Tantalus, the Foe of the Gods (Might 50)
An ancient king in Anatolia, Tantalus was so favoured of by the Olympian gods he was invited to dine with them. He betrayed this trust, in some accounts stealing ambrosia (the food of the gods), in others betraying the secrets of the gods, in others stealing a golden dog made by Hephaistos. In other tales he sacrificed his own son and served him as meat to the gods at a feast to test their omniscience (for if they were truly all-knowing they would not partake of the tainted meat). Whatever his true transgressions one thing is certain – his punishment. He was banished to Tartarus, the deepest part of the underworld, where he was chained in a pool overshadowed by a fruit tree. Whenever he bends down to drink the water recedes from him and whenever he reaches up to grasp the fruit the tree bends up out of reach. Thus he is ever ravaged by hunger and thirst with relief close by but ever out of reach.
While some in the Theban tribunal search still for the lost treasury of Tantalus in the mundane world or seek after magical secrets he might have stolen from the gods those theurgists who have invoked him know the truth. He was a mortal king who lived thousands of years ago, and a practitioner of chthonic magic. Though he was fairy blooded, the son of Zeus, he opposed the Olympians and the realm of faerie instead allying himself with the titans and even marrying Dione, daughter of Atlas. Eventually he was able to ascend to become an immortal spirit but found himself, perhaps due to his deep connection to the titans, imprisoned in the depths of the magic realm just as his patrons were. His magic was likely similar to that of the Makhai (the Greek equivalent to Muspelli, see Rival Magic).
He is a useful spirit to invoke for those wishing to learn more about faerie or magic lore, especially relating to the titans and Olympians. Caution should be taken as he is still bitterly opposed to the realm of faerie and fierce in support of the great Daimones. He is likely to be hostile to any theurgist he believes to be tainted by faerie. There are whispers among some circles that this daimon may have influenced the ideas of the Legion of Atlas in the Theban tribunal. He would certainly approve of their philosophies. He was the progenitor of the tragedy plagued Atreides lineage and it is possible some descendants of this line survive to this day. He would be well disposed towards a theurgist of this line (which likely carries mythic blood).
Characteristics: Int +9, Per +4, Pre +9, Com +2, Str 0, Sta 0, Dex 0, Quik 0
Personality Traits: Hates Faerie +9, Bitter +5
Abilities: Faerie Lore (Olympians) 16, Magic Lore (Titans) 20, Makhai Lore 7, Penetration (Daimones) 15
Powers:
Teach Cthonic Magic, 5 points (Init 0)
Tantalus can help the theurge become initiated into the secrets of chthonic magic. If invoked as part of an initiation into chthonic magic he grants a +6 bonus to the initiation script.
Teach Names of Power, 1 point (Init 0)
Tantalus knows the True Names of each of the titans. He can teach a single one to the theurge each time he is invoked, but will only do so for those he truly believes to be servants of the ancient powers. The theurge must spend a season fixing the knowledge in his mind after receiving it.
Invoke the Titanic Patrons, 20 points (Init -10)
If the theurge presents a gifted child who has not yet had their gift opened to Tantalus and pledges the youth to the service of the Titans, Tantalus will speak with the child for a time and, if he deems them suitable, will invoke the titan most suitable to the child’s character to open their gift. This grants them the powers of the Makhai, the Greek equivalent to the Muspelli. See Rival Magic pg. 81 and The Sundered Eagle for ideas about the Makhai.