narasimha, the lion-god. Hiranyakasipu persecuted his son, Prahlada, for being a follower of Vishnu, and as he attempted to slay him, Narasimha appeared and slew him by dragging into a doorway at twilight. Narasimha was successful in killing Hiranyakasipu because he was neither man nor animal and had killed him in a doorway neither inside or out and at a time that was day or night. Vishnu was later born as Vamana the dwarf god during the reign of Rakshasas King Bali, Prahlada’s grandson. Vamana was the son of Kasyapa and Aditi, the mothergoddess. In order to reclaim earth for the Daevas, Vamana approached Bali during a sacrifice, realizing he was oath bound to honor any wishes made during the sacrificial ritual. Bali reacted in opposition to the advice of his guru, who had discovered that Vamana was Vishnu in disguise. He foolishly consented to Vamana’s seemingly humble desire to claim all land he could claim within three strides. After being granted this wish, Vamana lifted his foot and suddenly grew in size to gigantic proportions and with his giant size increased the size of his strides. With one step he claimed the earth and with his second step he regained the heavens. His third step was upon Bali’s head, thus giving the Daevas ownership of earth and heaven. In his sixth avatar, Vishnu, was reborn sometime in the 11th Century BC as Parashurama, the son of the mortal Jamadagni, a Brahmin. Parashurama became a great warrior who warred for twenty-one years to destroy the Kshatriya warrior-clan who had stolen the sacred cow, Kamadhenu, given to Jamadagni by the thunder-god Indra. He had one attribute that he never killed any married Kshatriya who was married, refusing to leave any woman a widow. Thus, two of the most important Kshatriya dynasties were spared, that of King Dasaratha of Ayodhya and King Janaka of Mithilda. In his seventh and most important avatar, Vishnu was born as the hero Rama (Ramachandra), son of King Dasaratha of Ayodhya in the Tenth Century BC. The ideal character of the Hindu people, Rama was to be the heir to the throne of Ayodhya and his father decided to abdicate in his favor, but his step-mother, Kaikeya, exiles him instead in favor of her son, Bharat. Rama accepted the exile willingly, taking his brother, Lakshman, and his wife, Sita (the goddess Lakshmi in a mortal avatar) with him. Saddened by this turn of results, Dasaratha dies and Bharat asks Rama to return, but he has grown content with his meager existence. By now, Ravanna had been reborn once more as the king of the island of Ceylon. He kidnaps Sita and carries her back to Ceylon. Rama and his brothers obtain the help of King Sugriva and General Hanuman of the monkey-gods to invade Ceylon. Ravanna’s brother, Bibhashan, defects to fight on behalf of Rama who slays Ravanna and returns home to Ayodhya to rule as king. Unfortunately, the people cannot honor Sita for having lived among the Rakshasas even against her will and Rama reluctantly sends her away, his sons, Kusa and Lava, born in exile. Eventually, his sons return to Ayodhya and tell the passionate story of their parent’s life to Rama. He is so moved by their story that he and his followers allow Sita to return. In his eighth avatar, Vishnu is born as the hero Krishna, son of King VasuDaeva and Queen Daevaki of Ayodhya in the 7th Century BC. In this form, he is the most beloved and most worshipped of the gods of India. Daevaki was either the half-brother or cousin of Kamsa, the son of one of the Rakshasas. Kansa had heard a prophecy that he would be killed by a son of Daevaki and had killed all her sons, but she saved Krishna by giving him to Nanda and Yasoda, a poor childless couple. Krishna was raised as a cow-herder, but he used his divine nature to slay many demons and monsters. He fell in love with Radha, his foster-sister, but he had several wives and lovers. He slew Kamsa as predicted and gained his 249

place of nobility on the throne of Ayodhya by helping the Pandavas tribes to defeat their enemies, the Kauravas, with the help of Arjuna, the mortal son of Indra. After death, the body of Krishna was used to restore the god, Kama, to life after being slain by Shiva. In his eighth avatar, Vishnu was born as a Kshatriya prince named Siddharthra Gautama in the kingdom of Lumbini (now part of modern Nepal) in the Late Sixth Century BC. Deeply disillusioned by the cycles of birth, death and rebirth, he renounced his royal life heritage to live an ascetic existence. He recognized that all the world’s problems began with ignorance that resulted in failing to recognize what truly leads to happiness. Determined to transcend all suffering, he remained in meditation until he attained fulfillment and enlightenment. Eventually, he realized that the trappings of fortune caused misery to others and that being contented in one’s self would create contentment in others. As he sat in blissful contentment, the god Brahma approached and bowed to him. He begged Gautama to spread his teachings and indulge others in his preachings. Becoming the Buddha, Gautama became the founder of the Buddhist faith. Vishnu held on to one last avatar after he departed earth; his tenth avatar, Kalki, is meant to appear on a white horse and waving a spear to herald the destruction of the world. He made his home on Vaikuntha, one of the cities in the heaven of Nirvana, considered the highest plane of existence that mortals could attain. Nirvana was connected to earth by a dimensional access point near Mount Meru, now named Mount Everest on Earth. He was identified with Asha, one of the Persian gods under Zorostasterism. A compassionate and beneficent deity, he had respect and reverence for his peers in the other pantheons of gods on earth. Around 1000 AD, Odin of the Asgardian Gods and Zeus of the gods of Olympus asked him to meet with the heads of the other races of gods who were at were once worshipped by mortals to discuss the threat of the Third Host of the Celestials. Odin, Zeus and Vishnu went to confront the Third Host of the Celestials on behalf of all the Earth’s gods. However, they had to pledge not to interfere with the plans the Celestials had with humanity after the Celestials threatened to seal off the gods’ interdimensional passageways connecting the gods’ dimensions with earth. As a result of this pledge, the Hindu gods had to lessen their trafficking with earth, although certain gods like Indra and Surya have spent times cavorting with mortals. The Fourth Host of the Celestials would decide to spare earth from destruction. The life forces of the Asgardians were used to animate the Destroyer to confront the Celestials, but were lost after the destruction of the Destroyer. Vishnu had made a vow to Odin to volunteer the required life energies to revive the Asgardians and Thor who was not present on Asgard when the Asgardians volunteered their lifeenergies visited Nirvana to obtain the required energies. Vishnu continued to meet with the other godheads as part of the Council Elite several more times when more cosmic threats threatened the earth. On one occasion, he sent Indra to help Thor engage Demogorge along with several other warrior gods. They also gathered to debate the threat Thanos posed with the Infinity Gauntlet and the return of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaton as a cosmic being. After Odin’s seeming death, Vishnu and the godheads called Thor before the Council Elite to be tested for his worthiness to join their ranks as a replacement for Odin, but he failed the tests which Shiva had called. 250

SHIVA F UN (100) A AM (50) S UN (100) E CL1000 (1000) R IN (40) I UN (100) P CL1000(1000) Health: 1350 Karma: 1140 Resources: SHZ Popularity: 20 BACKGROUND Real Name: Shiva Nataraja (also spelled Siva) Occupation: God of destruction and rebirth Legal Status: Resident of Kailasa Identity: The majority of residents of Earth-616 believe Shiva to be a fictional or allegorical being. Other Known Aliases: Jyotirlinga, Siwa (Balinese name) Place of Birth: Unknown Marital Status: Married Known Relatives: Gaea (mother, alias Ammavaru), Vishnu, Brahma (brothers), Himavat (father-in-law), Menaka (mother-in-law), Parvati (wife), Kali (daughter/wife), Ganehsa, Skanda (sons), Dharma, Kama (nephews), Padma, Vach (nieces), Lakshmi, Sarasvati (sisters-in-law) Base of Operations: Kailasa in the Nirvana Dimension Past Group Affiliations: Ally of Dansen Macabre and the Cult of KaraKai Present Group Affiliations: Daevas, Council of Godheads KNOWN POWERS Body Resistance: IN versus Physical, Shooting, and Force attacks Invulnerability: AM resistance to cold, heat, radiation, etc. CL5000 resistance to earthly diseases. Longevity: The Daevas are functionally immortal in the sense 251

that they cease to age upon reaching adulthood. Regeneration: EX ability; however, this ability does not allow the regeneration of limbs or organs. Hyper-Speed: RM Superhumanly Dense Tissue: The density of a Indian god’s bodily tissues is about three times that of a human being. As a result, they’re actually much heavier than they appear to be. Resurrection (Group): A number of gods may work together to resurrect another deity if his or her life essence is beyond resurrection. Requires a minimum of three deities and expenditure of all Karma; may be performed once per day. Allspeak: As with all gods, Allspeak allows one to understand, speak, and write in all languages. If addressing speakers of more than one language, each will understand the deity’s language in his or her native language. This ability extends to extraterrestrial and otherdimensional languages as well as Earth tongues. Magical Ability: Shiva has extraordinary power to tap into and manipulate the cosmic forces of the universe on a level comparable to Vishnu or Brahma although Shiva might be the most powerful of the three. He may use any of the Personal or Universal spells in Realms of Magic at Shift Z (500) ability, but tends to use only powers with a destructive potential. Extradimensional Sense: The Daevas can sense the presence of Asuras when located in adjacent dimensions, with UN ability. Resurrection/Destruction: With his powers of life and death, he can restore the dead to life or completely destroy anything beyond restoration. If a character has been reduced to zero Health, Shiva’s resurrection ability will transport the character to Nirvana conscious and at full Health. If Shiva reduces a character to zero Health, the character’s soul is destroyed completely and cannot be reborn if Shiva so wills it. Third Eye: Most of this power is concentrated in his third eye which when opened even he cannot completely control. This third eye is capable of releasing flames that can completely incinerate anything at which he is looking. It is known that he had so completely immolated Kama that the love god could only return to life after being reborn anew. The flame does Class 1000 damage and is only usable in the Hindu mystic realms. Force Field: Shiva can command the forces of the universe such as erecting force fields, at UN ability. Dimensional Travel: CL3000 ability Energy Emission - Magical: Shiva can create rays of a less destructive power, at IN ability. Fire Generation/Control: He has a strong association with flame and can generate it at will or manipulate existing flames at Shift X ability. He can mentally shape it into hands or columns or force it take on material objects exuding great heat. Because of his godly attributes, he is immune to their effects and cannot be burned. Astral Projection: He has such complete mastery over his body that he can slow his breath and pulse to the brink of near death and move about in a solely spirit state. In this form, he is still in complete command of his cosmic power. His astral form is intangible, and immune to all forms of attack but magical ones. Cosmic Awareness: He has exceptional cosmic awareness, which is greater when he is in his spirit form (Shift Z while tangible, Class 1000 in astral form). PETS Shiva rides a great bull named Nandi. Possessing extraordinary size, Nandi seems to have a sentient level intelligence and can create thunder with one stamp of its foot. His origin is unknown, but he may be a god in an animal form. 252

Nandi: F A S E R I P In In Un ShX Gd Gd Am Health: 330 Karma: 90 Resources: 0 Popularity: 2 Powers: Runs at RM land speed. Horns do AM edged charging attack. Hooves can generate a ground shockwave, or thunder sonic attack at IN intensity. TRANSPORTATION Shiva also travels by means of the Tripurajit Vimana, a golden vehicle which can traverse the space - time continuum. Control: RM Speed: CL1000 Body: UN Protection: UN EQUIPMENT Shiva uses a number of weapons including a club, curved dagger called a vajra, bow and arrow and swords. His statutes generally depict him as carrying a skull, drum and noose in addition to these items. ● Trishula: His best-known weapon is the Trishula, a trident of Indian design. This weapon has a small drum attached, called a damaru which is said to be used by Shiva to produce spiritual sounds by which the whole universe has been created and regulated. As a weapon, the Trishula does AM edged or edged thrown damage (it may be used as either). The damru can generate a sonic attack at MN damage, and has the power of matter rearrangement (molecular control) at MN rank. ● Teen Baan (three infallible arrows): Lord Shiva gave the demigod Barbarika three infallible arrows. A single arrow was enough to destroy all opponents in any war, and it would then return to Barbarika's quiver. The first arrow, when it hits its marks, identifies all of the user’s near and dear ones, relatives, etc. The second arrow marks all people in the vicinity who are not part of the battle or who are not taking any side in it, i.e., innocent bystanders. The third arrow destroys everything that is not marked by the first and second arrows, and returns to the user’s quiver. In game terms, all three arrows must hit in order for the arrows’ powers to take effect, but the arrows will hit their mark at Shift Z ability. When the third arrow hits its target, up to 100 opponents in a 10-area radius are subject to Shift Z (500 points) of Health damage. ● Vijaya: Shiva’s magical bow, capable of firing multiple arrows at once. Arrows shot will do RM damage, with UN range; the user may fire at up to 10 targets at a time. Material strength is Shift X. ● Pinaka: Another magical bow. Also called as Shiva Dhanush, Shiva used this bow to kill countless Asuras in battle. The Pinaka has an endless supply of arrows, which do RM damage to non-demon targets, and AM damage to demons, including Asuras. The arrows are +1CS to hit Asuras. It is made of Shift X material. ● Rudra Astra: Arjuna obtained this trident from Lord Shiva, Rama used this weapon to impale Kumbhakarna, a rakshasa king. IN damage, edged or edged thrown. When used, targets’ body armor is reduced by 1 CS. The trident does AM damage against rakshasas or other vampire-like creatures. It is made of Shift Z strength material. ● Pashupatastra: One of the most powerful weapons among all the astras. Every time it was summoned, its head would never be the same. It summons a large number of monsters and a huge spirit which personifies the weapon. This weapon can destroy a target completely, irrespective of target's nature. This astra was capable of destroying the whole world. Effects: Does SH-X Blunt damage, CL3000 material. Beings killed by it do not reincarnate unless killed on their home plane of existence. This weapon can summon up to 100 enormous beasts (use stats for “Giant Radioactive Dinosaur”, p. 59 of Advanced Judges Book; breath weapon is magical instead of radioactive). As a single-use attack, it can create a CL3000 fireball that also destroys the weapon. 253

● Chandrahas: The divine sword Chandrahas was given to Ravana with a warning that if it was used for unjust causes, it would return to Shiva and Ravana's days would be numbered. The sword does IN edged damage, and is made of SH-Y material. If used for criminal purposes, the sword disappears (returning to Shiva) and the former user will appear in one of the Narakas upon death. ● Armor: Jaivardhan, is the legendary shield of Shiva; it is also used by his incarnation as Vishnu, and is said to be impenetrable. The shield provides Remarkable body armor, but while worn the wearer may only be harmed by magical attacks. It is made of Class 1000 strength material. Talents: Trance, History: Nirvana and associated realms, History: India, Leadership, Occult Lore, Martial Arts A-E. Contacts: Daevas, Council of Godheads, Elders of the Universe, Olympian Gods, Yazatas, Xian ROLE-PLAYING NOTES According to ancient scriptures, Shiva is the ultimate destructor, destruction being a necessary component for creation. He ends the ignorance and evilness, for a new beginning. Shiva has no rules or restrictions for his disciples, only expecting unconditional devotion and love towards him. He sees no difference in his followers and shows his mercy on anyone who surrenders to him. HISTORY Shiva is part of the ruling triumvirate of gods in the Hindu Pantheon, which boasts over five hundred gods. Very little is known about his origins, but according to Dravidian myth, he was conceived from an egg given birth by Gaea in her role as Ammavaru, the Dravidian goddess of the earth. With him were his brothers Vishnu and Brahma. Together, they lifted one half of the egg to become the heavens and they created the earth from the lower half. Together, the three brothers rose to ruling council of the Hindu gods after Vishnu overthrew the Rakshasas, the Hindu demons who had overthrown their Vedic ancestors, once worshipped as gods by the Aryan tribes on earth. In their battle for supremacy, the Rakshasas poisoned the drink called amrita that provided the Hindu gods their immortality. Shiva, however, drank the whole tainted vial down to save the rest of the Daevas, but he held it in his throat for a time and spat out the poison within it. As a result, the color of the skin around his throat is darker than the rest of his body. Shiva loved the goddess Sakti, the youngest daughter of the sun god, Daksha, and wanted her as his wife. Daksha meanwhile had the decision to approve her husband, but he did not want Shiva as a son-in-law and after gathering all the gods of Nirvana for his daughter to choose a husband from, Sakti became distressed that Shiva was not invited for her to choose from. She tossed her bridal veil far into the air, but Shiva appeared and presented it to her. When Shiva revealed that her father did not support their marriage and that as a result they could not truly marry, she became so forlorn that she cast herself into a sacrificial flame than marry anyone else. Shiva took his revenge for his broken heart out on Daksha by beheading him, but after an intercession from the gods, Brahma later restored Daksha to life with the head of a ram. Sakti was later reborn as Parvati, one of the daughters of the mountain-god Himavat, and Shiva finally took her to be his wife. Parvati was sister to Lakshmi and Sarasvati, wives of respectively Vishnu and Brahma. According to one story, after Sakti’s death, Shiva entered into a ascetic existence. While in a trance-like state, he was wounded by one of the shafts of desire from the love-god, Kama, son of Vishnu and Lakshmi. Awakened from his trance, Shiva opened his third eye and incinerated Kama with the power from it. (Kama would be re-born years later from Krishna, the mortal avatar of Vishnu, with his wife Rukmini.) Due to Kama's spell, Shiva fell in love with Parvat and eventually married 254

her. She eventually gave birth to his sons Ganehsa, the wisdom-god, and Skanda, the war-god. While his father was away for several years, Ganehsa was guarding his mother’s bedroom when one day his father returned home. Not recognizing his son, Shiva beheaded the young man but realized his error when Parvati screamed. He restored Ganesha to life with the head of an elephant taken from Airavata, the elephant mount of the thunder-god, Indra. Kali, the destroyer aspect of Parvati, eventually became so powerful that it broke free of her to destroy demons. Although she technically conceived the dark goddess, Shiva saw Kali as another form of his wife. Under the Hindu Religion, Shiva was one of the chief gods alongside Vishnu and Brahma. As god of destruction and rebirth, Shiva apparently granted power in recent years to the woman who would become Dansen Macabre. In the wake of Ragnarok, the Asgardian god Thor appeared in Nirvana seeking a portion of the life energies necessary to resuscitate the Asgardians. Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva, however, put the option to a vote and decided not to donate the energies to former deities that had outlived their ascendancy and preferring rather the energies go on to other immortals. A clash of tempers, however, caused a confrontation between Shiva and Thor. Realizing he could not overwhelm the power of the Hindu god, Thor cast them both to Bifrost, the rainbow bridge to Asgard. Realizing he was overwhelmed by the thunder-god's passion, Shiva formulated an uneasy truce between them and relinquished the energies Thor wanted as the two separated with uneasy tension. Shortly thereafter, Yama, the Hindu god of the dead, entered into a pact with several other gods of the dead including Hades, the Olympian god of the dead, and Seth, the Egyptian underworld-god to unite their realms. Their ritual released the entity known as Demogorge who saw them as malevolent deities and then commenced with consuming them to 255

destroy them. Odin, Ruler of the gods of Asgard, sent a plea to the rulers of Earth’s gods to send champions to battle Demogorge. Vishnu sent the god Indra who for reasons of his own used his powers to impersonate Shiva and assist Thor, Apollo and the other gods present to defeat Demogorge. Although briefly consumed himself, Indra was freed after Thor caused a shift in the creature’s palate that restored it back into Atum. Indra then departed realizing that he had dissolved any further enmity between Thor and Shiva. Seth subsequently dissatisfied with these events launched and manipulated events that allowed him to conquer Celestial Heliopolis, home of the Egyptian Gods, and to invade Asgard. Shiva watched the events unfold out of morbid curiosity partially interested in the outcome. During his observation, he overheard the primal scream of Amora the Enchantress over the death of her then lover, Heimdall, who had been slain by Seth. (Odin restored Heimdall to life sometime after). Shiva joined forces with the other Hindu gods as the mad Titan Cronus laid siege to the gods of earth in trying to conquer the multiple realms and heavens of the gods of earth. Wonder Woman and the demigod Rama joined forces to sever the flow of Godwave energies fueling Cronus that allowed him to conquer Nirvana and Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma were able to defeat him and spread his molecules to the universe. After Odin’s death battling Surtur, Thor inherited his place as ruler of the Asgardian Gods. As a result, he was called before the Council Elite to be tested for worthiness to join them as a replacement for Odin. The Council Elite served as the high governing committee for affairs occurring between pantheons and Shiva was a member along with Vishnu and Brahma. Shiva was present at this meeting as well, and it was he who insisted that Thor perform the Koronkakkta, a ritual that would test his character. Thor, however, failed in one of the tests and was judged as having failed the test and prevented from replacing his father’s seat in the council. 256

GANESHA F MN (75) A MN (75) S UN (100) E AM (50) R MN (75) I AM (50) P IN (40) Health: 300 Karma: 165 Resources: MN Popularity: 30 BACKGROUND Real Name: Ganehsa (also spelled Ganesh and Ganesha) Occupation: God of wisdom, patron god of elephants, remover of obstacles Legal Status: The majority of residents of Earth-616 believe Ganesha to be a fictional or allegorical being. Identity: No dual identity Other Known Aliases: Ganapati, Gajendra, The Elephant-god, Remover of Obstacles Place of Birth: Kailasa in the Nirvana dimension Marital Status: Married Known Relatives: Shiva (father), Parvati (mother), Skanda (brother, alias Kartikeya), Kali (sister), Siddhi, Buddhi (wives), Ksema, Labha (sons), Dharma, Padma, Vach, Daksha, Kama (cousins), Lakshmi, Sarasvati (aunts), Vishnu, Brahma (uncles), Visvarupa (father-in-law), Himavat (grandfather), Gaea (grandmother, alias Ammavaru) Base of Operations: Nirvana Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations: Daevas KNOWN POWERS Body Resistance: IN versus Physical, Shooting, and Force attacks Invulnerability: AM resistance to cold, heat, radiation, etc. CL5000 resistance to earthly diseases. Hyper-Speed: TY Longevity: The Daevas are functionally immortal in the sense that they cease to age upon reaching adulthood. Regeneration: EX ability; however, this ability does not allow the regeneration of limbs or organs. Superhumanly Dense Tissue: The density of a Indian god’s bodily tissues is about three times that of a human being. As a result, they’re actually much heavier than they appear to be. 257

Resurrection: A number of gods may work together to resurrect another deity if his or her life essence is beyond resurrection. Requires a minimum of three deities and expenditure of all Karma; may be performed once per day. Allspeak: As with all gods, Allspeak allows one to understand, speak, and write in all languages. If addressing speakers of more than one language, each will understand the deity’s language in his or her native language. This ability extends to extraterrestrial and otherdimensional languages as well as Earth tongues. Extradimensional Sense: The Daevas can sense the presence of Asuras when located in adjacent dimensions, with UN ability. Remove Obstacles: As the Remover of Obstacles, Ganesha has the ability of Disintegration non-living matter at Shift X ability. Magical Ability: Ganesha also seems to be able to tap into and manipulate mystical energy to perform feats of magic, but he is nowhere as powerful as gods like Shiva or Vishnu. Treat as Amazing level magical powers, the exact nature of which is left to the GM’s discretion. Body Resistance - Thick Hide: His elephantine skin is impervious to weapons, offering AM protection versus physical attacks. Tusks: He can use his tusks to incur damage. Treat as RM edged damage, and +1CS for Charging attacks. Extra Limb - Trunk: He can use his trunk as an extra limb to move or lift objects. Provides 1 extra action per turn. PETS Ganesha has been known to ride upon a giant rodent named Mūṣakavāhana (mouse-mount) and Ākhuketana (rat-banner), variously shown as a rat, mouse or shrew. He has been depicted riding other animals as well, indicating that he either has more than one mount or that it has shapeshifting abilities. Ākhuketana: F A S E R I P Rm Am Rm ShX Ty Gd Am Health: 260 Karma: 66 Resources: 0 Popularity: 0 Powers: Moves at RM land speed and tunneling. Shapeshifting at EX, other animal forms only. Bite does edged damage. EQUIPMENT Ganesha’s weapons of choice are an axe, a lasso, and an elephant goad. ● Parashu: This is an Indian battle axe that may be wielded with either one or both hands. AM Edged damage, Shift X against nonliving, inanimate materials. Shift Z material strength. He was given this weapon by Shiva. ● Lasso: The pasha, often translated as "noose" or "lasso", is a supernatural weapon depicted in Hindu iconography; it represents Ganesha’s power to bind and free obstacles. Shift X material, binds targets at Shift X ability, and may move inanimate obstacles at Shift Z. ● Elephant goad: Called an ankusha, this is a sickle-like weapon consisting of a hook attached to a handle with a tapered end. AM damage, may be Edged or Blunt attack. Shift Z material. Talents: History: Nirvana and associated realms, History: India, Martial Arts A, B, and D, Occult Lore Contacts: Daevas, possibly ManElephant ROLE-PLAYING NOTES Ganesha is an extremely wily yet beneficent deity. HISTORY Descended from the old Adityas or Vedic gods, Ganesha is one of the most important gods of the modern Hindu religion. Parvati gave birth to Ganesha to be a countenance against good and evil deeds and altered his appearance that he would be too handsome to marry or take a wife. However, because of her spell, Shiva could not recognize his son when the 258

young god was guarding her bed chambers as she took a bath. Not realizing the young god was his son, Shiva ripped Ganesha's head off of his body as he cast him aside to be with Parvati. Ganesha's death shocked Parvati and all the gods, but Shiva rectified the matter by promising to restore him to life with the life-force of the first living thing he found. His servants quickly discovered Airavata, the elephant-mount of Indra the thunder-god and took it from him as penance for Indra's slaying of Vritra, one of the Naga-gods. Possibly as some required side effect of the spell, Ganesha began to resemble a elephant with the body of a man. (According to later myth, Shiva had simply just replaced Ganesha's head with that of the elephant.) Parvati was not satisfied with this accomplishment of repentance and wanted more. Shiva then granted Ganesha himself a boon and promised him that all Hindus on earth would acknowledge his existence before starting any task or undertaking. The wise elephant-god was soon called upon by all his worshippers for any mortal endeavor they started. Ganesha was the brother of Skanda, the war god and they decided to compete between themselves for wives. They chose to race around the world to decide who was worthy to marry, and Skanda set off to race around the world. Ganesha, however, proved much more the wily god in his brother's absence by circling his father, Shiva, who under Hindu religion represented the epitome of all creation. He debated the feat with his father by holding up the veracity of the Vedas and the Sastras, the two most holy tomes of the Hindu gods, and Shiva praised him for being clever and intelligent. He took the sisters, Siddhi and Buddhi, daughters of one of the Vedic gods, to be his wives, and they each granted him a son. Ganesha was well-worshipped among the Hindu gods for centuries, and still has countless worshippers today. In the African city of Timbuktu, one of his priestesses encountered Manfred Ellsworth Haller, the former ManElephant. Haller’s business had been dissolved through the actions of his competitor, Tony Stark, and he wandered to Africa with his old ManElephant armor as his last possession. Seemingly impressed by his dedication to the elephant and maybe Ganesha, the blind priestess showed Haller the Seetorak Emerald (possibly connected somehow to the Cyttorak Gem) in the head of a fresco of Ganesha, which began to glow. Its mystical energies made Haller’s ManElephant battlesuit real and a part of his body, transforming him into the Behemoth. 259

RAMA F MN (75) A MN (75) S IN (40) E AM (50) R EX(20) I IN (40) P IN (40) Health: 240 Karma: 100 Resources: AM Popularity: 20 BACKGROUND Real Name: Rama Occupation: Culture hero and god of goodness Legal Status: Citizen of Nirvana Identity: The majority of residents of Earth-616 believe Rama to be a fictional or allegorical being. Other Known Aliases: Ram, Lord Rama Place of Birth: Ayodhya, the ruler of the Kingdom of Kosala, ancient India Marital Status: Married Known Relatives: Kaushalya (father); Dasharatha (mother); Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna (brothers); Sita (wife) Base of Operations: Nirvana; formerly Ayodhoya Past Group Affiliations: Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna Present Group Affiliations: Daevas KNOWN POWERS Body Resistance: IN versus Physical, Shooting, and Force attacks Invulnerability: AM resistance to cold, heat, radiation, etc. CL5000 resistance to earthly diseases. Longevity: The Daevas are functionally immortal in the sense that they cease to age upon reaching adulthood. Regeneration: EX ability; however, this ability does not allow the regeneration of limbs or organs. Hyper-Speed: EX Superhumanly Dense Tissue: The density of a Indian god’s bodily tissues is about three times that of a human being. As a result, they’re actually much heavier than they appear to be. Resurrection: A number of gods may work together to resurrect another deity if his or her life essence is beyond resurrection. Requires a minimum of three deities and expenditure of all Karma; may be performed once per day. Allspeak: As with all gods, Allspeak allows one to understand, speak, and write in all languages. If addressing speakers of more than one language, 260

each will understand the deity’s language in his or her native language. This ability extends to extraterrestrial and otherdimensional languages as well as Earth tongues. Extradimensional Sense: The Daevas can sense the presence of Asuras when located in adjacent dimensions, with UN ability. EQUIPMENT Bows and arrows: Rama has an unlimited supply of arrows. They do IN damage; both bows and arrows are constructed of UN material. Talents: History: Nirvana and associated realms, History: India, Archery, Weapons Specialist: Archery, Bladed Weapons, Martial Arts A, D, E, Occult Lore, Military Contacts: Daevas ADDITIONAL NOTES In the Marvel Universe cosmology, Rama is considered an incarnation of Vishnu (see above). However, he is also treated as a distinct character with abilities, history, and personality distinct from Vishnu, so is included here as a unique aspect of Vishnu (who is himself in turn one aspect of the Trimurti). ROLE-PLAYING NOTES Rama is portrayed as a polite, selfcontrolled, virtuous youth always ready to help others. HISTORY Rama or Ram, also known as Ramachandra, is a major deity of Hinduism. He is the seventh avatar of the god Vishnu, one of his most popular incarnations along with Krishna and Gautama Buddha. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being. According to legend, Rama was born to Kaushalya and Dasharatha in Ayodhya, the ruler of the Kingdom of Kosala. His siblings included Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna, and his wife is Sita. Though born in a royal family, their life is described as one challenged by unexpected changes such as an exile into impoverished and difficult circumstances, ethical questions and moral dilemmas. Of all their travails, the most notable is the kidnapping of Sita by demon-king Ravana, followed by the determined and epic efforts of Rama and Lakshmana to gain her freedom and destroy the evil Ravana against great odds. The life story of Rama and his companions allegorically discusses duties, rights and social responsibilities of an individual. It illustrates dharma and dharmic living through model characters. Rama is the central figure of the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana. His ancient legends have attracted bhasya (commentaries) and extensive secondary literature and inspired performance arts [author’s note: fanfiction is older than you think!]. The ancient epic Ramayana states that Rama and his brothers were born to Kaushalya and Dasharatha in Ayodhya, a city on the banks of Sarayu River. Rama and his brothers were educated and trained as young princes. His education included the Vedas, the Vedangas as well as the martial arts. The Ramayana mentions an archery contest organized by King Janaka, where Sita and Rama met. Rama won the contest, whereby Janaka agreed to the marriage of Sita and Rama. Sita moved with Rama to his father Dashratha's capital. Sita introduced Rama's brothers to her sister and her two cousins, and they all got married. While Rama and his brothers were away, Kaikeyi, the mother of Bharata and the second wife of king Dasharatha, reminded the king that he had promised long ago to comply with one thing she asked, anything. Dasharatha remembered and agreed to do so. She demanded that Rama be exiled for fourteen years to Dandaka forest. Dasharatha grieved at her request. Her son Bharata, and other family members became upset at her demand. Rama stated that his father should keep his word, adding that he does not crave for earthly or heavenly material pleasures, neither seeking power nor anything else. He talked about his decision with his wife and told everyone that time passes quickly. Sita left with him to live in 261

the forest, the brother Lakshmana joining them in their exile as the caring close brother. Rama headed outside the Kosala kingdom, crossed Yamuna river and initially stayed at Chitrakuta, on the banks of river Mandakini, in the hermitage of sage Vasishtha. Rama roamed through forests, lived a humble simple life, provided protection and relief to ascetics in the forest being harassed and persecuted by demons, as they stayed at different ashrams. After ten years of wandering and struggles, Rama arrived at Panchavati, on the banks of river Godavari. This region had numerous demons (rakshasha). One day, a demoness called Shurpanakha saw Rama, became enamored of him, and tried to seduce him. Rama refused her. Shurpanakha retaliated by threatening Sita. Lakshmana, the younger brother protective of his family, in turn retaliated by cutting off the nose and ears of Shurpanakha. The cycle of violence escalated, ultimately reaching demon king Ravana, who was the brother of Shurpanakha. Ravana came to Panchavati to take revenge on behalf of his family, saw Sita and was attracted to her, and kidnapped Sita to his kingdom of Lanka (believed to be modern Sri Lanka). Rama and Lakshmana discovered the kidnapping, worried about Sita's safety, despairing at the loss and their lack of resources to take on Ravana. Their struggles now reached their heights. They traveled south, met Sugriva, marshalled an army of monkeys, and attracted dedicated commanders such as Hanuman who was a minister of Sugriva. Meanwhile, Ravana harassed Sita and tried to make her into a concubine. Sita refused him. Ravana was enraged. Rama ultimately reached Lanka, fought in a war that had many ups and downs, but ultimately prevailed, killing Ravana and forces of evil, and rescued his wife Sita. They returned to Ayodhya. Rama’s return was celebrated with his coronation. His rule has been described as just and fair. Many believe that when Rama returned people celebrated their happiness with fireworks, and the festival of Diwali is connected with Rama's return. Upon Rama's accession as king, rumors emerged that Sita may have gone willingly when she was with Ravana; Sita protested that her capture was forced. Rama responded to public gossip by renouncing his wife, asking her to undergo a test before Agni (the god of fire). She did, and passed the test. Rama and Sita lived happily together in Ayodhya and had twin sons named Luv and Kush. However, in some revisions, the story is different and tragic, with Sita dying of sorrow for her husband not trusting her, making Sita a moral heroine and leaving the reader with moral questions about Rama. In these revisions, the death of Sita led Rama to drown himself. Through death, he joined her in afterlife. In the Hyborian era, Rama's name was, along with Kulthas's and Vramma's, used by Conan (under Gimil-Ishbi's advice) to bind Ardat Lili and confront her mate Lilitu. In modern days, Rama, Sita and Hanuman are still worshiped in India. Rama was one of the many gods and heroes of ancient times to be suggested for joining Hercules' Gods of War. 262

SITA F IN (40) A IN (40) S IN (40) E IN (40) R EX (20) I RM (30) P AM (50) Health: 160 Karma: 100 Resources: IN Popularity: 6 BACKGROUND Real Name: Sita Occupation: Consort of Rama, Goddess of good character, good fortune, prosperity, success, and happiness Legal Status: Citizen of Nirvana Identity: The majority of residents of Earth-616 believe Sita to be a fictional or allegorical being. Other Known Aliases: Seetha, Seeta Place of Birth: Either present-day Sitamarhi district, Bihar, India or Janakpur, present-day Nepal (both the places were part of the Mithila Kingdom) Marital Status: Married Known Relatives: Rama (husband); Lava, Kushna (sons); Janaka (father); Sunaina (mother); Urmila (sister); Mandavi, Shrutakirti (cousins) Base of Operations: Nirvana Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations: Daevas KNOWN POWERS Body Resistance: IN versus Physical, Shooting, and Force attacks Invulnerability: AM resistance to cold, heat, radiation, etc. CL5000 resistance to earthly diseases. Longevity: The Daevas are functionally immortal in the sense that they cease to age upon reaching adulthood. Hyper-Speed: TY Regeneration: EX ability; however, this ability does not allow the regeneration of limbs or organs. Superhumanly Dense Tissue: The density of a Indian god’s bodily tissues is about three times that of a human being. As a result, they’re actually much heavier than they appear to be. Resurrection: A number of gods may work together to resurrect another deity if his or her life essence is beyond resurrection. Requires a 263

minimum of three deities and expenditure of all Karma; may be performed once per day. Allspeak: As with all gods, Allspeak allows one to understand, speak, and write in all languages. If addressing speakers of more than one language, each will understand the deity’s language in his or her native language. This ability extends to extraterrestrial and otherdimensional languages as well as Earth tongues. Extradimensional Sense: The Daevas can sense the presence of Asuras when located in adjacent dimensions, with UN ability. Talents: Resist Domination, History: Nirvana and associated realms, History: India Contacts: Daevas ADDITIONAL NOTES In various versions of the Hindu myths, Sita is an aspect of Lakshmi, and the template for the creation of Maya. Marvel sources treat all three as separate beings. This does not actually contradict mythological sources, since an aspect or avatar of a god has been shown to be distinct in all practical respects . ROLE-PLAYING NOTES Sita is the ideal of a woman in India and worshiped as God incarnate. She is is a personification of Earth's fertility, abundance and well-being. Hindu tradition reveres her, and she has been portrayed as an ideal daughter, an ideal wife and an ideal mother in various texts, stories, illustrations, movies and modern media. HISTORY Sita, or Seeta, is the consort of Lord Rama (incarnation of Vishnu and Krishna) and an avatar of Sri Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess that denotes good character, good fortune, prosperity, success, and happiness. She is esteemed as the paragon of spousal and feminine virtues for all women. Sita is the central female character and one of the central figures in the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. She is described as the daughter of the earth goddess, Bhūmi and the adopted daughter of King Janaka of Videha and his wife, Queen Sunaina. She has a younger sister, Urmila, and the female cousins Mandavi and Shrutakirti. Sita is known for her dedication, self-sacrifice, courage and purity. Sita, in her youth, married Lord Rama, the prince of Ayodhya. After marriage, she went into exile with her husband and brother-in-law Lakshmana. While in exile, the trio settled in the Dandaka forest from where she is abducted by Ravana, the Rakshasa king of Lanka. She was imprisoned in Ashoka Vatika, in Lanka, until she was rescued by Rama who slew her captor. After the war, Rama asked Sita to undergo Agni Pariksha (an ordeal of fire) by which she proved her purity before she was accepted by Rama, which for the first time made his brother Lakshmana get angry at him. In some versions of the epic, the firegod Agni creates Maya Sita, who takes Sita's place and is abducted by Ravana and suffers his captivity, while the real Sita hides in the fire. During the Agni Pariksha, Maya Sita and the real Sita exchange places again. While some texts say that Maya Sita is destroyed in the flames of Agni Pariksha, others narrate how she is blessed and reborn as the epic heroine Draupadi or the goddess Padmavati. Some scriptures also mention her previous birth being Vedavati, a woman Ravana tries to molest. After proving her purity, Rama and Sita return to Ayodhya, where they are crowned as king and queen. After few months, Sita becomes pregnant, bringing doubt to the Kingdom. Rama then sends Sita away on exile. Lakshmana is the one who leaves Sita in the forests near sage Valmiki's ashrama after Rama banishes her from the kingdom. Years later, Sita returns to the womb of her mother, the Earth, for release from a cruel world as a testimony of her purity after she reunites her two sons Kusha and Lava with their father Rama. 264

KALI F SH-Y (250) A SH-Y (250) S IN (40) E UN (100) R RM (30) I IN (40) P SH-X (150) Health: 640 Karma: 220 Resources: SH-X Popularity: -20 BACKGROUND Real Name: Kâli Occupation: Goddess of death and destruction Legal Status: Resident of Nirvana Identity: The majority of residents of Earth-616 believe Kali to be a fictional or allegorical being. Other Known Aliases: Durga, KaraKai, Shakti, Langsuir (Malaysian name), The Black One, "Fanged Deity," The Ferry Across the Ocean of Existence, (The name Kali also translates into English as “black.”) Place of Birth: Unknown, allegedly somewhere in Bengal (now part of modern India) Marital Status: Married Known Relatives: Shiva (father/husband), Parvati (mother); Skanda, Ganehsa (brothers), Vishnu, Brahma (uncles), Lakshmi, Sarasvati (aunts), Himavat, Daksha (grandfathers), Menahka, Gaea (alias Ammavaru) (grandmothers), Kama, Padma, Dharma, Vach (cousins) Base of Operations: Kailasa, in the Nirvana dimension Past Group Affiliations: Mentor of Deathtoll, Raga-Shah and the Shroud Present Group Affiliations: Daevas, Leader of the Dakini KNOWN POWERS Body Resistance: IN versus Physical, Shooting, and Force attacks Invulnerability: AM resistance to cold, heat, radiation, etc. CL5000 resistance to earthly diseases. Longevity: The Daevas are functionally immortal in the sense that they cease to age upon reaching adulthood. Regeneration: EX ability; however, this ability does not allow the regeneration of limbs or organs. Hyper-Speed: MN Ability. As a power stunt, she can move fast enough to be virtually Invisible. Superhumanly Dense Tissue: The density of a Indian god’s bodily tissues is about three times that of a human being. As a result, they’re actually much heavier than they appear to be. 265

Resurrection: A number of gods may work together to resurrect another deity if his or her life essence is beyond resurrection. Requires a minimum of three deities and expenditure of all Karma; may be performed once per day. Allspeak: As with all gods, Allspeak allows one to understand, speak, and write in all languages. If addressing speakers of more than one language, each will understand the deity’s language in his or her native language. This ability extends to extraterrestrial and otherdimensional languages as well as Earth tongues. Extradimensional Sense: The Daevas can sense the presence of Asuras when located in adjacent dimensions, with UN ability. Enchantment: Kali can endow others with magical powers, at Amazing ability. The effects can last as long as she wishes, or may be permanent. Dimensional Travel: CL1000 ability. Induce Fear: Kali has the power to induce fear in her opponents at Monstrous ability. Shapechanging: GD ability. Multiple Arms: Kali can use her Shapechanging ability to endow herself with more arms, up to eighteen in number, to battle multiple foes. This grants her up to 3 extra attacks per round. Vampirism: In a battle frenzy, she can become particularly volatile and much more powerful off the life forces of her victims through drinking their blood and adding their might and strength to her own. A bite from Kali does Incredible damage per round, which is added to her own Health up to her maximum. Magical Ability: Kali also possesses several mystical abilities, the full extent which is unknown. Treat as Monstrous ability magical powers, the exact nature of which is left to the GM’s discretion. Her spells generally will relate to death, destruction, fear, etc. EQUIPMENT Kali often employs several weapons at one time including swords, knives, shivs, daggers and even a decapitated head with which to beat her opponents. Talents: Martial Arts A - E, Weapons Master, Leadership, Occult Lore, Demonology, Ritual Magics, Thief, Hypnosis, History: India and Daeva mystic realms Contacts: Various Thuggee cults, Daevas, Shroud, Deathtoll, various Olympian gods, Dakini, Lucifer ROLE-PLAYING NOTES Kali is the most bloodthirsty and ruthless of the Daevas. She is fearsome and merciless, even to her followers. HISTORY Kali is an avatar of the goddess Parvati in her most bloodthirsty form against the enemies of the Hindu Gods, especially against the Rakshasas, a race of demons who fought to conquer the Hindu Gods. She became such a powerful entity by drinking the blood of her victims that she tore apart from Parvati as a separate goddess calling herself both the daughter and the wife of the great Shiva. She joined her mother, who was now in the form of Durga, in fighting Raktabija, a Rakshasa with the ability of reproducing itself from each drop of spilled blood, but as Durga was overwhelmed by all the clones of the demon, Kali began eating the duplicates and drinking the falling blood. Despite her frightening aspect, she was viewed as a destroyer of demons and a representation of the forces that brought order. As such, a powerful mutant named En Sabah Nur impersonated her when he lived in India. Kali was a ruthless warrior in slaying the Rakshasas and was worshipped both as a mother goddess and protector from evil. She was endowed with the Shakti, the female principle of power among the Hindu goddesses and was served by the 266

Dakini, lesser demonic gods who served her in battle. Kali has been referenced in stories of the Hyborian Era, c. 10,000 BC, implying that she was active in the realm of mortals at that time. In the Fifth Century BC, the Arabian mystic Koura brought a statue of Kali to life from one of her temples. The living statue, infused with a fragment of Kali herself, fought the legendary Sinbad, but fell to its destruction before it could kill him. In the 1870s, an Indian rebel named Mahdi, seeking to destroy the British army, prayed to the Hindu gods, demanding the power to fight the British. In a vision, the Hindu gods Yama, Ratri, Agni, Maya and Kali granted him the powers and weapons to fight the British. From Yama, he gained a fiery sword and from Ratri the power of “the night's shadows.” From Agni, he received the power of sacrificial flame and from Maya the power to drive his enemies to despair with illusions. From Kali, he received the wheel of destruction. Mahdi then went to use these powers in battle against the British invaders only to discover too late that he had offended the gods by trying to command them for power. Mahdi's weapons were only illusions to teach him humility and he died in battle. In modern years, Kali was present when the Asgardian god Thor came to Nirvana for a fragment of the life energies he needed from Vishnu to restore the Asgardian gods who had lost their lives to the Celestials. When Shiva turned down the request in a consensus with Vishnu and Brahma, Thor became incensed and fought her father. Just as Shiva gained the upper hand, Thor transported them both to Asgard’s rainbow bridge where he realized the passion of the thundergod to his cause and recanted his choice. A few years later, Kali's religious zealots known as the Thuggees began terrorizing India by committing vast murders to please her. The Indian Government hired Saint Van Sant to wipe them out. Upon experiencing the taste of her dead worshippers, she became so pleased that she appeared through her statue and offered him eternal life if he continued feeding her souls. Van Sant embraced the pact and became the assassin called Deathtoll, but he was killed himself later by War Machine. In recent years, Kali became involved with Lucifer attempting to cause the Apocalypse after he was released from Hell by two paranormal adventurers named Sam and Dean Winchester. Zeus and Odin contacted Vishnu about Kali meeting Lucifer in combat to destroy Lucifer who ended up being forced back to the underworld, merely forestalling the Apocalypse for a time. THUGGEE: CULT OF KALI Thuggee is the term for a particular format for the murder and robbery of travelers in India. As travelers at the time would be part of a caravan, the term Thuggee referred to the killing of a large number of people in a single operation. The modern word "thug" derives from this term. Thugee cultists have been known to operate in the Benares district in Uttar Pradesh, India. Thuggee cults often serve the Hindu death goddess Kali. The Thuggee have been referenced numerous times in Marvel Comics: ● The secret society known as the Snake Skulls, who fought Captain America and Bucky in the 1940s, may have been a Thuggee cult. ● The Shroud found a Thuggee temple in Himalayas. They blinded him and gave him powers, then vanished. ● Shanna the She-Devil later fought the presumably same Cult of Kâli under the direction of Raga-Shah and put an end to it. ● A second, unrelated Cult of Kâli surfaced in Los Angeles, composed of ex-patriate Nepal priests and headed by the Living Goddesses Shaya and Ushas, which was later taken over by Nekra. It is often called the Cult of Kara-Kai. They were defeated by Spider-Woman. ● A third Cult appeared in the Shroud limited series, descended from the first. Along with them appeared a bodyguard/assassin 267

who called herself Kâli in honor of the Goddess. It is unknown whether Kâli cared or not about her cultists, she never granted any of them any special powers or appeared to them despite their numerous human sacrifices to her. In fact, based on how much she liked having her followers killed, she didn't seem to like her cults very much. ● Various idols of Kâli have appeared at these cults, but for Deathtoll seems to be the only time she herself appeared. ● Krago and Firefly are members of other Cults of Kâli, with unknown connections to the above sects. Krago used the Kâli Statue of Dark Powers. Statistics for typical Thuggee cultists are: F A S E R I P Ex Ex Gd Ex Pr Ty Ty Health: 70 Karma: 16 Resources: Pr Popularity: -2 Talents: Stealth, Thief, Pickpocket, Martial Arts C, D, E, one or more weapons skills Contacts: Cult of Kâli (various) Powers: Most Thuggee cultists are unpowered, although there are exceptions among higher-ranking priests. These priests will typically have magical powers with deathrelated abilities. Equipment: Thuggee cultists are almost always armed with at least one concealed knife; most will have other weapons and assassination paraphernalia on their person as well. A garrote is a popular choice. They often use poisons on their weapons. 268

MAYA F IN (40) A IN (40) S IN (40) E AM (50) R EX(40) I RM (40) P AM (75) Health: 170 Karma: 155 Resources: IN Popularity: 6 BACKGROUND Real Name: Maya Occupation: Goddess of Dreams, former Queen of the Sakyas Legal Status: Citizen of Nirvana Identity: The majority of residents of Earth-616 believe Maya to be a fictional or allegorical being. Other Known Aliases: Mahadevi, Lakshmi Sri Place of Birth: Unrevealed (India) Marital Status: Presumably single Known Relatives: Siddhartha (son, alias Gautama Buddha) Base of Operations: Nirvana, formerly Kapilavastu, India in the Sixth Century BC (now part of modern Nepal) Past Group Affiliations: Sakya caste Present Group Affiliations: Daevas KNOWN POWERS Body Resistance: IN versus Physical, Shooting, and Force attacks Invulnerability: AM resistance to cold, heat, radiation, etc. CL5000 resistance to earthly diseases. Longevity: The Daevas are functionally immortal in the sense that they cease to age upon reaching adulthood. Regeneration: EX ability; however, this ability does not allow the regeneration of limbs or organs. Hyper-Speed: TY Superhumanly Dense Tissue: The density of a Indian god’s bodily tissues is about three times that of a human being. As a result, they’re actually much heavier than they appear to be. Resurrection: A number of gods may work together to resurrect another deity if his or her life essence is beyond resurrection. Requires a minimum of three deities and expenditure of all Karma; may be performed once per day. Allspeak: As with all gods, Allspeak allows one to understand, speak, and write in all languages. If addressing speakers of more than one language, each will understand the deity’s language in his or her native language. This ability extends to extraterrestrial and otherdimensional languages as well as Earth tongues. Extradimensional Sense: The Daevas can sense the presence of Asuras when located in adjacent dimensions, with UN ability. Dream Travel: Maya may visit the dreams of any sentient being, or any 269

other dream-based realm (such as Nightmare’s Dream Dimension, or the Dreamtime of the Australian deities) with Shift Z ability. Magical Ability: Maya has several powers mystical in nature, possibly to stir visions and images in the form of dreams to mortals. She may use any Illusory power at Shift X ability. Talents: History: Nirvana and associated realms, History: India, Occult Lore Contacts: Mahdi, Daevas, Doctor Strange ADDITIONAL NOTES Maya is not to be confused with the Maya civilization of Mesoamerica. Neither does the Mayan pantheon contain a god or goddess named “India.” ROLE-PLAYING NOTES As the goddess of dreams, Maya is the one who blinds everything in illusion, but at the same time, she’s the one who shows the truth. As dreams often do, her illusions always contain a greater truth behind them, and Maya believes strongly in her role to enlighten others. HISTORY Maya was once the queen of the Sakya warrior caste of Ancient India. In a dream, the Hindu god Vishnu appeared to her in the form of a bodhisattva and informed her that she would have a son. Her son, Gautama Buddha, was actually Vishnu in his ninth avatar on earth and in this form he became an Indian philosopher whose preachings became the religious tenets that became modern Buddhism. Under unresolved circumstances, Maya was accepted as a god into the Hindu Pantheon. Her importance was much more felt to Chinese Buddhists. An Indian rebel called the Mahdi, seeking to destroy the British army, prayed to the Hindu gods, demanding the power to fight the British. In a vision, Yama, Ratri (goddess of night), Agni (god of fire, two-headed), Maya (goddess of dreams), and Kâli granted the Mahdi powers and weapons to fight the British. From Yama, the Mahdi gained a fiery sword, from Ratri the power of "the night's shadows", from Agni sacrificial flame, from Maya the power to drive his enemies to despair with illusions, and from Kâli the wheel of destruction. The Mahdi then used these powers in battle-only to discover too late that he had offended the gods by trying to order them around. The Mahdi's weapons were only illusions, and he died in battle. Maya later appeared to Doctor Strange and tried to persuade him not to participate in the Lords of Shamballa's plan to bring about an evolution of the human species. 270

RATRI F IN (40) A IN (40) S IN (40) E IN (40) R EX (20) I IN (40) P IN (40) Health: 160 Karma: 100 Resources: RM Popularity: 2 BACKGROUND Real Name: Ratri Occupation: Goddess of love and beauty, former goddess of night Legal Status: Citizen of Nirvana Identity: The majority of residents of Earth-616 believe Ratri to be a fictional or allegorical being. Other Known Aliases: Rati, Ratridaeva Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Married Known Relatives: Dyaus (father), Prithivi (mother), Indra, Surya, Tvashtri, Vayu (brothers), Ushas (sister), Kama (husband), Padma (sister-in-law), Yama, Soma (nephews), Varuna (grandfather) Base of Operations: Vaikuntha in the realm of Nirvana Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations: Daevas KNOWN POWERS Body Resistance: IN versus Physical, Shooting, and Force attacks Invulnerability: AM resistance to cold, heat, radiation, etc. CL5000 resistance to earthly diseases. Longevity: The Daevas are functionally immortal in the sense that they cease to age upon reaching adulthood. Regeneration: EX ability; however, this ability does not allow the regeneration of limbs or organs. Hyper-Speed: TY Superhumanly Dense Tissue: The density of a Indian god’s bodily tissues is about three times that of a human being. As a result, they’re actually much heavier than they appear to be. Resurrection: A number of gods may work together to resurrect another deity if his or her life essence is beyond resurrection. Requires a minimum of three deities and expenditure of all Karma; may be performed once per day. Allspeak: As with all gods, Allspeak allows one to understand, speak, and write in all languages. If addressing speakers of more than one language, each will understand the deity’s language in his or her native language. This ability extends to extraterrestrial and otherdimensional languages as well as Earth tongues. 271

Magical Ability: Ratri has some mystical abilities which are unidentified. Treat as Incredible magical powers, the exact nature of which is left to the GM’s discretion. Her spells generally relate to night and darkness. Extradimensional Sense: The Daevas can sense the presence of Asuras when located in adjacent dimensions, with UN ability. Talents: History: Nirvana and associated realms, History: India, Astronomy, Occult Lore Contacts: Daevas ROLE-PLAYING NOTES Little is known about Ratri’s true personality. As the goddess of night, she is mercurial, moody, and everchanging. HISTORY Ratri is a member of the Adityas, an extra-dimensional race of beings who were worshipped as gods by the ancient Vedic and Dravidian cultures in Asia. Ratri is the daughter of Dyaus, the sky-god, and Prithivi, the earthgoddess. When the Adityas were replaced by the Daevas, the ascendant Gods of Hindu, Ratri became the wife of Kama, the son of Vishnu, Ruler of the Hindu Gods. Originally known as a goddess of night, she became the goddess of love, replacing Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu. 272

SARASWATI F IN (75) A AM (75) S AM (50) E MN (75) R AM (50) I AM (40) P SH-X (150) Health: 275 Karma: 240 Resources: SHX Popularity: 10 BACKGROUND Real Name: Saraswati Occupation: Queen of the Hindu gods, goddess of language, art and learning, River-goddess Legal Status: Citizen of Nirvana Identity: The majority of residents of Earth-616 believe Saraswayi to be a fictional or allegorical being. Other Known Aliases: River-goddess, Sata-Rupa, Savitri, Sarasvati, Mother of the Veda Place of Birth: Mount Himavat (modern Mount Everest in the Himalayas of Tibet) Marital Status: Married Known Relatives: Himavat (father), Menahka (mother), Lakshmi, Parvati, Ganga, Yamuna, Uma (sisters), Brahma (husband), Vach (daughter), Adharma (son), Vishnu, Shiva, Agni, Yama, (brothers-in-law), Ganesha, Skanda, Kama (nephews), Kali, Padma (nieces) Base of Operations: Amaravati in the realm of Nirvana Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations: Daevas, Asparas KNOWN POWERS Body Resistance: IN versus Physical, Shooting, and Force attacks Invulnerability: AM resistance to cold, heat, radiation, etc. CL5000 resistance to earthly diseases. Longevity: The Daevas are functionally immortal in the sense that they cease to age upon reaching adulthood. 273

Regeneration: EX ability; however, this ability does not allow the regeneration of limbs or organs. Hyper-Speed: TY Superhumanly Dense Tissue: The density of a Indian god’s bodily tissues is about three times that of a human being. As a result, they’re actually much heavier than they appear to be. Resurrection: A number of gods may work together to resurrect another deity if his or her life essence is beyond resurrection. Requires a minimum of three deities and expenditure of all Karma; may be performed once per day. Allspeak: As with all gods, Allspeak allows one to understand, speak, and write in all languages. If addressing speakers of more than one language, each will understand the deity’s language in his or her native language. This ability extends to extraterrestrial and otherdimensional languages as well as Earth tongues. Magical Ability: Sarasvati also has the power to tap into and conjure the energies of her shakti, primal female energies, in order to perform feats of magic. Her exact level of power is unrevealed, but with the obvious exception of Lakshmi and Parvati, she is possibly the most powerful of the Hindu goddesses. Treat as Shift X strength magical powers, the exact nature of which is left to the GM’s discretion. Her spells often involve some aspect of water. Extradimensional Sense: The Daevas can sense the presence of Asuras when located in adjacent dimensions, with UN ability. Weather Control/Telepathy: She can control the weather to create rain and transmit thought, offering insight and inspiration in mortal man. She can use this power to create Amazing strength rainstorms. Another aspect of this power is to create a lighter rain that affects as per the Empathy/Emotion Control power at Amazing rank and radius, creating feelings of positive emotion. She can also use this ability on targets within a 1-area radius to increase their Reason and Psyche by +1 CS, with an appropriate Karma increase. Dimensional Travel: CL1000 ability Shapechange: Incredible ability. She often chooses a form with four arms, granting 1 extra attack per round. Growth: She can alter her size as well as her appearance at Incredible rank. Astral Projection: Sarasvati can project her life-force and likeness into other levels of existence at CL5000 rank. PETS Sarasvati sometimes rides upon a swan or peacock: F A S E R I P Ex Rm Rm Un Ty Ty Rm Health: 180 Karma: 42 Resources: 0 Popularity: 0 Powers: Flight at RM airspeed. Dimensional Travel at MN. Talents: Invention, Writing, Martial Arts E, History: Nirvana and associated realms, History: India Contacts: Daevas, Apsaras, Mother Goddesses ADDITIONAL NOTES It is unknown the Hindu goddess Saraswati has any connection to Shamhat Saraswati, the priestess of Oshtur who was the earth’s second Sorceress Supreme circa 15,000 - 11,000 BC. ROLE-PLAYING NOTES The goddess Saraswati is often depicted as a beautiful woman dressed in pure white often seated on a white lotus, which symbolizes light, knowledge and truth. She not only embodies knowledge but also the experience of the highest reality. HISTORY Sarasvati is one of the Apsaras, a group of water-goddesses descended from the primal being known as Himavat, a member of the extradimensional race of beings known as the Daevas, who were worshipped by 274

the ancient Vedic tribes of Ancient India and later the modern Hindu religion. Himavat was the great snowgod of the Vedic pantheon, and the waters trickling from his peaks into rivers and ravines were protected by his daughters, the Apsaras. The Apsaras were water-deities that helped carry the pious into heaven and had emerged from the sea during the deluge which covered the earth during the Earth's primeval past. Among them, the most revered were Ganga who protected the sacred Ganges river, Lakshmi, wife of Vishnu and Parvati, wife of Shiva. Many of the Apsaras became wives of gods and mortals; Sarasvati became the wife of the god Brahma who had lead the Daevas to victory against the Rakshasas, the eternal enemies of the Hindu gods. According to one account, Brahma had fallen in love with Sarasvati in her incarnation as the goddess Sata-Rupa and grew over five faces to look upon her beauty, but he lost one of these faces to Shiva. Brahma eventually married Sarasvati, and she gave birth to Vach, goddess of speech, and Adharma, god of prayer among other gods. Sarasvati is one of the most revered goddesses of the Hindu pantheon, but she was also linked to the Persian pantheon as the water-goddess, Haurvatat. In this guise, she is often called the daughter of Ormazd, but it is uncertain if she actually was this goddess or just merely linked to this deity. Several of the Vedic deities who lost worship rights to the ascendant Hindu gods were worshipped as gods under Zoroastrianism in Persia (modern Iran), but it is unrevealed if a goddess like Sarasvati would be so revered among the Persian gods in view of animosity between the two pantheons. After the Third Host of the Celestials, Sarasvati and her sisters Lakshmi and Parvati united with the mothergoddesses from all the pantheons of gods once worshipped or still worshipped on earth. This gathering included Frigga of the Asgardian gods and Hera of the Olympian gods. The Celestials and threatened to sever the gods connections to earth if they did not cease trafficking with mortals and had predicted to return in a thousand years to decide if humanity was fit to exist. Frigga had asked the wives of the god-kings of earth to locate twelve human beings of pure genetic potential to serve as prime examples of humanity when the Fourth Host of the Celestials should occur. The Hindu goddesses had succeeded in locating Jahahanel Patel of the Brahmin caste at the turn of the century to be their representative and concealed him in an underground location where he was attended by several minor Hindu goddesses. When the Fourth Host occurred, the supreme mothergoddess Gaea who was the ancestor of all the gods of earth presented these twelve examples known as the Young Gods. The Celestials voted in favor of earth in view of the Young Gods and departed Earth with them into outer space. 275

LAKSHMI F RM (30) A IN (40) S AM (50) E SH-Z (500) R RM (30) I AM (50) P SH-X (75) Health: 620 Karma: 155 Resources: UN Popularity: 20 BACKGROUND Real Name: Lakshmi-Sri Occupation: Queen of the Hindu gods, goddess of love, fortune and fertility Legal Status: Citizen of Nirvana Identity: The majority of residents of Earth-616 believe Lakshmi to be a fictional or allegorical being. Other Known Aliases: Kamala, Shri, Shakti, Devi, Sita (mortal avatar), Gong de Tian (Chinese name) Dewi Sri (Balinese name) Place of Birth: Mount Himavat (modern Mount Everest in the Himalayas of Tibet) Marital Status: Married Known Relatives: Himavat (father), Menahka (mother), Parvati, Sarasvati, Ganga, Yamuna, Uma (sisters), Vishnu (husband), Padma (daughter), Kama (son), Brahma, Shiva, Agni, Yama, (brothers-in-law), Ganehsa, Skanda (nephews), Kali, Vach (nieces), Kartikeya (nephew, deceased) Base of Operations: Amaravati in the realm of Nirvana Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations: Asparas, Daevas KNOWN POWERS Body Resistance: IN versus Physical, Shooting, and Force attacks Invulnerability: AM resistance to cold, heat, radiation, etc. CL5000 resistance to earthly diseases. Longevity: The Daevas are functionally immortal in the sense that they cease to age upon reaching adulthood. Regeneration: EX ability; however, this ability does not allow the regeneration of limbs or organs. Hyper-Speed: EX Superhumanly Dense Tissue: The density of a Indian god’s bodily tissues is about three times that of a human being. As a result, they’re actually much heavier than they appear to be. 276

Resurrection: A number of gods may work together to resurrect another deity if his or her life essence is beyond resurrection. Requires a minimum of three deities and expenditure of all Karma; may be performed once per day. Allspeak: As with all gods, Allspeak allows one to understand, speak, and write in all languages. If addressing speakers of more than one language, each will understand the deity’s language in his or her native language. This ability extends to extraterrestrial and otherdimensional languages as well as Earth tongues. Extradimensional Sense: The Daevas can sense the presence of Asuras when located in adjacent dimensions, with UN ability. Magical Ability: Lakshmi also possesses the ability to tap into her shakti, her primal female energies, in order to create feats of magic. Lakshmi is considered among the most powerful goddesses in the Hindu pantheon.Treat as Shift Z strength magical powers, the exact nature of which is left to the GM’s discretion. Dimensional Travel: SH-Z ability Enchantment: Amazing ability; she can use this power to imbue either objects or beings with the power of her choice. Energy Emission - Lightning: She can conjure lightning bolts at IN intensity. Weather Control: Amazing ability to summon rain, floods or other precipitation. Healing: She has the ability to send her life force through avatars or mortal forms. As the Hindu symbol of the womb, immortality and spiritual purity, she can also use this ability to insure fertility. She can heal with Monstrous ability, including the ability to cure diseases and other afflictions. Reincarnation: Having been born as the goddess Sita in ancient times, she has reincarnated herself through various forms. If Lakshmi is reduced to zero Health on any plane but Nirvana, she will be reborn into a new avatar. Shapeshifting: EX. In her common form, she often appears with four arms, granting one extra attack per round. PETS/TRANSPORTATION Lakshmi sometimes rides upon a giant white owl: F A S E R I P Ex Rm Rm Un Ty Rm Rm Health: 180 Karma: 66 Resources: 0 Popularity: 0 Powers: Flight at RM airspeed. Beaks and talons attack as RM edged damage. MN strength Telescopic Vision. Dimensional Travel at RM. Talents: History: Nirvana and associated realms, History: India, Occult Lore, Medecine Contacts: Daevas, Mother Goddesses ROLE-PLAYING NOTES Lakshmi represents the Mother archetype, a life-giver and the source of nurturing, devotion, patience and unconditional love. The ability to forgive and provide for her children and put them before herself is foremost to her personality. She is also a great provider, bestowing spiritual and material wealth to those she favors. HISTORY Lakshmi is one of the Apsaras, a group of water-goddesses descended from the primal being known as Himavat, a member of the extradimensional race of beings known as the Daevas, who were worshipped by the ancient Vedic tribes of Ancient India and later the modern Hindu religion. Himavat was the great snowgod of the Vedic pantheon, and the waters trickling from his peaks into rivers and ravines were protected by his daughters, the Apsaras. The Apsaras were water-deities that helped carry the pious into heaven and had emerged from the sea during the deluge which covered the earth during the Earth's primeval past. Among them, the most revered were 277

Ganga who protected the sacred Ganges river, Parvati, wife of Shiva and Lakshmi, wife of Vishnu, who had helped lead the Daevas to victory against the Rakshasas, the eternal enemies of the Hindu gods. Before her marriage to Vishnu, Lakshmi had been wooed by Indra the thundergod, but he displeased her by trying to control her and the rain she sent to earth. Lakshmi made her home in the celestial city of Vaikunthia in the heaven of Nirvana, considered the highest level of existence in the Hindu faith. She gave birth to a number of goddesses, including Padma, the lotus-goddess, and Kama, the lovegod, who incinerated by Shiva but restored to life or replaced with the body of Krishna. In the early Vedic pantheon, Lakshmi had been revered as a goddess of love, but in the Hindu religion, she was worshipped as goddess of fortune and prosperity, her former role as love-goddess taken over by Ratri, the former goddess of night. Vishnu meanwhile assumed the role of seven mortal avatars on earth; Lakshmi lived through at least avatars with him as his true love. In the first, she was born as the mortal cowmaiden, Sita, wife of Vishnu as the hero, Rama, and entered exile with him when he abdicated the throne of Ayodha for his brother. She was kidnapped by Ravanna, one of the Rakshasas, and carried off to the island of Ceylon. Rama and his brothers obtained the help of King Sugriva and General Hanuman of the monkey-gods to invade Ceylon from which they had been exiled and built a bridge to invade the island to rescue Sita. Unfortunately, Sita was not honored by the people of Ayodhya for having lived among the Rakshasas, even against her will and Rama reluctantly sent her away. Sita gave birth to his sons, Kusa and Lava in exile, and as adults, they eventually returned to Ayodhya and told the passionate story of their parents' life to Rama. He is so moved by their story that he and his followers allowed Sita to return. In another avatar, Lakshmi was born as Radha, again of poor parents, and became the beloved of the hero Krishna, her foster-brother. Krishna was a major hero in the Hindu religion by slaying demons, monsters and enemies of the gods, and had several wives and lovers, but Radha was his favored bride. It was the body of Krishna who was mystically revived to restore Kama to life. Lakshmi later regained her true form and rejoined Vishnu in the heaven of the Hindu gods. After the Third Host of the Celestials, Lakshmi and her sisters Parvati and Sarasvati united with the mothergoddesses from all the pantheons of gods once worshipped or still worshipped on earth. This gathering included Frigga of the Asgardian gods and Hera of the Olympian gods. The Celestials and threatened to sever the gods connections to earth if they did not cease trafficking with mortals and had predicted to return in a thousand years to decide if humanity was fit to exist. Frigga had asked the wives of the god-kings of earth to locate twelve human beings of pure genetic potential to serve as prime examples of humanity when the Fourth Host of the Celestials should occur. The Hindu goddesses had succeeded in locating Jahahanel Patel of the Brahmin caste at the turn of the century to be their representative and concealed him in an underground location where he was attended by several minor Hindu goddesses. When the Fourth Host occurred, the supreme mothergoddess Gaea who was the ancestor of all the gods of earth presented these twelve examples known as the Young Gods. The Celestials voted in favor of earth in view of the Young Gods and departed Earth with them into outer space. 278

INDRA F SH-Z (500) A MN (75) S UN (100) E UN (100) R IN (40) I IN (40) P SH-Y (250) Health: 775 Karma: 330 Resources: SH-X Popularity: 20 BACKGROUND Real Name: Indra (also spelled Indr) Occupation: God of storm and thunder, Leader of the Maruts (Rudras) and the Vasus Legal Status: Citizen of Amaravati Identity: The majority of residents of Earth-616 believe Indra to be a fictional or allegorical being. Other Known Aliases: Indera (Balinese name), Kuara (Altaic name), Batara (Filipino name), Iswara (Balinese name), Kadaklan (Tinguian name) Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Separated Known Relatives: Dyaus (father), Gaea (mother, alias Prithivi), Tvashtri, Surya, Vayu (brothers), Ushas, Ratri (sisters), Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva (halfbrothers), Dharma, Skanda, Ganehsa, Yama (nephews), Padma, Saranyu, Kali (nieces), Lakshmi-Sri, Sarasvati, Parvati (sisters-in-law), Indrani (wife), Puloman (father-in-law), Jayanta (son), Arjuna (son by Kunti), Varuna (paternal grandfather) Base of Operations: Swarga Past Group Affiliations: Maruts, Vasus Present Group Affiliations: Daevas KNOWN POWERS Body Resistance: IN versus Physical, Shooting, and Force attacks Invulnerability: AM resistance to cold, heat, radiation, etc. CL5000 resistance to earthly diseases. Longevity: The Daevas are functionally immortal in the sense that they cease to age upon reaching adulthood. Regeneration: EX ability; however, this ability does not allow the regeneration of limbs or organs. Hyper-Speed: RM Superhumanly Dense Tissue: The density of a Indian god’s bodily tissues is about three times that of a human being. As a result, they’re actually much heavier than they appear to be. Resurrection: A number of gods may work together to resurrect another deity if his or her life essence is beyond resurrection. Requires a minimum of three deities and expenditure of all Karma; may be performed once per day. 279

Allspeak: As with all gods, Allspeak allows one to understand, speak, and write in all languages. If addressing speakers of more than one language, each will understand the deity’s language in his or her native language. This ability extends to extraterrestrial and otherdimensional languages as well as Earth tongues. Extradimensional Sense: The Daevas can sense the presence of Asuras when located in adjacent dimensions, with UN ability. Weather Generation/Control: Indra can conjure and create storms and rain at Monstrous rank. He can command the weather to create thunderstorms and generate lightning bolts which he can fire with stunning precision. Electricity Control (Magical): He can also channel other lightning from gods like Thor and use it against them. To use this ability, he must make a successful Block action; the lightning is diverted back to the opponent automatically and will harm the opponent regardless of his or her normal immunity. Magical Ability: He also has other skills of a mystical nature which are as yet unrevealed. Treat as Shift X strength magical powers, the exact nature of which is left to the GM’s discretion. His spells usually include some aspect of weather or lightning. Shapechange: Good ability. He usually chooses a form with four arms, granting one extra attack per turn. PETS In ancient times, Indra rode upon Airavata, an elephant-mount possibly born from earlier even more ancient Vedic deities, but its life force was forfeited to Ganehsa. He is sometimes accompanied by his dog, Sarama, also known for being the progenitor of Sarameyau, the guard dog at the gates of the underworld. Sarama was known as Kimat in Indonesian myth. Airavata: F A S E R I P In Ex ShX Shx Ty Ty Rm Health: 360 Karma: 46 Resources: 0 Popularity: 0 Powers: Body Armor (thick hide): AM protection vs. physical attacks. Moves at EX landspeed. Dimensional Travel at IN. Natural Weaponry (tusks): AM edged damage. Shapechange at GD ability; sometimes Airavata is shown with multiple heads (either three or five), allowing one extra action per turn with trunk or tusks, plus 360-degree vision and raising Intuition to EX. Sarama: F A S E R I P In Rm In Am Pr Ex Rm Health: 160 Karma: 54 Resources: 0 Popularity: 0 Powers: Bite and claws do edged damage. Runs at EX land speed. MN Tracking. True Sight at AM. EQUIPMENT Indra carries the Vajra, a curved sword resembling a lightning bolt. He also carried a number of other weapons including hammers, swords, daggers and a bow and arrow. Indra’s astras include: ● Varja: Indra’s sword is imbued with the power of lightning. The sword does IN edged damage and is made of CL1000 material. It may also cast lightning bolts at AM strength. ● Indradhanus: This is Indra’s enchanted bow, which is a rainbow. By shooting one arrow, this weapon brings about a 'shower' of arrows from the sky. Arrows do EX damage to up to 200 targets in a 20-area radius; the arrows emit a rainbow light at FB intensity. The bow is of SH-Z material. ● Anjalika Astra: This is a ten-foot long flaming spear with the power of lightning; it may be used as a melee weapon or thrown. MN damage, made of CL1000 material, may affect the target with a lightning attack or fire. ● Vasavi Shakti: This is a magical dart that is unfailing at hitting its target when wielded by Indra. The dart does AM damage and is made of CL1000 material 280

strength; when thrown by Indra, it hits its target at CL1000 ability. ● Visoshana: The Visoshana is a fearsome flaming spear. Its heat is so strong that it can dry anything, making it an amazing counter to the Varunastra. MN damage, CL3000 material, can emit heat or fire at SH-X ability, including countering water or icebased attacks. Talents: Weapons Master, History: Nirvana and associated realms, History: India, Weapons Specialist: Varja, Military, Martial Arts A - E Contacts: Daevas, Olympian Gods, Maruts (gods of storm), Vasus (gods of wind) ROLE-PLAYING NOTES Indra is an accomplished warrior, often seen carrying a variety of weapons including swords, sikhs (daggers) and a bow and arrow. In his true godly form, he can be particularly ruthless, equipped with multiple weapons from each hand capable of felling several opponents at once. HISTORY Indra is a member of the Adityas, an extradimensional race of beings who were worshipped as gods by the people of Ancient India and who became the ancestors of the later Daevas, the Gods of Hindu. Indra was revered as one of the most important gods of the earlier Vedic Pantheon. His birth was concealed by Prithivi from his grandfather, Varuna, the Ruler of the Vedic Gods, but as an adult, Indra supplanted his father, Dyaus, as god of the sky. With powers of storm and thunder, Indra seemed to earn his place in the pantheon by defending the Vedic gods from their enemies, often invigorating himself on soma, the drink of the gods, in order to do so. He became leader of the Maruts, gods of storm, and the Vasus, gods of wind, but he also became close friends of Vishnu, who was then a minor sun-god in the pantheon. However, Indra eventually became so drunk that he slew Vritra, one of the Danavas or serpent-gods in the Vedic Pantheon. Vritra had coiled up at the bottom of Mount Himavat preventing rain from falling to earth and had been enchanted that he was impervious to weapons. In order to slay him, Indra turned the sea to foam and drowned the serpent -god in the depths of the sea. Vritra had been close friends of Vishnu, and his death brought great sadness over the Vedic gods. As punishment, Indra had to surrender his elephant-mount, Airavata; it's life-force being used to revive Ganehsa, the slain son of Shiva, to life. (Later myths claimed that Airavata's head was used to replace Ganehsa's missing head, contributing to the god's appearance). Vishnu, however, rose through ascension to supplant Varuna at the head of the pantheon and with his brothers, Brahma and Shiva as the Holy Trimurtri, developed from the tenets of Hinduism on earth out of the fading Vedic religion with themselves at the head of the new pantheon. Indra's friendship with Vishnu became estranged as a result. Under Hinduism, he no longer had as many 281

worshippers as he once did, but Varuna became identified as Ormazd, the divine lord in Zoroastrianism worshipped in ancient Persia. As one of the Persian gods, Indra was worshipped among the Kafirs, but he still had a few worshippers left in India. When the Hindu King Pandu was under a curse they prevented him from having children, his wife Kunti sought a boon from the gods and shared her bed with five separate deities. Among them, she was loved by Indra and bore him a son, Arjuna, who became charioteer to Krishna, one of the mortal avatars of Vishnu. As several pantheons of gods lost worshippers or waned in power, Hinduism continued to become one of the largest religions on Earth. Indra and Vishnu seemingly buried their hostilities, with Indra sometimes possibly taking a place in the Trimurtri during Shiva's moments of self-imposed ascetic isolation. When Thor came to Nirvana, the cosmology of the Hindu gods, to seek a portion of the life energies to revive his fellow Asgardian gods, Indra challenged Thor considering him to be a deity with waning power. Indra had decided to vote against donating the energies to revive the Asgardians, even engaging Thor in battle, but upon realizing the passion of Thor's conviction, Indra relented and eventually donated the energies required. Sometime later, when Yama, the Vedic god of the dead accidentally released Demogorge while working in a coven with other gods of the dead, Indra reunited with Thor and a host of other warrior gods to subdue it. Although the combined forces of the gods were insufficient against the power of the primeval entity, Thor managed to appeal to Atum, its true personality, and reversed its palate, freeing all the gods that had been consumed by Demogorge. 282

HANUMAN F AM (50) A UN (100) S MN (75) E AM (50) R IN (40) I IN (40) P MN (75) Health: 250 Karma: 155 Resources: UN Popularity: 20 BACKGROUND Real Name: Hanuman Occupation: Legal Status: Citizen of Nirvana Identity: The majority of residents of Earth-616 believe Hanuman to be a fictional or allegorical being. Other Known Aliases: Ape-God, Hanumat, Anuman (Tamil), Hanumantha (Kannada), Hanumanthudu (Telugu), Anjaneya,Anjaniputra (Kannada), Anjaneyar (Tamil), Anjaneyudu (Telugu), Anjanisuta, Kesari Nandan, Maruti, Bajrang Bali, Sang Kera Pemuja Dewa Rama, Sankata Mochana, Andaman, Anoman, Hunlaman Place of Birth: Anjaneri, India Marital Status: Married Known Relatives: Vayu (spiritual father); Kesari (father); Añjanā (mother); Suvarchala (wife) Base of Operations: Nirvana, Earth Past Group Affiliations: Monkey Army Present Group Affiliations: Daevas KNOWN POWERS Body Resistance: IN versus Physical, Shooting, and Force attacks Invulnerability: AM resistance to cold, heat, radiation, etc. CL5000 resistance to earthly diseases. Longevity: The Daevas are functionally immortal in the sense 283

that they cease to age upon reaching adulthood. Regeneration: EX ability; however, this ability does not allow the regeneration of limbs or organs. Hyper-Speed: IN Superhumanly Dense Tissue: The density of a Indian god’s bodily tissues is about three times that of a human being. As a result, they’re actually much heavier than they appear to be. Resurrection: A number of gods may work together to resurrect another deity if his or her life essence is beyond resurrection. Requires a minimum of three deities and expenditure of all Karma; may be performed once per day. Allspeak: As with all gods, Allspeak allows one to understand, speak, and write in all languages. If addressing speakers of more than one language, each will understand the deity’s language in his or her native language. This ability extends to extraterrestrial and otherdimensional languages as well as Earth tongues. Shapeshift: He can shapeshift, become smaller than the smallest or larger than the largest adversary at will. In his natural form, he is described as ugly on the outside, but divinely beautiful inside. He has this power at AM rank, also includes Growth and Shrinking at the same rank. Hyper-Leaping: UN ability Extradimensional Sense: The Daevas can sense the presence of Asuras when located in adjacent dimensions, with UN ability. Monkey Army: Hanuman can summon and command an army of up to 100 monkey warriors. Their statistics are: F A S E R I P Ex Ty Ty Gd Gd Ty Pr Health: 42 Karma: 20 The monkeys may be equipped with weapons and armor equal to those used in ancient India. EQUIPMENT Gada (mace): IN blunt damage, CL1000 strength material. Talents: Performer (poetry, musician, and singer), Acrobatics, Gymnastics, Tumbling, Climbing, Leadership, History: Nirvana and associated realms, History: India, Military, Martial Arts A, C, D, E, Sleight of Hand, Disguise Contacts: Monkey Army, Daevas ADDITIONAL NOTES There have been a number of beings with the name Hanuman who have appeared in Marvel Comics. Notable among them is the ape god worshipped by the Jabari tribe of Wakanda, as well as a Hyborian Age ape god named Hanuman. It is unknown whether either or both of these two entities are the same being as the Hanuman of the Hindu pantheon, or whether there is any connection between them. ROLE-PLAYING NOTES Hanuman is an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. He is heroic, brave and steadfastly chaste, much like in the Sanskrit tradition, but not celibate. Hanuman is described as someone who constantly faces very difficult odds, yet he always finds an innovative way to turn the odds. HISTORY According to Hindu legends, Hanuman was born to Anjana and father Kesari. Hanuman is also called the son of the deity Vayu (Wind god) because of legends associated with Vayu's role in Hanuman's birth. One story states that when Anjana was worshiping Shiva, the King Dasharatha of Ayodhya was also performing the ritual of Putrakama yagna in order to have children. As a result, he received some sacred pudding (payasam) to be shared by his three wives, leading to the births of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. By divine ordinance, a kite (bird) snatched a fragment of that pudding and dropped it while flying over the forest where Anjana was engaged in worship. Vayu, the Hindu deity of the wind, delivered the 284

falling pudding to the outstretched hands of Anjana, who consumed it. Hanuman was born to her as a result. Some believe that Lord Hanuman was born in a cave in Anjani Kund (or Anjani Parbat) in what is now southern Gujarat's tribal-dominated Dangs district. One morning in his childhood, Hanuman was hungry and saw the rising red colored sun. Mistaking it for a ripe fruit, he leapt up to eat it. In one version of the legend, Indra intervened and struck his thunderbolt. It hit Hanuman on his jaw, and he fell to the earth unconscious with a broken jaw. His father, Vayu (air), became upset and withdrew. The lack of air created immense suffering to all living beings. This led Prajapati, the god of life, to intervene and resuscitate Hanuman, which in turn prompted Vayu to return to the living beings. In another version of his childhood legend, Hanuman's leap for the sun proves to be fatal and he is burnt to ashes from the sun's heat. His ashes fall onto the earth and oceans. Gods then gather the ashes and his bones from land and, with the help of fishes, from the water and re-assemble him. They find everything except one fragment of his jawbone. His greatgrandfather on his mother's side then asks Surya to restore the child to life. Surya returns him to life, but Hanuman is left with a disfigured jaw. Hanuman said to have spend his childhood in Kishkindha. Some time after this event, Hanuman begins using his supernatural powers on innocent bystanders as simple pranks, until one day he pranks a meditating sage. In fury, the sage curses Hanuman to forget the vast majority of his powers. After Rama and his brother Lakshmana, searching for Rama's kidnapped wife, Sita, arrived in Kishkindha, the new king, and Rama's newfound ally the monkey king Sugriva, agreed to send scouts in all four directions to search for Rama's missing wife. To the south, Sugriva sent Hanuman and some others, including the great bear Jambavan. This group traveled all the way to the southernmost tip of India, where they encountered the ocean with the island of Lanka (modern day Sri Lanka) visible in the horizon. The group wished to investigate the island, but none could swim or jump so far. However, Jambavan knew from prior events that Hanuman used to be able to do such a feat with ease, and lifted his curse. The curse lifted, Hanuman remembered all of his godlike powers. He is said to have transformed into the size of a small mountain, and flew across the narrow channel to Lanka. Upon landing, he discovered a city populated by the evil king Ravana and his demon followers, so he shrunk down to the size of an ant and snuck into the city. After searching the city, he discovered Sita in a grove, guarded by demon warriors. When they all fell asleep, he met with Sita and discussed how he came to find her. She revealed that Ravana kidnapped her and was forcing her to marry him soon. He offered to rescue her but Sita refused, stating that her husband must do it. After visiting Sita, he started destroying the grove, prompting his capture. He ended up being captured in the court of Ravana himself, who laughed when Hanuman told him that Rama was coming to take back Sita. Ravana ordered his servants to light Hanuman's tail on fire as torture for threatening his safety. However, every time they put on an oil soaked cloth to burn, he grew his tail longer so that more cloths needed to be added. This continued until Ravana had enough and ordered the lighting to begin. However, when his tail was lit, he shrunk his tail back and broke free of his bonds with his superhuman strength. He jumped out a window and jumped from rooftop to rooftop, burning down building after building, until much of the city was ablaze. Seeing this triumph, Hanuman left back for India. Upon returning, he told his scouting party what had occurred, and they rushed back to Kishkindha, where Rama had been waiting all along for 285

news. Upon hearing that Sita was safe and was awaiting him, Rama gathered the support of Sugriva's army and marched for Lanka. Thus began the legendary Battle of Lanka. Throughout the long battle, Hanuman played a role as a general in the army. During one intense fight, Lakshmana, Rama's brother, was fatally wounded and was thought to die without the aid of an herb from a Himalayan mountain. Hanuman was the only one who could make the journey so quickly, and was thus sent to the mountain. Upon arriving, he discovered that there were many herbs along the mountainside, and did not want to take the wrong herb back. So instead, he grew to the size of a mountain, ripped the mountain from the Earth, and flew it back to the battle. In the end, Rama revealed his divine powers as the incarnation of the God Vishnu, and slew Ravana and the rest of the demon army. Finally finished, Rama returned to his home of Ayodhya to return to his place as king. After blessing all those who aided him in the battle with gifts, he gave Hanuman his gift, who threw it away. Many court officials, perplexed, were angered by this act. Hanuman replied that rather than needing a gift to remember Rama, he would always be in his heart. Some court officials, still upset, asked him for proof, and Hanuman tore open his chest, which had an image of Rama and Sita on his heart. Now proven as a true devotee, Rama cured him and blessed him with immortality, but Hanuman refused this and asked only for a place at Rama's feet to worship him. Touched, Rama blessed him with immortality anyways, set only as long as the story of Rama lives on. Centuries after the events of the Ramayana, Hanuman was a nearly forgotten demigod living his life in a forest. After some time, his half brother through the god Vayu, Bhima, passed through looking for flowers for his wife. Hanuman sensed this and decided to teach him a lesson, as Bhima had been known to be boastful of his superhuman strength. Bhima encountered Hanuman lying on the ground in the shape of a feeble old monkey. He asked Hanuman to move, but he would not. As stepping over an individual was considered extremely disrespectful in this time, Hanuman suggested lifting his tail up to create passage. Bhima heartily accepted, but could not lift the tail to any avail. Bhima, humbled, realized that the frail monkey was some sort of deity, and asked him to reveal himself. Hanuman revealed himself, much to Bhima's surprise, and the brothers embraced. Hanuman prophesied that Bhima would soon be a part of a terrible war, and promised his brother that he would sit on the flag of his chariot and shout a battle cry that would weaken the hearts of his enemies. Content, Hanuman left his brother to his search, and after that prophesied war, would not be seen again. 286

YAMA F AM (50) A AM (50) S IN (40) E UN (100) R EX (40) I IN (40) P UN (75) Health: 240 Karma: 155 Resources: SHX Popularity: -10 BACKGROUND Real Name: Yama Dharma Occupation: God of the dead Legal Status: Citizen of Patala Identity: The majority of residents of Earth-616 believe Yama to be a fictional or allegorical being. Other Known Aliases: Kala (time"), Kritanta, Mritya (death"), Pitripati ("lord-of-the-fathers"), Dharmaraja ("king-of-virtue"), Dakshinapatis, Antaka ("he-who-ends-life"), PretaRaja ("king-of-ghosts"), Samana ("the leveler"), Samavurtri ("impartial judge"), Sraddheheva ("god of funerals"), Udambara ("man of the ficus tree"), Vaivasvata ("son of Vivasvat"), Asu-niti, Chos-Rygal PhyiSgrub (Tibetan name), Emma-O (possible Japanese name), Yama-Raja (Balinese name) Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Married Known Relatives: Surya (father); Saranyu (mother), Tvashtri (grandfather/uncle), Indra, Agni, Vayu (uncles); Ratri, Ushas (aunts), Chhaya (maternal aunt); Indu, Chandra (alias Soma) (half-brothers); Yamunda (wife, alias Yami); Dyaus (grandfather); Prithivi (grandmother) Base of Operations: Yamala, in the realm of Patala Past Group Affiliations: Gods of the Dead Present Group Affiliations: Daevas KNOWN POWERS Body Resistance: IN versus Physical, Shooting, and Force attacks Invulnerability: AM resistance to cold, heat, radiation, etc. CL5000 resistance to earthly diseases. Longevity: The Daevas are functionally immortal in the sense that they cease to age upon reaching adulthood. Regeneration: EX ability; however, this ability does not allow the regeneration of limbs or organs. Hyper-Speed: EX Superhumanly Dense Tissue: The density of a Indian god’s bodily tissues is about three times that of a human being. As a result, they’re actually much heavier than they appear to be. Resurrection: A number of gods may work together to resurrect another deity if his or her life essence is beyond resurrection. Requires a minimum of three deities and expenditure of all Karma; may be performed once per day. 287

Allspeak: As with all gods, Allspeak allows one to understand, speak, and write in all languages. If addressing speakers of more than one language, each will understand the deity’s language in his or her native language. This ability extends to extraterrestrial and otherdimensional languages as well as Earth tongues. Magical Ability: He has latent mystical powers, occult in nature, such as the ability to conjure hellfire. Treat as Unearthly strength magical powers, the exact nature of which is left to the GM’s discretion. Extradimensional Sense: The Daevas can sense the presence of Asuras when located in adjacent dimensions, with UN ability. PETS In Hindu myth, Yama rides on a black water buffalo. F A S E R I P Ex Ex Un Un Ty Ty Gd Health: 240 Karma: 22 Resources: 0 Popularity: 0 Powers: RM Body Resistance. Moves at EX landspeed. Dimensional Travel at IN. Natural Weaponry (horns): AM edged damage. EQUIPMENT Gada (mace): IN blunt damage, CL1000 strength material. Talents: History: Nirvana and associated realms, History: India, Weapons Specialist: Mace, Blunt Weapons, Martial Arts A-C, Leadership Contacts: Daevas, Death gods ROLE-PLAYING NOTES Yama’s personality, attitude, and power changed in response to human conceptions of religion and death over the passing centuries. Initially a friend of humanity, Yama rose in power to become a god to be held in awe and later into a chthonic being to be feared. Throughout it all, his ties to humanity and morality have remained major factors of his character. Even today, Yama is a deity still very much involved in human affairs, even if they are ones primarily occurring after death. HISTORY In Hinduism, Yama was revered as an embodiment of law and judged over souls that entered his realm, deciding where they should go after death. A minor god named Chitragupta assisted him by keeping an account of the welfare of mortals deciding on where mortals were assigned. Yama is the son of the sun god, Surya Vivasvat, one of the Adityas who survived into the Hindu pantheon, and brother of Chandra, who became Soma, the wine-god. He took the river-goddess Yamuna as his wife, but some myths claim she was also his sister. According to Vedic tradition, Yami and Yamuna were once mortal, and when their mortal lives came to an end, they became rulers of the afterlife. He was a respected deity of the Dravidian and Aryan tribes of Eastern Europe, but under Hinduism, he became a judge over the shades (ghosts) of mortals passing through the underworld. Like several Hindu gods, his worship was carried throughout Southeast Asia. Worshipped under the name YamaRaja in the Philippines, it is unconfirmed if he was also Emma-O of the Japanese gods. In the 1870s, an Indian rebel called the Mahdi, seeking to destroy the British army, prayed to the Hindu gods, demanding the power to fight the British. In a vision, Yama, Ratri (goddess of night), Agni (god of fire, two-headed), Maya (goddess of dreams), and Kâli granted the Mahdi powers and weapons to fight the British. From Yama, the Mahdi gained a fiery sword, from Ratri the power of "the night's shadows", from Agni sacrificial flame, from Maya the power to drive his enemies to despair with illusions, and from Kâli the wheel of destruction. The Mahdi then used these powers in battle-only to discover too late that he had offended the gods by trying to order them around. The Mahdi's weapons were only illusions, and he died in battle. In the 1950s the God of Justice (implied to be Yama) came to Earth to take Aba, Ral, Sali and the spirit of the 288

deceased Kordu with him for punishment after each gave a false testimony to gain an advantage by blaming someone they hated for Kordu's accidental death. Over several centuries, Yama became annoyed by the lack of regular and steady new subjects and entered into an unholy alliance with six other gods of the dead to unite their realms. Their dark ritual, however, released a primal entity known as Demogorge the God Eater from the dawn of time who consumed him believing him to be a degenerated god. Yama was rescued by a number of warrior gods lead by Thor of the Asgardians god. Humiliated after his experience, Yama broke off and severed connections with the other gods of the dead rather than incur further indignation. Later, Hela bargained with the other death gods, including Yama, to resurrect Hippolyta. Yama’s current activities are unknown. 289

SKANDA F AM (50) A IN (40) S AM (50) E IN (40) R EX (20) I EX (20) P TY (6) Health: 180 Karma: 46 Resources: RM Popularity: 6 BACKGROUND Real Name: Skanda Occupation: God of war and guardianship Legal Status: Citizen of Nirvana Identity: No dual identity Other Known Aliases: Kartikeya, Murugan, Kumara, Subrahmanya, Devasenapati Place of Birth: Ganges River, India Marital Status: Married Known Relatives: Shiva (father); Parvati (mother); Ganesha (brother); Devasena and Valli (consorts) Base of Operations: Mount Kailash, India Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations: Daevas, GeNext (Earth-41001) KNOWN POWERS Body Resistance: IN versus Physical, Shooting, and Force attacks Invulnerability: AM resistance to cold, heat, radiation, etc. CL5000 resistance to earthly diseases. Longevity: The Daevas are functionally immortal in the sense that they cease to age upon reaching adulthood. Regeneration: EX ability; however, this ability does not allow the regeneration of limbs or organs. Hyper-Speed: GD Superhumanly Dense Tissue: The density of a Indian god’s bodily tissues is about three times that of a human being. As a result, they’re actually much heavier than they appear to be. Resurrection: A number of gods may work together to resurrect another deity if his or her life essence is beyond resurrection. Requires a minimum of three deities and expenditure of all Karma; may be performed once per day. Allspeak: As with all gods, Allspeak allows one to understand, speak, and write in all languages. If addressing speakers of more than one language, each will understand the deity’s language in his or her native language. This ability extends to extraterrestrial and otherdimensional languages as well as Earth tongues. Shapechange: EX ability Extradimensional Sense: The Daevas can sense the presence of Asuras when located in adjacent dimensions, with UN ability. Light Emission: MN ability; ancient texts describe his body glowing “like the sun rising from the emerald sea". 290

Flight: RM airspeed EQUIPMENT Vel (divine javelin): RM damage, constructed of UN material. When thrown, this javelin can seek out any target within its range, bypassing any illusory or stealth coverage the target may have, with SH-X ability. Bow and arrows: Skanda’s arrows do RM damage, RM range; they are constructed of UN material. PETS/TRANSPORTATION In myth, Skanda has been known to ride on a giant peacock: F A S E R I P Ex Rm Ex Un Ty Ty Rm Health: 170 Karma: 42 Resources: 0 Popularity: 0 Powers: Flight at EX airspeed. Dimensional Travel at GD. Talents: History: Nirvana and associated realms, History: India, Weapons Specialist: Vel, Archery, Ancient Weapons (India) Contacts: Daevas, Hank McCoy (Beast), GeNext ROLE-PLAYING NOTES Skanda is a philosopher-warrior who is devoted to the protection of his faith, followers of the Daevas, and their places of worship. HISTORY Skanda is a god of India, and an old friend of Hank McCoy of the X-Men. Skanda is a junior god of war, representing the concept of guardianship, and is the son of Parvati and Shiva, and brother of Ganesha. He is typically represented as an everyouthful man, riding or near a peacock, dressed with weapons, and sometimes near a rooster. Most icons show him with one head, but some show him with six heads. He is particularly revered among the Tamil people of India, in Sri Lanka, and in Thailand. In ancient times when the Elder Gods ruled the earth, the Daevas had been defeated by the asuras led by Taraka, because Taraka had a boon from Shiva that only Shiva's son could kill him. The Daevas learned about this boon, and planned to get Shiva into a relationship. Introducing Parvati to seduce Shiva, the two wed so that Skanda could be born to kill Taraka. In the alternate future of Earth41001, Skanda allied (will ally?) with GeNext when the super villain Kalima (Kali) attacked India. He also holds a grudge against the Von Doom family as seen with his treatment of Sophie von Doom. 291

OTHER DAEVAS The following gods and goddesses have been alluded to or confirmed as existing behind the scenes in Marvel comics. KRISHNA Real Name: Krishna Occupation: Avatar of Vishnu Legal Status: Citizen of Nirvana Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Krishna except as a mythological, allegorical, or historical character. Other Aliases: According to Indian lore, Krishna has 108 different names Place of Birth: Mathura, Surasena (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India) Marital Status: Married Known Relatives: Radha, Rukmini, Satyabhama and other Ashtabharyas, and 16,000–16,100 other junior queens (wives); Daevaki (mother); VasuDaeva (father); Yashoda (foster mother); Nanda Baba (foster father); Balarama, Subhadra (siblings) Group Affiliations: Daevas Base of Operations: Nirvana History: Krishna is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshiped as the eighth avatar of the god Vishnu and also as the supreme God in his own right. He is the god of compassion, tenderness, and love in Hinduism, and is one of the most popular and widely revered among Indian divinities. It is generally agreed that the Hindu Krishna is based upon a real historical figure. Krishna was born to Daevaki and her husband, King VasuDaeva of the Yadava clan in Mathura. Daevaki's brother was a tyrant named Kansa. At Daevaki's wedding, Kansa was told by fortune tellers that a child of Daevaki would kill him. Kansa arranged to kill all of Daevaki's children. When Krishna was born, VasuDaeva secretly carried the infant Krishna away across the Yamuna and exchanged him. When Kansa tried to kill the newborn, the exchanged baby appeared as the Hindu goddess Durga, warning him that his death had arrived in his kingdom, and then disappeared. Krishna grew up with Nanda Baba and his wife Yasoda near modern-day Mathura. Two of Krishna's siblings also survived, namely Balarama and Subhadra. The legends of Krishna's childhood and youth describe him as a cow herder, a mischievous boy whose pranks earns him the nickname a Makhan Chor (butter thief), and a protector who stole the hearts of the people in both Gokul and Vrindavana. Other legends describe him as an enchanter and playful lover of the gopis (milkmaids) of Vrindavana, especially Radha. Krishna legends then describe his return to Mathura. He overthrew and killed the tyrant king, his uncle Kansa, after quelling several assassination attempts by Kansa. He reinstated Kansa's father, Ugrasena, as the king of the Yadavas and became a leading prince at the court. In one version of the Krishna story, Krishna after Kansa's death led the Yadavas to the newly built city of Dwaraka. Krishna befriended Arjuna and the other Pandava princes of the Kuru kingdom. The Bhagavata Purana describes eight wives of Krishna that appeared in sequence as (Rukmini, Satyabhama, Jambavati, Kalindi, Mitravinda, Nagnajiti (also called Satya), Bhadra, and Lakshmana (also called Madra). In Krishna-related Hindu traditions, he is most commonly seen with Radha. All of his wives and his lover Radha are considered in the Hindu tradition to be the avatars of the goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu. According to the epic poem Mahabharata, Krishna became Arjuna's charioteer for the Kurukshetra War, but on the condition that he personally would not raise any weapon. Upon arrival at the battlefield, and seeing that the enemies are his family, his grandfather, and his cousins and loved ones, Arjuna was moved and said his heart would not allow him to fight and kill others. He would rather renounce the kingdom and put down 292

his Gandiv (Arjuna's bow). Krishna then advised him about the nature of life, ethics, and morality when one is faced with a war between good and evil, the impermanence of matter, the permanence of the soul and the good, duties and responsibilities, the nature of true peace and bliss and the different types of yoga to reach this state of bliss and inner liberation. The legendary Kurukshetra War led to the death of all the hundred sons of Gandhari. On the night before Duryodhana's death, Krishna visited Gandhari to offer his condolences. Feeling that Krishna deliberately did not put an end to the war, in a fit of rage and sorrow Gandhari fought Krishna at a festival among the Yadavas, who ended up killing each other. Mistaking the sleeping Krishna for a deer, a hunter named Jara shot an arrow that fatally injured him. Krishna forgave Jara and died. After his death, Krishna returned to his transcendent abode directly because of his yogic concentration. Waiting gods such as Brahma and Indra were unable to trace the path Krishna took to leave his human incarnation and return to his abode. Weapons: Krishna is known for two particular weapons. The Sudarshana Chakra is a spinning, disk-like weapon, literally meaning "disk of auspicious vision." The Kaumodaki is an enchanted, ornate mace. PARVATI Real Name: Mahadevi Skakti Parvati Occupation: Queen of the Hindu Gods, goddess of weapons Legal Status: Citizen of Nirvana Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Parvati except as a mythological character. Other Aliases: Sati, Sakti, Shakti, Durga, Kali, Uma, Gauri, Tatatakai, Katukilal, Korrawi (Tamil name), Nairamata (Buddhist name), Prawati (Balinese name), Mountain-goddess Place of Birth: Mount Himavat (modern Mount Everest in the Himalayas of Tibet) Marital Status: Married Known Relatives: Himavat (father), Menahka (mother), Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Ganga, Yamuna, Uma (sisters), Shiva (husband), Ganehsa, Skanda (sons), Kali (daughter), Jalamdhara (step-son, deceased), Padma, Vach (nieces), Kama (nephews), Kartikeya (nephew, deceased), Brahma, Vishnu, Agni, Yama, (brothers-in-law), Group Affiliations: Daevas Base of Operations: Kailasa in the Nirvana dimension History: Parvati is a member of the Daevas, an other-dimensional race of beings worshipped as gods by the Hindus. The Daevas are the descendants of the Adityas, the children of the goddess Aditi, motherearth, also known as Gaea. The Adityas had been worshipped as gods by the Vedic tribes on earth but had been replaced as gods by the Daevas in the new Hindu religion that developed in Ancient India. Under the new Hindu order, the former Adityas were known as the Asuras and ousted from power although several of them were worshipped under new names by the Persian Empire. In her first incarnation, Parvati had been born as Sati, daughter of Daksha, one of the espoused Vedic gods. Sati had fell in love with Shiva, but her father would not encourage the marriage and instead offered her hand in marriage to any other god who desired her. He gathered all the gods to meet her, but he did not invite Shiva for Sati to choose. Sati tossed her bridal veil to the wind than choose anyone from her father's guests, and Shiva caught it and returned it to her. When he revealed that her father had forbid him from marrying him, Sati took her life by throwing herself into flame than marry anyone else. Angered at Daksha for his role in her death, Shiva slew Daksha. Parvati was later reborn as one of the Apsaras, daughter of the snow-god, Himavat, who lived atop Mount Meru in the Himalayas (now known as Mount Everest.) After Sati's death, Shiva had exiled himself to an ascetic existence, but Kama the love-god struck him with an arrow that made him fall in love with the first woman he saw. Awakened from his trance, he opened his third eye and 293

incinerated the mischievous young god, causing his death. When he noticed Parvati, he fell in love with her, but he did not marry her until she could best him in battle. Shiva and Parvati became insatiable lovers compared to the other gods; the energies from their love-making were capable of destroying whole worlds. They had two sons, Ganehsa and Skanda. One of Parvati's avatars, Kali the death-goddess, became so powerful that it split off from her and became another goddess. Although technically his daughter, Kali was on Earth worshipped as a form of Parvati and another wife of Shiva. Despite being the wife of Shiva, Parvati was the object of desire by the god, Jalamdhara. Some years before, Shiva heard that Indra the thunder-god had increased in power due to an increase in worshippers and had reached a point that he had become almost as powerful as Shiva. Shiva's anger at this effrontery to his power had taken form and was born through the goddess, Ganga, the goddess of the Ganges River, as Jalamdhara, who abducted Parvati to be his wife, and gathered the Asuras, the former Adityas not worshipped in the Hindu religion, against the Daevas. Shiva engaged Jalamdhara in battle to rescue Parvati, but he discovered that every time he tried to kill Jalamdhara that he returned back to life from his spilled blood. In preparation for his war against the gods, Jalamdhara had gained power from Brahma that he would insure his immortality and make him invulnerable against being killed by the gods. To defeat him, Shiva guided Parvati and the wives of all the Hindu gods to drink up all of Jalamdhara's spilled blood that there was nothing left of him to restore him to life. Parvati proved to be a powerful warrior-goddess in her own right in the form of the goddess, Durga, particularly against Mahisa of the Asuras. Like Jalamdhara before her, Mahisa had been granted a boon from Shiva to make her immortal. In order to slay her, Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu and the gods used flame to change Parvati into Durga, the warrior-goddess, in order to slay her. Armed with Vishnu's discus, Shiva's trident, Agni's vajra, Indra's thunderbolt and Varuna's conch shell, Durga slew Mahisa and her allies, Sumbha and Nishumbha, who had only been protected by Shiva against other gods. As Durga, it was Parvati's position to carry the weapons of the other gods into battle against their enemies. After the Third Host of the Celestials, Parvati and her sisters, Lakshmi and Sarasvati, united with the mothergoddesses from all the pantheons of gods once worshipped or still worshipped on earth. This gathering included Frigga of the Asgardian gods and Hera of the Olympian gods. The Celestials had threatened to sever the gods’ connections to earth if they did not cease trafficking with mortals and had predicted to return in a thousand years to decide if humanity was fit to exist. Frigga had asked the wives of the god-kings of earth to locate twelve human beings of pure genetic potential to serve as prime examples of humanity when the Fourth Host of the Celestials should occur. The Hindu goddesses had succeeded in locating Jahahanel Patel of the Brahmin caste at the turn of the century to be their representative and concealed him in an underground location where he was attended by several minor Hindu goddesses. When the Fourth Host occurred, the supreme mothergoddess Gaea who was the ancestor of all the gods of earth presented these twelve examples known as the Young Gods. The Celestials voted in favor of earth in view of the Young Gods and departed Earth with them into outer space. TVASHTRI Real Name: Tvashtri Occupation: Hindu god of crafts, Patron god of architects Legal Status: Citizen of Nirvana Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Tvashtri except as a mythological character. Other Aliases: Visvakarma (Brahmanic name) Place of Birth: Unrevealed, possibly Nirvana Marital Status: Separated Known Relatives: Dyaus (father), Prithivi (mother), Indra, Surya, Agni, 294

Yayu (brothers), Saranyu, Anjana (daughters), Hanuman, Soma, Yama (nephews), Yami (niece), Ganga (sister-in-law), Kartikeya (nephew, deceased), Varuna (grandfather), Group Affiliations: Daevas Base of Operations: Nirvana History: Tvashtri and several of the former Vedic deities were accepted into the new Hindu pantheon, but several were not, becoming known as Asuras, retired gods not recognized by the Hindu pantheon, or Yazatas, deities accepted by the god Varuna under Zoroasterism and who became Persian gods. Several Daevas were honored in both the Hindu and Persian pantheons like Tvashtri, Atar and Soma. As the god Visvakarma, Tvashtri constructed all the cities of the gods as well as the walls of Lanka, home of the monkey-gods from Nirvana. His daughter, Saranyu, was taken as a wife by his brother, Surya, and became mother of the gods, Soma and Yama as well as the divine sage, Manu, ancestor of the divine kings of India. Tvashtri was credited as creator of the world because all the kings of India could claim descent from him. Tvashtri is still one of the most recognized gods in the Hindu pantheon. A benevolent and caring deity, he witnessed Thor's visit to Nirvana to procure the necessary life energies for the Asgardian gods. Known Superhuman Powers: Tvashtri possesses the conventional physical attributes of the Daevas or Hindu gods. Tvashtri also has mystical skills of an unknown nature enabling him to mentally control and manipulate elements of fortification. He can create structures and whole cities out of pre-existing materials and place mystical enchantments on physical objects. He can bring his thoughts to mass, cast his voice and likeness across dimensional barriers and tamper with forces of the weather. His exact level of power is unrevealed. Abilities: Tvashtri is a major architect and craftsman having created all the homes and weapons of the gods. Weapons: Tvashtri has access to numerous weapons of Hindu design. 295

OTHER DEITIES The following Hindu deities have not appeared in Marvel Comics. They are included because they have been referenced either directly or indirectly, are closely associated with canon deities, or are an integral part of the Hindu mythology. ARYAMAN Real Name: Aryaman Occupation: God of oaths and marriage, former sun-god Legal Status: Citizen of Nirvana Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Aryaman except as a mythological deity. Other Aliases: Airyaman, Aryman (name variations), Sraosha, Sraosa (Persian names) Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Purusha (father), Gaea (mother, alias Aditi), Varuna, Mithras (brothers), Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva (half-brothers), Dyaus, Pushan (nephews), Prithivi (niece), Indra, Surya, Tvashtri, Vayu (great-nephews) Group Affiliation: Daevas, Yazatas Base of Operations: Nirvana History: Aryaman is a member of Adityas, an extra-dimensional race of beings who were worshipped as gods by the ancient Vedic and Dravidian tribes of Asia. The Adityas were the ancestors of the later ascendant Gods of India, but under Hinduism, Aryaman and several of the Adityas were eclipsed by the Hindu Gods. Under Zoroasterism, Aryaman was worshipped as one of the Gods of Persia (modern Iran) and as the god, Sraosha, a god of order, he defended Earth under Ormazd from the gods of evil led by the demon, Ahriman. Known Powers: Aryaman possesses the conventional attributes of the Hindu gods including superhuman strength, endurance, longevity and a resistance to injury. He also has some mystical abilities which as yet are unrevealed. DYAUS Real Name: Dyaus Occupation: God of sky and thunder Legal Status: Citizen of Nirvana Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Dyaus except as a mythological deity. Other Aliases: Dyeus, Diaus, Dyu, Dyhu, Dyaus-pitar ("sky father"), Dyaus-Prithivi Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Married Known Relatives: Purusha (father), Gaea (mother, alias Aditi), Varuna, Mithras, Aryaman (brothers), Surya, Tvashtri, Indra, Vayu, Agni (sons), Ratri, Ushas (daughters), Yama, Dharma (grandsons), Group Affiliation: Daevas Base of Operations: Dyavan in the realm of the Hindu Gods History: Dyaus is a member of an extra-dimensional race of beings known as the Adityas, who were worshipped as gods of Ancient India and Persia. According to some myths, he was chieftain of the Vedic Gods, a position he may have shared with Varuna. He took Prithivi, the earthgoddess, as his wife and sired several gods and became ancestor of the divine kings of India through his son, Surya. However, he was eventually deposed by his son, Indra, for control of the sky. Worship of the Adityas was eventually supplanted by Hinduism. Known Superhuman Powers: Dyaus is strong even for a Daeva, able to lift (press) around 85 tons under optimal conditions. Dyaus possesses the conventional powers and attributes of the Hindu gods including vitality, endurance, resistance to injury and a long-life enchantment. He also has several powers to control the weather, create thunderstorms and throw lightning bolts on par with Thor and Zeus. GANGA Real Name: Ganga Occupation: Goddess of freshwater, mother-goddess Legal Status: Citizen of Nirvana Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Ganga except as a mythological deity. She is well-known in India. Other Aliases: Anahita (Persian name), Gung, Gunga, Mai 296

Place of Birth: Mount Himavat (modern Mount Everest) near modern Bhakapur, Nepal Marital Status: Widowed Known Relatives: Himavat (father), Menahka (mother), Lakshmi, Parvati, Sarasvati, Yamuna and the Apsaras (sisters), Santanu (husband, deceeased), Bhishma (son, deceased), Kartikeya (son by Agni, deceased), Jambhavan (son by Vishnu), Jalamdhara (son by Shiva) Group Affiliation: Daevas, Yazatas Base of Operations: Mount Himavat History: Ganga is a member of an extra-dimensional race of beings known as the Apsaras, daughters of the ancient mountain-god, Himavat, and his wife, Menahka. Traveling to Earth on the waters of rivers flowing off the mountain, the Apsaras were often courted and taken as brides by the Hindu gods. Seduced by the firegod, Agni, Ganga gave birth to Kartikeya, the war-god, who as an adult was slain by Skanda, the Hindu god of war who took over his identity and worship. One of the most important of the Hindu gods, Ganga was also worshipped by the Persians as Anahita, the water-goddess. Known Powers: Her powers include the ability to alter her appearance and to imbue mystical properties on water taken from the Ganges River, which was named after her. KAMA Real Name: Kamadeva (original Hindu name) Occupation: God of love Legal Status: Citizen of Nirvana Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Kama except as a mythological deity. He is well-known in India. Other Aliases: Pradyumna (mortal avatar), Manmatha, Ananga Place of Birth: Vaikuntha in the realm of Nirvana Marital Status: Married Known Relatives: Vishnu (father), Lakshmi (mother), Brahma, Shiva (uncles), Parvati, Sarasvati, Yamuna and the Apsaras (aunts), Padma (sister), Ratri (wife) Group Affiliation: Daevas Base of Operations: Nirvana History: Kama is the son of Vishnu, one of the leaders of the Hindu Gods, an extra-dimensional race of beings who are worshipped as gods in India, and Lakshmi, the goddess of heaven. As god of love, Kama took it upon himself to smite mortals and gods with love, much like Cupid of the Greeks, but when he dared to imbue Shiva with love for the goddess Parvati, Shiva opened his eyes and incinerated Kama into ash. Shiva had been grieving the death of the goddess, Sakti, who he had loved, but Sakti had been reborn as Parvati. Whether Kama knew this information is unrevealed. Kama was reborn in his next life as Pradyumna, the mortal son of Krishna, one of the mortal avatars of Vishnu. Regaining his godhood, he took the goddess Ratri as his wife. Known Superhuman Powers: Kama possesses the conventional attributes of the Hindu gods including superhuman strength, endurance, longevity and a resistance to injury. He also has mystical skills to affect the emotions of others through his arrows. Pets/Transportation: Kama often rode a giant parrot named Kameri and sailed the sea on the great fish named Makara. PUSHAN Real Name: Pushan Occupation: God of travelers and messengers, psychopomp Legal Status: Citizen of Nirvana Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Beletseri except as a mythological deity. Other Aliases: Pusan, Puchan (variant names), Puhsien (Chinese name), Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Married Known Relatives: Mithras (father), mother (name unrevealed), Rohini (wife), Varuna, Mithras, Aryaman, Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva (uncles), Dyaus, Prithivi (cousins), Indra, Surya, Tvashtri, Vayu (nephews), Ratri, Ushas (nieces) Group Affiliation: Daevas, Yazatas Base of Operations: Nirvana History: Pushan is one of the Adityas, an extra-dimensional race of beings who were worshipped as gods by the ancient Vedic and Dravidian cultures in Asia. Pushan is the son of Mitra, the god of light, who with Varuna, the god of sky, and Rudra, the god of storm, ruled over the Vedic gods. 297