Dominus Venatus: The Lord of the Hunt

Venatus is a potent deity who has long been an ally of Domina Terra. He is a God of the hunt, the natural order and of balance. He is a skilled marksmen and a peerless shapeshifter, able to take the form of any land animal he chooses. Indeed much of his time is spent as beasts, some of his favorite forms of are of a great stag, a large brown bear and a fearsome lion. Venatus is a very quiet and patient deity and less inclined for bombast and theatrics like Terra. His levelheadedness has served him well over the centuries, and like Amare, often help keep Terra in check.

The Guardian of the Fauna

Venatus’ most important duty is that of a guardian. He protects nature from forces that seek to destroy it or corrupt it. Even before the Second War in the Heavens, Venatus spent his days roaming the newly reforged Mortal Realm, protecting the young wildlife. A crucial facet of his duties is searching for daemon portals. Passages that connect the Mortal Realm to the Underworld. Alongside Caelus, he scoured the world, destroying as many as he could. Even in the present his search yet continues for there are still several major ones beyond his reach. By his estimation, there are around three or four major portals left and hundreds of tiny ones. The Daemon Lords appeared to have lost the ability to create more. These smaller portals are mere cracks where only single daemons can slip through. The major portals however can fit entire armies, so each one he destroys is a major victory against the Daemon Lords.

To help with this task, he created two dogs; Tobias, King of Hounds and Dynoissa, Queen of Mastiffs. Together along with their children, they got to work and scoured the globe for their quarries. After the Second Novalim War, Venatus sought to bolster his forces further and created an order known as the Formless Sentinels. A group of shapeshifters from both human and Benelim stock. While their abilities aren’t as potent as their master, they work with him as guardians. Together they’ve clashed with many rival powers. Enemies include human woodsmen who overstep their boundaries, industrious types who seek to destroy his domain as well as followers of the dark God Mendax. Mendax has his own followers known as the Silver Order. Mendax is a God of many things and vanity is one of them. His human followers often kill for sport, recklessly hunting and exterminating animals for trophies to decorate their mansions.

Venatus also has a rivalry with the Daemon Lords. In particular the boar like Daemon Lord Humbash hates him for an incident that occurred shortly after the Second War in the Heavens. Venatus is a deity often under estimated, for there are several others more powerful than him, Terra, Caelus, and Marius for example. It was this perceived weakness that led to the demise of the Daemon Lady Cerberus, a monstrous wolf creature. The beast ambushed the Hunter God, wanting to devour him and gain his power.

After an intense brawl, Cerberus bit off his hand. Yet instead of power, Cerberus burned up from the inside out. Her demise was so complete not even a tiny piece of her essence made it back to the Underworld. Cerberus was gone forevermore! Her love and mate Humbash was surpremely angry and vowed vengeance. Ever since that day Venatus never grew back that hand. While he could, he refuses to, and features in its place a yellow mass of glowing energy.

A warning to Daemonkind, of what happens when you try to devour a God.

Conversely, Venatus holds a grudge with the Twisted Gods. This resentment only came about after the Second Novalim War. The Benelim Realm of the White Birches was reduced to ruin by the end of it. Even as victory embraced Terra and the Benelim, the damage was done. Venatus wandered the northern woods, he encountered countless mutated fauna. There were twisted predatory deer, smiling owls, teethless wolves and countless other abominations, many whom still infest the ruins in spite of his best efforts. Such a pervasion is blasphemy in the Hunter God’s eyes and it is said that the Twisted Gods are the only beings who can cause Venatus’ cool and collected demeanor to fizzle into rage.

The Twisted Gods barely recognize his presence, let alone his anger. The latest in a long line of beings who have underestimated the Hunter God. Despite such conflicts and shortcomings, Venatus remains at the forefront of the great conflict between the forces of good and evil. A stoic rock, a masterful tracker and hunter who ever serves as one of the Three of the Realm of Terra.

A good thing too, because there is a war coming, one that will put the skills and power of the Hunter God to the test…