The Gods, XIV: Dale Renthian

History of Dale Renthian (Council Annotated Edition)

Back when Tast and Gulagra were at the height of their friendship, they waged war on the other gods and many died. The elves once had a goddess of creative beauty named Elshana, and she was mortally wounded in the fighting, with nothing left but a single anchor point in reality. Most gods in such a state are content to quietly fade away, but a god of creativity is also a god of persistence, because creativity requires you to never stop trying. And so Elshana hurtled toward the nearest village she could find and sought the most creative person there, and begged his help.

Dale Renthian was a human painter of some skill, and he reluctantly agreed to let Elshana live in his head and be his muse. Elshana ceased to be, becoming just a voice, but she had much to say. Dale's creativity exploded, his paintings became wildly imaginative, and he soon founded the Renthian Style of art, mixing simple magics with pigments to create harrowing juxtapositional paintings. He attracted many students and grew quite wealthy, but years later, he realized he was squandering his gift. This is the part of his life that is so often told in tall tales and epic poems: he wandered the world on horseback, righting wrongs with creative gadgetry and giving inspiration to those that needed it most.

One day he was killed by a jealous sculptor, but he soon returned as a god, having managed to inadvertently leave many anchors throughout the world. And even now, Dale Renthian is the most common god to be found among human civilizations. If you come across and older human, covered in spilled paint, arguing with himself, it may be Dale Renthian. Buy him a beer and see what he has to say.

Councilwoman Irasce's notes: Dale Renthian is a class 3 nature spirit; he is generally friendly and is welcome in any Council City, but be warned that he has formidable powers. One of his most dangerous powers is that of persuasion, for he has many radical and foolish ideas. Wise citizens should temper his enthusiasm with natural human pessimism. Remember that almost everything a creative person comes up with is useless, even though it may seem interesting on the surface.