Divine Law

The Divine Laws are a set of laws agreed upon by the Angelic Legions of the Ascendant Ynochim and the godly pantheons, in return for freeing the latter from their imprisonment and aiding the former in their war against the Fallen Legions. The Divine Law served to both curb the abuse of the mortals by the gods, reduce interpantheon conflict within the new order of the angels during the Iron Age, and to place limits upon the intervention of the Ynochim in the affairs of the gods. The most important figure in the development of the Divine Laws was the Seraph Metatron, who penned and worded them.

## The Laws

### First Law

***"No god of the realms shall seek out the worship of mortals."***

The First Divine Law forbids gods from deliberately seeking out mortal followers to venerate them. Notably, it forbids the gods specifically from cultivating mortal followers, and places no ban on others seeking worshippers for that god. This typically allows some leeway, with many gods being permitted to have small cults dedicated to them, while humanity remains largely ignorant of their existence. However, any cult that grows too noticeable will usually be broken apart by the watchful Ynochim.

### Second Law

***"No god of the realms shall strike at a mortal without first receiving and accepting a challenge, or themselves being first struck."***

A law designed for the protection of mortals from capricious deities, the Second Law forbids any god from harming mortals in any way, unless a mortal directly challenges them to combat, which the god may accept or refuse, or the mortal attacks them directly, in which case the god is free to retaliate. This rule applies both to full blooded mortals, and to halfborn. Many gods attempt to circumvent it by goading and tricking halfborn enemies of theirs into attacking them.

### Third Law

***"No god of the realms shall involve themselves in the battles of their halfborn get."***

Given the frequency with which gods previously involved themselves in the affairs of their halfborn offspring, the Third Law was developed to prevent gods from striking down each other's children in the defense of their own offspring, adding a second layer of protection to the Second Law. The Third forbids any god from intervening directly to aid their children in any conflict they become involved in, be it against a fellow halfborn, a monster, or a god. Obviously, the Third Law explicitly forbids a god from directly jumping in to battle alongside their child, but it also prevents them from openly giving other forms of magical aid. As such, gods prone to intervention typically only do so when they are confidant neither they nor their child is being watched, or instead of personally helping, will send minions to assist in their stead, which is generally tolerated by Ynochim overseers.

### Fourth Law

**"No god of the realms shall enter the domain of another uninvited, unless they be a bearer of the word."**

The Fourth Law is meant to prevent gods from assaulting one another's domains, and to prevent them from fighting amongst one another over petty slights based around intrusion. Under this law, a god cannot enter the recognized domain of a fellow deity without first being invited there by its owner. For instance, Athena would not be permitted to enter Asgard without permission. However, an exception exists for gods who carry the status of messenger, who are able to enter another god's domain for the purpose of conveying messages. In the previous example, Hermes would be permitted to visit Asgard for the purpose of delivering a message from Apollo to Thor, for instance. To circumvent this rule, gods often employ their halfborn offspring or other servants.

### Fifth Law

**"No god of the realms may unlawfully seize the intimate property of another."**

The Fifth Law prevents gods from stealing the close personal artifacts of another deity. Generally, the law focuses on artifacts of power that the deity holds dear, such as Odin's Gungnir or Hades's Helm of Darkness. Mundane items that are simply owned, such as a common wineglass or rug in their possession, are not protected by this law. Would be thieves must employ other servants to steal from their fellow gods. If another thief removes the item, however, a god is free to take it without repercussions, except for those as might be brought down by the god whose property was taken.

### Sixth Law

**"No god of the realms may bring the full weight of their power unto the realm of mortals."**

The Sixth Law is relatively simple. For the purpose of preventing widespread destruction and abuses of power, the gods are banned from manifesting a fully powered Supernal Avatar on Earth. There is no true way of circumventing this particular rule, and gods are simply restricted to using weaker Avatars on Earth.

### Seventh Law

**"The angels of Eden shall not intervene in the affairs of the gods, but for the enforcement of Divine Law."**

The first concession demanded by the gods for all the restrictions placed upon them was that, but for the purposes of ensuring those restrictions were enforced, the Ynochim would not intervene in the gods' affairs. This entailed leaving the governance of the realms that remained under their control to the gods, withdrawing all remnants of previous Ynochim governance. The gods would be allowed to continue to spawn halfborn children, war and scheme amongst themselves bereft of Ynochim involvement, save for the occasional intervention to ensure that Divine Law was followed.

### Eighth Law

**"No god of the realms may engage another god in battle, unless it be in sanctioned duel."**

The Eighth Law exists for the purposes of stopping gods from engaging with frivolous battles between one another, especially on Earth, so as to prevent the inevitable collateral damage that would occur in such a battle. Instead, gods with such disputes as require violence to settle must duel in a chosen location.

It is because of the Eighth Law that the Koldaean Games were devised, to allow for a healthy method of allowing gods from different pantheon blow off steam and compete against one another.

### Ninth Law

**"No god of the realms may compel the servitude of any mortal, unless they be willfully bound in a compact of service."**

In ancient days, mortals bowed to the will of gods, fearful of their wrath and eager for their favor. Any command a god issued unto a mortal was almost certain to be obeyed, and if the god demanded lifelong service from them, it was given without hesitation. The Ninth Divine Law prohibits such abuses, but instead, draws upon ancient customs which date to before the Angelic Conquest, when gods would choose personal champions to elevate above other mortals and enact their will.

According to the Ninth Law, gods are not allowed to force mortals into serving them. However, they are able to forge what is known as a compact with willing and informed mortals, who dedicate themselves to the service of a god. Such individuals may be commanded by the god to perform whatever tasks they require, until such time as they are released from their vows of service.