Hoda, God(dess) of Desire

Hagerd, chief of his village, was dressed in the ceremonial armor that the priests and holy-men had prepared for him. It was simple really; an iron breast-plate that added to his fairly modest muscle-mass, the chest shaped into the face of a fox (the village's crest), with a lowered cloth covering his nethers below his waist and a pair of freshly cobbled sandals.

As he entered into the barn, he could feel his whole body shake. At first he thought it was from fear, his fight or flight instinct injecting every sinew of his body with adrenaline. As time went on, he realized that this feeling was not fear. His face felt hot, his heart-pounding against the breastplate and, a fact that caused his fists to clench, the loincloth he was dressed in raised up. His cock was throbbing and it was as obvious at the red of his beard. He had no thoughts of arousal, but this erotic intensity battered onto his skin like heat from a bonfire, and the source of that heat sat before him.

It seemed young, but Hagerd knew better. Skin so pale it was practically white, with slicked-back hair black as pitch. Its eyes glowed and shifted, almost like that of a snake's. It was slim, with its curvature in such a way that one could not tell if it was meant to be male or female. It wore a one-piece robe that seemed to change color in subtle ways for every movement of the eye. The barn - normally smelling of livestock - had a sweet, citrusy aroma from the being's presence.

Hagerd took a knee in reverence (his erection still present, not that the being seemed to mind).

"Your grace," said Hagerd. "You honor me with your presence. When the elders told me that it was you that has agreed to answer my prayers, I was unsure if I could believe it. You honor me."

It gave a nod.

"I have heard your plight," said the being, its voice as alien and unbelievable as its body. "I have the solution."

Hagerd's village received an ultimatum from a neighboring governance that their village were to be inspected and possibly pillaged as an "admittance tax as new members of the sovereignty." It was true that their village had mighty warriors to defend themselves, but they also had woman and children to think about and it was best that they would avoid war if they had to. He spoke with their highest of high holy-men and asked for a sign from the gods, asking the best course of action. It was a great surprise when the holy-men actually received an answer. With hemp and incense, one of their disciples channeled the voice of one such god and agreed to a boon, that they would meet face-to-face alone to discuss. It was even more of a surprise for the chief to have spoken to Desire itself.

Hoda was in-fact the Deity of Desire, of wants and the lengths people would go to have them. Hoda was neither male, nor female (for desire knows no gender). It was both sexless and hermaphroditic. No one knows of Hoda's origins, not even its fellow gods. Some believe that it was a carry-over from the Age of the Primordials - of gods at one with the young and uncertain universe - others believed it to be the child of gods who were disgraced and banished from the Realm of the Gods. To the mortals, Hoda's alignment and allegiance were as uncertain as one's memory. Some cultures believe desire to be a god aligned with gods of love, to others to gods of madness. All feel fear and respect when in its presence.

"I first require something from you."