Hermes
| "Messenger of the Gods" | |
| Pantheon: | Greek |
| AoC: | Travel, trade, thievery, gambling, running |
| Symbol: | Caduceus |
| Alignment: | CG |
| Worshiper Alignment: | NG, CG, CN |
| Home P/L/R: | Arborea/Olympus/ Olympus |
| Know Proxies: | Autolycus, Human male |
Hermes has always been the power of thieves. On the very day he was born, he stole the herds his brother Apollo was supposed to be watching, and hid them in a cave in the mountains. While Apollo searched for the lost cattle, Hermes fashioned the first lyre, and appeased his older brother with a trade. Later, he invented the syrinx (also called the panpipes), which Apollo traded for the golder caduceus.
Fact is, it seems as if Hermes can do no wrong. Though he's a fierce warrior and a daring thief, he's also the happy-go-luckiest of the Olympians, eschewing the arrogant pride so many of the others seem to embrace. Though he has his moments of vanity, Hermes is generally far more gentle than the general run of the Olympian powers.
Indeed, it's this charm that's brought nearly all of the Greek pantheon firmly to Hermes' side, and he can mend the rifts between two bickering powers more fully than Zeus. His sense of fair play is legendary among the Olympians; they appeal to him for impartial judgement, and depend on his speed for delivering messages. It's hard to find a power who doesn't like Hermes -- even the Daghdha (who doesn't get on well with Zeus) finds no fault with the mischief-maker. Some of the Olympian faithful even say that Hermes is romancing Tymora of Toril.
The realm of Hermes is hidden away inside Mount Olympus itself, and it's an inviting place for both gamblers and travellers. Though a body's like as not to get his pocket picked, he's also guaranteed a safe night's sleep - a valuable thing in Olympus. Nobody'd dare harm a traveller under Hermes' roof.
Like his father Zeus, Hermes favors using his own children as his proxies. One of these, Autolycus, is said to be the greatest mortal thief that ever lived, a cross-trader like no other. Chant is there's nothing he can't steal and get away with: Autolycus does nothing to confirm or deny this rumor, and thus the legend of his ability grows. He's the grandfather of Athena's proxy, the hero Odysseus, and it's from Autolycus that Odysseus gained many of his more cunning tricks.