God

**Gods** are a race of divine immortal beings with incredible power which they are often worshipped in exchange for protection, blessings, and miracles. Their numbers exist as personifications of concepts within their various pantheons which their specialized powers reflect it, although there exists some who do not belong to any specific group. As they are primordial forces of magic and nature, there are few other creatures who are generally capable of rivalling them, with the most obvious being dragons.

## Overview

The First Ones were the group of Primordial Gods who had originally been created by the titans during the Primordial Age, and it is from them that the later generations spawned from. Unfortunately, these progenitors were unable to reproduce like most other races. They founded Maethyn within the Valley of Idryn were they slowly built their civilization, defending it from the chaos of the world. However, they were betrayed by their own creators and set upon by their sibling-races. The gods, in an effort to survive, took upon themselves various conceptual mantles to empower themselves, along with building their own armies to challenge their enemies.

Although they were eventually victorious over the titans, the remainder of the world still stood in opposition to them and their order born from chaos. With their armies amassed and equipment forged, the gods marched upon the creatures of chaos and slowly conquered nearly all, with few either surviving their reckless attacks, or forging contracts with them. After many long years, the gods were victorious enough that allowed them to forge their grand creation: Erdyn.

### Splintering

Following Erdyn's foundations finally being put into place and the various events that had befallen the gods, they became divided into several factions. The most influential of the factions remained among their flock of humans and spread across Erdyn to built their new homes. The other faction left Erdyn to instead create their own realms from which to rule over, but which are significantly smaller than the mortal world. Those gods who remained on Erdyn had largely left to live within pocket dimensions by the end of the Primeval Age.

### Strongholds

Regardless of the superior power they hold over most of creation, the gods are not omniscience or omnipotent as they have limits. Many of the forces that conspired against them and their children used secrecy and corruption to overthrow their control. They installed failsafes on the mortal worlds that limited their own powers, and the powers of all who desired to visit Erdyn, forcing their enemies to play on an even playing field against both the gods and mortals, and lowering the chances of invasion. Many other pantheons began using similar seals on their own realms, but these were not as powerful.

## Characteristics

As they were forged from the mingled essence of nature and magic, gods have an innate connection with the universe, often being born with special powers that represent certain concepts (War, Love, Death) or they learn to develop them. Their being is made up of their immortal souls and that of their physical bodies which are made up of the elementals of Erdyn.

Although their appearance is similar to humans and they hold the ability to reproduce with many other races, demigods are nearly always the result of pregnancy between them. Because of their partial magical nature however, gods suffer from a significantly lower fertility rate than that of mortals without assistance. In times that it is necessary, gods can reincarnate mortals (demigods, heroes, etc) by mixing their souls with divine essence, effectively making them into new gods. Daimons, which are entities that serve gods, can be made into minor gods as well.

### Spheres

* **Chief God**: Kings of the Gods are those who act as the leaders of the divine pantheons and are typically the most powerful among them.
* **Sun God**: Gods of the Sun manage the properties of the sun and pass it along as they cross over into another god's jurisdiction
* **Time God**: Gods of Time watch over the flow of time itself and ensures all attempts to change history or move through it are stopped. They also undertake assignments that are vital for the continued safety of Erdyn and its residents.
* **War God**: Gods of War are those within a pantheon who oversee their pantheon's armies, and answer the prayers of their mortal followers. They often are the primarily deity for warriors, soldiers, and their families. Few times do they actually interfere in conflict.
* **Nature God**: Gods of Nature are charged with overseeing the various forces of nature that occur on a daily basis and have some control over them. Fire, Water, Air, Earth, etc. They also look over animals and the natural cycle of predation.
* **Death God**: Gods of Death act as the caretakers, custodians, wardens, and guides to the souls of the dead. Some religions have the dead spend eternity in the afterlife, while others have reincarnation. Gods of Death oversee the afterlife as a whole and whatever that entails.

### Appearance

The true form of a god appears similar to a mass of concentrated power in a coherent enough shape that can interact with the world. The majority of gods take on, or share a similar appearance as that of humans, with some having a more animistic appearance (bull head, monkey tail, lion body), while few simply have the bodies of a simple animal with a slightly altered appearance. The appearance of a gods typically depends on their worshippers to better establish and maintain a relationship with them. Although most prefer a look that gathers a certain following, there are those who simply do not care and have an appearance that better fits themselves, with some looking unnerving or monstrous to mortals.

## Powers & Abilities

Gods are one of the most powerful race of beings in existence, rivalled or surpassed by those few other primordials. Their powers often vary between individuals, largely regulated by the amount and potency of their innate divine aura, an energy that allows them to injure or kill powerful creatures and to protect themselves. The health of a god can be effected by certain circumstances, such as overusing one's powers leading to overexertion that can have permanent aftereffects, curses, or powerful magical illnesses.

* **Immortality**: Gods are innately immortal and are not subject to the effects of disease, illness, and do not age physically beyond their prime. They are unable to be killed through mortal means, only being injured or killed through powerful magic, such as that from other gods. As they were primarily non-corporeal spirits, a god's essence can survive their physical body god being destroyed and can be resurrected should their soul remain intact.

* **Magic**: Gods are capable of performing powerful magic that would seem impossible to other beings without group assistance. They have an innate understanding in how to manipulate the forces of magic, and are often associated with specific pantheon magic and their sphere of influence, but they can learn other types not affiliated with either. Their immense reserve of magic allows them to cast multiple powerful spells at once and keeping them active continuously, a feat no mortal spellcaster can hope to accomplish without serious drawbacks.

* **Teleportation**: Through some effort, gods are capable of teleporting from one location to another in nearly an instant. higher-level gods can travel between dimensions and realms, only being stopped through anti-teleportation barriers that had been set up by more powerful beings.

## Trivia

* Many cities have their own local gods that are associated with them, often having a name that is derivative of them. If they are not members of a particular pantheon, gods who are neighbouring each other often form their own pantheons.