Iris

Iris is the personal messenger of Hera. She is a fun-loving and adventurous sort, whose energy is often seen as annoying by her Queen. Iris is mostly overlooked by the major gods and has few real friends despite her warm demeanor. When not on task for Hera, Iris likes to travel among mortals, especially in coastal areas, and live among them incognito.

Rise of the New Gods
The Old Man of the Sea known as Thaumas and Electra of the Amber Clouds, both reformed Titanspawn, had found a mutual attraction during the coronation of Zeus. Iris and her five sisters were born of this union. While Iris was born as an individual, her sisters were born later as a brood, much like the Graces, Moirae, and many nymphs were. As storm goddesses, Iris and her five sisters were sworn in service of Zeus and made a reputation for themselves as elite enforcers for the king’s divine decrees.

First among the storm sisters, or ‘Snatchers’ as they had come to be called, Iris had impressed Hera to a degree that the Divine Queen would often seek out Iris’ assistance. for matters requiring more sensitivity or subtlety than her younger sisters were capable of handling. Eventually Hera repaid Iris’ distinguished service with an award of essence and a royal title, making her the Goddess of Rainbows and the Queen’s Herald, Messenger, and Cupbearer.

Much of Iris’ work was done in secret service to her queen and never revealed, even to this day. More is known of her private, personal life than her divine duties. As Iris’ sisters became known as the Harpies and became well known figures in the tales of mortals, Iris became an obscure entity known only for rainbows and an attendant of Hera’s entourage. Iris did not mind the lack of worship as Hera saw to it that she received all the nektar and ambrosia that she could want.

The only true deviation from her commitment to Hera was Iris’ dynamics with Hermes. The two messengers often encountered one another in the mortal realm, whether due to being tasked to cooperate on the same assignment or having met in the field due to having conflicting duties, the two enjoyed an unusual relationship that often shifted between rivalry and romance. This relationship is frowned upon by Hera, but the Queen seems to tolerate this as Iris continues to perform to Hera’s satisfaction.

In Elysium, Iris maintains her role as Hera‘s most trusted but has grown considerably more powerful due to the Elysians’ more devout worship which means that even an obscure goddess like Iris is properly venerated.

Due to the rise of the Broken Book heretics, Hera and Zeus have shown the rare act of cooperation and named Iris to lead her sisters in the Inquisition against the heretic movement. Their results have been mixed, which might require a change in tactics.

Abilities
Goddess: The daughter of the Titanspawn Thaumas and the oceanid Electra, Iris is a goddess with an uncanny sense of direction and great elemental affinity.

Herald of the Queen: By appointment of Hera, Iris is a fully-authorized royal Herald. As such, she enjoys a great deal of freedom and is given the right to negotiate minor deals with the authority of the Queen of Olympus. To aid her in these duties, Iris possesses the Queen’s Caduceus, one of the Divine Keys and a relic capable of teleporting Iris two times per day. Iris also has a pair of winged ornaments on her boots known as Talaria which enable her to fly at speeds that defy mortal means, hence the term ‘godspeed’

Goddess of Rainbows: This gift stems from Iris’ natural elemental affinity derived from the combined water and air essence of her parents. Not only is Iris able to perform minor manipulations of both raw elements, but she can also issue requests for clear weather in her vicinity and cause conjure an illuminating effect that has the appearance of a rainbow

Goddess of Hope: When Elpis failed to make the transition to Elysium, Hera devised that Iris should be given Elpis’ lost essence, giving Iris the title of Goddess of Hope. In this capacity, Iris is able to fill a mortal’s mind with an optimistic outlook or a sense of comfort. She is also able to sense if a being is actively hoping for something and in close proximity, she might discern what that might be

Goddess of Fame and Renown: Another gift awarded to her upon arriving in Elysium, Iris took over the mantle once held by Pheme who had perished shortly after the gods’ arrival in Elysium. With this gift, Iris can tap into psychic connections in her area to discern which mortals are most well-known and even get a sense as to their accomplishments. By manipulating these impulses, Iris can also take on more convincing disguises than other gods by creating ‘false fame’

Goddess of Rumors: Another gift taken from the late Pheme and awarded to Iris by Hera, this ability gives Iris the power to instinctively know any recent rumors exchanged by speech or written word in her locale. She can also tap into the psychic frequency of an area to give an added sense of ‘false credit’ to any rumors she wishes, causing them to spread like wildfire

Relationships
(coming soon)

Trivia

 * (coming soon)