Characters / Codex Equus Poenan Pantheon

Here is a list of characters from the Poenan Pantheon.

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Poenan Pantheon

Formed by likeminded gods, celestials and mortals who agree with Poena and her hardline and uncompromising views on justice and righteousness, the Poenan Pantheon consist of gods and their followers who are dedicated to punishing and destroying evil, villainy and crime on Equus of all kinds, be they mortal, infernal or even divine. To that end, they will go to great lengths to uncover and fight evil with unrelenting resolve wherever they go, though the extremes they are willing to reach to that end had alarmed and led to clashes with other forces of justice and righteousness less fanatical than they are, while their methods had more often than not horrified the good as they had evil and sometimes even do more harm. Despite this, the hotbloodedand zealous Poenans are convinced of theirs are the correct way, and continue their crusade to wipe out all evil and leave behind a pure, just and noble world in their wake.

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General

• Always a Bigger Fish: While Poena and her followers/allies are quite powerful and capable of fighting various evildoers, and are able to get a popular following with their methods, their tendency to get into disagreements with other forces of good over punishing evil often result in them attacking and/or fighting benevolent deities who are older, more experienced, and more powerful than she is, such as Eiríni, Golden Scepter, and Belyolen, who all wiped the floor with them easily. That also applies to malevolent deities and forces, as while Poena vowed to destroy Temnobog one day just for being evil, it's implicitly shown that neither she nor her allies could actually do it yet. Her allies' complete failure to take out Temnobog and the Four Terrors, which resulted in what is implied to be a most spectacular payback by the gleeful family of evil Deer gods, demonstrated just how outclassed they are.
• Black-and-White Insanity: Deconstructed. Their collective belief on justice take after Poena - that justice should be pure and unyielding, unsullied by things like mercy and forgiveness. Because of this, they are unable and unwilling to make exceptions for even those who atoned for their crimes, as all crimes must be punished no matter what actions were taken after the fact. They also view people as equally guilty if they are associated with the criminals and evildoers they punish, such as the repentant Sunnytowners who regretted participating in young Ruby Heart's murder or condoning it, as they believe they got off too easy for their crimes. Naturally, this worldview has made the Poenan pantheon very unpopular with benevolent and merciful factions/individuals, who are rightly disgusted with their ruthless, extreme, and borderline cruel methods, to the point where both sides would frequently clash over their moral and ideological differences.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: This tends to happen frequently, as their brazen attempts to punish evildoers, as well as their lack of tact and relative inexperience often leads to confrontations with individuals far older, more powerful, experienced, and skilled than them.
  • In one incident, led by Poena herself, they tried to attack Golden Scepter for publicly decrying them as "deluded extremists". They got their collective ass kicked when Golden Scepter revealed himself to be much more powerful, experienced, and skilled than he looked, resulting in a swift defeat. To make matters worse for them, Katharsis would shortly arrive to take photos of the losers and send them to everyone they had targeted in the name of "justice".
  • In another incident, a group of Poenan followers tried attacking Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon for being bullies, their reasoning being that they saw a "great evil" waiting to emerge, despite the two of them having atoned for their actions. They would shortly be confronted by a furious Fanged Paw, who claimed Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon as his protectorates, and then thrashed and humiliated those who didn't heed his warnings to back off.
  • A group of Poenan deities tried pursuing Mitta, the heroic Guardian of the Everfree Forest, because they wanted to punish her for her connection to Grey Hoof and role in Ruby Heart's murder, not caring at all that she redeemed herself for her sins. They would end up being utterly thrashed when the Alicorn goddess of Self-Love, Amour-De-Soi, teamed up with Prince Steel Barricade to protect Mitta from being punished even more on top of what she had already endured while in Pakak's curse.
• Enemy Civil War: Due to Poenans’ endless squabbling over the ‘right’ way of administering justice and punishment, and a Reformist Faction forming due to the events of the Grand Trials, the pantheon and it's followers eventually broke out into civil War.
• Everyone Has Standards: While hardline, zealous and uncompromising, there are certain actions which even many among them consider too extreme. These include persecuting members of a race for being supposedly Always Chaotic Evil, or killing children whose only crime is being related/associated with those who deserved and they do punish. There are some who do violate those standards, but they are generally kept in check, although disagreements between the 'reasonable' and 'radical' factions within the pantheon and their followers eventually did result in a Civil War.
• Fantastic Racism: Subverted. While they are incorrigibly hostile to any being or group that are or chose to commit evil, they do not persecute anyone for what they are who are not inherently evil, and sees racism and other prejudices between mortal races as yet another evil to fight, punish and destroy.
  • Despite being a Dhampir, Poena and the pantheon after some persuasion and deliberation allowed Silver Bane to be adopted into the pantheon and become a follower and crusader in the understanding that he didn't ask what happened to happen to him and that his abilities could still be harnessed for justice and righteousness with proper cultivation.
  • In a Drabble, Poenan Pantheon members who answered a prayer for their aid refused to destroy a group of Dragons, seeing the Dragons are firmly benevolent and refusing to punish or destroy them for what they are, only for what evil they do. They even pointed out to the racist Pony who called them and believe dragons are nothing but 'savage beasts by blood' that they have Dragon gods and mortals among their ranks.
  • Zigzagged in the case of the Oceanaiads of N'ghft Vulgtmog and their eldritch 'Abyssal One' goddess Kthoryu: On one hoof, Poena personally condemned and punished a group of rogue Poenans who attacked the then newly-resurfaced nation for persecuting innocent Oceanaiads for the crimes of their ancestors. On the other hoof, the Poenans still took issue with Kthoryu herself owing to her and her kindred Abyssal Ones' actions (before her Heel–Face Turn) in the 'Abyssal War' which help ushered forth the end of the Third Age. They are still debating her guilt or innocence by association and deeds as of that entry.
• Good Is Not Nice: One of the Poenan pantheon's key traits and increasing appeal among other hotheaded younger gods and heroes: They are frustrated by the apparent inability of their older peers and other forces of Good in defeating Evil and believes in taking a much more unforgiving and forceful stance against them. It's deconstructed in that their extremely rigid views on Good and Evil and collective lack of mercy means they target even those who see the error of their ways and make efforts to atone for them, as in their eyes, every crime must be punished regardless of the perpetrator(s)' actions afterwards. This would make the Poenan pantheon, as well as Poena herself, rather unpopular with more benevolent and forgiving individuals who rightly see them as extremely uncompromising, excessive, and even cruel, to the point where some of said individuals would literally come to blows with Poena on several occasions due to differences in beliefs.
• He Who Fights Monsters: As shown with Temnobog's warning to Poena and the actions they have taken in various entries, many of the Poenan deities/followers are in serious danger of becoming like the criminals and villains they go after. One notable sign is their willingness to go even after children if they think that Justice will be delivered.
• Hot-Blooded: It's mentioned that many of those who sided with Poena and her growing pantheon/followers are hotheaded, which may explain why the Poenan deities/followers are often eager to "punish" even the smallest of infractions, and also get into fights with those who don't agree with them or their methods. This is anathema to true judges, who must remain unbiased and in control of their own emotions so they could judge people fairly
• Horrible Judge of Character: Deconstructed. Their collective Black-and-White Insanity ensures that they have difficulty understanding, and even don't care about the interchangeable complexity of sapient morality, which means that even repentant criminals and evildoers are victimized under the belief that they're Karma Houdinis who weren't "punished" enough. This would naturally make them rather unpopular with more forgiving and merciful factions and individuals, who are rightly disgusted and angered by their behavior, and cause no end of internecine conflict between them and said individuals.
• Hypocrite: Luminiferous states to Diamond Tiara that this is their deal when it comes to smiting Evil in general - in his words, "[They're] so caught up trying to find evil in others, they ignore it in themselves. They condemn others but see themselves as pure and righteous." Silver Bane, a former Poenan champion, would later call the Poenan deities out on this after they criticize his decision to defect and throw away his potential, pointing out that their hypocritical, extreme, murderous, and self-righteous ways were what nearly led to his death and thus making it necessary for him to leave.
• Internal Reformist: A faction of these eventually popped up in the pantheon and their worshippers. This eventually lead to them and the more standard Knight Templar fare to go into a Civil War.
• Justice Will Prevail: The Poenans firmly believes this in regard to all matters related to Good, Righteousness and Justice, and they will go far to fight and destroy all that are Evil, Unrighteous and Unjust to ensure that, even if they end up butting heads with other good forces with cooler heads.
  Poenan Paladin: [Arguing with a Just Detective] There can NEVER be justice, until EVERY wrong is made right, and until EVERY evil is vanquished! If you are not willing to do WHATEVER it takes, however long it takes, then the struggle is already lost!
• Knight Templar: Justified. While on the side of Good, Poena and her allies are notably more puristic, ruthless, and merciless than their more benevolent peers; Poena had witnessed horrific miscarriages of Justice since her birth, and her beliefs that spawned from this caused her to gain a following among a lot of hotblooded younger divines who genuinely felt frustrated with the failures and mixed results of their older superiors in opposing Evil. However, it's deconstructed in that they would collectively develop a Black-and-White Insanity that makes them extremely merciless and uncompromising even towards evildoers who want to atone for their actions, which would naturally make them unpopular among more forgiving and merciful factions and leads to no end of internecine conflict between them and other forces of Good.
• Laser-Guided Karma: In numerous instances, many members/followers of the Poenan pantheon, including Poena herself, often end up being punished by benevolent forces and individuals who are rightly disgusted and angry with their cruel, merciless, and excessive methods of exacting Justice.
  • A group of Poenan deities tried assassinating Temnobog under the belief that killing a God of Evil will "save" Equus. Belyolen, Temnobog's kindhearted older twin brother, would quickly defeat the assailants and warn them that while he's willing to forgive them, he won't be as merciful should they try again. Sure enough, the Poenan allies try again, this time going after the Four Terrors as well. As punishment, Belyolen gave the group to a gleeful Temnobog and his family, and let them punish their would-be killers as they saw fit.
  • Golden Scepter, ruler of the Terran Empire, would publicly decry the Poenan pantheon as a group of "deluded extremists", offending them so much that Poena led a small group of divine/mortal followers against him. They got their collective ass kicked when Golden Scepter revealed that he is a much more powerful, older, and experienced god than he looked, resulting in a swift defeat. In addition, they're further humiliated when Katharsis showed up to take pictures and sent the photos to everyone the Poenan pantheon had wronged in the name of "Justice".
  • A canonized Codexverse drabble reveals that a group of Poenan followers tried attacking Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon for being former bullies because they saw a "greater evil" waiting to emerge, despite the two having atoned for their actions. This would earn them the wrath of Prince Fanged Paw, Golden Scepter's second-oldest son, who proceeded to thrash and humiliate them for trying to go after those he deemed his "protectorates".
  • A group of Poenan deities tried pursuing and punishing Mitta, the Guardian of Everfree Forest, because they believed she's a Karma Houdini in regards to her role in Ruby Heart's murder, not caring that she already atoned for it. Mitta's entry notes that the Poenan deities got punished in turn when Amour-De-Soi and Prince Steel Barricade teamed up to protect Mitta and utterly thrashed her divine pursuers with lightning strikes and displays of monstrous reflections of themselves as depicted by Amour-De-Soi's shield-mirror, True Image.
• "Not So Different" Remark: After a fight where Amour-De-Soi and Prince Steel Barricade protected Mitta from some Poenan deities, Mitta realized that the Poenan deities who tried punishing her were really no different from Grey Hoof and his followers after seeing the same madness in their eyes.
• My God, What Have I Done?: The reformist faction of the pantheon essentially has this as their motivation due to the events of the Grand Trials, specifically starting with the Angiris Devastation.
• Rage Against the Reflection: During their clash with Amour-De-Soi and Prince Steel Barricade, the Poenan deities would be devastated with images of their own monstrous reflections as shown by Amour-De-Soi's mirror-shield, True Image.
• Too Dumb to Live: After foiling an attempt to kill Temnobog, Belyolen warns the group of Poenan deities of dire consequences that would follow should they try again. They ignore him and do it anyway, this time going after Temnobog's children, the Four Terrors, as well. This would land them in the hell-realms ruled by Temnobog and the Four Terrors, as Belyolen let his brother and relatives punish their would-be attackers as they saw fit.
• We ARE Struggling Together: Their more aggressive and uncompromising position in the war against Evil has often led to them squabbling with other Good deities and heroes as much as they fight against Evil individuals.
  • This even extends to themselves, as the "Reformists", which are the ones who want to reform the pantheon and it purpose, and the "Traditionalists" have enough tensions between them to cause the Poenan Civil War.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Deconstructed. They are on the side of Good, but their extreme methods and standards make them almost as antagonistic as the Evil forces they oppose themselves, to the point they risk going too far and becoming no better than what they fight. Some of them, much like Poena herself, are even willing to go after children if it means that justice will be served, which would rightly earn them the horror, disgust, and wrath of those who don't agree with them.
• Would Hurt a Child: One of the hallmarks of their fanaticism - some of the Poenan deities and their followers won't hesitate to go after even children if it'll ensure that Justice will be served, which is a large factor in why the Poenan pantheon as a whole has a bad reputation among more benevolent and heroic factions.
  • In one incident, a group of young Poenan followers tried attacking Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon for being bullies because they saw a "greater evil" waiting to emerge from them. This would earn them the wrath of Prince Fanged Paw, Golden Scepter's second-oldest son, who proceeded to thrash and humiliate them for trying to kill his young protectorates. While it remains unclear as to what the foreseen "greater evil" actually is, Fanged Paw argued that whatever it is, it still would never justify the Poenan followers' extreme actions.
  • In another incident, they attacked an Abyssinian orphanage because Felicia, a kindhearted, white-furred Abyssinian were-cat, apparently held an "Evil" within her and associated with "Evil" individuals. According to Silver Bane, the Poenans also intended to kill the orphans under Felicia's care so they could "spare" the orphans the agony of becoming monsters in the future. Fortunately, their mission was foiled when Silver Bane intervened and protected Felicia and the orphans, feeling rightly disgusted with their peers' actions.
  • One major factor in Silver Bane's decision to defect from the Poenan Pantheon entirely is because his Poenan peers and superiors wanted to kill Friede, his adoptive daughter, for being a "bad influence" on him.
  • One drabble even shows they aren't above killing babies. Though those particular poenans drew the disgust and ire of their peers, even having Andreios, the Flame of Valor drop a Precision F-Strike in response.

Poena, the Mistress of Punishment

Classification: Ethereal

Portfolio: Justice, Retribution, Punishment

Rank: Divine (Tier II/Lesser)

"Justice should be pure, unsullied by mercy or pity!"

Poena (her entry here) is the goddess of Justice, Retribution, and Punishment, and the leader of the Poenan Pantheon, a divine group of moral extremists dedicated to serving justice no matter the cost.

Poena was once a mortal Tulpa, born from the anger, despair, and desperation of downtrodden ponies living in a particularly corrupt kingdom, imprinted upon the background magical field of the region. The nobility and royalty used their power, wealth, and authority to benefit themselves at the expense of their subjects, yet their positions had ensured they would always escaped their rightful comeuppance. The downtrodden populace's resentment and yearning for vindictive justice against their corrupt betters would eventually achieve complexity and self-awareness in the same manner as many other Tulpas, becoming a powerful spirit of retribution.

Poena spent years serving under various deities and pantheons, whereupon she built up a fearsome reputation as a demon-slaying, evil-punishing crusading angel. When Poena would achieve godhood, she would return to the 'homeland' of her birth and smite the wicked, criminal rulers and their lackeys and supporters with extreme abhorrence, relentlessly hunting down and meting out brutal sanctions upon any who survive her onslaught with her followers, most notably the oppressed populace who would rise up to unleash gratuitous vengeance upon their tormentors, their prayers answered at long last.

Merciless, uncompromising and obsessive, Poena possess an absolutist, black-and-white view of the world and is driven by a desire to bring absolute justice and unfettered punishment upon the wicked no matter the costs, seeing any mercy and forgiveness to the wicked as foolish, weak and dangerous, only serving to let even the smallest Evils a chance to escape become great threats in the future. This abrasiveness would make her clash with the more compassionate deities such as the Alicorn Princesses of Equestria, who worried where this fanaticism would lead her. Nevertheless, despite her relative youth, her influence is growing among both the ranks of the divines and among mortals, and only time will tell where her crusade to exterminate all that is evil will lead, for both good and ill.

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• Anthropomorphic Personification: She's a Poenan goddess who embodies Justice, Retribution, and Punishment.
• Birds of a Feather: The reason why she offered support and patronage to the Scourge of Hell in modern times: Like him, she was and still is a uncompromisingly brutal crusader out to destroy all Demons (on top of all Evil in general), so their goals and methods often align. Of course, the Scourge only cared as much as it helps him in his crusade against the diabolic and just rolled with it for the sake of convenience.
• Black-and-White Insanity: It REALLY shows with her uncompromising views on Evil and Injustice. She doesn't see or care of the intricacies of Good and Evil and the Balance that exists between them on Equus: Even the smallest transgression is unforgivable in her eyes and deserve strict punishment.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: She and a small group of her followers tried attacking Golden Scepter for decrying her and her followers as deluded extremists. However, they severely underestimated just how old and powerful their opponent actually is, resulting in their swift defeat. Hilariously, Katharsis would show up shortly after, taking pictures of the losers and sending them to Poena's victims, confusing the hell out of Golden Scepter.
• Determinator: A partial Deconstruction. She's stated to be utterly relentless in her crusade to destroy Evil of all kinds, but it also led to her becoming a merciless fanatic for justice who couldn't forgive even the slightest transgressions, which often lead to clashes with other forces of good and Disproportionate Retribution against those who committed wrongs.
• Disproportionate Retribution: She personally led a small group of her own divine and mortal followers in an attack against Golden Scepter because he publicly decried them as "deluded extremists". For that, they would get their collective ass kicked and further humiliated when Katharsis took photos of their defeat and showed them to everyone.
• Flaming Sword: One of her primary weapons is a giant, fiery sword that she uses to cut and burn her enemies.
• Freudian Excuse: She's obsessed with justice because she's the living magical embodiment of the desires for vindictive justice that came from downtrodden citizens of a Pony kingdom, which was ruled and terrorized by extremely corrupt figures and factions. Seeing the evils other depraved beings had committed throughout history had only worsened her obsession.
• He Who Fights Monsters: After she vowed to punish Temnobog for being a god of Evil, Temnobog warned her that her obsession with justice would eventually make her as evil and depraved as the villains she hunts down. His words are slowly coming true, with the Poenan Pantheon and their mortal followers/champions becoming willing to hunt and kill children in order to serve Justice.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • While she's extremely uncompromising, abrasive, and ruthless, she does have a following of her own, mostly consisting of equally young, hotheaded deities who are incredibly frustrated with the failures and mixed successes of their older predecessors.
  • As shown with her folder quote, she thinks that justice should be executed without mercy or pity, and thinks that being merciful to criminals and sinners is akin to giving them a slap on the wrist as punishment for their misdeeds. While she's usually wrong, there are cases where being merciful has backfired, such as when Dikastís refused to kill a young Tirek because the latter had yet to commit the crimes as was predicted by an oracle, only for Tirek to become evil as was predicted.
  • She hates sealing away villains and turning them to stone because they have a habit of escaping later on, either because the seal weakened or due to outside interference.
• Knight Templar: Justified and deconstructed. Even among deities who embody justice and karma, she's rather obsessed with punishing the wicked, no matter how minor their crimes are. While her behavior is understandable, given that she was born from background magic interactions of mortals' resentment and vindictive hatred against depraved evildoers who often went unpunished, her ruthlessness and lack of mercy means that she also targets people who committed even the slightest crimes, as she believes that Evil itself will potentially grow if not snuffed out early. Because of this, according to Temnobog, she is at great risk of becoming as monstrous as the villains she hunts down. She has also tried targeting Ruby Heart for her Chain Sight ability, thinking it'll help her find sinful people faster, then attacked her when Ruby refused to join her and even compared her to Grey Hoof. Midnight Bell would later disgustedly call Poena a "total crack-nut" trying to play goddess with everypony and every-creature. Golden Scepter, an antediluvian Alicorn Emperor from the Terran Empire, would also publicly condemn Poena's ruthless methods and decry both her and her followers as deluded extremists... because they're showing the same behavior that he once had during his reign over the Imperium of Ponykind.
  • Heck, she's even a patron of these guys, with her followers having large numbers of inquisitors, paladins, demon-slayers and the like, all of whom are often at risk of sliding into this if not becoming one already.
• Laser-Guided Karma: She and a few followers tried attacking Golden Scepter for being publicly called "deluded extremists". They ended up having their collective asses handed to them when Golden Scepter revealed just how powerful and experienced he is as a god and a warrior. In addition, Katharsis would shortly show up to take humiliating photos of them and send said photos to their victims.
• Made of Magic: She's categorized as an "Ethereal deity", having been born a Tulpa made from the magic that emanated from the downtrodden citizens from an extremely corrupt and selfish Pony kingdom.
• The Magnificent: Known as "the Mistress of Punishment" due to her extremist beliefs on punishment and justice, and her focus especially on punishing individuals who she believes deserved it, including those who already atoned for their crimes.
• "Not So Different" Remark: In a Codexverse drabble, Ruby Heart mentioned to Midnight Bell and Crystal Prism an incident where she told Poena she reminded her of some of her worst neighbors, especially Grey Hoof, because of their extremism. Apparently it got Poena really mad, to the point of trying to attack her, but fortunately Crystal Prism and Twilight Sparkle were there to protect her.
• Parental Substitute: She has one in Lhaine, the Hate Primeval, who became a mother-figure for her in the absence of actual parents (being a Tulpa born from the vindictive desires for justice of a kingdom's oppressed populace), trying to push her down the right path. So far, she has refused all of Lhaine's efforts to change her and her beliefs.
• Red Baron: Known as "the Mistress of Punishment".
• Top God: She's the founder and leader of the Poenan pantheon, which was named after her.
• Underestimating Badassery: When she and a small group of her followers tried attacking Golden Scepter, they severely underestimated how much of a threat he actually was, until they confronted him face-to-face. They were all swiftly defeated.
• We ARE Struggling Together: Despite opposing evil, her abrasiveness and ruthlessness often ended up rubbing other benevolent gods and heroes the wrong way, leading to conflicts over how villains should be dealt with. In one incident, a dispute over how to punish an Evil Overlord in the Taurus Peninsula after his defeat led to a vicious fight between Poena and Eiríni, the Cyclops deity of Peace, Mercy and Fire; the latter advocated a more merciful punishment (trial and imprisonment in an inescapable prison), while the former preferred sanction (summary execution by quartering, both body and soul).
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Deconstructed. As she was a Tulpa born from the vindictive yearnings for justice of downtrodden and oppressed Ponies who hailed from a kingdom ruled by extremely corrupt and selfish tyrants, Poena believes that justice as a concept should be delivered without mercy or pity. However, while her end-goal is noble and does end up with a popular following among those frustrated with the "failures" of their older superiors, she also tries punishing even the smallest of crimes out of the belief letting them go leads to even bigger and more heinous acts of evil. This logic influences her to even go after children if she thinks they'll be a huge threat in the future, rightly invoking horror and disgust from those who disagree with her. She also treats those who show mercy and forgiveness to criminals and evildoers with great contempt, believing them to be too "soft", which naturally makes her rather unpopular with many benevolent individuals for being ruthless, aggressive, and borderline cruel. Temnobog warned her that she might eventually become just as evil and depraved as the villains she hunts down, while Midnight Bell, a young Earth pony filly from the Grittish Isles, would call Poena a "crack-nut" out of disgust, seeing her as an insane mare trying to "play goddess" with everypony. Golden Scepter, an antediluvian Alicorn Emperor, would also publicly decry her and her pantheon's methods as he saw them as no better than how he had acted during the Imperium era; this led to an incident where Poena and her followers/allies tried attacking him in retaliation, only to have their asses quickly handed to them, and were further humiliated when Katharsis showed up to take pictures and send the photos to everyone the Poenan pantheon had wronged.
• Would Hurt a Child: A sign of her fanaticism. According to Ruby Heart and Crystal Prism, there was an incident where Poena tried swaying Ruby Heart to her hardlined views of justice so she could use the young psychopomp's "Chain Sight" ability to condemn sinners quickly. When Ruby Heart refused and even compared her to Grey Hoof and his followers, Poena was so enraged that she tried attacking her, earning the ire of Crystal Prism and Princess Twilight Sparkle who both moved to protect Ruby Heart.

Kleidóno, the Hellish Warden

Classification: Ethereal/Elemental

Portfolio: Imprisonment, Wardens, [TBA]

Rank: [TBA]

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• Adaptational Badass: Lock-Up was a human villain that devolved into a D-Lister. Kleidono on the other hand is a god of Imprisonment and Wardens.
• Arch-Enemy: Is one to Knechten, the Overseer of the Damned, a son of Phykti, the Baroness of Torment of the Four Terrors. They share similar domains, but oppose each other in views and temperament.
• Captain Ersatz: For the villain Lock-Up from "Batman: The Animated Series".
• Wardens Are Evil: Or in this case, brutal and merciless beyond the pale.

Righteous Riposte, the Sanctioning Sword

Classification: Ascendant/Ethereal/Elemental

Portfolio: Justice, Sanctions, Swordsmaneship, Conviction

Rank: Divine (Tier III/Intermediate)

“There can be no compromise nor retreat in the face of Evil and Injustice. Only by their rightful sanction at the tip of a sword can Good and Justice prevail.”

Righteous Riposte (his entry here) is the Alicorn god of Justice, Sanctions, Swordsmaneship, and Conviction, and is a member of the Poenan Pantheon who is the former student of Princess Radiant Rapier.

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• Alliterative Name: Righteous Riposte.
• And I Must Scream: Like the rest of Radiant Rapier's comrades, Righteous Riposte was consumed and added into the dark glory of Vicearch Iniquitous at the disastrous conclusion of his mentor's crusade into Malregnar, where he suffered 'horror and agony without end' for thousands of years. He took it worse than Slanu, the Shining/Shadow Saviour did, as the traumatic experience shredded his former idealism and turned him into a zealot for hardline justice.
• Birds of a Feather: He got along very well with Andreios, the Flame of Valor of the Angiris Council on account of being similarly hot-blooded and dedicated (to a fault) about fighting for justice and righteousness. This makes the more reasonable members among both the Poenans and Angiri uneasy given where this could lead to.
• Broken Pedestal: Righteous Riposte idolized Radiant Rapier even before he became her student and peer. However, having been somewhat more hardline than even her mentor at times and had it worsened into borderline zealotry over his ordeal inside the Vicearch, he found himself disillusioned with his mentor when he thinks she had wavered in her former beliefs and ideals in justice where he had not, leading to them falling out and him joining the Poenans.
• The Champion: He was this for Princess Radiant Rapier as well as her student, before he ascended to demigodhood and full godhood himself.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: On the receiving end. In a scene-insert, we catch a glimpse of what horrific torments Vicearch Iniquitous inflicted upon him and his comrades after they were devoured and assimilated into Her dark glory and made to suffer 'horror and agony without end' for their transgressions against Her and Her empire. It's not pretty in the slightest. Even after Slanu successfully completed a challenge from Vicearch Iniquitous to redeem 1,000 damned souls inside Her and She kept her Word to stop torturing them, it left him badly traumatised, and it's implied he had it worse than even Slanu and others partly because as one of Radiant Rapier's personal students, She singled him and his classmates out for Revenge by Proxy as She did not get to devour Radiant Rapier herself, but his entry noted it's just as likely because he won't shut up with his furious, vindictive tirades against Her whenever She turns Her attention on them and She finds offense in his and his fellow classmates' self-righteousness.
• Cynicism Catalyst: The disastrous Malregnar crusade and its aftermath did much to shred his idealism between his torments while imprisoned inside Iniquitous and discovering just how powerful and unstoppable the forces of evil could get with Malregnar, which pushed him into becoming a Knight Templar justice hardliner like her mentor did during her 'Poenan phase', zealously fighting evil and bringing justice everywhere with his followers.
  • He was also this to his own mentor in an indirect way: She was Forced to Watch, unable to do anything, as Vicearch Iniquitous defeated and then devoured him alive right in front of her. That and the Breaking Lecture Vicearch Iniquitous gave - that he and her other consumed comrades are now doomed to a Fate Worse than Death all because of her foolishness - went a long way in driving her into a downward spiral that culminated in her joining the Poenan Pantheon.
• Defiant to the End: He was the last god other than his mentor Radiant Rapier standing when her crusade against Malregnar turned into disaster, having fought to the bitter end in his Last Stand to defend her before he was defeated and Eaten Alive by the Vicearch while Radiant Rapier watched helplessly. He even managed to spit out a few defiant words against the Vicearch despite his terror before Her power and incomprehension at their defeat before he was devoured, though it was coldly dismissed by the Vicearch.
  Righteous Riposte: This… this is not over! Someday, someone like me will destroy you and everything you stand for! I swear it!
  Vicearch Iniquitous: ... You are not the first to make such a proclamation. You will not be the last. In the end, they will all share the same fate as your comrades already had. And now, you too shall join them.
• Deity of Human Origin: He was once a mortal Pony who idolised Radiant Rapier and was inspired to become a sword-wielding vigilante. His actions fighting against crime and corruption of his home kingdom would end up attracting Radiant Rapier's attention, who took him under her wing as a student and champion, eventually leading to him ascending to demigodhood and then full godhood.
• Eaten Alive: Having participated in Radiant Rapier's disastrous crusade against Malregnar, he along with Slanu and other gods were devoured by Iniquitous, with Righteous Riposte being the last one, his mentor being Forced to Watch as he was painfully consumed.
• Everyone Has Standards: Although presently going down an extremist path, his freshly radicalized status meant that he had yet to slip far down the slippery slope and had lines he would not cross even in the pursuit of hardline justice and punishment of all evil.
  • Although a member of the Poenan Pantheon and generally agreeing with their methods, he found issue with the likes of members and followers like the Red Hood, questioning whether she sincerely believe in the Poenans' mission or if she just joined up to satiate her sadistic, violent and psychopathic nature killing bad guys.
  • While he like his mentor during her time in the Poenans condoned the 'Judgement Day' attack on Ponyville, he draws the line at the Poenans trying to harm children on the grounds that being generally innocent, they had yet to truly develop the potential to develop into great evil, while in contrast the adults of Ponyville are old and mature enough to develop a moral compass and thus could/should be held accountable for tolerating and welcoming the redeemed Sunnytowners into Ponyville.
  • While dedicated to wiping out evil, crime and villainy, even he was reportedly horrified when he caught word his former mentor Radiant Rapier had entertained ideas of removing mortals' ability to choose between good and evil altogether. Punishing people for their bad choices was one thing, removing free will so they would always make the good choice and commit no evil was going too far even for him. This may had contributed to his falling out with his mentor.
• Fatal Flaw: His passion and dedication to his ideals of justice, while some of his greatest strengths, are also proving to be some of his greatest weaknesses as he descends into obsession and zealotry following his traumatic imprisonment and torment within Vicearch Iniquitous.
• Fate Worse than Death: Like Slanu the Shining/Shadow Savior and other gods who participated in Radiant Rapier's crusade, he endured 'horror and agony without end' inside Vicearch Iniquitous after they were all consumed by Her. He took it much worse than the Slanu did and only held onto sanity as much by clinging onto his convictions of justice and hatred for injustice as he did holding onto hope of being freed one day.
• Foil: To his former idol and mentor Princess Radiant Rapier, remaining hardline, uncompromising and zealous in pursuit of justice and his hatred for injustice where his mentor have had a Heel Realization and soften up.
• Freudian Excuse: Was an overly passionate Pony who was born and fought for justice in a kingdom full of crime and corruption, was influenced by his increasingly hardline idol and mentor into becoming more fervent, was horrifically traumatised by the thousands of years of torment inside Vicearch Iniquitous, and was disillusioned with his own mentor. All of which combined to turn him into a Knight Templar justice hardliner who would join the Poenan Pantheon and zealously crusade against evil and injustice everywhere.
• The Fundamentalist: Righteous Riposte is presently a Knight Templar justice hardliner who refuses any form of compromise with evil, believing any negotiation or deals with them to be defeatist appeasement and hypocrisy, and had at times surpasses even his mentor in his hardline and zealous pursuit of justice even before the Malregnar crusade and its aftermath.
• The Good Guys Always Win: The once idealistic Righteous Riposte ardently believe that no matter how great or how worse the evil, righteousness and justice would always prevail, having facilitated it himself as a vigilante in his home kingdom and later an a deity of justice who ascended under his idol and mentor Radiant Rapier's tutelage. Because of this, he was left horrified and stupefied by the disastrous defeat of his mentor's crusade against Malregnar, unable to comprehend how they could had lost right until he himself is defeated and devoured. He still firmly believe in this even after he was released, but his conviction had been warped into hardline fanaticism for justice that drives him into the arms of the Poenan Pantheon and relentlessly seeking to destroy evil and apply justice everywhere.
• Knight Templar: At present a hardline, uncompromising justice zealot, a member of the Poenan Pantheon who are mostly composed of fellow zealously righteous justice hardliners.
• Master Swordsman: He wielded a sword while he was a mortal vigilante and it's implied he got better from there.
• Never My Fault: Despite him, Radiant Rapier, and their allies launching a completely unprovoked invasion of Malrègnar, he refuses to accept that they were in the wrong for doing so because the Malrègnarians are evil and deserved to be obliterated. It's deconstructed as it leads to him seeing those who don't side with him as condoning evil, something that nets him many What the Hell, Hero? speeches from gods whose lives were screwed over by the invasion plan. When he tries blaming Blue Suede Heartstrings for the failed invasion on account of the latter being a friend of Vicearch Iniquitous, Blue Suede naturally gets enraged with his Playing the Victim Card and gets into a vicious fight with him.
• Playing the Victim Card: Riposte starts using this tactic when Blue Suede/Caerulus keeps refuting his arguments on why Vicearch Iniquitous should be killed, blaming the older Alicorn for all the torments he and his allies suffered within Iniquitous' dark bowels. This only enrages Blue Suede/Caerulus, who asserts he had nothing to do with what happened and points out that the failed invasion of Malrègnar was all Riposte and his allies' doing.
  Prince Caerulus Melodia Equestria: You gonna play the blame game with me? Then go ahead. Call me a hypocrite. Call me a monster. But that hare-brained scheme you and yer lil' friends cooked up? Ah wasn't part of it. THAT WAS ALL YER DOIN'!
• The Power of Hate: While suffering unspeakable torments within Vicearch Iniquitous, Righteous Riposte managed to cling onto his sanity as much by holding onto his wrath and hatred as it was by holding onto the thin hope that one day they would be free like Slanu did. While it didn't corrupt him like Despotic Destiny, it still unfortunately pushed him into zealotry before and after he was released.
• Principles Zealot: Righteous Riposte was noted to be rather uncompromising in his convictions and principles on justice and righteousness as both a mortal hero and a justice divine, even to the point of his own detriment. Generally deconstructed as this refusal to compromise drove him towards zealotry and fanaticism and eventually into the open hooves of the Poenan Pantheon
  • Even during his long imprisonment within Vicearch Iniquitous he made it a point to defiantly call out the Vicearch and promising all manners of retribution for putting him and his comrades through horror and agony without end, even if it does little more than annoy Her with his pontificating and netting him even more gruesome torments when She eventually grows tired of his tirades.
  • His eventual falling out with his own mentor and idol came from the fact that Radiant Rapier bargained with the Vicearch for his and his comrades' freedom following her own Heel Realization. While he was grateful to be released, Righteous Riposte was shocked and furious with his mentor as he believed - and Radiant Rapier taught him herself back then - that evil, crime and villainy can not and never be negotiated with, and to him Radiant Rapier's action was not only appeasement and defeatism, but full-blown hypocrisy to the very ideals she once uphold and embodies, which were the reasons he looked up to her in the first place. He even outright claim that had he known and there really was no other way (something he constantly disputed), he would rather stay inside the Vicearch if it meant she won't make that choice.
• A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Well, more Knight Templar justice hardliner, but he was a student of Radiant Rapier who had a falling out with his idol and mentor and eventually join the Poenan Pantheon to fill the place she left behind.
  Righteous Riposte: You are not my mentor, and I am not your student.
• Suicidal Overconfidence: It's pointed out that he refuses to acknowledge a rematch with Iniquitous would have no better odds than the first round and still wants one.
• This Cannot Be!: Being a passionate believer in goodness and righteousness always prevailing over evil and unrighteousness, he was overcome with horror and incomprehension in his mentor's fateful crusade into Malregnar as it collapsed into rout and massacre, seemingly unable to understand, let alone believe, how they could had failed.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Downplayed. He's very grateful at being rescued from a Fate Worse than Death being trapped and tormented inside the Vicearch of Malrègnar, but he takes issue with the fact that his mentor seemingly compromised with evil and her own principles to do it.
• Vigilante Man: Inspired by Radiant Rapier, he became a vigilante in his home kingdom, bringing justice however he could, doing so well his actions would actually attract his idol's attention.
• We Used to Be Friends: Used to look up to his mentor, but had a falling out over methods and ideals.
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • His Broken Pedestal moment with his mentor stemmed from his outrage over her willingness to bargain with Vicearch Iniquitous, even if it is to free him and the others She consumed, as he believed good can never compromise in the face of evil and saw her action as defeatist, hypocritical and wavering in her former convictions.
  • He's on the receiving end of one from Pralay, an Elephant god of Justice from the Dharmadeshvar Pantheon and another member of the doomed mission, who points out that by trying to recruit others to the Poenans and eventually launch another invasion on Malregnar, he'd be wronging all their friends and loved ones by getting them eaten again in a fight they know they can't win, as well as rendering the actions of those who saved them meaningless.
  • This went both ways during a confrontation between him and Blue Suede/Caerulus: On one hand, Riposte accuses Blue Suede/Caerulus of being a "fool" and a hypocrite for befriending Vicearch Iniquitous, as he sees Blue Suede/Caerulus' friendship with her as a form of moral corruption. On the other hand, Blue Suede/Caerulus likewise is furious with Riposte for trying to pin the blame for the failed invasion of Malrègnar on him, and gets into a vicious fight with Riposte over it.
• Wretched Hive: His home kingdom was rife with crime and corruption, which inspired him to idolize Radiant Rapier and become a vigilante.

Maqayis, the Devourer of Wicked Souls

Maqayis (introduced in this drabble is a former Neighyptian/Cryptan Goddess who defected following Sekra's return.

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• Arch-Enemy: Became one to Sekra the Indomitable, having resented being unable to punish her for HER crimes (Since a lot of innocents were hurt in Sekra's conquests), and finally snapped when Sekra is welcomed back to the restored Cryptan Pantheon without any comeuppance despite trying to conquer the world again upon her return.
• Big Eater: Had been feasting upon the wicked for ages as part of her job, usually upon their demise but increasingly when they are still alive.
• Knight Templar: Wants to rid the world of evil, and had been radicalised to the point she wants to do so preemptively and 'not give them the satisfaction' of even committing their crimes.
• Never Smile at a Crocodile: She's crocodilian in nature (a crocodile/sphinx chimeric creature to be exact), and makes the bellows of such as well as tries to kill Sekra with a death roll.
• The Older Immortal: One of the older deities of both the Cryptan Pantheon and later the Poenan Pantheon, having been around in the Third Age, and is implied to have lived before even then.
• Rage Breaking Point: Seeing Sekra officially welcomed back into the Cryptan Pantheon without consequences despite trying to conquer the world again upon her return (causing not inconsiderable number of casualties) finally caused her to try and kill Sekra and then defect to the Poenans.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Wants to rid the world of evil, but disillusionment with the 'punish them after a life full of evil acts' schtick led to her taking a more proactive and preemptive approach.

Angiris Council (Sub-Faction)

Andreios, the Flame of Valor

Classification:' Ethereal

Portfolio: Valor, Light, Song, Fire, Wrath

Rank: Divine (Tier II/Lesser)

"I fear nothing!"

Andreios (his entry here) is the Poenan god of Valor, Light, Song, Fire, and Wrath, and is a member of the divine "Angiris Council" that rules over the lands of Angiris, known as the Kingdom of Light and Song.

Among the Angiris Council and the Poenan Pantheon, he was marked for his fiery and passionate character, being strong willed, hot-headed and temperamental as is the case of many Poenan deities. His frustrations with the failures of their older peers with combating evil across Equus makes him one of the most outspoken supporters of Poena and the wider pantheon's zealous crusades against all that is vile and diabolical, which often puts him at odds with his more tempered siblings among the Angiris Council sub-group, on top of conflict with other more reasonable deities outside of the Poenans as is usually the case. Only time will tell where this passion would lead him, although as with the case of the Poenans as a whole, more probably for ill then good.

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• Anthropomorphic Personification: He's a Poenan god who embodies Valor, Light, Song, Fire, and Wrath.
• The Empath: He possesses the ability to empower followers and champions with courage and dispel their fears (even those magically generated), massively increasing their performance in battle.
• A Form You Are Comfortable With: Subverted. Among his five siblings he does this the least, usually appearing in his standard form of an otherwise suit of armour filled with light and fire in the shape of a Gryphon, with tendrils of light and flames instead of wings like normal Gryphons or normal angelic entities. While he is capable of taking more casual, comfortable forms like his siblings, he does that the least on the grounds that his fully glory can more effectively fight their enemies and inspire their followers to acts of valour and righteousness.
• Expy / Captain Ersatz: Of Imperius, the Angel of Valor in the Angiris Council of the same name from the Diablo universe.
• Hot-Blooded: One of his flaws: Andreios is quite hot-headed and zealotous in fighting evil. That's why he was the most vocal supporter of the Poenans among the Angiris Council after they joined their ranks, but also a source of tension with his more reasonable and restrained siblings like Dikaiómatos, the Blade of Justice, and a source of insecurity since it lends to his domain of Wrath, which while useful when properly applied is something which he feels shameful about (since Wrath is a SIN, and he has it despite being a deity that's meant to embody righteousness and virtue) and even his siblings are uncomfortable with.
• Light 'em Up: One of his domains covers light, making him a powerful light-wielding 'Luxomancer', which he would use to devastating effect in combat, such as turning into light beams that could Teleport Spam across the battlefield at the speed of light.
• Magic Music: Can sing a 'Song of Valor' which significantly magnifies his empathetic ability to empower followers and champions with courage and dispel their fears. His paladins can also do the same.
• The Magnificent: Known as "the Flame of Valor".
• Playing with Fire: Is a Pyromancer with his domain of Flame. In combat, he coats himself and his weapons in holy flames, and can make his enemies spontaneously combust.
• Teleport Spam: Like the rest of the Angiris Council, well known to have this ability and exploits it for battle. In his case in particular he could do this repeatedly at light speeds by turning into beams of light.
• Undying Loyalty: His most sympathetic trait. Say what you will about his hot-headed nature and zealousness, but his loyalty to his siblings in the Angiris Council and to their worshippers in the Kingdom of Light and Song is unquestionable. Even for Dikaiómatos, whom he often quarrel with, he would leap to his defense and pummel anyone who dares threaten his brother.
• Unstoppable Rage: Tying with his domain of Wrath, he could enter a state of fury that massively enhances his and his allies/followers' combat abilities, at the cost of gradually losing himself to it. He dislike using it very often because of this, and the fact that Wrath is usually a sin that he feels a righteous deity like him shouldn't really be having.

Dikaiómatos, the Blade of Justice

Classification: Ethereal

Portfolio: Justice, Light, Song, Swordsmanship, Sun

Rank: Divine (Tier II/Lesser)

"Together, we shall protect the innocent!"

Dikaiómatos (his entry here) is the Poenan god of Justice, Light, Song, Swordsmanship, and the Sun, and is a member of the divine "Angiris Council" that rules over the lands of Angiris, known as the Kingdom of Light and Song.

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• Anthropomorphic Personification: He's a Poenan god who embodies Justice, Light, Song, Swordsmanship, and the Sun.
• Balance Between Good and Evil: Vehemently despises this concept like the rest of the Angiris Council and the main reason why he's still one of the Poenan Pantheon despite being a lot more pragmatic and reasonable member. From what's been implied, given how much he care for and respect mortals, he find himself unable to accept Evil is either inevitable or has some legitimate place in the natural order of things, and given all the death and destruction they cause sees Evil as a poison or cancer that must be cured or excised. Because of this he found himself horrified by Belyolen and Temnobog and their views on Good and Evil. He lambasted the brothers' increasingly influential perspective as 'a mockery', believing it gives the idea to mortals that Evil is somehow acceptable and should even be embraced, thus enabling damnation and suffering, when the gods should be encouraging and empowering all mortal beings to resist and suppress/burn out evil from their hearts.
• God in Human Form: Once, he went as part of his divine duties to address a growing Evil threat festering among the Angirisan nobility, only to find the demon-affiliated warlock who was responsible already beaten by some mortal heroes. Curious as to how these mortal heroes could succeed even without divine help, he decided to incarnate as a mortal with no recollection of his divine self (even splitting his sword, who he once was and remains a core of his being, into three parts to fully suppress his powers and memories), and wandered the world, doing many heroic things and involved in many adventures. By the time he is restored to his full glory, his experiences during this time allowed him to realize the potential of mortals to do great things, and served to make him coming to greatly care for and respect mortal-kind and became one of their greatest patrons and protectors among the Poenans.
• Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Double-subverted. He knows and understands what Evil is as a concept, having witnessed the things mortal sapientkind can do during his journeys as a mortal, but he believes that all beings can suppress and even stamp out the evil sides of themselves so they can be good. However, he is genuinely horrified and enraged by the very thought of people treating Evil as something that has a "constructive" role in the grand scheme of things, or even something that is inevitable. Notably, his hatred of Belyolen revolves around this issue - in his eyes, Belyolen is a God of Good but he's an utter hypocrite for enabling the worst traits of mortal sapientkind under the "excuse" that evil and suffering are necessary aspects of life. He also believes that Belyolen is fortunate to have his inner evil and flaws exorcised out of him by Irminsul since he'll never have to struggle to be good, yet he still chooses to associate with his evil twin brother, Temnobog, and other monstrous beings like him despite being the divine embodiment of Good. The fact that Belyolen and Temnobog came to be due to Irminsul's twisted standards of perfection and selfish desires for a perfect and flawless heir never registers in his mind at all.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: Although he was part of the Poenan Pantheon's strike force that attempted to kill off Temnobog, he was sensible enough to recognize that they're outclassed when Temnobog's brother, Belyolen, intercepted them, and pulled his brother Andreios back before they would receive a Curbstomp Battle.
• Living Weapon: He shares a similar background with Mercy in that like her, he was originally a magically-enchanted sword that eventually achieved sapience through continuous exposure with magic, and being imprinted with the memories and essence of his users... though unlike Mercy, he achieved divinity as well. This kinship is largely why he was furious with Silver Bane for leaving her in the Terran Empire (though he does begrudgingly accept Silver Bane's reasons for doing so) and also why he's trying to bring Mercy back to the Poenan Pantheon; he thinks Mercy belongs with him as a Poenan, and is confident he'll do everything he can to ensure she is protected from becoming a Knight Templar herself or having her sapient consciousness 'exorcised' by his more fanatical peers.
• The Magnificent: Known as "the Blade of Justice", due to originating as a executioner's blade that became sentient and eventually Ascended to godhood as a deity of Justice.
• Nice Guy: Nicest and most reasonable out of the Angiris Council and by extension one of the better members of Poenan Pantheon, caring deeply for mortals whom he greatly respect. That said, he's not without his own share of faults, though it could be inferred those faults - and the reason he remains part of the Poenan Pantheon - is precisely because he's too nice and noble to stand Evil being allowed to exist, regardless of justification or excuse.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: While still possessing his share of faults, he comes off as this compared to his peers in the Angiris Council and the Poenan Pantheon, being an influential voice of reason trying to curb the worst tendencies of the Poenans and steer the pantheon and their followers towards a more righteous path in their war against Evil to protect the Good. He is notably pragmatic and responsible, championing diverse variety of heroes and champions regardless of background and nature, speaking in favour of the likes of Silver Bane as well as Necromancers who used their powers for Good. He also finds the more fanatical and reprehensible members of the Poenan Pantheon like the "Red Hood" abhorrent, and would rather the Poenans focus more on protecting the innocents from Evil than squabbling with other Good deities and heroic champions in their obsession to punish those they deem guilty.
• Token Good Teammate: Because he is a Reasonable Authority Figure and Nice Guy, he stands out among the Angiris Council and the Poenan Pantheon as one of their more vocal voices of reason, trying to rein in the worst excesses of the Poenans' fanaticism and focus more on protecting mortals and other beings from various evils and suffering. To note, he was livid at the Poenans' attack on Ponyville, since while he agrees that the redeemed Sunnytowners that they partly attacked Ponyville over should receive more sanctions for their sins, it still doesn't warrant wasting time and effort squabbling with other Good deities and heroes in Equestria over it when they could had used that effort to stop Evil elsewhere and protect more innocents.
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • Outraged by the idea of a Balance Between Good and Evil and believing that Belyolen and Temnobog are enabling damnation and corruption among Ponykind when the gods should be encouraging and empowering their followers to fight back against them, he called Belyolen out for failing to oppose Evil and all the suffering they caused mortal-kind. Although he was forced to pull back with his brother Andreios, he would promise to return when stronger to defeat and punish both brothers for perpetuating what he believes to be twisted beliefs that is only causing ruination among mortals and gods alike.
    Dikaiómatos: (to Belyolen) It’s a mockery, what you and your damned brother are doing, what you are trying to do to this world! Acting like this struggle between Good and Evil was just another aspect of life! Acting like all this pain and suffering in this world was somehow necessary or needed!
    
    Evil is a poison, a cancer! One that we are all infected with on the day of our birth! It is only through true Goodness that we can suppress and burn it out of ourselves! And you and your brother act like it’s natural for some to fail, for some to give in; you whose father’s mistake removed that struggle, who made it so you never have to feel that blackness in yourself.
    
    I leave now, Radiant One, but I will return one day, and I’ll have both your heads on pikes for what you wish upon this world!
  • He also gave one to the Poenans who participated in the "Judgement Day" attack on Ponyville. While he did agree with the reasoning that the redeemed Sunnytowners should be punished more for their crimes, he was also furious with the Poenans' lack of priority and criticized them for wasting their strength and resources that should be better used on bigger and more dangerous threats.

Anapófefkti, the Wind of Fate

Classification: Ethereal/Elemental

Portfolio: Fate, Light, Song, Wind, Time

Rank: Divine (Tier II/Lesser)

"It is my duty to record what is, and what is to be, but what is to be is rarely simple."

Anapófefkti (his entry here) is the Poenan god of Fate, Light, Song, Wind, and Time, and is a member of the divine "Angiris Council" that rules over the lands of Angiris, known as the Kingdom of Light and Song.

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• Badass Bookworm: On top of her foresight, she is also highly intelligent and studious, and could work out many things from what she scry and guide others towards the right course of action. Her foresight and insight made her one of the most valued members of the Poenan Pantheon as she is often right (At least when she is listened to or not holding out on exactly what she means).
• Blow You Away: On top of being a Luxomancer, she's also an Aeromancer, giving her powers over wind and air, revolving around divination and scrying.
• The Chessmaster: Being highly intelligent and capable of far-sighted prophecy through the 'Winds of Fate', Anapófefkti always work towards the greater good, and is willing to both openly and subtly guide the Poenan Pantheon and other heroic individuals and groups towards those ends. It is heavily hinted in her conversation with Silver Bane after he departed the Poenans that she's working towards a certain goal, which she hopes would 'bring out' the Poenan's 'maximum potential', and explains that she was doing the same for Silver Bane when she gave her prophecy regarding his condition years earlier, noting that her every word IS true, from certain interpretations and views.
• Freak Out: In a shocking and ominous occasion she lost her cold and emotionless composure, she descended into a screaming hysteria when asked to scry Vicearch Iniquitous and her Empire of Malregnar and saw something that overwhelmed her with horror and agony before she was knocked out. When she awoke and recovered, she adamantly refused to elaborate what she saw clearly and merely warned her pantheon to not mess with Iniquitous and Malregnar under any circumstances unless they possess an absolute, overwhelming advantage against her.
• The Magnificent: Known as "the Wind of Fate".
• Manipulative Bastard: Heroic version. She is not blind to the faults the Poenan Pantheon have and future challenges they are going to face, and has hidden plans to steer them towards mysterious end-goals that would lead to 'greater good', having been selectively wording her prophecies through scrying the 'Winds of Fate' to guide her fellow gods and their followers into doing certain actions.
• Music Magic: Like the other members of the Angiris Council, she and her followers could sing a 'Song' of power related to her domains. In her case, it is a 'Song of Fate' which brings peace and reassurance to her allies and the dread of imminent doom to their enemies.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Normally she is unflappable, wearing a cold and emotionless facade, and moments where she lost her composure are often considered notable and portentous.
  • When asked to scry what the infamous Iniquitous, the Vicearch of Malregnar and her dreaded empire is up to, she notably lost her composure and descended into a screaming hysteria, seemingly overwhelmed with horror and agony from whatever she saw before passing out. When she awoke, she is reluctant to elaborate on what she discovered except for a few cryptical hints, and advice that the Poenans do not move against her and her empire under any circumstances unless they possess an absolute, overwhelming advantage of some sort.
  • She sank into a Tranquil Fury when she found out certain unidentified schemers, heavily hinted to be the Changeling Summer Court, subtly manipulated the 'Winds of Fate' while she was scrying/foreseeing and manipulated her and the Poenans into certain actions such that the outcome would benefit their ends.
  • She gave a laugh when Silver Bane, after his departure from the Poenans, accused her for lying and keeping secret of his true nature from him and others. She merely told him afterwards that her prediction IS true from certain points of view/interpretations of her Exact Words, before reassuring him that she had and still is working in secret to guide him and her fellow gods towards a greater good, regardless of what it may seem in her actions.
• The Stoic: She is known for her cold and unemotional demeanor, similar to Princess Radiant Rapier during her Poenan-phase, but does in fact love her fellow Angiris Council siblings and the mortals they watch over deeply.
• Teleport Spam: Like the rest of the Angiris Council, well known to have this ability and exploits it for battle. In his case in particular he could do this repeatedly at light speeds by turning into beams of light.

Lamperielpida, the Sands of Hope

Classification: Ethereal/Elemental

Portfolio: Hope, Light, Song, Earth, Love

Rank: Divine (Tier II/Lesser)

"Faith cannot be lost, only abandoned."

Lamperielpida (her entry here) is the Poenan goddess of Hope, Light, Song, Earth, and Love, and is a member of the divine "Angiris Council" that rules over the lands of Angiris, known as the Kingdom of Light and Song.

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• Anthropomorphic Personification: She's a Poenan goddess who embodies Hope, Light, Song, Earth, and Love.
• The Magnificent: Known as "the Sands of Hope".
• Never My Fault: She genuinely believes that the Poenan cause is benevolent and righteous, which blinds her to her own flaws as well as the flaws of her peers, mortal followers, and ultimately the cause's founder, Poena. She uses religious faith to bring hope to the masses, but also enables their worst traits by encouraging them to justify their actions and ignore how horrible they actually are in practice. And notably, when she learned that Amour-De-Soi forced several Poenan followers to see their own monstrous reflections with True Image, she chose to blame Amour-De-Soi and the mirror-shields the Alicorn goddess helped create, rather than consider why the Poenan followers were so affected. This enraged both Applejack/Veritas, who sees her "faith" as self-deception and excuses, and Blue Suede Heartstrings, who is devoutly religious himself and sees both her and her followers as being no different than the tribalists he clashed with in the Second Age.
  • Finally bites her in the butt in the Angiris Devastation where encouraging this mindset in Holy Monument led to the Angiris Devastation.
• "Not So Different" Remark: According to Blue Suede Heartstrings, she and her followers really are no different than the tribalists of the Second Age, as they both do horrible things to people they don't like for some reason, lie to themselves that their actions were for the greater good, and get "uppity" when called out on their actions. When told this, she notably couldn't think of a proper retort because she knows that Blue might be right, but doesn't want to acknowledge it.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: She would receive two in her lifetime.
  • The first came from Applejack, who was then a mortal Earth pony mare. Angered with her use of faith as a way to enable her mortal followers' worst traits with excuses while encouraging them to see their horrible actions as righteous, Applejack would call her out on her bullshit then and there. Appropriately, this led to Applejack becoming an Alicorn demi-goddess.
    Princess Applejack/Veritas: This ain't faith! Yah ain't helping these ponies and gods build faith in a greater cause! Yah ain't makin' 'em have faith in justice! Yer ENABLING them! You're helping them lie tah themselves that everything they're doin' is right! Yer coverin' up all the rotten things they do and encouraging 'em not tah think about it! Yah want real faith, go talk tah Blue Suede Heartstrings about the King of Heaven! THAT is true faith! If yah want ponies tah have faith, Ah'm all for it! But the TRUTH is this: when faith is used as an excuse tah do rotten things, it ain't faith anymore! It's SELF-DECEPTION AND EXCUSES!
  • The second came from Blue Suede Heartstrings himself, who is angry with her for the same reasons as Applejack. When she accuses him of not preaching the "King in Heaven" to the masses, Blue gives her a damning destruction of the "faith" she preaches in response, in turn revealing how hypocritical it is to accuse him of not doing something that she herself isn't doing properly. Notably, she could only come up with a feeble answer.
    Blue Suede Heartstrings: You know what I think about your faith, ma'am? I think it's no different than those TRIBALISTS I had to deal with back in my day. Goin' after certain folks they didn't like for some reason and doin' HORRIBLE things to them, all while pattin' themselves on the shoulder for a job well done, only to get all uppity when called out on their actions. And instead of realizin' the error of their ways and gettin' better, they lie to themselves and tell each other what they're doin' is right, enabling the ugliest sides of themselves until they become utter monsters. THAT is what I'm seein' in you and your followers, and frankly, I'm ASHAMED of the fact that you think you're doin' the same thing as me and other folks who know what REAL faith is. Ever wonder why folks yell at you and even beat up your followers? Well, look in the mirror and tell me your answer.
    Lamperielpida: ...You'll see our side someday. You'll see.
    Blue Suede Heartstrings: I probably won't, and frankly, ma'am, I hope that day NEVER comes. There's still a chance for you to think about everything you've been doin' and become better, because I know that more than anything, you wanna help others and put a smile on their faces. But until you take that chance... don't you EVER come to me and talk to me 'bout doin' somethin' you're not even doin' yourself.

Notable Champions, Followers, Servants, and Allies

General

• Knight Templar: While the exact temperaments varied, the Poenans' generally more hardline methods put many of them on the brink of this, if they are not already there.
• Take a Third Option: A murder occurred in a village which was being investigated by Poenan Judicators. Unfortunately, the murdered person was such an Asshole Victim the entire village flatly refused to cooperate out of sympathy for the murderer, hampering investigation. As impeding an investigation is a crime in itself, and at worst could mark you as an accomplice for the wrongdoing by abetting and abiding it, the incredibly frustrated Poenan Judicators eventually decided to go around it by arresting the entire village. This act incidentally got them the murderer when he tried to make a get away. While the murderer was judged, sentenced and executed, the rest of the village had also been found guilty and sentenced to hard labour for impeding investigation and aiding the murderer, and the children, deemed innocent, were spared and adopted by Poenan authorities. A Just Detective who heard of it is aghast at the lengths the Poenans went.
  Just Detective: You arrested ALL of them?
  Poenan Judicator: Of course we had. They had all refused to cooperate in the investigation, merely because they all believe the victim deserved it and condoned the killing. That automatically made them accomplices to the killer's crime. That we caught the killer himself is merely an incidental bonus. Now they will ALL pay for their crimes.

The Scourge of Hell

Character: Anti-Heroic

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral/Chaotic Good/??

Type: Warrior/Berserker/Eternal Hero/Demon Slayer/Divine Champion

Faction: Unaffiliated/Poenan Pantheon

"He's not trapped there in a hell-realm full of Demons. THEY are all trapped in there with HIM."

— Yarost, the Prince of Murder, on the relentless demon-slayer known as 'The Scourge of Hell'

The dreaded and mysterious 'Scourge of Hell' (His entry here) is a feared demon-slayer who had been waging a relentless war upon the Demonic and Diabolical for aeons, for reasons that remain unclear. Filled with bottomless rage and hatred for Demonkind, equipped with an iconic enchanted armour which obscures his identity, and powerful to the point of being a One-Man Army, the Scourge had laid waste to demonic hordes and hell-realms as early as the 'Second Age', whether on Equus or on other planes and worlds, and in this age, he has found himself in the confidence of Poena, the Mistress of Punishment, who is impressed by his unrelenting crusade against Demonkind and made him her and her pantheon's champion. Whatever happens, however, one thing is certain: He will always be there to stand against Demonkind, to rip and tear, until there are none...

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• Ambiguously Human: Or rather, Ambiguously Pony. He's definitely an Equine, but whether or not he's actually related to Ponykind is unclear.
• The Berserker: Is classified as one and shows it with his ultra-violent hyper-aggression on all things Demonic, with little interest for subtlety or strategy in his methods.
• Birds of a Feather: How he ended up allying with the Poenan Pantheon - his completely pitiless and uncompromising crusade against Demonkind, Fallen deities, and other fell individuals/factions greatly impressed Poena, who had done the same thing since her time as an avenging angel and now as a goddess. She would supply him with various divine artifacts, weapons, equipment, and other boons to help exterminate his enemies in exchange for becoming one of her champions, and he has been working for her ever since. Princess Stitching Time speculates that he only agreed to side with the Poenan Pantheon's cause for the sake of convenience, considering how he only goes after demons and doesn't do much else besides it.
• Blood Knight: The Scourge of Hell is an ultra-violent being who is absolutely filled with rage for Demonkind and other Fallen entities, so he naturally leans towards this trope in his crusade to slaughter anything and everything diabolical which emerge from the pits of the Hell-Realms.
  • He nods with approval when Dragon Rider announced his own plan to fight High King Ragnarokkr during the 'Final Ragnarok' conflict (which is more or less climbing up the mountain-sized Eldritch Abomination and punching the big bastard in the face), even while he is ripping the head off a Demon.
• Chainsaw Good: Like his inspiration, for close quarters he prefers the use of a chainsaw or similar weapon to rip and tear his foes whenever not using his bare hooves to do so. In the Fourth Age, he uses a Terran Chain-axe.
• Colony Drop: This guy is such an implacable demon-slaying warrior who absolutely refuses to die that the only method that ever managed to even slow him down is by literally dropping entire temples and mountains on top of him. And no, that never keeps him down for long.
• Cutting the Knot: If he can't solve a problem by shooting it, he'll solve it by punching it. Whatever the most direct means of accomplishing his objective is, he does it without hesitation.
• Deface of the Moon: Or in his case, Mares. He's responsible for a gaping hole (which became a famous religious site/tourist spot there) on the surface of the red planet after deciding during the fabled 'Doom Wars' of antiquity that blowing a hole through the crust with a giant energy cannon would be a faster way to get inside the planet and reach a lost city, where a portal is located which could take him where he needs to go. One of his allies protested he can't just shoot a hole into the surface of Mares, but he just ignored him.
• The Dreaded: Everyone is afraid of him, especially Demonic and Fallen entities which he goes after. Even heroes are wary of him because of his brutal and ruthless character.
  Archdemon: "To fight him is to have no gain! For he is the BRINGER OF PAIN!"
• Determinator: This guy will not stop until he has killed all Demons and Diabolical beings, even if it will take him all of eternity.
• Destructive Saviour: Note to leave behind considerable damage and destruction in all his battle against the Demonic and Diabolical.
• Eternal Hero: It's implied that he's immortal and had been crusading/rampaging against Demonkind since time immemorial, as Golden Scepter claims seeing him fighting demonic allies of the Fallen Alicorn, Morning Star, on occasion. However, people stay clear of him because of his brutal ruthlessness and curt behavior around others.
• Expy: Of the 'Doom Slayer' from the DOOM (2016) reboot, although cues are also taken from other entries of the Doom franchise. His entry has a lot of shout-outs to Doom.
• Forever War: He had been fighting against the forces of Demonkind since time immemorial, and he's not stopping anytime soon.
• Good Is Not Nice: He is firmly against Demonkind's existence and fights eternally to destroy them all, but he is not nice by any metric. Like the 'Doom Slayer', he is absurdly brutal and aggressive against his foes, has absolutely no social skills, does not communicate beyond a Death Glare and ultra-violence, will forcefully take what he needs to continue his fight, and leaves behind an enormous trail of death and destruction in his wake.
• Hidden Depths: Noted that beneath all the rage he can be introspective, reasonable and even Adorkable. It's just that he's so absolutely pissed off about Demons that it's not easily observable. Goes hand in hand with being based on of the 'Doom Slayer' from Doom (2016).
  • He also turned out to be an incredibly capable tactician in combat whose methods, while brutal and straightfoward, goes beyond merely charging headfirst into the fray slaughtering every demon in sight. As an Unseelie Changeling analyst noted to a group of Malregnarian devilic and mortal generals, there's a method in his madness.
  Changeling Analyst: The Scourge of Hell is deceptively dangerous. He may prefer gratuitous violence to methodological precision, but he is no less cunning as he is tenacious when the situation requires it. He knows almost on an instinctive level how to control the battlefield and dictate the pace and order of each confrontation. This may be partly how he is still able to survive and prevail over Demonkind time and time again, no matter the odds. I would therefore strongly advise that you plan accordingly to account for this before engaging him, lest your battle ends in his favour... as it had since time immemorial.
• Hopeless War: It had been observed that his Forever War against Demonkind is likely futile: Demonic and Diabolical/Fallen beings appear when either the subconscious mind of sapient beings imprint their dark thoughts and emotions into the background magical field of Equus, which achieves complexity and sapience by chance as Boltzmann Minds, or they are magical/divine beings who became Fallen due to corruption or disillusionment with the world. As Long as There Is Evil, there will always be Demons and Diabolical entities. Of course, the Scourge of Hell simply doesn't care.
• Horrifying the Horror: Demons are malignant ethereal entities who are the incarnations of the worst parts of mortals' and gods' nature and had been damning, tormenting and ruining mortals for ages. And yet "The Scourge of Hell" consistently makes them all tremble in fear, having been brutally eviscerating their kind since time immemorial. The reaction of a certain Archdemon of Fear who once managed seal him off for a few centuries best exemplifies this when he heard that a bunch of mortal adventurers successfully frees him from his container.
  Unterfright the Unflappable: What do you mean some-mortal STOLE THE BOX?! ^note He later had a similar reaction when the Scourge of Hell finally made it to and slaughtered the crap out of him, ripping all his heads off.
• Human Cannonball: EQUINE Cannonball, in this case. Being in possession of Super-Toughness, the Scourge of Hell often have no issues with commandeering siege engines and artillery pieces to launch himself towards his objectives and enemies if he needs to reach them quickly, smashing his way through most obstacles without issue and proceeding with his rampage. This often leave those around him flaggerblasted, but one can hardly argue with the results.
  Poenan Crusader 1: You have got to be kidding me.
  Poenan Crusader 2: Well, to be fair... he's a far more destructive payload than anything we could had fired at the walls.
• Implacable Man: Like his inspiration, the Scourge will not stop, ever, until he had killed absolutely every single Demon and destroyed absolutely every single Hell-Realm in existence. And pretty much nothing the Demons did ever managed to do more than slow him down or stop him temporarily.
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness: A very dark version - he's not corrupted by the influence of Hell, which turns most people into demon worshipers or monsters because there's nothing left in him but pure vengeance.
• Kill the God: He has slain even lesser Fallen or Evil Gods who commanded Demon Lords and diabolical forces, although because of the mechanics of divinity in this setting, he either requires Divine assistance/weapon provided by a godly ally, or use the Evil/Fallen deity's own Divine weapon against them to do the job.
• The Legions of Hell: Are AFRAID of him, because to him they're ultimately just Cannon Fodder.
• Lightning Bruiser: As noted by a Changeling analyst, he milks his supernatural speed for all its worth to avoid getting swarmed by demons in battle, combining it with his judicious use superior strength and overwhelming firepower to overcome his demonic foes in each engagement, constantly moving, avoiding attacks and striking back in turn.
• More Dakka: Like his inspiration, the Scourge of Hell prefers the usage of a wide arsenal of firepower to destroy his demonic foe, whether it be guns of the Second Age or the pneumatic-catapults of the Fourth Age. And bombs. And rocket launchers. And just about everything that could shoot and/or explode. Of course, if he needs to he could just use his bare hooves to quote 'RIP AND TEAR!'.
• Mysterious Past: In-Universe, no one knows where he came from or why he's so pissed off, other than that because they had wronged him aeons past, all that is demonic and diabolical had and are now on his kill-list.
• Official Couple: He has recently hooked up with Astral Knight.
• One-Man Army: This guy tore through whole armies of Demons and Diabolical entities without stopping and demolished entire Hell-realms and diabolical empires by himself. Casualties often numbered in the countless thousands on almost every occasion.
• Only in It for the Money: It's speculated in-universe by Princess Stitching Time that when Poena made him his divine champion, he just "rolled with it" for the sake of convenience, since in return he gets a lot of divine weapons and equipment for the purpose of exterminating Demonkind. This is justified as being in a Forever War against demonic and fell entities means that supplies can only last for so long.
• Person of Mass Destruction: He is VERY good at destroying things. Especially anything Demon-related.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Had been embarked on one ever since Demonkind screwed him over.
• Sadist: Rather than going straight to the kill, if he gets his hands on a demon, he will gruesomely mutilate it just as the demons would do with him. Considering how numerous and powerful the demons are, this could be justified by him making damn sure it can't get back up to menace him while he's busy fighting others.
• The Scourge of God: Both metaphorically and literally. For aeons the Scourge of Hell had been near-universally feared by Demonkind for being an unrelenting and undying force of destruction hell-bent on their extermination, often with the support of literal deities such as Poena who gave him power and weapons needed to put down Demonkind with extra abhorrence and efficiency. Heck, given how often Demons come under command of Fallen Deities, his 'Scourge of God' repute may be even MORE literal...
• Small Role, Big Impact: Downplayed, but apparently Tartarus in Equestria was a Hell-Realm which was cleared out by the Scourge of Hell some time ago, leaving behind an empty pit which the Equestrians would turn into their maximum-security prison for particularly dangerous monsters and villains.
• Tranquil Fury: While definitely a berserker, like the Doom Slayer he doesn't speak or even verbalize his feelings, yet it's very abundantly clear from his presence that he's full of Unstoppable Rage. In the opinion of some like Mentelene, he's likely gone BEYOND furious and into a state of calm and certainty, where his vengeful wrath and rampage against Demons is as natural to him as BREATHING and EATING.
• Time Abyss: His exact origins and existence remains unclear, but Golden Scepter, a surviving antediluvian Alicorn Emperor, claimed that that he had been around to fight the demonic allies/minions of Morning Star and his Fallen Alicorns faction during the "Twilight of the Alicorns", a conflict which took place hundreds of thousands of years before 'Known History' and lasted around 100,000 years by itself.
• To Hell and Back: He had done that, repeatedly, over the aeons. And there's usually not much of a hell-realm left by the time he's done.
• Unscrupulous Hero: He is extremely ruthless in combat and shows absolutely zero mercy... if you’re a demon or working with them. Otherwise he still has No Social Skills but is still fighting for the good of ponykind.
• Unstoppable Rage: Like the Doom Slayer, he's full of this against Demonkind, to the point it's been cited as a possible reason for his inexplicable immortality: he's simply too furious to die.
• Why Won't You Die?: The Scourge of Hell had been around for a long time, wiping out Demonkind wherever he found them. Many demons had tried repeatedly to kill him without succeeding. They swarmed him with numbers, sent their greatest champions who could challenge even the gods, dropped whole temples and mountains on him just to slow him down, and nothing worked. Every time they believed they succeeded, he just inexplicably get back up and kill them back, as if he simply refuses to die. In short, this is how they view the Scourge of Hell besides complete and utter terror.

Silver Bane, the Dark Hunter (Ex-Member)

Character: Heroic

Alignment: Lawful/Neutral Good

Type: Dhampir/Warrior-Monk/Former Extremist/Protector

Faction: Poenan Pantheon (formerly; defected), Unaffiliated

"To try eradicate all things 'dark' and 'evil' in the name of Justice is folly. A 'true' upholder of Justice looks for the darkness inside themselves first before looking everywhere else."

Silver Bane (his entry here) is a former servant and champion of the Poenan Pantheon who has since defected, becoming a prime example of the dangers and consequences of the Poenans' extremism.

Silver Bane's past was a mystery even to himself - he was found alone by the Poenan Pantheon's followers as a colt, bloodied, traumatized, and malnourished, with no memory of how he ended up in that state. Though quiet and anti-social, he made up for it with his magical and psychic talents, his extreme efficiency, and his burning hatred towards all things "evil", including the "Dark Ones" that he claimed destroyed his hometown. Poena was so impressed with Silver Bane that as a reward, she made him one of her champions and gave him his name, as well as a custom-made divine sword that he called "Mercy". However, he would unexpectedly show his then-unknown vampiric side after a stressful battle with an evil vampire lord caused Silver Bane to turn into a vampiric monster out of stress.

Though many Poenans voted to give Silver Bane a merciful death, Poena let him live in a rare display of mercy, sympathizing with her champion and giving him a chance to take revenge against the "Dark Ones" who turned him. Silver Bane would continue serving the Poenan Pantheon faithfully until he adopted Friede, an orphaned Griffon chick with immense psychic powers and extreme stoicism. Looking after Friede caused Silver Bane to regain the empathy he had repressed for years, making him finally see the ugly side of the Poenans' philosophy of ruthless justice. This culminated in him defying orders to kill Felicia, a kindly Abyssinian orphanage mistress, by protecting her from his peers, who would have gone after the orphans as well to "spare" them from becoming monsters themselves in the future.

Silver Bane was taken to trial for his defiance, and when the more fanatical Poenans tried to kill him, he transformed and went on a rampage, only to go on the run and take Friede with him when Poena confronted him. He would befriend a few people during his travels, such as twin Kirin sisters Rushing Wind and Gentle Wind, a pair of undead monster hunters, but the stress of containing his vampiric side, looking after Friede, and fleeing from his pursuers eventually became too much. While helping Rushing Wind and Gentle Wind hunt down the demon that killed their mother, Silver Bane gave in to his negative emotions and transformed again, only to get seriously injured and would have died had the group not been saved by Prince Night Shade, one of Golden Scepter's demigod sons. Despite his friends' efforts to heal him, Silver Bane fell into a coma that he couldn't wake up from, and had to be taken to a monastery occupied by mortal followers of Satori, the Mother Goddess of Llamakind.

With the help of a kindly Llama monk, Silver Bane's friends discovered that his coma was psychosomatic, caused by a mental entity that spawned from his suppressed vampiric side, and psychically ventured into his mind to save him.[WIP]

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• Adaptational Backstory Change: His father is revealed to be a Vampire noble who gave up everything to be with the Pony mare he fell in love with. Unfortunately, his father was killed by bigoted townsponies shortly after he was born, and he and his mothers lived as outcasts since then. Donovan's childhood massacre of his village is also expanded on - he was constantly bullied for being a Dhampyr until he snapped and went on a rampage, leaving him the Sole Survivor and traumatizing him so much that he forgot everything about himself. After this, he would be raised by the puristic Poenan Pantheon and their mortal followers; while it wasn't specified on who raised Donovan in the games after losing his mother, it does explain Donovan's canon Knight Templar attitudes.
• Adaptational Badass: Donovan Baine is a Buddhist Dhampyr monk who is a master swordsman, has telekinesis, and can summon elemental spirits whose respective powers revolve around Fire, Ice, Lightning. In the OVA, he is strong enough to hold together a bisected cliff with Dhylec to save people from falling over. Here as Silver Bane, he can do all of the above, with the addition of transforming into a vampiric monster when under stress, which gives him enhanced physical capabilities and greater magic reserves. Once he accepts his half-vampire heritage, he gains a permanent power boost (along with a new appearance).
• Adaptational Heroism: Donovan Baine was a Knight Templar and Anti-Hero whose obsessive quest to "purge" himself of his vampiric blood eventually led to him giving in to his darker side and becoming a full vampire, with the implication that Anita, a young psychic girl he adopted, had to give him a Mercy Kill. Here, as Silver Bane, he started out as a Knight Templar, but slowly broke out of his harmful mindset thanks to the benevolent influence of Friede and the friends he made, resulting in him accepting his vampiric heritage and becoming a balanced individual with a stabler mindset and greater power than he had before.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: Even more so than what the Night Warriors: Darkstalker's Revenge OVA had done to Donovan Baine. He was initially a Knight Templar obsessed with smiting Evil and hunting down the "Dark Ones" because he mistakenly believed himself to be "cursed" with vampirism, resulting in a deep grudge against them. The influence of benevolent people like Friede, the Wind sisters, and Prince Night Shade would help him break out of this mindset and accept his vampiric heritage, creating a balanced individual with a stabler mindset and greater power than before, and thus saving his life in the process.
• Amnesiac Hero: Deconstructed. He became amnesiac because when he was a foal, he transformed into a vampiric monster and went on a rampage in response to his bullies, and the extreme trauma caused him to forget everything, even his own name. This made him vulnerable to the likes of the Poenan Pantheon, who raised him to be a Knight Templar devoted to smiting all evils. Because of this, he thought he was "cursed" for years and repressed his Dhampiric heritage until he fell into a coma. Regaining his lost memores proved to be crucial in saving his life, as he was able to accept his 'dark half' and wake up thanks to them.
• Amplifier Artifact: His sword, Mercy, enhances the magic of whoever's using her. He would later give her away to Prince Red Blade after leaving the Poenan Pantheon, realizing the dangers of such a weapon in their hooves, especially after she became sentient. Mentally fusing with his "dark half" and gaining a permanent power boost from having his long-suppressed vampiric heritage manifest himself helped factor in the decision as well.
• Angst Coma: He fell into a feverish coma caused by a combination of stress over fleeing his Poenan pursuers, being severely injured by a powerful demon he and his friends were chasing down, and the work of his 'dark half', which tried to take control of his body out of spite for being constantly suppressed. However, Silver Bane's friends got him out of his coma by journeying into his mind with the help of a kindly Llama monk, and unlocking his forgotten memories, causing an emotional breakdown as he discovered the truth of what really happened to his town and his deceased mother, but also influencing him to accept his "dark half" as his equal and reconcile with him. The resulting mental fusion transformed him in the real world as his half-vampire heritage finally manifested itself, yet also allowed him to wake up.
• Anti-Magic: His former sword, Mercy, had the ability to cut through dark magic spells like they're nothing.
• The Atoner: After leaving the Poenan Pantheon and rediscovering certain truths about himself, he would first study under the mortal disciples of Satori, then travel all over Equus to atone for the various crimes he committed as a Poenan follower. In fact, while he was in a coma, he was able to reconcile with his "dark half" by offering it to start over as his equal so they could both make up for what they had done, leading to him transforming into a Dhampyr in the real world and waking up from his coma after they mentally fused together. One of the locations he was spotted in was Abyssinia, as he wanted to make amends with Felicia, a kindhearted were-cat, for his former Poenan peers attacking her orphanage.
• Braids of Action: His dark-brown mane and tail are so long that he had them tied into singular braids to keep them from getting caught in things. He's also a powerful Poenan follower and later, after leaving the Poenan Pantheon, he would become a powerful Warrior Monk.
• Breaking the Cycle of Bad Parenting: The Poenan deities and their mortal followers raised him to follow their ruthless philosophy of Justice, and gave him harmful, hypocritical, and self-righteous teachings that would have eventually killed him if his friends and other benevolent individuals hadn't intervened and saved him. After adopting Friede, he would become a much better surrogate parent than the Poenans had ever been, as he genuinely tried to be a good father and role model for his daughter - to the point where Friede started crying openly and loudly for the first time after he got severely injured and fell into a coma that he would later wake up from.
• Captain Ersatz: Of Donovan Baine. Silver Bane's name, appearance, and magical/psychic/combat skills are heavily similar to Donovan's, especially after leaving the Poenan Pantheon, where he starts donning monk robes that follow the red, blue, and yellow color scheme as Donovan's outfit. He even wielded the same large sword (at first) that Donovan uses as a weapon. They're also both dhampirs, though how they reacted to it differed - Donovan was a Knight Templar who ruthlessly hunted down the Darkstalkers in hopes that he could purge his "cursed" blood from himself, only to fail and become a vampire anyway. Furthermore, it's implied that Donovan had to be put down by Anita, a young psychic girl he adopted, in order to end his misery. Silver Bane was taught to suppress his vampiric side by the Poenan Pantheon, as the other option consisted of being put down to prevent him from becoming a monster. This would give him quite a bit of self-loathing, and made him believe that he could only obtain inner peace by smiting Evil and those he called the "Dark Ones". However, he would ultimately be spared Donovan's fate when, after falling into a coma, the efforts of his friends and adoptive daughter to redeem/save him influenced Silver Bane to accept and reconcile with the mental manifestation of his vampiric heritage instead. This not only caused him to physically transform into a true dhampir, but also saved his life, as he and his vampiric side are one and the same.
• Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: At some point, he realized what would happen to Mercy if he were to lose her or, worse, the Poenan Pantheon were to get their collective hands on her and learn of her sentience. This motivated him to leave Mercy in the care of Golden Scepter and his nineteen demi-divine sons, knowing that their power, skill, and experience would give Mercy sufficient protection from the Poenans. Mercy initially didn't take this well and even begged Silver Bane not to leave her behind, but later came to understand and accept why he had to do it, and knows he can come visit at any time. Prince Red Blade and his older/younger brothers took such good care of her that it helped her deal with Silver Bane's absence immensely.
• Deconstructed Character Archetype:
  • Of the Amnesiac Hero. After snapping from his childhood bullying and transforming into a vampiric monster for the first time, Silver Bane went on a rampage that utterly destroyed his town and killed his mother. Both his trauma and guilt were so great that he forgot about almost everything about his early past, including his own name. This unfortunately made him a living "clean slate", which in turn made him vulnerable to extremist factions like the Poenan Pantheon, whose mortal/divine members adopted him and raised him to become a Knight Templar utterly devoted to smiting Evil. This meant that most of what Silver Bane were made to believe about himself for years were actually false, such as his vampiric heritage being a "curse" to be suppressed and/or purged (which initially gave him quite a bit of self-loathing) and that an outside force was responsible for destroying his home and killing his mother, not him. Remembering his forgotten memories proved crucial to saving his life once he was put in a coma and dragged into a Battle in the Center of the Mind by his "dark half", as it not only influenced him to accept his "dark half" as his equal rather than outright destroying it, but it also helped him break free from the Poenan Pantheon's toxic influence.
  • Of the Knight Templar. Silver Bane is feared and hated for being a brutal and uncompromising "Dark Hunter" (hence his epithet, "the Dark Hunter"), and unsurprisingly, he has gained a lot of enemies, including Prince Night Shade, Golden Scepter's fifteenth son and a former ally of the Poenans who rejected them out of disgust. However, his entry notes that Silver Bane's beliefs and practices were the result of being raised by the Poenans for much of his life - instead of helping him understand his vampiric side, the Poenans taught him that he could still serve their cause as long as he suppressed his vampirism, because the other option was being killed to prevent him from becoming a monster later on. He was also encouraged to suppress his sense of compassion and empathy for others, even against his better judgement, so he wouldn't sympathize with those deemed "Evil" by the Poenans. Silver Bane's extremist upbringing gave him quite a bit of self-loathing believed he could achieve some measure of inner peace by smiting Evil and suppressing his (unknown to him) heritage, and ultimately, the Poenans' teachings would nearly kill him when suppressing his vampiric heritage and his emotions birthed his "dark half", causing him to fall into a coma as it tried taking over his body out of spite, anger, and desperation to free itself. After his friends helped him remember his forgotten origins, Silver Bane apologized to his "dark half" and reconciled with it by first offering it to start over with him as equals, then mentally fusing with it, creating a balanced individual with a healthier mindset and greater power than he initially possessed. Silver Bane does acknowledge that the Poenan Pantheon raised him, but has absolutely no love for their ruthless teachings as they nearly led to his death, and has made it his duty to oppose them at every turn when he's not atoning for his crimes.
  • Of The Stoic as well. His stoicism largely comes from being taught to suppress his emotions by the Poenan Pantheon so he could avoid sympathizing with "Evil" individuals/groups, sometimes against his better judgement. However, it also stems from the severe trauma he experienced as a colt, and it hides the fact that, because of his extremist upbringing, he had No Social Skills to speak of and his good intentions are offset by his social awkwardness. It's deconstructed in that suppressing his emotions, along with his vampiric heritage, gave birth to his "dark half" which tried taking over his body out of spite and desperation, nearly leading to his doom. Only after accepting his "dark half" did he gain his emotions back, making him far more comfortable with expressing himself openly.
• Deity of Human Origin: Because of his devotion to smiting Evil, his extreme efficiency, and magical/psychic talent, both mortal and divine Poenans, including Poena herself, believed that Silver Bane had the potential to Ascend and become a god of Justice, Purity, and Retribution... but the reveal of his vampiric side put a crimp in that. After leaving the Poenan Pantheon and accepting his half-vampiric heritage, Silver Bane would later be told by Luminiferous that because he broke free from the Poenans' harmful teachings and learned the true value of Justice, he gained much more potential to become a god than ever. Luminiferous himself even foresees him as a powerful and mighty god who embodies completely different yet still benevolent concepts through his domain of Potential.
• Dhampyr: He's the hybrid son of a mortal Pony mare and an immortal vampire lord, who is speculated in-universe to be a more heroic Count Dracolt. However, Silver Bane initially looked like a normal unicorn, and would stay that way until sometime after he left the Poenan Pantheon. This is because his mixed heritage invited a lot of bullying as a colt, and thanks to a combination of Trauma-Induced Amnesia and the Poenans' harmful teachings, he falsely believed for years that his vampiric side was merely a "curse" to be eventually purged. This would backfire when years of constant suppression eventually birthed his "dark half", putting him in a coma and dragging him into a Battle in the Center of the Mind as it tried to take over his body out of spite and desperation to free itself. But thanks to his friends, who helped him by unearthing his forgotten memories under the guidance of a Llama monk, Silver Bane remembered what he really is and reconciled with his "dark half" by first apologizing and offering it to start over as equals so they could both make up for what they both did, and then mentally fusing with it. This caused him to transform in the real world as his long-suppressed heritage finally manifested itself, yet allowing him to wake up from his coma, creating a balanced individual with a healthier mindset and greater power.
• Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: After leaving the Poenan Pantheon and accepting his vampiric side, he would get into a heated argument with an angry Poenan deity, who criticized his decision to defect and throw away his potential to become a god of Justice. Silver Bane essentially tells the Poenan deity where to shove it, reminding them that following the Poenan Pantheon's teachings for years nearly killed him.
  Silver Bane: I would rather save lives as a BLOODSUCKER than Ascend to godhood by being a hypocritical, extreme, and self-righteous murderer like YOU.
• Enemy Within: Years of constant suppressing both his vampiric side, believing it to be a "curse" inflicted by "Dark Ones", and his own emotions caused both of them to manifest in Silver Bane's mind as his "dark half", a powerful yet emotional, hateful, and violent entity that became hellbent on taking control of his body out of spite and desperation to free itself. This caused him to fall into a coma that he was initially unable to wake up from, as he was dragged into a Battle in the Center of the Mind for dominance with his "dark half". But his friends' efforts to save him by uncovering his forgotten memories caused Silver Bane to discover certain truths about himself, including the fact that his vampiric side isn't a "curse" but actually part of his heritage, as he is a Dhampyr born from a mortal Pony mare and an immortal vampire lord (speculated to be a heroic Count Dracolt). This influenced him to apologize to his "dark half" and reconcile with it as equals, causing Silver Bane's long-suppressed heritage to finally manifest itself and transform into a true Dhampyr in the real world, and allow him to wake from his coma.
• Epic Flail: He would start using a meteor hammer called Forgiveness after studying under the mortal monks/disciples of the Llama goddess Satori, and giving his sword, Mercy, away to the Terran Empire's royal family for safekeeping. It is described as being extremely difficult to use, but is a deceptively light and offensive weapon that is able to strike hard and fast enough to even break bones with just a few swings. It is also incredibly versatile, being used to trip, restrain, grab, pull, drag, choke, and ensnare even multiple enemies. Silver Bane has been known to use his meteor hammer as a magical conduit, resulting in many of his opponents being frozen, burnt, and/or electrocuted after they were trapped by its chain. When not in use, it is wrapped around his shoulders, and it is noted that because its chain is made of bronze beads, it resembles simple prayer beads instead.
• Fantastic Racism: Was on the receiving end of this even as a baby; his father, an immortal vampire lord (speculated to be a heroic Count Dracolt) was murdered by prejudiced townsfolk shortly after he was born, while he and his mother lived as outcasts because the latter chose that lifestyle to protect her son from her husband's killers. However, being bullied one time too many for being a dhampir was what caused Silver Bane to transform into a vampiric monster for the first time and go on a rampage that utterly destroyed his town and killed his mother. It left him so traumatized afterwards that he would have Trauma-Induced Amnesia for years, influencing him to believe that his heritage was a "curse". He would later accept his mixed heritage to the point where he sees nothing wrong with displaying his vampiric traits in public, but he respects those who have good reasons to be scared of vampires in general.
• Fire, Ice, Lightning: His elemental magic revolves around fire, ice, and lightning. One of his most powerful techniques involves manifesting whatever element he's using as large, powerful spirits that can not only use magic themselves, but use whatever weapons he has on hand to attack. This includes Mercy, the large sword he used to carry around before he left the Poenan Pantheon. After getting a meteor hammer, Silver Bane can either freeze, burn, or shock his enemies by channeling either element through its chains after trapping them.
• Forged by the Gods: His former sword, Mercy, was a custom-made one forged by Poena's divine allies as a gift/reward for his extreme efficiency and devotion to smiting Evil. As a result, Mercy has magical properties, including enhancing the user's magic, cutting through dark magic spells, and canceling out regenerative abilities, making it a nightmare for those who rely on healing factors. Years of frequent use and diligent upkeep caused Mercy to gain sentience and start talking, and though Silver Bane treated her kindly, he later recognized the dangers of a divine sword in the hands of the Poenan Pantheon and feared what would happen if the Poenans were to learn of Mercy's sentience. This motivated him to leave her in the care of Prince Red Blade, knowing that the Terran Empire's royal family consists of powerful divines and demi-divines, which would give Mercy very sufficient protection.
• Fusion Dance: A mental variant that combines "Composite" and "Power Booster". After accepting his vampiric heritage and making peace with his "dark half", he mentally fused with it, which not only gave him a stabler, healthier mind, but also transformed him in the real world as his long-suppressed heritage finally manifested itself, giving him traits like tufted ears, feathered bat wings, and sharp upper fangs. He also permanently gained enhanced physical abilities and greater magic, making him more powerful than he was before.
• Good Wings, Evil Wings: After reconciling with his "dark half" and mentally fusing with it during his coma, his long-suppressed half-vampire heritage finally manifested itself in the real world, with one trait he gained being a pair of large, feathered bat wings. This symbolizes not only his acceptance of his mixed heritage, but also his final break from the Poenan Pantheon's ruthless brand of Justice, as by siding with his "dark half", he became more balanced, as well as more forgiving and merciful towards those who would normally be deemed "evil" by the Poenans.
• Half-Breed Discrimination: While it's not known what the vampires thought of him, the Ponies of his hometown ostracized and bullied him for being a dhampir, and were also responsible for murdering his vampire father shortly after he was born. The mistreatment later caused Silver Bane to snap and go on a bloody rampage after transforming into a vampiric monster for the first time, and after it ended, he felt so traumatized and guilty that he forgot almost everything about himself, including his own name. And though they were (fortunately) unaware of his vampiric side being part of his heritage, the Poenan Pantheon taught Silver Bane that he could still serve their cause as long as he suppressed and/or cured it, which made him develop quite a bit of self-loathing towards his own existence. He would eventually get over it after defecting from the Poenan Pantheon and accepting his vampiric heritage; once he fused with the mental manifestation of it, Silver Bane's personality became balanced and thus saw nothing wrong with displaying his vampiric traits in public, though he respects those who have good reason to fear vampires.
• Heroic Willpower: Deconstructed and played for drama. Thanks to Trauma-Induced Amnesia regarding his past as well as the Poenan Pantheon's harmful teachings, Silver Bane falsely believed for years that his vampiric side was a "curse", and suppressed it through both sheer willpower and the Poenans' divine artifacts, hoping it could be contained/purged. But the effort of suppressing his vampiric side slowly takes a toll on his mind, and after going through a few extremely stressful situations, Silver Bane falls into a coma that he couldn't wake up from no matter what his friends tried. A Llama monk discovered through "mind-walking" that Silver Bane's coma was caused by his "dark half", the manifestation of everything he hated about himself and has become hellbent in taking over his body out of spite and desperation to free itself. Then it becomes a rare positive inversion when, after his friends uncovered his forgotten memories and thus allowed him to remember his origins, Silver Bane apologized to his "dark half" and reconciled with it by offering a chance to start over as equals so they could make up for what they both did. This led to both of them mentally fusing, transforming Silver Bane into a true Dhampyr in the real world, and creating a balanced individual with a stabler mindset and greater power than before.
• Horror Hunger: Averted. As a Dhampir, he does need to drink blood in order to survive, but his entry notes that he is capable of eating other foods (such as garlic) and is not affected by the mindless, maddening hunger for blood that plagues (and is assumed of) most vampires. He simply feels hungry in the same way that a mortal sapient needs food.
• Icy Blue Eyes: He's described as having cold blue eyes. He's a stoic stallion of few words (though he later got better) and one of the magics he specializes in is ice magic.
• Identity Amnesia: His foalhood trauma from destroying his hometown and killing his own mother during his rampage as a vampiric monster was so bad that he forgot the true nature of his vampiric side, and even his own name. After he was adopted by the Poenan Pantheon and proved himself to be an efficient follower with great potential, an impressed Poena would give him his current name, "Silver Bane, the Dark Hunter". However, the fact that he's suffering from amnesia in general made him emotionally and mentally vulnerable to the Poenan Pantheon's extremist and hardlined teachings, warping him into a fanatical and ruthless individual who hunted down those who were actually innocent. When he fell into a coma years later because of his "dark half", his friends helped him uncover his forgotten memories, which directly played a part in accepting and reconciling with his "dark half" as he realized a majority of what he believed about himself turned out to be a lie.
• Interspecies Friendship: He would befriend twin sisters Rushing Wind and Gentle Wind, who are a pair of undead Kirins and "Dark Hunters" from the Qilin Empire. He would also befriend Prince Night Shade, the fifteenth demi-Alicorn son of Emperor Golden Scepter.
• Ironic Name:
  • He used to wield a large, hooked broadsword named "Mercy", which was apparently given by him, due to bearing a grudge against the "Dark Ones" so intense that death would've been merciful compared to what he had in mind. Prince Red Blade, Golden Scepter' sixteenth-born son, would comment on how ironic this is... though it wouldn't become so ironic anymore as Mercy would be influenced by Red Blade to become a benevolent hero after Red Blade adopted her as his daughter.
    Prince Red Blade: Mercy... such a strange and ironic name for a sword.
  • The meteor hammer that he would use after giving Mercy away to Prince Red Blade is named Forgiveness. While not immediately fatal as his last weapon, Forgiveness can still strike hard and fast enough to even break and shatter bones.
• Lineage Comes from the Father: Played straight; his vampiric blood and traits came from his father, an immortal vampire lord who's speculated in-universe to be a more heroic Count Dracolt.
• The Magnificent: Known as "the Dark Hunter" due to his bitter grudge against "Dark Ones" and his obsessive pursuit in hunting down and killing them. His entry notes that Poena gave him his epithet along with his name because she was very impressed with his deeds, efficiency, and devotion to smiting Evil. After he left the Poenan Pantheon and started becoming a "true" upholder of Justice, his epithet started taking on a new meaning as he started hunting down those who are truly "Dark" - namely, people and groups who are genuinely evil and/or unrepentant.
• Meaningful Name: Twofold.
  • The first part of his name, Silver, refers to silver as a holy metal used to kill supernatural monsters such as werewolves, witches, and vampires, preferably in the form of bullets. This is reflected in his Cutie Mark; it initially depicted a silver stake stabbing at a black bat, symbolizing his desire as a Poenan follower to smite all Evil even in himself. But after accepting his vampiric heritage and defecting from the Poenan Pantheon, his Cutie Mark changed to depict the same black bat wielding a silver stake against a multi-eyed wall of darkness, symbolizing the use of silver against truly evil and unrepentant individuals/factions.
  • The second part of his name, Bane, is usually defined as "a cause of great distress or annoyance", though its archaic definition as the Old English bana is "thing causing death, poison". As a Poenan follower, Silver Bane once lived up to his epithet as "the Dark Hunter" by ruthlessly hunting down those who were deemed "Evil", especially the "Dark Ones" which he had a massive grudge against. But after he finally saw the ugly side of the Poenans' brand of justice and defected from the group, he became a "true" follower of Justice by being the "Bane" of truly evil and unrepentant individuals/factions while sparing those who are truly innocent.
• Metaphorically True: Both he and the Poenan Pantheon that raised him believed for years that "Dark Ones" destroyed his home, killed his mother, and cursed him by turning him into a vampire to amuse themselves with the Sole Survivor. However, due to forgotten memories, it turned out to be technically true - Silver Bane would discover years later during a mental fight with his "dark half" that while he's a vampire, he was actually born from a loving union between a Pony mare and a heroic Count Dracolt, and that he was responsible for his town's destruction and his mother's death. The truth would make him break down, though it would also influence him to apologize to his "dark half" and accept it as his equal, even mentally fusing with it.
• Mind over Matter: He's noted to be a far-reaching telekinetic, being able to psychically manipulate various objects with quick yet careful precision. And before he gave it away to Prince Red Blade, he would carry his large sword, Mercy, with telekinesis as it lacked a fitting sheathe, and has occasionally "surfed" on it with telekinesis.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Twofold. He broke down after discovering, thanks to his friends uncovering his forgotten memories during his Battle in the Center of the Mind, that he was responsible for destroying his town and killing his mother, not the "Dark Ones" as he and the Poenans believed, and that his vampiric side is not a "curse" but a product of his mother's loving relationship with his father, an immortal vampire lord who is speculated to be a heroic Count Dracolt. However, it also influenced him to accept and reconcile with his "dark half" by offering it to start over as equals and mentally fusing with it, transforming him in the real world as his vampiric heritage finally manifested. His entry notes that later on, he reconciled with his parents, especially his mother whom he killed, thanks to Grief's power to temporarily bring back spirits of the dead.
• Papa Wolf: After becoming a much kinder stallion, he became protective of children because he genuinely cared for them.
  • In one incident, he prevented his fellow Poenans from killing a kindhearted Abyssinian were-cat and the young orphans under her care. This would bring him to trial with the Poenan Pantheon, whose members were enraged with him for defying orders, though he ended up defecting and going on the run after the situation violently escalated.
  • After adopting Friede, he came to see her as his own daughter, and naturally, he became protective of her. One of the factors in his decision to defect from the Poenan Pantheon is his desire to protect Friede from being killed by them in order to get rid of a "bad influence" on him. His entry mentions another incident where Autorists also tried killing her, but ended up provoking his wrath instead.
  • After hearing from Prince Fanged Paw what the Poenan Pantheon's mortal followers tried to do with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, he reportedly bristled with fury. Though he does say he's "not surprised" due to having seen how they work up close and foiled a previous attempt to harm children before.
• Parental Abandonment: His biological father, an immortal vampire lord, was killed by prejudiced townsfolk, causing his mother to willingly become an outcast to ensure her hybrid son's safety. Then, after a lifetime of bullying, Silver Bane would snap and transform into a vampiric monster for the first time, destroying his town and killing his mother. He was so traumatized afterwards that he forgot about most of it by the time the Poenan Pantheon found him, only remembering that "Dark Ones" destroyed his home and killed everyone, which became the basis of his beliefs and the harmful teachings his caretakers gave him. Remembering his lineage and what truly happened became a key point in Silver Bane's development arc when, after falling into a coma from a combination of stress, injuries, and the work of his "dark half", both his friends and a kindly Llama monk sought to save him by unearthing his forgotten memories, causing him to remember that his vampiric side was due to being a hybrid, not a curse, and that he was responsible for killing his mother. This directly led to his transformation into a true Dhampyr in the real world when he accepted his vampiric side and offered his "dark half" a chance to start over as equals, mentally fusing with it afterwards.
• Parental Substitute: He became a father figure to Friede after taking her in. Despite his flaws, Silver Bane's influence would allow Friede to rediscover her own long-suppressed emotions, until she cried openly and loudly for the first time after Silver Bane fell into a coma and woke up later. Notably, she didn't care that he's transformed into a true dhampir, as she was more terrified by the idea of losing another parent.
• Primary-Color Champion: He's a heroic unicorn dhampir who wears the robes of a Buddhist monk, with red and blue robes and a outer yellow kesa cloth draped over his left shoulder. This comes from his character inspiration, Donovan Baine, whose clothes have the same color scheme.
• Psychic Powers: Is noted to be a talented psychic with far-reaching Telepathy and telekinesis. After studying under the monks/disciples of Satori, he learned the "telepathic calming" technique, where he can telepathically calm feelings of anxiety and hostility in a person.
• The Quiet One: Justified and later subverted. As a colt, Silver Bane was extremely traumatized by the destruction of his childhood town and death of his mother, so much that he would initially only speak with Telepathy. The fact that he was raised by the Poenan Pantheon didn't really help, leaving him with No Social Skills that made him feel awkward around others, even if he didn't show it openly. While he slowly improved over the years, he was still a stallion of few words, speaking only when necessary. He would get much better after adopting Friede and leaving the Poenan Pantheon, since breaking free from the Poenans' harmful teachings ultimately led to Silver Bane becoming a balanced person who has a healthier mindset and is far more comfortable in expressing himself.
• Scary Teeth: Subverted. As a Dhampyr, he has sharp upper fangs that came from mentally fusing with his "dark half", causing his half-vampire heritage to finally manifest itself in the real world. However, at this point, he had realized how harmful and toxic the Poenan Pantheon's beliefs and methods are, and accepting his vampiric heritage with the help of his friends and adoptive daughter was what led to his final break from the Poenans and him becoming a "true" upholder of Justice.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He defected from the Poenan Pantheon because of an incident where he was taken to trial by the Poenans for interfering with a mission and protecting a target from them, only for it to get out of hand when he transformed into a monster in response to some of the Poenans' attempt to kill him. He barely escaped with his life when Poena and a few divine followers confronted him, taking Friede with him. His entry reveals another reason why he fled - the Poenans intended to kill Friede for being a "bad influence" on him.
• Spared by the Adaptation: In the Darkstalkers series, Donovan Bane constantly fought to contain and/or purge his vampiric side by eliminating the Darkstalkers, only to give in and become a vampire, with implications that he was given a Mercy Kill by Anita to end his misery. Here, as Silver Bane, he gradually broke out of this crusading mindset after adopting Friede, Anita's Expy, as his daughter, and befriending a few people is what saved his life twice and influenced him to accept his vampiric side by making peace with his "dark half" and fusing with it, physically transforming him into a true Dhampyr yet giving him both a balanced state of mind and a permanent increase in power.
• Split-Personality Takeover: Nearly had this happen to him. Years of suppressing his vampiric side and his emotions birthed a powerful yet emotional and violent entity hellbent on taking over his body, both out of spite for being constantly suppressed, and because it saw itself as equally deserving as life as he is. This caused Silver Bane to fall into a coma that he couldn't wake up from no matter what was done, on top of suffering from stress over fleeing from his Poenan pursuers and being severely injured from battling a powerful demon took a heavy toll on him. He would fight his "dark half" inside his own mind until his friends, under the guidance of a Llama monk, unlocked his childhood memories, leading to an emotional breakdown as Silver Bane realized that everything he believed about himself was a lie, but also influencing him to apologize and reconcile with his "dark half" by offering it to start over as equals. The mental fusion that followed transformed Silver Bane in the real world as his half-vampire heritage finally manifested itself, allowing him to wake up from his coma and creating a balanced individual who has a stabler, healthier mindset as well as power far greater than he had before.
• The Stoic: Much like Donovan Baine, he's a stoic and silent individual. Because of this, when he gets angry, the only things he does are emiting a "piercing glare" and showing brutal efficiency in his actions. However, underneath his stoicism, he's a very intelligent, introspective, and well-meaning yet awkward Pony with No Social Skills. It's revealed that much of his stoicism stems from suppressing his emotions to avoid "losing control" over his vampiric side and sympathizing with his targets, both of which were encouraged by the Poenan Pantheon. It's deconstructed as it eventually became his undoing when years of suppression birthed a powerful yet violent "dark half" that sought to take control of his body out of hateful spite and desperation to free itself, causing him to fall into a coma after going through a few high-stress situations. After his friends helped out by uncovering his forgotten memories, he apologized to his "dark half" and reconciled with it as equals, leading to them mentally fusing and causing him to physically transform into a true dhampir in the real world as his long-suppressed heritage finally manifested itself. Afterwards, he becomes a downplayed example; because he is now a balanced individual with a stabler mind and greater power, he's still stoic to a degree, but he's far more comfortable in expressing himself, even with anger. One example would be his reaction to Prince Fanged Paw telling him of the Poenan Pantheon's failed attempt to kill Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon - he reportedly "bristled with fury", but then calmly stated that he's not surprised that the Poenans attempted such a thing.
• Talking Weapon: What his sword, Mercy, gradually turned into. Silver Bane's entry notes that constant use and interaction with it somehow caused Mercy to gain sentience and, eventually, the ability to talk. Silver Bane later decided to give his sword to Prince Red Blade for safekeeping, both to further distance himself from the Poenan Pantheon and because he realized the dangers of leaving a talking weapon with the likes of the Poenan Pantheon. Red Blade was surprised a talking weapon even existed, but his feelings increased when, after Silver Bane started leaving, Mercy tried to move on her own while begging him not to leave her behind. Even Silver Bane himself doesn't know how it happened.
  Prince Red Blade: Great Maker! A talking sword! How on Equus did you end up with one?
  Silver Bane: I had Mercy with me for so long that one day it decided to talk. Even now, I am still trying to figure that out.
• Telepathy: He's noted to be a far-reaching telepath, capable of touching hundreds of minds at once. After becoming a student of Satori's mortal disciples, he developed the "telepathic calming" technique, in which he uses telepathy to calm feelings of agitation and hostility in people. His entry also mentions that when he was younger, he had gone through quite a lot of trauma that left him both amnesiac and initially unwilling to talk verbally, only communicating telepathically. He has gotten better since then.
• Tomato in the Mirror: During his mental fight with his "dark half", his friends uncovered his deeply-buried memories under the guidance of a Llama monk, believing them to be the key to getting Silver Bane out of his coma. The memories revealed that while a "Dark One" was responsible for killing his mother and destroying his hometown, he turned out to be the "Dark One" in question, having snapped as a colt from being bullied for his half-vampire heritage and transformed into a monster for the first time. Silver Bane broke down upon remembering this as everything he believed about himself turned out to be a lie, but it also influenced him to finally accept and reconcile with his "dark half" as equals, resulting in his heritage manifesting and transforming him in the real world when he and his "dark half" mentally fused together, and creating a balanced individual with a healthier mindset and greater power.
• Tranquil Fury: His entry notes when angered, he only shows his fury with nothing but a piercing glare and brutal efficiency in his actions. It's justified as the Poenans encouraged him to suppress his own emotions so they wouldn't make him sympathize with those they deemed "Evil" and interfere with his work. It's later downplayed after he accepted mentally fused with his "dark half" - while he's still calm when angry, he's far more comfortable with expressing even his rage.
• Vampires Hate Garlic: Averted. Due to being a dhampir, he's completely unaffected by garlic unlike some full-blooded vampires. His entry goes on to note that he enjoys eating garlic.
• Voluntary Shapeshifting: His entry notes that he learned limiting shapeshifting abilities while studying under Satori's mortal disciples. Fortunately, it's enough for him to hide the feathered bat wings he gained after transforming into a true Dhampyr during his coma.
• Warrior Monk: Eastern variant. After accepting his vampiric heritage and transforming into a true dhampir, he chose to stay and study with the monks/disciples of the Llama goddess Satori, so he could understand both his new abilities and everything he had learned so far. By the time he left the monastery with Friede, he had become a monk himself, and had learned new tricks since his transformation.
• Winged Unicorn: After accepting his mixed heritage and mentally fusing with his "dark half", Silver Bane became a dhampiric unicorn with large, feathered bat wings. While he usually hides his wings to avoid scaring people, many have commented that he either looks like an Alicorn or actually is one when he reveals them. Twilight Sparkle classified him as a "pseudo-Alicorn" because he resembles an Alicorn yet lacks the divinity and combined magic of all three Pony tribes, though Luminiferous believes that Silver Bane has the potential to become a true Alicorn one day despite his heritage, since he broke free from the Poenan Pantheon's harmful mindset and learned the true value of Justice.
• Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Even during his Knight Templar phase, he refused to hurt children and always spared them during missions. His initial reasoning was pragmatic in that children are generally ignorant of Evil, so by letting them live, they could learn how to oppose Evil. However, after he Took a Level in Kindness and left the Poenan Pantheon, he started sparing and even protecting children because he genuinely cared for them, which led to him fighting off his own Poenan peers to protect a kindhearted Abyssinian were-cat and an orphanage full of innocent children. The only exception to this is the Red Hood, a Poenan filly who is a talented yet brutal and sadistic fighter and complete psychopath. Learning that she murdered an innocent were-Pony family, foals included, was what made him swear to bring the Red Hood to justice himself.
• You Could Have Used Your Powers for Good!: The Poenan deities saw great potential in Silver Bane and tried cultivating it so one day he could become a god of Justice, Purity, and Retribution. His decision to defect from the Poenan Pantheon and transform into a dhampiric unicorn left them all feeling incredibly betrayed and angry that he was willing to throw away his potential. On the other hand, Silver Bane had pretty understandable reasons for leaving the Poenans behind, given how the Poenan Pantheon's hypocritical and self-righteous behavior nearly doomed both him and those he loved. This led to a nasty argument between both parties.
  Poenan deity: You had SO MUCH POTENTIAL, Silver Bane! You were among THE GREATEST of our mortal champions! We even RAISED you so that one day, ONE DAY, you could become ONE OF US! AND THEN YOU TURNED AND THREW EVERYTHING AWAY!
  Silver Bane: If I recall correctly, that same potential nearly KILLED ME. Call me 'ungrateful' if you like, but I would rather save lives as a BLOODSUCKER than Ascend to godhood by being a hypocritical, extreme, and self-righteous murderer like YOU.

Friede

A young Griffon chick who is Silver Bane's adoptive daughter.

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• Defrosting Ice Queen: When Silver Bane found her, she was an Emotionless Girl who became stoic from suffering extreme trauma. Being adopted and raised by him as his daughter gradually caused her to soften. When Silver Bane later fell into a coma and then woke up transformed into a dhampiric unicorn, she cried openly and loudly for the first time as she hugged him, fearing the possibility of losing him for good.
• Emotionless Girl: Justified; being the Sole Survivor of a monster attack on her town traumatized her so much that she became stoic, which got her bullied by both adults and fellow orphans. Silver Bane adopting her as his daughter and taking care of her gradually defrosted her to the point where, after Silver Bane fell into a coma and later woke up transformed, she cried openly and loudly for the first time as she hugged him, terrified by the thought of losing a parental figure again.
• Expy: Of Anita, being both young orphaned girls with immense Psychic Powers who would be adopted and raised by men working as Dark Hunters. Like Anita, she would become stoic from the trauma of becoming the Sole Survivor of her hometown, but would gradually defrost thanks to her parental figure's influence, even crying openly and loudly for the first time when she thought she was going to lose Silver Bane like she lost her family. Fortunately for her, Silver Bane would survive despite having transformed into a Dhampyr.
• Happily Adopted: By Silver Bane, who took her in out of sympathy for being the Sole Survivor of a monster attack just like he was. His influence caused her to slowly regain her own suppressed emotions, culminating in her crying openly and loudly for the first time after Silver Bane fell into a coma that she and others helped him wake up from, fearing the possibility of losing him.
• Ironic Name: Friede is based on the Germanic frid, which means "peace". She's a young Griffon chick who was so traumatized from being the Sole Survivor of a monster attack on her town that she became an Emotionless Girl, which combined with her immense Psychic Powers got her bullied by both adults and fellow orphans. However, it's not so ironic in that Friede is responsible for influencing Silver Bane to become much kinder and more empathetic in raising her, which ultimately led to him defecting from the Poenan Pantheon.
• Not So Stoic: She cried openly and loudly for the first time when Silver Bane managed to wake up transformed from his coma, and hugged him as she cried, terrified by the thought of losing another parental figure.
• Parental Abandonment: Her birth parents died in a monster attack that left her the Sole Survivor, which became part of the reason why she became an Emotionless Girl in the first place.
• Psychic Powers: Implied; Silver Bane's entry mentions she was bullied partly for her immense psychic powers.

The Red Hood

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• Expy: Of Baby Bonnie Hood, being amoral and psychopathic monster hunters who, despite their young ages, delight in killing their targets.
• Little Red Fighting Hood: She attacks a family of innocent were-Ponies, in an inversion of the classic fairy tale.
• Psycho for Hire: She's not just killing monsters for the sake of it — she's getting paid too.
• Red Is Violent: She's called "The Red Hood", and she's a Poenan filly who is a talented yet brutal fighter and complete psychopath. Silver Bane's entry mentions that she partly joined the Poenan Pantheon to give herself an opportunity to satisfy her inner sadism.
• Sadist: Implied; Silver Bane's entry mentions that she joined the Poenan Pantheon because their extremist ways gave her an opportunity to satisfy her sadism.
• Token Evil Teammate: While the Poenan Panthon is a group of fanatical and extreme Knight Templars, she's mentioned to be the worst of the bunch because she's a complete psychopath who joined for money and an opportunity/excuse to indulge in her sadism. Her cruel act of murdering an entire family of were-Ponies earned her the ire of Silver Bane, who vowed to bring her to justice himself.

Gilded Pleasantries

First mentioned in a drabble, Gilded Pleasantries was once a humble, fearless and religiously-devoted war veteran from Terra Equus who is presently the theocratic dictator of his home country of Amber Plains, having become disillusioned with his country's 'incomplete' victory during the 'Five Years War' (a prelude conflict to the 'Terra Equus Continental War') and had taken it over after entering politics and working his way up, establishing a regime which had purged corruption and rebuilt the country from the tumultuous aftermath of the war, but also crushes dissent and purges any perceived 'evils' from society. Having served both his country and his gods - the Poenan Pantheon - with distinction, Gilded Pleasantries has seen his faith rewarded with his gods' aid and approval, and is arming his country up in expectation that his country would be among the vanguard of mortal nations aligned with the Poenans who would confront hostile and evil factions of the coming continental war (both the actually hostile/evil ones and perceived ones), and Gilded Pleasantries intends to ready his nation for the crusade to follow, intending to 'finish what had been started'...

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• Anti-Villain: Being a theocratic dictator who crushes ideological dissent and moral deviance with extreme intolerance pretty much marks him as a villain, but he sincerely wants the best of his country and is genuinely faithful to his gods, who despite their mercilessness, ruthlessness and fanaticism are still technically on the side of goodness and virtue.
• Badass Normal: All things considered, Gilded Pleasantries is just an Earthpony who happens to be an exemplary soldier, serving his country loyally and fought with distinction. He is utterly fearless in battle, shooting/fighting back even when others would had retreated or taken cover, and had single-hoofedly took out an armoured steam-car and a river ironclad - both heavily-armed - by attaching explosives at close-quarters.
• Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: Being a courageous, loyal and faithful war hero, one could be forgiven for thinking initially he might be a heroic person... then you find out he worships the Poenan Pantheon, and his zealotry and disillusionment with his country's 'incomplete' victory resulted in him leading a takeover and establishing a theocratic dictatorship that crushes and purges dissent and perceived 'evils' with extreme intolerance.
• Captain Ersatz: of Gordon Mcsweeney from Harry Turtledove's "Southern Victory" Alternate History series, being a fearless soldier who is pious and devoted to God and loyally serves his country with distinction, but also zealous in his devotion and intolerant of any perceived deviation from his beliefs, and had things turned out differently and the opportunity arises this character could had become something horrible. Here, his Ersatz did end up doing what some fans had speculated Mcsweeney might had done had the series went differently. Also a bit of Italian Fascist dictator Mussolini in that he, like Mussolini with Italy, took over because his country, in spite being victorious in a war, was similarly left in a terrible shape and had not won enough to make up for all the suffering and sacrifices, which disillusioned him and others like him so much he entered politics and took over so he could 'fix things' by establishing a theocratic dictatorship.
• Evil Virtues: He's the fanatical leader of a theocratic dictatorship, but is a genuinely devoted, humble and fearless person, sincere in his faith and his loyalty to his country, even if this devotion led him down dark paths. He also holds himself to the same standards and would account for any perceived infractions by himself, proving if nothing else he isn't a hypocrite.
• Humble Hero: 'Hero' Is a misnomer, but he is full of humility and dedicates his achievements to and for his gods and country.
• Kill It with Fire: His main weapon of choice during his time as a soldier is a 'Firehoser', the Fourth Age analogue of Second Age 'Flamethrowers'
• A Lighter Shade of Black: Gilded Pleasantries heads a theocratic dictatorship that's intolerant of ideological dissent and moral deviance, and under his and his regime's rule Amber Plains is militarizing itself for a crusade against 'evil forces'. The most immediate group of said 'evil forces' happened to be hateful Tribalists, genocidal Autorists and radical Clovenists. The gods the regime is aligned with also happens to be the Poenans, who despite their own mercilessness, ruthlessness and zealotry are still on the side of goodness and virtue.
• One-Steve Limit: Averted, as there's a Terran Griffon chef and former Autorist named Gilded Stove.
• Religious Bruiser: Is born and raised by his parents as a devoted follower of the Poenan Pantheon, and is reflected in both his piety (dedicating his actions to the gods and his country) and his intolerance towards any perceived evil or deviation. In battle he fearlessly advances towards the enemy singing praises and screaming prayers to his gods, which often unnerve enemy forces they're facing.
  "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Gods,
  They hath trampled on the wicked, they hath burnt out all the hordes,
  They hath loosed the fateful lightning of Their terrible swift swords
  While we go marching on!
  
  "Glory, glory, to Poena! Glory, glory, to Poena!
  Glory, glory, to Poena! We shall keep marching on...!"
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Wanted the best for his country and fight evil that sought to destroy it, both within and without, as his gods wills it. Unfortunately, since his gods are the Poenan Pantheon, he ended up becoming a zealous demagogue whose solution to his country's internal ills and external threats is to take it over and establish a theocratic dictatorship utterly intolerant of ideological dissent and moral deviance and is arming itself to the teeth in preparation of leading a 'crusade' against its enemies and other evils real or perceived.

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