Cosmo Veritas

Cosmo is inherently transient, never staying in one place for too long and rarely forming attachments as a result. Any connections he does have tend to be with demigods and godlings who look down on his meddling and conniving nature, or those whom he has tricked or wronged in the past. Regardless, Cosmo is a person of few friends and many enemies, though the magic of his cart keeps him protected so long as he fulfils his duty.

Very dismissive and derisive towards mortal adults, Cosmo is surprisingly friendly and genial to children. He likes to tell them stories that tickle their imaginations, leaving them with memories for years to come, though even in this case he lacks empathy for those he interacts with and rarely pays attention to them beyond an audience for his theatrics.

He has a fondness for decadent sweet treats and drinks such as mead, though his consumption is usually measured. Cosmo spends a lot of time grooming himself or admiring his reflection in mirrors, but he's quick to notice even the tiniest flaw in his appearance and frequently spirals into desolation as a result.

One of the few mortal activities Cosmo still retains affection for is opera, though the reasoning for this is unclear. Perhaps it's the retelling of old stories through song, or perhaps he just likes feeling pretentious. Whatever the reason, he can sometimes be found catching a performance in disguise.

On the other hand, there is nothing Cosmo resents more than the sun. After all, when it shines bright in the sky, the other stars cannot compete — not even him. Perhaps there's a reason he only appears in darkness.

What Cosmo lacks in physical strength, he makes up for with pure magical energy and prowess. Centuries of living alongside his magic has given him almost complete control over his abilities, including both offensive and defensive magic.

He does carry an ornamental staff, but it's not designed as a weapon and is only sometimes used to channel his magic more directly like a funnel. His real strength is not precisely derived from him at all: his strangely omnipresent luck, allowing him to wriggle out of even the most precarious of situations.

Aeons ago, after the great migration to Wyldre but before the devastating Void Wars, there was an entirely unremarkable young browlet living in a small village in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by danger at every turn, children such as this browlet were trapped in a prison of their own community and desperate to escape.

One night, on the night of the new year, a beautiful spirit appeared in front of this browlet and offered them one wish. First, they had a question: why offer such a great gift to a child and not one of the adults, who might know better how to use such a wish? The spirit laughed and told them that unlike adults, children still have the propensity to dream.

With that answer, the browlet knew what they would wish for. They wished to be like the spirit, whatever that meant, and the spirit dutifully granted their wish. Before they left, they also imparted a blessing of luck upon the browlet.

Many things changed for the browlet. They became extremely beautiful and shone as bright as any star, but their beauty faded in natural sunlight. They were no longer mortal and, as soon as they were of age, their duty called to them: just like the beautiful spirit they once encountered, they needed to grant wishes.

Their first granted wish led to the destruction of their village. The second, a murder. The third, a king wrongfully usurping a throne. You see, each wish had a twist: the browbird was drawn towards the strongest desires and, instead of filling the world with laughter and light like the spirit they met, they were cursed to sow discord in the world. Everything must be balanced.

Upon seeing the darkness of mortal hearts, they shed both their old name and their mortal identity. From this moment forth, they would only be known as Cosmo Veritas, the beautiful wizard of the stars.

Cosmo made many enemies over the years. In the beginning, he meddled endlessly in mortal affairs, earning the ire of many guardian spirits and minor deities. Unfortunately for them, his blessing of luck always seemed to get him out of trouble just in the nick of time.

By the time the Void Wars came around, he was so unempathetic towards mortals that he viewed himself as a different species altogether from them. He shamelessly stirred discord and even aided Rovok's campaign, profiting off the devastating conflict and then disappearing into the safety of his travelling cart with a smile. After all, this was a war for mortals, and Cosmo was not a mortal.

He never met the enchanting spirit again, but their words stayed with him. Wherever he travelled, he always made time to weave wonderful tales for the children. The spirit was right, after all: children really were better dreamers than their boring adult counterparts.

Centuries later, Cosmo found himself settled into his routine, now accepting payment for his wares in favours, boons, or anything that struck his fancy. He spent his days fearing the loss of his beauty and his nights fawning over his pretty face, unaware of how his condition had progressed.

Going for so long without sunlight had, in a way, made him all the more sensitive to it. Just like a star, he would now entirely fade away in sunlight, possibly to return at sunset. But of course, he never had any reason to risk such danger, and staying within the safety of his magical cart would protect him from anything of the sort.

Things cannot stay the same forever. Something huge loomed over the celestial seas and Cosmo, try as he might, would not be unaffected by the storm to come.