Khobel Tavah
Eternal of Winter
Sobriquets
Khobel and Tavah are the Two-Who-Are-One, a pair of Winter eternals bound together by solemn wedding oaths. Together they are referred to as the Consorts of Dark Water, the Old Man and the Sea, the Monarchs of the Vast, Fear Death By Water, or the Sunken Rope.
Other names for Khobel include Sculler-in-the-Flood, Sailor of Ill-Fortune, Fear's Bride, Lord of the Last City, Old Tom Flotsam, the Lanterner, Prophet of the Last Light, and King-of-Nothing. Other names for Tavah include Dark-That-Drowns, Our Lord of Salt, Molly Bitters, Fishwife's Burden, Tideless Scream, Terror-Under-Wave, and Queen-of-the-Vast.
Appearance
It is said that Khobel was once the monarch of a city in the Winter Realm, a great sailor who commanded many fleets. His city is now ruined and nameless, and it stands on the shores of a tideless black sea that is inexorably drowning the buildings that remain. This sea is his wife, Tavah: her waters first rose to swallow Khobel’s city when they fell in love and swore marriage-vows to each other, long long ago. Together they are Khobel Tavah, the Consorts of Dark Water. The two are almost never encountered apart: indeed, on most occasions when one has apparently deigned to appear without the other, the other will arrive or make their presence known in short order.
Khobel generally appears as an old man, bowed and broken, sometimes with a monstrous face but more often all too human at first appearance. He often bears ruined symbols of kingship: a broken sceptre, a battered crown, a tattered robe. At other times he appears as a bedraggled sailor, his skin bloated and pale, a drowned corpse walking. Sometimes he carries a lantern in which is lit a dim flame. He often appears in a small boat with oars, or floating on the wreckage of a ship. His vessel is or was called Ariel, or, the Preserver of Life. Occasionally he is accompanied by his heralds, fellow “survivors” of the wreck, who similarly appear bedraggled and drowned. Occasionally he appears as the corpse of a beached whale, lying dead on the sands, stinking of the sea but somehow unrotting.
Tavah takes many forms, though they are rarely human and always frightening. Sometimes she is the waters on which Khobel’s vessel is afloat: sometimes she is the darkness that surrounds him. Sometimes she is a towering giant, her hand outstretched in the palm of which Khobel sits, or she is simply a great eye peering from the darkness below or above. Whatever form she takes, however, she is rarely a silent presence: her voice emanates from the surroundings, from the waters, from the dark. When she does choose to take the form of a person-like figure, she generally appears as a younger woman with long, dark, tangled hair that covers her face, garbed modestly in a pale white dress. Sometimes at these times she has the tail of a fish, and sometimes the legs of a bird, but most often she has a deceptively human appearance and walks barefoot. The exception is her eyes: when she lifts her head and reveals her face, they stare outwards from her blank expression like dark pools of water. Her heralds resemble scavenger birds of the sea: she has a particular affinity with the albatross.
Khobel is generally referred to using male pronouns (he/him), though he sometimes takes on a feminine appearance and on these occasions seems to prefer they/them. He sometimes uses the sobriquet Queen-of-Nothing, a variation on one of his usual names. Tavah generally seems to use female pronouns (she/her) or is referred to using it/its: this tends to reflect the degree she is representing herself as something primal and unknowable.
History
Khobel Tavah was broadly unknown to the Empire prior to the events of 387YE which saw a growing number of omens of doom spreading particularly around the Bay of Catazar, often involving reports of sunken bells tolling in the deep. During the Autumn Equinox 387YE they responded to a plenipotentiary missive from then-Archmage of Winter Ematius "Icebreaker" Ankarien. During the parley that followed, the two eternals spoke at length about their nature and concerns. It must be said, though, that much of what Imperial magicians know is based on that interaction and that the wise might perhaps take some of it with a grain or two of salt.
They have never been close to the Empire and are only somewhat familiar with it: individual Imperial magicians and covens have formed a closer relationship in the past, but never for very long. They have had some involvement in many so-called “fear cults” over the years both within and outside the Empire, and there is at least one regio in the city of Leen devoted to them as a patron of a local Druj sept. They had some relationships with the ancestors of the Naguerro, the Urizeni who first settled Redoubt, and other inhabitants of the Bay of Catazar in ancient times.
The Archmage of Winter who died in the Barabbine Disaster understood them well. She consulted often with the Consorts before the fateful sailing of Barabbas's navies. After Nicovar's burning of the libraries, knowledge of them nearly disappeared entirely. Since the destruction of the Shining Pillar and the Lighthouse at Nikephoros, the raising of the Barabbine wrecks, and the return of infant kraken to the Bay of Catazar, their attention has been drawn to the Empire once again.
Concerns
Unlike the Thrice-cursed Court, who enjoy maintaining an ambiguity whether they are one eternal or three, Khobel and Tavah are quite clear that as far as they are concerned they are a singular eternal, Two-Who-Are-One, bound by their wedding-oaths. While this may or may not be strictly true - in theory the Conclave could attempt a declaration of Alignment on one without the other, and it is anyone's guess whether this would work - doing so is likely to anger both of them. They would not support the creation of a ritual that tried to draw on the power of one of them without the other.
Khobel Tavah are a frightening pair, and fear is their watchword. In fact, they apparently claim that it was on the day they swore their wedding vows to each other that fear entered the world - that before that time mortals lived in ignorance, incapable of courage because they had nothing to compare it too, but when their marriage was sanctified the world itself was moved, and knew fear in its heart forever more. They seem to take very little satisfaction in frightening mortals for the sake of it, as unlike some winter eternals they are not particularly inclined to cruelty for its own sake. However, they simply are terrifying by their very nature, and without a source of spiritual strength it is hard for a mortal to stand in their presence without fear completely overwhelming them.
They both believe strongly in fear's capacity to strengthen, ward, and preserve. While neither values the conscious knowledge of experience as Wise Rangara does, they do value the wisdom that fear brings: in their view, the wise are able to act quickly and intuitively on instinctive feelings of fear. The fearful mind knows how to act before the thinking mind catches up with it. They disagree on whether it is important or not to be able to act on your fear to prevent your fate: Khobel believes that fear wards, whereas Tavah believes it can preserve but cannot ultimately protect. Fear leads one to struggle even in the face of death, and it might give one the strength to survive when one might otherwise perish. Sometimes, however, your doom cannot be averted: but then your fate and the fear of it are a warning to others.
Khobel is interested primarily in fear as a warning and an omen: he speaks of the value in listening to the hair that raises on the back of one’s neck, and of observing the horrible fates of others and feeling fear that drives you to avert that fate for yourself. He approves of the way the Druj wield fear as a weapon of control against their slaves and vassals, in this sense: fear is a solid thing that prompts them to necessary action. He has a dour manner, occasionally tending to the nihilistic. He seems to possess a dry sense of humour, and a single well-told joke may tease out a sharp, rare laugh, but for the most part he is morose and somewhat standoffish.
He is a prophet, or enjoys pretending to be, and often issues cryptic warnings and prophecies of dooms to come. He seems to expect them to neither be understood or listened to: however, he acts quite hurt if people actually complain about his obscurantist tone. In general he is sensitive to criticism and it is normally best to avoid even implying criticism: conversely, he responds well to praise. It is not entirely clear if he truly always sees the future or if he acts to ensure his predictions come about. Those who show the wisdom to understand what he foretells, interpret his ominous pronouncements, and act to avert disaster will often win his favour. He is interested in the way that those who look out to sea can often spot bad weather on the horizon even days before it comes to shore, and he speaks often of the “wisdom of the sailor’s eye” in this sense. He is warmest when speaking of his wife, which he does with a devoted affection.
Tavah, on the other hand, is particularly interested in the fear people feel when it is too late for them to do anything about the peril they are in, such as the fear the drowning feel in the last moments of their life, or someone trapped in a cave-in from which they cannot escape. The sinking feeling of terror at a certain fate is something that fascinates her, and she will pay rapt attention to personal accounts of experiencing this: she will sometimes offer her aid to speak with the spirits of the dead in order that they can relay such tales.
She has a somewhat easier, friendlier manner than Khobel, despite her generally inhuman and fearsome appearance, but sometimes an element of threat or irritation creeps in her lilting tone. She jealously guards her time spent alone with Khobel, and those who try her patience too long by tarrying in their company may stir her into wrath. She enjoys talking to those whose fate is sealed or who stand on the precipice of disaster that they cannot avert: she will never offer to save such people from their fate, but she can be persuaded to prolong the time in which they exist fearful of their doom. She is protective of Khobel: the King-of-Nothing can be sensitive when criticised, and she will viciously oppose any who she perceives as hurting him.
There seems to be a genuine love between the two of them. It is the old, tested love of a marriage that has weathered much and endured it all. They are quite dependent on one another in a way that is distinctly unnerving at times, and to the extent they ever express fear themselves it is the fear of losing the other. Love so intense and selfish that it destroys everything the lovers care about except each other is of great interest to them: to the extent that any Winter eternal understands love, it is them, but only in this terrible aspect.
They both share an interest in oaths which seems to stem from the solemn commitments they made to each other when they wed. In particular, they are interested in oaths sworn between small groups of people or couples, and strongly approve of banners, sects and covens who keep their membership limited to a tightly-trusted circle. They will not witness such oaths or sanctify them - this is, they say, outside their domain - but they consider those who are bound by such oaths to be most worthy of serious regard. They advocate strongly for the institution of marriage as a concept.
When it comes to the other eternals of Winter, they seem to have a positive regard for Wise Rangara and for Kaela, who they claim were both present on the day they made their vows to each other as witnesses: in some of their tellings there was also a silent officiant present, though the identity of this figure is not clear. They seem to strongly dislike the Thrice-Cursed Court in a way that suggests a personal animosity, though they will not be drawn on the subject of the details of this. Khobel has a dislike of Sorin that Tavah does not share - it seems that it stems from some old rivalry between their two cities, which does not interest the Queen-of-the-Vast. She finds Devourer-of-Hope quite charming. Mentioning the Tomb King is one of the few ways to cause them to argue - which is rarely a wise decision.
They often send dire pronouncements of doom to major mortal nations: it is said Khobel himself warned the denizens of Umshalla of the fate that awaited them, to no avail. Atun was known to Tavah personally - or so Mary Bitters claims, and if such stories are to be believed she is one of a few mortals ever to forge a genuine if somewhat antagonistic friendship with The Dark That Drowns.
They both enjoy preserved, pickled or salted food, especially plums, salted liquorice, or herring, or any food that might be offered as a funeral offering. The wise supplicant will always bring little gifts of this form for both Consorts when meeting with them. They will sometimes give minor gifts of food in return to those that attend them: these are often extremely salty or extremely sweet, and tend to cause terrifying visions in those that consume them.
Boons
The pair have not interacted with the Empire sufficiently for their common boons to become a matter of record. There is however some speculation, some information from the Two-who-is-one, and some from others who have a relationship with them particularly the Sarcophan Delves that provides some insight into what they may offer.
Khobel is particularly interested in warding, and the way solemn oaths and pronouncements solidify and reify their effect. He will offer boons to assist with the casting of any ritual which wards an area, extending the length of the effect or the size of the warded area. He will lend his aid to the casting of Wolves of the Hungry Sea, and he is always happy to offer advice to those contemplating a journey by sea: he will certainly be able to list all the things that could go wrong during such a journey.
Tavah, in turn, has a particular interest in things that preserve, especially if they do so directly or indirectly through fear. She will often provide boons that assist with large castings of Fallow Fields and Dry Meat or assist with the casting of rituals that have a similar effect but across an entire territory. She is able to allow anyone to temporarily survive underwater, at least to the capacity that most merrow can, but anyone who draws on her boons in such a way will surely experience a constant state of overwhelming terror while they do so. Enchantments or curses associated with her often grant constant nightmares of drowning in a dark, still ocean. She is also interested in preservation more generally: she is fascinated by salvage from shipwrecks, and museums that display things lost to time that have been discovered.
Together they are interested in anything that seeks to use fear as a tutelary tool. The Consorts of Dark Water have little time for the foolhardy and the vainglorious, but have an appreciation for those who are willing to face and accept the reality of their fears. Sometimes, they will offer to “test” people’s courage, by cursing them in such a way that their fears are temporarily intensified. They both have an interest in curses that affect fleets and navies by drawing on the fearsome power of the ocean, and both of them are greatly dismissive of any sailor who does not show due respect to the dangers of seafaring life. They are both willing to assist in prophetic divinations of doom to come, but it is never possible to distinguish between doom that can be prevented and doom that is certain to occur.
Further Reading
- Has reared himself a throne - 387YE Autumn plenipotentiary where the Two-who-are-one spoke at length with Imperial magicians