#shhh im not super proud of the sketches but they are my sketches nonhteless and i want them in my tag

[dikiyvter]

ARCHON AU. | The Beast King | The Hunters God | Venatores Dei Note: As with Gio’s archon au, I don’t feel it... ENTIRELY suiting to say that this version of Riga is 100% his modern counterpart, though they do share the same name ( or rather... nickname, I suppose ). 

       IN THE DISTANT PAST DID THE KING OF BEASTS ROAM THE NORTH. Abiding no laws and no masters but that of natures most primal command; The king of beasts, the hunters god, rode atop a bear of massive proportion alongside a pack of wild wolves and mutts loyal only to him. It was said that predators lowered their head in reverence of his presence; and that only the strongest of humans would find themselves blessed to join the never-ending hunt alongside him. 

       This was changed when Seire took to the north; Gathering en masse a blind, devoted, and fearful following, who sought little more than his prophecies of futures and fortunes; Of a city in the far north, in the land that knew nothing but storm, where they would be free of outside tyrannies, safe to live out the oncoming war. Though at first the King of Beasts took no interest in the false-prophet nor his city of ice, the two gods came to blows when it was discovered that, rather than truly befell the storm across the land-- Seire would do no more than create a safe haven within it, spreading the storms effects and creating a barrier of uninhabitable tundra drenched beneath the permafrost of an eternal blizzard. 

       With his territory threatened did the two gods come to blows; And though the small God of Snowstorms would stand no chance against the might of the Hunters God-- Ultimately was he forced to recede from the battleground, as the members of his pack were picked one-by-one by metal claw, heavy snowfall, and winds that bit harsher than the most rabid of wolves. By the time the King had safely led his pack away from the oncoming storm that would overtake their home-- their numbers had dwindled terribly, and continued to do so as they traveled further and further in search of new territory to make their own. 

       Long since have the humans of his pack died out- to illness, starvation, metal claws and teeth wielded by their own kind, the wrath of gods not seeking to permit safe passage of a wanderer and his people. Forced further and further south did their numbers dwindle further as creatures of the arctic were forced to fall behind, lest they otherwise succumb to a climate inhospitable to them. Now, all that remains of the King’s pack is his mount, a massive white bear of the north, and several wolves. 

       With no people to protect, and nothing but his vengeance in mind, does the King of Beast continue to roam Teyvat; Moving from one place to the next on his eternal hunt, not for territory nor for prey itself, but rather for an opening-- a chance to return to the north and reclaim the land that is rightfully his own from the tyrant that has overtaken it. 

NOTES:

       - Though the beast king has a given name, it is... merely a series of growls and grunts. The God of the Forge has granted him the nickname ‘Riga’, as it is the closest human approximation to what his ‘name’ sounds like. Otherwise, most simply call him ‘The Hunters God’ , ‘The Beast King’-- Though merely ‘King’, ‘Beast’, or ‘Hunter’ are equally appropriate names that he will respond to. 

       - He does still take humans into his pack, should they be strong enough and should they be willing. Strength, of course, means little to him once you are actually a part of his pack; For he will never abandon his pack members, nor seek to put them in harms way for his own gain. 

       - Contrary to his modern counterpart, The Beast King has no issues around animals-- in fact, he himself is at times far more animal than human. He communicates with them with ease and clarity- far more than he can with humans, truly. This is why the bulk of his pack will nearly always be animals. 

       - The Beast King exhibits several inhuman traits-- including being quite tall ( 7′3″, specifically ), growling when he speaks, being capable of purring, and ... generally being rather animalistic in his mannerisms and habits.

       - He is very, very, VERY old. He does not recall specifically how old he is, but tales of him have circulated for many thousands years prior to the archon war- meaning this fucker? Old as all goddamn. 

       - He wears a polar bear skull on his head incase anyone was wondering. It’s wrapped in rope, and the rope is adorned with teeth, antlers, bird feathers- trophies from some of his hunts. Aside from this he is adorned primarily in furs and leathers- all things he himself as hunted. 

       - He is missing one ear, as well as half of the pinkie on his left hand

       - In far older times, he was referred to as the god of stormclouds; This is a title that has fallen into obscurity in favor of labeling him god of the hunt; Though note that he does still wield electro-based powers, as... unrefined as they may be.