Abhain

"Backstory & Origin"

Abhain - From Old Irish aub, from Proto-Celtic *abū (compare Welsh afon), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep- ‎(“water”).

Despite this, he has no natural affinity with water. Self-named, inspired after an old poem:

[SPOILER="ABHAIN (the poem)"]
“Deep in the forest,
A rabbit found a spring.
He went to wash its face but the water was so clear and bright
The rabbit forgot why he came
And drank from it instead.”

Abhain is a fairly new deity, hailing from the small island of Ffion. He was born to drive away the impurities of the land. As such, he devotes his life to destroying these impurities.

The term “impurities” is rather strict—he strikes down only those who are malevolent spirits, daemons, poltergeists, or hellspawn, so he will never directly target human beings. However, he won't let one hinder him from his objective. If Abhain deems a human to be an obstacle, then he will not hesitate to remove the from the situation, temporarily or otherwise.

Abhain is excels at his duties—he is extremely adept at eliminating spirits. However, Abhain does not hold the same advantage to physical beings. Though competent, he remains only slightly above average in martial arts and swordplay. He cannot technically die, but if he suffers too many hits, or exhausts all his energy, then he will temporarily lose his physical form.
[/SPOILER]

"Personality & Character"

Abhain is single-minded to a fault: he prioritizes his objective to eliminate impurities above all else. This is one of many reasons why he is extremely unskilled at dealing with humans. Abhain is naive in the most basic sense of the word: he does not understand humans or their emotions. It is not because he cannot feel emotion, but rather he does not understand them fully. Because of this, he can be occasionally cruel.

However, the god is carefree outside of battle. Abhain is frequently seen emulating many human activities, such as humming, exploring new roads/terrain, or reading books. Occasionally, one may see Abhain purchasing and eating human food, though he requires no nourishment to survive.

Abhain is currently in the process of learning to understand human emotions. It isn't going very well. Though he understands himself very much, understanding others is an idea foreign to him. Empathy is a hard concept to grasp.

"Weapon"

"Deity Cutter"

Despite its grandiose name, the "Deity Cutter" is really just a regular katana that Abhain had picked up from a munitions store. It can cut deities, but that's only because most sharp objects can. Its name changes often - mostly because Abhain gets bored.

"Abilities"

Manipulation of the elements
As a god, Abhain is able to bind the elements to his will. This is his primary ability when dealing with spirits. When dealing with physical opponents, this ability augments his swordplay and martial arts.

Basic teleportation
Abhain can move short distances in an instant. This requires some concentration, so its use is primarily for offensive movement. He cannot teleport while being hit or put under duress. As a trump card, Abhain can teleport back to his shrine in Ffion, though that would mean losing or retreating the battle.

Shrine augmentation
Abhain is strongest when at his shrine. There is little information about this ability, because nobody would dare fight a god at their shrine.

Belief empowerment
Abhain's abilities get stronger when he is being prayed to. A rather useless ability, because nobody prays to him.

"Quirks & Misc. Details"

• Hates being called “Rabbit," “Rabbit-Ears," or "Donkey"
  
• Does not have a true name
  
• Enjoys modern culture and fashion
  
• Comes off as narcissistic to many
  
• Extremely bad with children
  
• Gets lonely easily, but finds it hard to get close to others (humans)
  

I'm more likely to call him dockey ears then rabbit ears.
Looks cool though.

There are a couple details that I had questions/comments about.

• What other deities is Abhain affiliated with?
  [LIST]
  
• To an extent, the relationships between deities are parallel to the relationships between humans. This way, Abhain is able to somewhat grasp an understanding of humans.
  
• Why does he appear as (or choose to be) anthropomorphic (human-like)?
  

[*]Why does Abhain have animal ears? Was his original form that of an animal? Or was it a curse casted upon him from another deity?

• Which brings me to ask: How did he become a deity?
  

[*]What are the extents of his "purification" abilities? How does he eliminate "impurities"?

• The sword may be able to inflict injuries to deities, but deities are immortal.
  

[*]If Abhain has a shrine constructed in his name, then this would imply that the humans know of him.

• How do the humans view Abhain?
  
• How does Abhain feel about humans doing such a thing for a fairly new deity?
  

[*]How does Abhain "come off as narcissistic to others"?

• Is it because of his interest in human culture and attire?
  
• Wouldn't Abhain be able to somewhat understand humans because he's able to appreciate and enjoy their idiosyncrasies?
  

[*]I believe that being "extremely bad with children" would go hand-in-hand with his difficulties understanding humans. Unless there was another reason for why you included this.
[*]He doesn't like to be called a rabbit.

• "gets lonely easily" :^)
  

[/LIST]

Judging from the name of the island where he originates and the origins of his name, I'm assuming that he is from Wales. I'm interested in knowing/seeing what sorts of shrines that these regions have. If you're well-versed with this topic, I'd love to hear from you about it.

This was an entertaining read and I like the time you put into coming up with and organizing your idea. I hope to read more about this character soon and maybe even see him animated by you. Good luck!