Jasper

"'The people will decide nothing. They cannot decide for themselves. Why do you think religion exists? They must be told what to do!' -Jasper"Jasper, also known as the Mad God, was the ruling deity of Rubidia and the head of the Rubidian Pantheon. After being trapped in an alternate dimension for four years, Jasper had finally returned to Rubidia, where he plotted to take over the Spiral Isles, who had been responsible for his imprisonment in the first place. The Mad God met his final end at the conclusion of the Spiral Campaign, putting to bed the bloody feud between nations.

The Birth of a God
Jasper was there since the beginning. Jasper was never remembered by anyone; he was never of any significance, and those who knew of him were quick to forget about him. In time, he began to forget about himself as well, not even remembering his true birth name. Jasper began to resent humanity; for what was a god without his flock? Jasper had no followers to his name. He was nothing; just a footnote on the annuals of history, if even that.

With the turn of every century, Jasper’s loathing grew into hatred. His hatred became so overpowering, amplified even further because of his godhood, that his psyche shattered into pieces. Fragmented into various forms, Jasper became ruled over by the variety of strong emotions that laid claim to his mind. By the time the Divide happened, Jasper was already unstable; consumed by his own hatred and emotions. He had become bitter and broken, but still inside his godly husk came that nagging desire to hate. When the world was destroyed in the Divide, Jasper created Rubidia from the remains of Earth’s civilizations.

Jasper immediately solidified himself as the patron deity of Rubidia, building the Red Isle from the remains of fractured civilizations like China and Rome. From these nations came new gods and goddesses, forming the Rubidian Pantheon. Though they were all powerful in their own right, they all came to fear Jasper because of his unpredictability; the very nature of his personality could snap in an instant, and he was a very powerful god that one would not want to piss off. Each deity acted in independence however; the nation had yet to be united, perhaps because Jasper had grown weak from forced the nation into existence. In time too, that would change. Rubidia became a war-like nation, as Jasper couldn’t stand the thought of being compassionate or kind. His own shattered personality made him a ruthless king and an unpredictable menace; Rubidia both suffered and flourished under his rule, depending on the current mood he was in. Regardless, Rubidia has shown great progress since its initial inception, with Jasper remaining at the helm of things.

Five Gods of the Red Isle
In time, Jasper would seek to expand his domain. Rubidia was not always as it was; there was much that remained barren and lifeless, and as much as he cared not to admit, his power was pointless without more subjects to rule over. His first venture took his to the far north of the nation, on the slopes of Mount Arokti. Long ago, there had been a deity imprisoned there by the old Roman Pantheon, for reasons yet to his understanding. The power within was still strong, however; Jasper thought it to be a waste to allow such a god to remain imprisoned there. With a mighty hand, Jasper destroyed the holy wards that trapped the god within, allowing him to break free. The mountain trembled and crumbled, allowing Albus to taste air once more. Times had long since changed since his imprisonment at the hands of his own kin; the Rome he knew had long since vanished. Jasper offered Albus a promise, however; with his help, they would rebuild Rome in the image of the old ways. Realizing that there was nothing else for him here, Albus reluctantly agreed. In time, Magna Roma would grow into what it is today; a mirror image of the Roman people, steeped in culture and war. In turn, Albus now commands a powerful military force, all loyal to Jasper.

While some gods had yet to arrive to Rubidia, others had already begun to build their empires. Jasper turned his sights towards the Chinese. Spiraling towers of gold and rich asian culture already dotted the western lands; the Chinese who survived the Great War showed themselves to be rich and spoiled, having wealth that would make anyone else jealous. Jasper was envious; he did not enjoy that this wealth was not his, so he turned his eye towards the lands there and demanded change. The deity of the realm was an interesting sort; a serpent of greed as she was, she loved fortune of all kinds. Perhaps that was why China was so wealthy, as she was the one who wished it so. In exchange for spreading her wealth to the rest of Rubidia, Jasper promised power beyond measure; something that no one could refuse. Being as she was, Fucang Long was hesitant to part with even a fraction of her fortunes. Her people had benefited from it so much, and even she was full of greed. Though, connections were always desirable; Fucang Long would accept, marking the Gilded Lands as the third kingdom officially recognized in Rubidia.

Lastly, Jasper turned his eyes to the domain of the dragons; the Land of Drakes was an isolated island just off the coast of Rubidia. Jasper had been aware of the island's recent appearance, having materialized almost overnight in the turbulent waters of the Pacific Ocean. Jasper saw the dragons as creatures of myth and mystery; he knew them to hold secrets, the sort of which that passed back generations. Normally, Jasper would desire no such thing; he was a being who had existed since the beginning of time, and knew all there was to know about life and death. Though, these dragons were not of this world, but rather from another. This left him with interest and curiosity. However, Jasper could never seen to approach the island properly, even with his godly powers. He felt a presence within that he could not explain, but it was powerful, perhaps more powerful than he was. Jasper did not wish to start wars so early, so he left the Land of Drakes be for the time. They would come to be recognized as a part of Rubidia regardless, due to proximity.

Generations would pass as Jasper would stay on as the King of Rubidia, with none to challenge his position. He made sure that it would stay this way; dissenters were rooted out where they laid, publicly executed to ensure that others would not follow the same path. Though typically, such a display would have succeeded in dissuading others from challenging Jasper's self-imposed rule, none could truly do anything about it. Jasper was, and still is, an unpredictable deity with power beyond a mortal man's imagining. It was oppression without oppression, and benevolence without benevolence; such a thing might seem to be a paradox, but Jasper often fluctuated between various moods, making it all the more imperative for his people to appease him. Offerings were made daily, hoping not to incur the wrath of this being of power.

The First War
Centuries after Jasper formed Rubidia, he made plans for revenge. Long did his hatred stew inside of him, boiling over until he couldn’t take it anymore. More than anything, he wanted the twins to suffer for what they had done to him. It was their fault he was a shadow of his former self, it was all their fault. Jasper had believed it for so long that it was the only truth he now knew. Rallying his forces, especially the armies of Albus and Fucang Long, Rubidia invaded the Spiral Isles in what was known as the first Spiral/Rubidia War. Magna Roma invaded from the north and took on the Edenian Militia, while the Chinese attacked the deserts to the south. It was a two-pronged attack to test the Spiral Isles’ military prowess. Jasper had no intention of winning the war; he wanted to know their weaknesses. Though, he made it seem like the Spiral Isles had won.

The Rubidian Armies caused little damage in their attacks, with casualties remaining minimal. After their initial assault, they retreated; Jasper allowed himself to be caught in the end. Knowing that they wouldn't be able to necessarily kill him, he was imprisoned in a pocket dimension instead. His plan had worked flawlessly. Though now he had been locked away in some unknown dimension, the Spiral Isles had foolishly left Rubidia alone, thinking that with Jasper gone, they would no longer be a threat. Jasper remains imprisoned to this day, but once he returns to Rubidia, his forces will rain hell upon the Spiral Isles and destroy them for good.

Black Room
In the aftermath of the Spiral Isles/Rubidia war, Jasper was imprisoned in an alternate dimension called the Black Room; it was a place locked out of time and space, purposefully used in eating away at divine powers. In the four years that Jasper was locked there, the room caused him to age rapidly, becoming but an old and frail man in a short amount of time. Though old, he was still immortal; this constantly put him into pain, that which he was forced to suffer. Perhaps it had not been the Spiral Isles' intention to send him to this place, but it was as it was. Long after his original imprisonment, Jasper was visited by an interloper to the dimension, in the form of a woman. Calling herself Aelin, she offered Jasper freedom in exchange for his cooperation.

Naturally, Jasper was in no condition to fight, so he could not resist. He still brought up the point of him killing her, should she release him back into Rubidia. Aelin had contingencies however, and promised that Jasper would be locked away again, with no chance of escaping. A small gem placed into his chest assured this; were he to ever betray her or lie, he would be forced back into the Black Room. With that, the dimensional wall was torn open and they were thrust back into Rubidia. There they stood at the cusp of Jasper’s shrine, located high atop Mount Arokti, in Magna Roma. Expecting now that they were allied, Aelin granted Jasper with a sigil, promising aid if he were to return it. Jasper was much more focused on his own desires, more-so crushing the goddess who had imprisoned him. With that, he now rallies his pantheon and plots to overtake the Spiral Isles.

The Spiral Campaign: The War Begins
The first attack was swift and deadly; Neo Haven would soon find itself under attack from one of Jasper's Black Ships, or massive airships powered through magitek. The outer rim of the city was immediately bombarded with explosive shells, and the population was instantly ravaged under the deadly assault. While the black ships and Crimsonhead soldiers attacked the city outside, Jasper had other plans. Alongside Helman, making himself known to the rulers of the city; the mysterious faction known as HEAVEN. Due to his superiority complex, Jasper laughed at the notion that a company run by humans would claim such a name, and in a show of force and his restored power, laid waste to any who stood before him. The combined forces of the city, including HEAVEN's Angels, managed to fight him off and beat back the Black Ships that invaded the city. It seemed to be no loss for Jasper though, as he caused plenty of destruction before his departure.

Days after the battle, Jasper was next seen back in his throne room, meeting with several of his fellow gods. The meeting mostly consisted on the topic of war, and how the tide of battle would continue from there forth. Due to Jasper's meddling in the first attack, the enemy capital had suffered major damage and retaliation was inevitable. Rather than take the opportunity to further the assault, Jasper instead urged caution and patience, waiting to see how the Spiralites would react.

That proved to not be the end of his problems however. Much to his dismay, Jasper soon learned that one of his colleagues had completely ignored his orders; Albus had urged the attack on the Spiral Isles, in a battle that led to failure because of third-party meddling. Following the ultimate resolution of said battle, Albus was set before the Red Lord; Jasper was quick to remind Albus of his failure, telling him how the battle would not have gone any other way. Albus snapped back and told Jasper that he was the real failure, seeing how he rarely left his throne room and allowed his enemies to rally against him. This immediately set Jasper off, as he forced Albus to his knees and reminded him of who he served. This quickly escalated into a battle, albeit a one-sided one; Albus attempted to throw himself at Jasper, but the Roman God found himself on his back within seconds. Annoyed by the gall of Albus' attempt to attack him, Jasper told Albus and reminded him how it was Jasper who had saved Albus from his prison, and it was Jasper who had helped him forge Magna Roma in the new world. With his pride wounded, Albus left the castle; assuredly, Jasper had just lost his support of the Roman God, but he did not care. However, prying eyes saw an opportunity.

Following another attack on another capital city, Jasper saw fit to reward his allies with celebration; a large festival was held within Alestios, allowing everyone to enjoy themselves and forget about the war for once. One of Jasper's associates, Helman, had approached with a shivering figure. He was nervous, that much was clear. His reason for approach seemed to point to events prior, mainly the Red Army offensive against Eden. The Corpus Diaboli had been present but Helman felt that their usefulness was waning, due to being forced up against gods and super powered humans. Helman then asked for a raise; it was a notion that Jasper immediately laughed off, before threatening the man to accept his current rate. Helman sheepishly did so, and left, only for another presence to arrive minutes later. Interestingly enough, it was a being who dropped from the sky and smashed through Jasper's throne room, breaking a hole in the ceiling. Naturally, Jasper was a bit irate at the sudden appearance of another presence, but with this, he saw opportunity. The armored man introduced himself as Carnifex, a wandering mercenary for hire. Carnifex had been looking for work, and Jasper had just the thing in mind. His scouts informed him of a powerful informant residing in the Spiral Isles, and the Red Lord wanted that informant on his side. Carnifex was promised great wealth if he complied, and he readily did so. After Carnifex departed, Jasper was finally given time to relax. Though, future plans still stirred within him. He had grown tired of the constant back and forth between the nations, and wished to end things finally. Likewise, he saw fit to give Albus and his ilk another chance, still believing them to be useful. Thus entered Ozark.

With Ozark busy on errands, Jasper had been surprised that Carnifex returned; even more so with his task completed. The informant had been delivered, as per their agreement; Jasper mentioned how he normally didn't follow through with mercenary contracts, given that he had little reason to trust private contractors. Nevertheless, Jasper paid in full; a case full of gold was offered to Carnifex. The two would walk a while, with Carnifex expressing interest in staying in the city a while longer. While he was open to further business, Carnifex had mostly stated that with his sailor crew in tow, he would likely drift from kingdom to kingdom, seeking variety in his contracts. Jasper accepted such a notion, believing adventure to be a core tenet of any wanderer. Following Carnifex's departure, Jasper changed his tune when seeking to interrogate their new captive. The informant had been transported into the dungeons below Castle Mammon; a deep and dark cellar where it was always cold. The informant was unconscious or asleep, or merely not paying attention. Whatever the case was, Jasper awoke her with a splash of cold water. The two exchanged words, with Jasper remaining civil for the most part; he only cared about information, and nothing more. He had his suspicions that the woman had been spying on him for quite some time, and she seemed to not deny it. She would ultimately refuse, which forced Jasper to give an ultimatum; he knew about her network, and promised to hunt down and kill her girls unless she cooperated. The informant, either calling his bluff or merely being one step ahead, stated that her girls were already safe and away from harm. Given her continued lack of participation, Jasper threw a fit and shattered a wooden bucket across her jail cell. Seeing that she would come forth with no information, he promised her that she would rot. In his words; "The war will continue and when the Spiral Isles is left destroyed by my hand, you will still be in this cell, in the darkness, wondering what happened."

The Spiral Campaign: The Seige of Veidle
What happened to Jasper after interrogating the informant is largely unknown, though he appeared days later in Veidle, the western capital of the Spiral Isles. Accompanied by Helman, the two managed to intercept Albus after his victory in claiming the city. Jasper congratulated Albus in doing so, though expressed his doubts that he was capable of it. Though Albus seemed to be on his way out, Jasper insisted that they greet Spiralite hospitality with open arms. After all, it was their city now. Though, he was quick to correct himself by saying it was his city. Jasper, Helman and Albus entered the palace, accompanied by Albus' Praetorian Guard. Within the palace was the governor of Veidle. She was friendly and hospitable, as Veidleans were known to be, and Jasper even entertained this by acting friendly in kind. He amicably offered them an ultimatum; surrender the Veidle to Rubidia, or there would be dire consequences. When the governor refused, Jasper quickly dropped his kind facade and began choking the poor woman. Much to his shock, Jasper soon found his arm cut off by a familiar spear. It belonged to Albus.

Jasper yelled in pain as his arm bled, severed from the elbow down. He cursed himself for not having the foresight to see this betrayal coming, and not dealing with Albus sooner. With the governor freed from Albus' grasp, she was quick to trigger the alarms, causing the room to flood with Veidlean soldiers. Jasper seemed completely ignorant to the soldiers surrounding him, instead focused on dealing with the traitor to his country. With his good arm, he quickly belted out a violent blast of wind that sent Albus and his guard flying out the front gates. The residual shockwave from his attack knocked everyone else on their collective asses; as Jasper gave chase, Helman promptly threw out some gas grenades, hoping to kill any of the Eastarians who might interfere. Fortunately for them, they had other plans. Jasper and Albus commenced their duel in the courtyard, with Albus getting off a cheap shot by breaking Jasper's nose with his shield. Jasper could only laugh in response, saying how the Spiral Isles' ruin would be justice for what they did to Rubidia.

Using a powerful gust of wind, Jasper collapsed part of the roof of the palace, preventing Albus from receiving potential reinforcements from the Veidlean forces. Their fight continued interrupted, with Jasper inevitably proving to be far too fast for Albus. Jasper was able to outpace Albus, who had no other choice but to use his shield in a defensive offense. Eventually tiring of their battle, Jasper decided to wind slash at Albus' exposed shins, breaking his legs in the process. Unable to stand, Albus struggled to even kneel with Jasper now looming over him. Albus expressed that in his death, he would finally be free of Jasper's machinations. Jasper promptly grabbed the Roman God's face, sucking the life from him until he was a withered husk. Jasper reminded a now deceased Albus that although free, he was also dead. Having dealt with the traitor, Jasper decided to give the East their meaningless victory, and knew that the Romans would likely flee without their leader. Jasper commanded Helman to gather his fellow agents, believing that a final battle was looming. With a powerful updraft of wind, Jasper fled the scene.

The Spiral Campaign: Endgame
The winds of change came to a head as participants stepped onto the final battlefield. The setting was the plains beneath Rubidia's capital city. The Crimsonhead Army marched, meeting the Joint Spiral Forces for one, final climactic duel to end all duels. It became quickly apparent that the Spiral Forces' main allies had not even taken to the field yet, so Jasper gleefully decided to turn his attention towards the invading armies. The forces of the Spiral Isles were a formidable one, but Jasper was a god and had no qualms with annihilating whatever stood in his way. Until the arrival of the Barracuda, the battle was one sided. Many razor winds were slung as the weather grew worse and worse around them. Tornadoes touched down, ravaging the outer areas of the battlefield. The lightning turned red, snapping down to the ground at random intervals. Black clouds covered the skies, setting the stage for a final, climactic duel. It wasn't until the star players arrived that the finale truly began to play out.

Holy Diver, captain of the Northern Raiders, was the one to oppose Jasper in the end. Goading the dragoon into a game of cat and mouse, the battle took to the clouds, near the capital city of Eisenclast. He noted that he had heard of Holy Diver before, and lamented that she had not died on their trip to Rubidia. He dropped out of sight then, only to blast the two from behind, launching them into the floating island. To their surprise, the bottom of Eisenclast was hollow, with a strange lab inside. Jasper joined them shortly after, only to explain that the lab housed an ancient magic which allowed the city to levitate. He was quick to smash the object that sustained this magic, intentionally causing the city to begin to plummet. He was nice enough to tell his guests that they all had five minutes, or they would drown. Holy Diver and Jasper all squared off, forced to battle in a small room. The two figures conducted a vicious duel, with no sides giving any mercy. Jasper utilized his knowledge of the room to his advantage, igniting volatile leylines to cause the room to erupt in a series of explosions. Said explosions had briefly put Holy Diver on the defensive, forcing a change of tactic.

In an intense fit of rage, Holy Diver decided that enough was enough. Manifesting hard light projections from her spear, she managed to overcome Jasper's speed and stab him multiple times, before launching herself away into the air. This seemed to be well timed, as they hit the ground soon after. Eisenclast crashed into Lake Misos, sending a tidal wave across the plains that swept up any soldiers who failed to retreat. The arena they were on cracked in half upon Castle Mammon, sending Jasper tumbling into the courtyard. As the dust settled, the entire area was reduced to rubble from Eisenclast's collision with the ground. Those who survived the impact were likely drowned, leaving few possible survivors. Jasper emerged and gloated over his own victory, thinking himself the sole survivor of the crash. He was wrong; Holy Diver emerged from the clouds above, and impaled Jasper at terminal velocity.

In his dying breath, he couldn't help but continue to laugh. He was quick to tell of the horrors he had seen beyond the Veil, and he doubted that Avashesh would survive without him. He quickly succumbed to his injuries and fell limp against Holy Diver's spear, and with him ended the ambitions of the Mad God. With a twist of her spear, Holy Diver turned Jasper's corpse to ashes. After a melancholic Holy Diver had parted, a mysterious third party appeared to collect Jasper's ashes. Ultimately, the fate of Rubidia was left uncertain. Would Jasper's words come true? What would happen if someone even worse than him ended up in power?

Appearance
Jasper appears as an older man: muscular, grizzled and hardy, barely into his 50’s, with pale skin. He has lengthy, thick brunette hair, which flows all the way down to his shoulders. Thick brows and a light beard cover his face, accenting his powerful yellow eyes, which often glow with the godly fury he possesses. Jasper often wears a slick, deep crimson coat that reaches down to his ankles; the coat is embroidered with various designs, with padded shoulders trimmed with gold. Though capable of being closed, Jasper always keeps his coat open, exposing his discolored torso below. Most notable is his belt, which is multi-layered with thick, red straps that cover the entirety of his waist. A jaw-less face is depicted on the front, oozing forth blood from the mouth hole. Jasper's left arm is missing from the elbow down, due to being severed by Albus during their fight in Veidle.

Personality
Due to his broken psyche, Jasper’s personality is inconsistent; while normally harsh and hateful of those around him, he has been known to suffer from extreme and frequent mood swings. Despite this, he does actively try to conduct himself in a polite manner, normally when tending to important business between his colleagues and constituents. He has little patience of people who ask things of him, and is prone to intense fits of anger when pressed too much. He is a warmonger, staking territories in whatever available lands he can find. Those who do not submit to his rule are often crushed swiftly. He strongly believes in his own motto, thinking that the world will only stand a chance if the weak are destroyed.

Abilities
As the main deity of the Rubidian Pantheon, Jasper's powers fall into three specific subsets; aeromancy, essence vampirism and dimensional shifting. Jasper is able to utilize the air particles around him, and uses them in various ways. By swiping his arm across the air, he can create razor winds that are sharp and able to cut with relative ease. Palm thrusts allow him to produce wind blasts, which he can create heavy gusts that cause immense destruction. Also with his wind powers, he is capable of limited flight. With his essence vampirism, Jasper can leech life essence away from any target, but only if his hand is connected to their face. This process can kill if prolonged long enough, turning Jasper's victims into withered husks. Lastly, Jasper uses something called a dimension shift. He is allowed to "blip" in and out of current space, rapidly shifting between the physical world and a pocket dimension, making it seem like he can move much faster than he normally can. After powering up fully, by absorbing the essence of several gods, Jasper was able to manipulate the weather as well.

Albus
Having rescued Albus from beneath Mount Arokti, it was Jasper who offered the Roman God a place in his kingdom. Speaking fanciful tales of how they were alike, Jasper sympathized with Albus, as he knew what it was like being forgotten and abandoned. In reality, Jasper sees Albus as little more than a means to an end. He values the Roman God's military strength and considers them integral in the development of Rubidia; to the same end, Jasper has been known to manipulate Albus, twisting his sense of justice and using him like an attack dog to threaten or destroy anyone who evokes Jasper's ire. Most recently, their relationship has become strained, now that Albus is aware of Jasper's true feelings towards him. This strain was broken entirely after Jasper killed Albus during the Siege of Versailles.

Ozark
As Jasper's top general, the two beings share an interesting relationship. Ozark represents Jasper's most loyal subject, the one entity that has provided and delivered upon everything he has ever asked for. It is to that end that Jasper genuinely considered Ozark to be a friend, despite the former's lack of compassion in most situations. Presumedly, Jasper values Ozark so much to the point that he refuses to send the general out unless absolutely necessary. That, or he holds Ozark back as a trump card, ready and waiting to be unleashed upon his enemies. Ozark doesn't seem to mind this; they revel in battle and wish nothing more than to serve the will of the master.