Charlton

at a glance

• Patron deity of the United States of America.
• Symbol: blue fish.

Click the headings below to expand them.

character profile

Name: Charlton (karl-ton)
Gender: Cisgender male
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Nationality: American

Magic:

• Identifiable by the colour blue (e.g. when he creates light, it is blue-tinted).
• Considered a magical 'jack of all trades', but more associated with nature and agricultural magic.

Appearance: Charlton is slim but not particularly tall, standing at just over average height. He has brown hair and eyes and fairer skin which tans in the summer. He is pleasant but unremarkable looking, with features which are not particularly memorable. He is usually smiling and walks with a certain spring to his step, as though always happy or enthusiastic about where he's going. He tends to wear old-fashioned clothes which would be considered more formal today, like breeches, shirts and sometimes a tie or bow-tie. He is always well-dressed and groomed.

Looks favourably upon:

• Farmers and agricultural workers.
• Conservationists and ecologists.
• Nature enthusiasts.
• Rural dwellers.
• Independent, hard workers.
• Anyone persecuted because of their religious beliefs

Looks unfavourably upon:

• Slackers and lazy people.
• Litterers and people who pollute the environment

Personality: Charlton is a very reasonable fellow who likes to promote cohesion amongst people. He is genuinely interested in many things and enjoys hearing about or looking at ordinary fairies' work. He enjoys nature and prefers rural, agricultural communities; he is often opposed to urbanisation and can be doubtful of modernisation. He is politically quite conservative and traditional, but is open-minded and seeks to listen and learn about things he doesn't understand. A devout Christian, Charlton has dedicated his life for the last few hundred years trying to live by the principles of the New Testament. He is charitable and actively tries to help others.

Relationships with other deities:

• Charlton has no enemies among the other deities, but not really any friends either. He tends to be something of a loner among them.
• Gets along reasonably well with Zed.

epithets

Native language: English
Native term: sir, lord
Epithets: mesefen-wa ("the gentle one"), di-tu ("one who gives")

council role

Charlton is a member of the Council of Originals but currently serves in no specialised role.

monotheistic cult

Charlton is the only deity to have ever "given up" being a god. Several hundred years ago, Charlton publicly announced that he was not a true god and that people should not follow him; at the same time, he converted to Christianity. As a result of this, his cult is almost non-existent, and exists only in remote regions of the USA. Probably less than a hundred people still worship him, and all of them are extremely dedicated, considering he no longer performs deity duties (answering prayers etc). Due to globalisation and the age of the internet, more young people who are raised within the cult are leaving it. It is estimated that in 100-200 years, his cult will be extinct.

The cult is extremely restrictive and controlling, dictating that all members should wear plain clothes and engage in daily worship. The cult live in a few small collective communes which are gradually dying out. The cult emphasises hard work, dependence and collective responsibility. Many of the members refuse to acknowledge their god turning away from them and deny that he ever did so. Some of them claim that he still responds to their prayers.

role in polytheistic cults

When he appears in polytheistic cults, which is uncommon, Charlton usually only plays a minor role in them.

Charlton has traditionally been associated with kindness and generosity, but since his conversion to Christianity, he is now more commonly associated with freedom, independence and diversity. Charlton is favoured by those who seek to throw off the shackles of societal restrictions and live their own lives. He is a patron of those who work outdoors, especially in the agricultural or conservation sectors. Charlton sometimes appears as a god of nature or farming, and takes the role of protecting both nature and people. He is seen as favouring those who are independent, hard-workers, especially manual labourers.

In mythology, Charlton is often on the side of the common man and challenges some of the more out-of-touch whims of the other deities. He can appear as quite conservative, sometimes resisting or doubtful of change. He usually appears in myths as an aide to ordinary people, often helping them to get back on their feet after experiencing difficulties. He sometimes appears as a protector of nature and challenges the expansion of urbanisation.

reputation on shaman

Charlton is not widely known on Shaman and is considered a neutral god.

Find out more about...

Other deities