The Enigma / Ernst the Undying

Overview

The Enigma, once known as Ernst, is a chaotic and unpredictable god who embodies randomness, disruption, and transformation.
He is widely worshipped in France and Bhulskitt, often by those who have given up on traditional order or seek to embrace the instability of the world.
His presence is both feared and revered—chaos incarnate that neither judges nor chooses, but acts upon whims that change the fates of kingdoms.

History

Ernst was once a red dragonborn born in a quiet Greek village in a world much like our own.
As a wild magic sorcerer, his power was unstable, his life marked by unpredictability.
He joined the city guard, then a mercenary band called the Schwarze Keiler under Aurelius Kupferbard and Deimos, alongside the infamous Schwarmarkt der Dunkle.
Throughout his life, Ernst died many times—killed in war, miscast magic, and divine interference—but each time he returned, sometimes by accident, sometimes through wild magic, and sometimes seemingly by fate.
At one point, he even walked out of Hell alongside his companions who had come searching for Hades.
His continued survival began forming a chaotic divine seed in the immaterial plane.
Over time, the countless ripples of his chaotic influence shaped a new universal law, granting him increasingly divine traits.
The seed grew strong enough that even his deaths across different worlds only made him stronger. His immortality solidified and transcended the planes—he had become a god.

Apperance

The Enigma appears as a chromatic dragonborn with scales that shimmer and shift between colors depending on the light, always tinged with a dark undertone.
He wears a flowing white robe reminiscent of a cleric’s garment, embroidered with golden symbols of no clear pattern or logic.
His weapons include a colossal axe and a chaos staff—a gnarled wooden shaft topped with a skull and decorated with finger bones.
His eyes radiate mischievous intelligence and ancient fatigue.
The world shifts subtly when he walks by, as though reality is uncertain of how to render him.

Domains & Powers

Chaos & Randomness

Wild Magic

Unpredictable Fate

Divine Reincarnation


He can alter probability, distort time locally, or grant miracles and disasters in equal measure.
His spells often invoke the wild magic table or generate outcomes that surprise even his own followers.

Immortality & Rebirth

The Enigma’s immortality began as a quirk of wild magic, but it evolved into a multiversal constant.
Each time he dies, his existence leaves a scar in reality that strengthens his divine essence.
Eventually, the cosmos accepted his presence as a fundamental force.
To permanently destroy him, one must undo all actions he has ever taken across all universes—an act so impossible that even gods tremble at the thought.

Followers & Cults

His cult is diverse.
In Bhulskitt, it resembles a stable society fueled by his blessings.
In France, it's a chaotic patchwork of independent groups offering aid amidst societal collapse.
Despite the madness, his followers view him as just.
He chooses no favorites, destroys without intent, and offers aid without price—except for the consequences, which are always unpredictable.
One of his most famous blessings was the universal comprehension of all spoken languages, which led to countless conflicts once people finally understood one another’s insults.

Relationship with Other Gods

Null (God of Order):
True opposite. Their philosophies are incompatible and they are in eternal tension.

Ouroboros Mechanicus (God of Technomagic):
Surprisingly aligned. They cooperate at times, sharing mutual curiosity for creation through disorder and precision.

Absentia (Goddess of Depression):
Neutral. While Absentia breeds stagnation, Enigma breeds motion. Their effects sometimes cross paths, but rarely directly oppose each other.

Queen Elizabeth the Eternal:
Hostile-neutral. They recognize each other's power, but their goals differ vastly.

The Moonman:
They have a chaotic relationship that alternates between alliance and conflict depending on which side of madness the Moonman sits.

Symbols & Iconography

A shifting eye.
A dice spinning mid-air.
A mirror that reflects something else entirely.

Cult Credo (Key Tenets)

Change is Life.
Those who stagnate are already dead.
No king, no peasant—only man and chance.
Do not fear chaos, for it does not fear you.

Throne Room & Realm

The Enigma rules from a bizarre, shifting labyrinth in a pocket plane of chaos.
His throne is made of random objects from all over the multiverse: gears, bones, paintings, glass, and glowing fruit.
The walls rearrange constantly, and the laws of physics are inconsistent.
Yet it is his domain—and somehow, it functions.

Known Great Spells & Effects

Enigma's Chaotic Deathray – A focused beam of energy that causes multiple random effects in addition to damage.

Eternal Chaos (9th level) – Forces all creatures in a wide radius to roll wild magic surges each round.

Mage Hands of Rebellion – Famous scene where he summoned 12 mage hands all flipping off a divine enemy.

Role in Shattered Europe

The Enigma is both a force of chaos and a symbol of survival through randomness.
His influence is strongest in Bhulskitt and France.
His presence can bring ruin—or salvation—without reason.
He is not evil, not good, just… Enigma.
He embodies the Age of Change like no other.