Carbuncle

Neutral Good astral of protection.

Titles: Gem Guardian, Protector of sentient kind, Ruby Guardian.
Home Plane: Astral
Power Level: Lesser
Alignment: Neutral Good
Allied Deities: N/A
Enemy Deities: N/A
Portfolio: Animals, Children, Dreams, Gemstones, Humanity, Protection, Shield, Summoning.
Domains: Animal, Community, Good, Protection.
Favored Weapon: Shortsword
Artifact: Ruby Ring
Sacred Gem: Ruby
Sacred Color: Red
Sacred Month: July
Deific Order: Ruby Guardian

Lore

Also referred to as Carbunkl, Crbnkl, or Carbunkle, the most friendly and approachable of the deities, the ruby-headed Carbuncle has two main duties as a god. The first is as the protector of every sentient being in the planes, with children in particular being the top priority. As such, it is common for children to carry around totemic effigies of Carbuncle for security and protection, with toys made in his image being a more popular alternative. When a child suffered from coma, illness, or nightmares, these totems of Carbuncle would be laid by the child’s bedside or on their pillow to help them recover. In some rare cases, Carbuncle himself will intervene, posing as a pet of said child to better watch over them. People who recognize Carbuncle acting in this capacity have noted that the children under his charge usually grow up to fulfil some grand destiny.

The second role that Carbuncle fills is as the trainer of summoners. Most novice summoners will usually have Carbuncle as their first summon, as his generally friendly demeanor makes it easy to forge a pact with him, and Carbuncle usually acts as a diplomat when forging pacts with more powerful astrals. Meanwhile, his knack for healing and enhancement magics makes him a welcome addition to any party. Carbuncle will even lend his power to some scholars to aid them in creating arcanima replicas to help them in their day-to-day tasks. Regardless of what role he plays, Carbuncle is happy to help wherever he can.

Carbuncle’s most commonly known ability is his Ruby Light ability, which casts Protect on all of his allies from harm by bouncing all magic back at its caster with Reflect. This technique has other variations as well, such as Pearl Light, which bestows the Shell status in addition to Reflect, and Emerald Light, which bestows Haste and Reflect. In some rare instances, Carbuncle will also use Diamond Light, which bestows Reflect and Vanish to his charges. Carbuncle teaches the Reflect spell, as well as the Protect, Shell, and Haste spells, and focuses on Dexterity and Charisma.

While the Ruby is Carbuncle’s sacred gemstone, all gemstones are smiled upon by him, as are the children born under their months.

Relationships

Carbuncle has no enemies among the astrals; as a deity in charge of training new summoners, Carbuncle needs to be on good terms with everyone so that they are willing to make pacts with summoners.

Most summoners theorize that this Carbuncle’s neutrality in the affairs of the Astrals is also vital to Carbuncle’s ability to cast various elemental spells through both himself and his aracnima replicas. In one of the few instances that Carbuncle has been seen in combat, witnesses describe Carbuncle summoning Ifrit, Shiva, Ramuh, Titan, Leviathan, and Garuda himself.

Appearance

Carbuncle most commonly takes the appearance of a member of the canine family, usually a large-eared fox, with fur that is commonly green but sometimes blue. His tail is sometimes straight like a cat’s or bushy like a fox, with his eyes taking a hazel, blue, or red coloration. The most distinguishing trait about Carbuncle is the gemstone embedded in his forehead. This gemstone is most commonly a ruby, though other colored gemstones have been recorded. This gemstone often acts as a focus for Carbuncle’s magical abilities, and glows brightly when using some variant of Ruby Light. Carbuncle is also known to glow with an ethereal light around him, and communicates magically via telepathy or via technology such as a cellphone text.

The replicas of Carbuncle have much of the same appearance, with the exception of different colors of fur. These replicas include Topaz Carbuncle, Emerald Carbuncle, Onyx Carbuncle, and Moonstone Carbuncle, as well as Aquamarine Carbuncle, Citrine Carbuncle, and Rubellite Carbuncle.

While Carbuncle seldom engages in combat, preferring to act as support to others. When he does get sufficiently distressed enough to fight, he takes on a more monstrous form. This form, dubbed Proto-Carbuncle by scholars, is more bipedal and has longer limbs, sharper claws, and the gemstone is elongated into a jagged horn.

Realm

Carbuncle usually resides in the Astral Plane when he’s not entering the dreams of children to help them through nightmares.

Followers

As a common household deity, most people have prayed to Carbuncle at some point in their lives as children, even if they don’t remember doing so. Parents would often sing lullabies to their children, invoking Carbuncle’s name to see them through illnesses and nightmares. Outside of childhood and parenthood, more dedicated worshipers of Carbuncle include those who work as healers, scholars, or alongside children. The tenets of these devotees are to help prepare them for adulthood while still allowing them to enjoy the journey with minimal pain.

Race: Among the humanoid races, almost everyone has or does worship Carbuncle in some capacity.

Class: Summoners worship Carbuncle for him to guide them through the path of becoming great summoners. Scholars also worship Carbuncle in the hopes of finding the knowledge to call upon his essence to help them. Besides them, bards, white mages, and medics often call upon Carbuncle for aid in healing.

Traits: N/A

Rites

Favored items of Carbuncle include the Star Curtain, Turtle Shell, and Conch Shell. When summoners or devotees place these within an altar, they begin to glow a bright red light, allowing them to commune with the Avatar of Rainbows. When the red light fades, the items become inert and the commune is cut.

Carbuncle will come to any summoner who calls on him to make a pact, often coming in the form of an avatar. Alternatively, Carbuncle will come in the dreams of a feverish or comatose child with their effigy to aid them in waking up. Once the child is awake and healthy, Carbuncle disappears.