Tyberia's Tidbits: Chapter 1: Introductions

Q: Let’s get the preliminaries out of the way.  Would you like to introduce yourself?

 

A:  My name is Tyberia Tiderave.  Friends and family outside the ring call me Tibby because it’s easier, and frankly less intimidating than Tyberia.  

 

Q:  Is that your real name?

 

A: my ring name is my real name, so yes.  

 

Q: And your a priestess of Nui’Niho, the blood gods.

 

A:  I am, though we prefer to call ourselves Fangs.  

 

Q: Is that as intense as it sounds?

 

A:  It can be.  The Father and Mother Shark are absolutely vicious and bloodthirsty when the time calls for it, but there’s much more nuance to the concept of “blood” that gets overlooked.  Just as sharks in the ocean are often considered monsters in their own right, they are still creatures who feel and can be friendly like the rest of us.

 

Q: Nui’Niho is two gods?

 

A:  Yes.  Nui is the mother shark, and Niho is the father shark.  They act as one, rarely disagreeing with each other, so we observe them both as if they were one person.  When we are talking about the specifics of our faith, we may then separate them to their respective domains.  Niho is what most people think of when describing the Shark gods:  competitive, paragon of physique, brutal warrior god.  Nui is the other part of the equation:  empathic, loving, intimate.

 

Q:  Are there other gods?

 

A:  Sure!  There’s Ko’Kual the Crab god of death… I think his spot is kind of open honestly; There’s He’i and Pi’i, the rival octopus and squid gods of magic; there’s Huakai’ the Angler god of travel and deep knowledge; and Teteria the Eel goddess of order.  

 

Q: Do you observe them all?

 

A: Sort of.  There’s no real rivalry amongst the gods, well except for the cephalopods. Everyone has a role, and if you need something specific, you know where to go.  Nui’Niho I think is the more popular of the bunch.  Heroes and legends tend to sell pretty well.  

 

Q: You mentioned the crab god spot is open.  What do you mean by that?

 

A:  I…honestly don’t know much about that.  I just know he isn’t taking calls, and we have a new psychopomp running around. 

 

Q:  That’s normal?

 

A: not normal but not unusual either.  The gods are technically still mortal, so… anything is possible.

 

Q: Interesting; but  let’s go back. What are your tenants of faith?

 

A: Tenants of faith:

 

-Love your body- 

 

a fang of Nui or Niho is expected to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Good food and regular exercise are an important part of life.  A shark never stops moving lest it sink.  So too are you expecting to be diligent with your own body.  As a reward, we Fangs reap the greatest benefits of this practice.  We do not get sick, heal quickly from most minor injuries, and maintain peak physical performance for our walks of life.  In my case, as a technical wrestler, my body maintains a perfect balance of strength and dexterity.  

 

This should not be confused with supernatural strength however.  Feats of that sort require greater divine influence.  We possess the fullest of what we naturally are capable of achieving.  No juice necessary.

 

Q: What sort of divine influence requires supernatural strength?

 

A:  It involves ripping the heart out of your enemies, and eating it.  You add their strength to yours.  The more you eat, the more strength you attain.  

 

Q: Seriously?!

 

A: Doesn’t last for more than a day though.  Then you’re out of the game for another whole day while your body recovers.  It’s not sustainable, but handy in a pinch.  Plenty of Fangs before me have used it to do some crazy shit.

 

Q:  Have you?

 

A:  Not yet.  Haven’t needed to.

 

Q:  I see… well…what’s your physical routine?

 

A:  Two mile jog,100  push ups, sit ups, squats and lunges broken up by 3 minutes of stretching.  

 

Q : What does your diet look like?

 

A:  High protein. Low carb.  This is more related to my religious obligation than any actual health benefit.  Sharks are carnivorous, so I too could be mostly carnivorous.  My patrons take care of the rest.

 

Q:  But no hearts, right?

 

A:  I didn’t say that…