The God-Father of Metal, the Prince of Darkness, the Great
Ozz, the Mad-God, the Ozzman – many are his names and epithets. He is at one
and the same time the most popular of the Metal Gods, and yet the most
inscrutable. Many would say they have a close, personal relationship with the
God-Father, but none would say that they truly know him well. No few claim that
they have encountered him and drank with him in a tavern, or walked with him
for a while upon a road, or sat and listened to him sing for a time – but what,
exactly, any ever gained from these encounters is never quite understood.
The Ozzman, as he prefers to be called casually, was among
the first of the
Ancient Heroes of Lost Earth to be resurrected from their
age-long
Sleep of the Dead (though some claim the
Metal Queen walked the
forests and meadows of
Kvin Mondöj for a thousand years ere the return of the
other Ancient Heroes). He was already counted among the greatest of their
numbers, and the boundless energy, mighty mirth, and deep melancholies he
exhibited as their leader helped define their nature, both in the distant past
and during the Metal Wars. He only reluctantly took up the mantle of the
God-Father, and
King of the Metal Gods, after the fall of the
Dread Dominion,
due to the great need for his leadership; he would have preferred to return to
the oblivion of Death, for he believed that there, though he did not remember
it, he might find the solace of being in the arms of his long-lost and much
beloved wife.
He has never taken another as his companion in all his
centuries as a god, though many have been more than willing, mortal and
otherwise (the members of his covens of Witches are particularly intent upon
being the first to break his, to them, silly oath). It is said that his great
melancholies, and his great debauches of deific-quantities of drugs and
ambrosia, are due to his great loneliness. During these times the Iron Throne
of the Metal Gods is held in trust by Dio Storm-Lord or Geezer Metal-Mage, and
messages, dreams, and visions delivered by Percy Golden-God, the Voice of
the Metal Gods, can be quite garbled. When he is not deep in his divine cups,
the God-Father takes his duties quite seriously, marshaling the Metal Gods in
their eternal wars against the Church of Satan, the Demon Gods, and the Alien
Gods, as well as visiting his followers as needful in dreams and in mysterious
mortal guises.
His favored guise is that of a wandering minstrel, dressed
in deep black clothing, accented by a cloak of bat wings or raven feathers, with
silver necklaces, bracers, and rings, usually decorated with or including his
favored symbol, the silver cross. His skin is pale white, his long flowing hair
ebon black and reflecting unseen stars; and his pale blue eyes rimmed with
black kohl – though these are rarely seen, as he usually wears tinted glasses. Were
it not for the silver and the crosses, he might easily be confused for a
vampire (a bad thing to do). Upon occasion he appears wearing only pants, his
chest, back, and arms covered in tattoos, the natures of which change with each
appearance, the meanings of which must be determined by the viewer.
He is usually encountered alone, and speaks in mysterious,
roundabout fashion about many things and yet nothing at all, often seemingly a
simple madman encountered randomly until he mysteriously disappears… upon which
the devotee suddenly understands he has had an encounter with the divine. From
time to time he appears in taverns and inns or at fairs, with a back-up group of
minstrels. Then he sings for the gathered folk, a song or three pertinent to
prophecy or need, before disappearing in a spectacular pyrotechnic flash. Due
to ancient concords reached at the end of the Metal Wars he, like most other
greater, intermediate, and lesser gods, cannot interfere directly in the mortal
world with his full deific power; he can only guide his followers.
When they need a bit more of a push, stalwart defense, or an
assist, he appears in the form of a terrible beast. This avatar is of mortal
sort, though still of great power, and usually only appears when his followers
face overwhelming odds against a demi-god or being of like power. This
monstrous form resembles a green-skinned, very muscular, winged balrog with
great clawed hands; it has his normal head, though with pale platinum hair,
great fang-filled maw, and forked tongue. Its greatest weapon is its breath
weapon, a noxious cloud which is a poisonous mix of gaseous drugs that can
strike dead even Demons and Aliens normally immune to poisons. In this capacity
Ozzman offers his worthiest Cleric, Priest, Anarch, Bard, Champion, Warlock, or
Witch to accompany him as his passenger, acting as a destrier for the chosen
one to ride into combat.
Ozzymandius is Chaotic Neutral, leaning toward Chaotic Good
(not as much as many, but more so than most). As noted, his preferred holy
symbol is a silver cross, an ancient symbol potent across time and space. His
especial personal enemies (and thus doubly so for his followers) are Satan and
his followers in the Church of Satan (he considers them fascist bastards); the
Demon Gods (vile, petty poseurs); the Alien Gods (monstrous destroyers with no
taste in music or style); and Undead (due to rivalries and treachery leading to
the fall of the Empire of Legend). He demands strict neutrality between the
Temple of the Metal Gods and the Temple of Judas the Redeemer, a requirement more
honored in the breach than in the observance by his clergy.
Clergy must be Chaotic Neutral or
Chaotic Good. His clergy wear all black, with a white collar; there is no
favored weapon. Favored shield devices include crosses, a stylized “O,” and
bats or ravens; metal armors are often enameled in black, with bat- or raven-wings
and other bat- or raven-inspired devices. His Clerics and Priests may be male
or female, and must remain chaste and celibate to remain in the good graces of
the Temple (this is not one of his limitations, but one that his hierarchy has
chosen, the better to emulate their patron god). His Anarchs, Bards, Champions,
Warlocks, and Witches are not as limited in sumptuary fashion or in chastity
and celibacy. Those among his clergy who can manage are often multi-classed
with the Bard class. His clergy have the ability to cast both light and
darkness spells, as well as both spells of healing and causing wounds. Their
turning powers are applicable against Undead (turn only); Devils and Demons
(turn only); and Alien creatures (not including Gith, turn only).
Percy is Chaotic Neutral, leaning toward true Neutral. His
symbols are a feather in a circle, representing both his concern for lore and his
transmission of wisdom and knowledge; and a lantern, representing his shining of light in the darkness. He has no specific enemies other than the
broad enmity between the Metal Gods and the forces of Satan and his Devils, the
Demon Gods, the Alien Gods, and the Undead; clergy may choose two of the four
as targets for their turning abilities. Percy’s clergy consists of Clerics,
Priests, Anarchs, Bards, and Rangers, and may be male or female; most of his
clergy are multi-classed with the Bard class. 
The Metal Queen usually takes the form of a human female
with long flowing blond hair, blue-eyes, and pale skin, of average height
though buxom and with a muscular build. She wears black leather with chrome
metal studding and many necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings of silver,
chrome, and gold. The leather often covers less than it reveals, though her
boots usually go up to her thighs, and sometimes she wears battered bits of
iron armor. She sometimes wears an iron crown, with tiny swords for tines and
set with silver skulls and chrome crosses, but she does so only when
emphasizing her deific power.
Like the other Metal Gods, she is Chaotic Neutral, though
with a stronger streak toward Good than most others of the pantheon (save
perhaps Judas the Redeemer). She is a patroness of power, glory, freedom, and
love, untamed and wild, believing that people need to be free to enjoy life
without boundaries… though darker desires need be held in check, lest one harm
others (who are not willing to be harmed). She is often called upon by lovers
who are oppressed by their families; women seeking freedom from patriarchy; and
warlocks and witches who wish to be free from the oppressive powers-that-be.
The Metal Queen is among the few Metal Gods who made inroads
among the Grimnyr millennia ago, and her shrines are found there interspersed
with those of the Aesir and Vanir. Her worshippers are found wherever the Metal
Gods and the Gods of the North are found; she is most popular in Myrkgrav
(where hers is the primary faith), Morgart, Galaroth, and Valyria, as well as
among the Grimnyr.
