Deity

### Other Names

Theoi, Dei, Deitas, Divinitas, Devas, Ése, Kami, Shen, Zemis... (Cultural Names)Divinities, Lesser Gods, Pagan Gods, Heathen Gods, Devourers of Faith, Immortals, Eternals... (Alternative Names)

## Biological Information

### Subspecies

**Half-Gods**: Demigods, Jötnar, Asuras, Reapers, Divine Spirits...

## Physiological Information

### Mortality

**Immortality** (Reliant Immortality)* Memory-Based Immortality
* Concept-Dependent Immortality

### Condition

**Supernatural Condition*** Supernatural Intelligence
* Supernatural Senses
* Supernatural Regeneration
* Supernatural Life-Force
* Multiple Souls

### Abilities

**Various, Depending on Level of Divinity*** Lesser Divinity
* Greater Divinity
* Supreme Divinity

## Sociocultural Information

### Ancestor(s)

Progenitor Deities (Progenitors)
Primordial Deities (Ancestors)

### Affiliations

Ancient Laws
Council of Godheads
Concordat of the Calvary
Respective Pantheons
Western Civilization / Eastern Civilization

### Status

**Identity**: Secret (Formerly) / Public
**Status**: Extant
**Population**: 10 Millions (Estimated)

## Origins

### Summary

Immortal beings who represent aspects of civilization, nature, and the cosmos. They are the principles of worship in many religions and derive many of their powers from their followers' belief in them.

### Famous Members

Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Lugh, Dagda, Horus, Set, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Indra, Varuna, Jade Emperor, Sun Wukong, Odin, Thor...

**Deities** (神), also called the **Pagan Gods**, are immortal beings who represent the many forces of civilization, of nature, of the universe, and of metaphysical forces. They are the figures of worship in many religions and can empower themselves with their followers' faith, though they are also influenced by humans' belief in return.

In ancient times, many deities grouped together in Pantheons and took on new identities as their sphere of influence grew. However, as modern humans started to branch away from the supernatural in favor of science and logic, most deities have chosen to return to the Divine World and not, directly, interfere in human affairs.

As Wicca and Modern Paganism began to gain a following in the early 1970s, more and more gods have decided to return to Earth, hoping for a new future for their religion. Many of them, as shown with Thor and Heracles, also gain an increase in popularity due to their works as superheroes.

## Overview: **Deities**

**God** and **Goddess** are generic terms for the many deities of ancient and modern polytheistic religions. Such deities may correspond to earthly and celestial phenomena or to human values, pastimes, and institutions, including love, marriage, hunting, war, and the arts.

While some are capable of being killed, many are immortal. Although they are always more powerful than humans, they are often described in human terms, with all the flaws, thoughts, and emotions of human beings.

## Appearance

In many religions, deities are depicted in a variety of forms, though most are frequently expressed as having a humanoid form. However, in some faiths and traditions, the deities are believed to be intangible and indescribable beings, and it is considered blasphemous to imagine or depict them as having any concrete form.

In this modern world, many deities masquerade as humans. Even in ancient times, many pantheons preferred to have humanoid forms so as not to be seen as monsters or otherworldly creatures to their worshippers. Some deities do appear with animalistic features tied to their legends, though it's implied that this is more-or-less due to these deities' personal preference than something forced upon them.

## Characteristics

Most deities of antiquity are gods of heavenly bodies, of natural phenomena, and of beliefs such as the "power of the planet that stabilizes the surface of the Earth". In short, they can be described as personifications of concepts who possess intentions and personality. They rule as the laws of the world, controlling mortal devotees through magical feats that earned them both fear and reverence. Because of this, almost all named deities are extremely arrogant and see humans as nothing but a power source for them to cultivate. As such, many deities are seen as threats that need extermination to allow the survival of humanity.

Not all deities are like that, however, as there is another category of deities who were reborn into their godhood. They are close to humans originally, but deviated from humanity through various factors to become objects of worship. They came to the forefront after their passing, their heroic deeds garnered them centuries-worth of reverence and granted them divinity through the Collective Consciousness. Figures such as heroes and messiahs are "systems necessary to thrive" fall under this category.

Deities are often sectarian and hold different stances on certain events depending on their respective pantheon's philosophy and ideology, and may be against others' beliefs. By nature, most deities don't hold much loyalty to each other, perhaps save for deities from their own religion, and seem to have hostility toward foreign divinities as they perceive them as potential dangers toward their influence. Despite this, a deity's main interest is to look after themselves and some have been known to betray other deities and even their religion if a better option is available - This is especially true with Tricksters and Evil Gods.

While deities are multifaceted beings, natural deities do not have the same level of complexity as humans. They are often honest beings when it comes to their personality, desires, intentions, and on whether they can be considered a Benevolent God or an Evil God. Erica described them to be "fictional characters come to life" in the sense that while they do possess human-like emotions, mentality, personality, and characteristics, they are still ultimately inferior when compared to actual human beings.

Despite their authority, for some parts, deities are also molded based on the beliefs and ideas of the followers. They possess human-like traits and flaws not because it's in their nature to have them, but because ancient humans believed them to be reflections of what was right and planted such human-like qualities into them. Their human form is - while tailored based on their own preference - born of humans' belief of what they *should* look like and not how they really look. In the rise of Christianity, many deities were turned into monsters and faeries as opposed to the "True God". There are also cases of deities becoming infamous as icons of terror, distorting their appearance and nature through human thoughts and ideals that are born around their myths.

Deities can grow stronger the more followers they have, the more sacrifices and offerings they received, and how strong is the belief of humans toward them, yet all of that can be lost if their followers' faith in them is wavering. During the Age of Gods, when the Earth was young, the importance of a deity's purview determined a deity's place in their pantheon's hierarchy, as the more important they were in ancient society's eyes, the higher their rankings will become. Nowadays, when most deities lived through their influence over culture, traditions, and civilization, the position they gained in ancient times is permanently set and cannot be changed, though their authority among other deities is somewhat flexible.

In modern times, when faith in the old deities has faded away, stray deities who don't affiliate themselves with a certain group or surviving deities of a faded pantheon have to turn to... alternative methods in order to sustain themselves. Many of them resort to blood sacrifices or blood offerings as a means to sustain themselves. In ancient times, this was a means for a young deity to rapidly grow in power, but in this modern world, the number of blood sacrifices needed to catapult a deity to power would likely attract the attention of mankind's proclaimed protectors, so the deities who use blood sacrifices tend to only engage in the ritual periodically as a desperate means to nourish them for a long period of time before resorting to it again.

Oddly enough, not all deities are pagans or even followers of the religion they originated from, with many ending up converting to another religion that resonates better to their own personal beliefs. Despite their own belief in religious freedom - at least, religious freedom for other deities - almost all deities have little love for Christianity as many see it as the reason behind their religion's own downfall. However, due to Heaven's authority and the Three Factions' influence over the world, none dare to publicly oppose them.

## Abilities

* **Transcendent Physiology**: All deities possess the traits, attributes and common abilities of a Transcendent Being.
	+ **Supernatural Condition**: All deities possess capabilities, attributes, and aspects drastically beyond what is naturally possible. At their base form, they are physically superior to the majority of supernatural species, only beneath celestial entities like Angels and Fallen Angels, allowing them to claim high positions upon the supernatural hierarchy. Deities with purviews associated with war, strength, and bravery often possess physical capabilities greater than the average deities.
		- **Supernatural Intelligence**: Many, though not all deities, possess intelligence drastically beyond what is naturally possible. Deities with purviews associated with knowledge, wisdom, trickery, and craftsmanship often possess intellects greater than the average deities.
			* **Omnilingualism**: All gods possess the intuitive power to speak, understand, and communicate in any mortal languages, though this power doesn't extend to reading and writing in them. Languages of magical and/or supernatural origins are immune to their power.
		- **Supernatural Senses**: Almost all deities possess senses drastically beyond what is naturally possible. Depending on their purviews, a deity's senses can be greatly enhanced than their fellow deities, though like mortal beings, a deity can also train to increase their natural senses.
		- **Supernatural Life-Force**: All deities possess massive reserves of life-force, which also act as a reliable power source that aids in preserving their immortality, power, stamina, vitality, and healing capabilities, allowing them to withstand and survive even the most strenuous and life-threatening circumstances.
	+ **Multiple Souls**: All deities possess multiple souls within their body, with the number of souls depending on their power and their divinity. A typical deity often possesses from 3-7 souls, while a Primordial God often possesses 10-12 souls. They can also absorb the souls of others, especially other deities to gain their purviews
		- **Incarnation**: Powerful deities can imbue their soul into the body of a human to create an Incarnation. Once the Incarnation dies, the divine soul would absorb the human soul and return to the original deity.
	+ **Transcendent Form**: Immensely powerful deities can channel their own divinity through their body and souls to gain their true inner form empowered by their own divine powers. The sheer amount of energy generated by them in their Transcendent Form is extremely dangerous, akin to that of a nuclear bomb, that only those with suffient amount of divinity in them can survive being in close quarter with a deity in Transcendent Form, and even then, they cannot directly look at the deity in question least they want their mind to be destroyed.
* **Esoteric Energy Manipulation**: As entities born of magic and energy, deities have a natural affinity toward manipulating the mystical forces that aren't celestial or infernal in nature. With these different types of supernatural energy, pagan gods can perform various paranormal feats of power that gain them the fear, respect, and reverence of ancient humans.
	+ **Divine Energy Manipulation**: Deities can naturally create, shape, and manipulate Divine Energy - The primary energy source of the deities.
		- **Divine Psionics**: Most, if not all, deities possess immense amounts of psychic power due to their divinity. This allows them to tap into divine psionic might, achieving power, capabilities, and precision beyond regular psychics by an outstanding margin.
		- **Domain Warping**: As entities born from belief, deities have command over certain purviews, a sphere of influence, meaning they are able to command certain concepts that range from elements, energies, universal forces, or aspects of sentient life. This power is the reason why mortals feared and worshiped deities, as they believed deities maintain worldly balance and ensure the safety, prosperity and development of whatever civilization worshiped them.
		- **Shapeshifting**: Deities are natural shapeshifters, capable of changing from one form to another effortlessly, transforming into different animals, plants, people, and even other deities. However, as beings born of belief, their appearance is greatly influenced by the Collective Consciousness based on humans' perception of them.
	+ **Multipresence**: Deities can divide their essence and consciousness into multiple bodies, allowing them to be in multiple locations at once.
* **Belief Dependent Capability**: The supernatural powers of deities are dependent upon the belief of their human followers directed toward them. Because of this, many deities can gain new powers different from their purviews, though they can also disappear if the belief in them disappears.
	+ **Belief Empowerment**: Deities can become more powerful by the beliefs of their followers directed toward them.
	+ **Worship Empowerment**: Deities can become more powerful by the worship of other beings, be it prayers, rituals, or other actions.
* **Immortality**: All deities are True Immortals, meaning they can live indefinitely unless they are killed. However, much of their immortality is dependent on the faith and belief directed toward them by human followers, with many deities even losing their eternal youth after their religion died down because of the Abrahamic religions.
	+ **Invulnerability**: Deities are normally unharmed by conventional weaponry, and are immune to pain, common physical ailments, and diseases. They can, however, be harmed and killed by other supernatural beings, magic, and enchanted weapons.
	+ **Supernatural Regeneration**: Because of their immortality, as long as they are not killed in certain ways, by certain weapons and certain types of attack, a god can regenerate themselves back to full health after a certain amount of time. How long it takes a deity to regenerate themselves from the edge of death is dependent on how well-known they are among human culture.

## Weaknesses

* **Ancient Laws**: All gods, regardless of their divinity and ranking, are subject to the Ancient Laws and many also have intrinsic compulsions to abide by other rules. The only exception to this weakness are Tricksters, though their freedom is still limited and there are certain rules not even them can go against.
* **Supernatural**: Extremely powerful supernatural beings can harm deities.
* **Magic**: Like all things, deities are subject to magic and similar mystical forces.
	+ **Wooden Stakes**: Many deities are vulnerable to certain types of wooden stakes, which must usually be dipped in certain kinds of blood (virgin blood, lamb's blood, fresh blood, dead man's blood, etc.). The stakes usually work best if made from the wood of trees that are common to a deity's homeland or are somehow tied to their legends, often an associated symbol.
* **Enchanted Metals**: Like all supernatural beings, deities are vulnerable against enchanted metals. Many can use weapons made from enchanted metals themselves while others find the mere touch of the metals to be uncomfortable or downright painful.
* **Lack of Tributes**: While naturally powerful, most deities derive their power from tributes and sacrifices, so a lack of it can reduce the deities' overall power. However, the weakening process is different for all deities and can be dependent on many factors, such as the strength of their religion and the deity's own will.
	+ **Forgotten**: Deities who aren't remembered by humans or are recorded in mythology are significantly weaker than those who are. If a god is truly forgotten by humanity, they are severely weakened and become semi-immortal, losing most if not all of their powers, and will only survive by their own personal will to live.
	+ **Destruction of Domains**: Deities with their domains destroyed or have Mystery stripped from their domains will rapidly weaken and fall into a severe depressive, if not suicidal, state.

## Death

While they are known as immortal beings, pagan deities can still be killed in many ways, as shown above. However, depending on the strength of their religion, they can still be resurrected. A deity can only truly die when they are forgotten. As such, as long as the deity is remembered, even only by a single person, mortal or otherwise, they will not truly die.

When a deity truly dies, they will fade away into what they have been born from, returning to their primal origins as what they represent, such as the Sun, the womb, the rain, or the stars. In a way, a deity is deathless as they don't die, merely becoming "unalive". According to Chiron, it is impossible to resurrect, summon forth, or communicate with a deity who is truly dead, as their essence had been so spread out, it had become one with the world once more like how they once were before humans were created.

## Types of Deity

* **Primordial Gods** (始祖神): The most ancient deities who have existed since the beginning of the universe. They are Supreme Divinities and the ancestors of the deities within their respective pantheon. As many of them were born long before the birth of mankind, they don't have to rely on humans' worship for power, but are still susceptible to influence by the Collective Consciousness. They are considered some of the most powerful divinities, possessing multiversal-level of divine powers.
	+ **Progenitor Gods** (地球創造神): The first Primordials, created by the Celestial Prince Gabriel herself. They are the pinnacles of divine authority within their respective pantheon. They are considered to be "systems that regulate the principle upon which their respective religion was built". Some examples of Progenitor Gods are the Trimurti - Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva - from Hindu mythology, and Khaos from Classical mythology.
* **Chieftain Gods** (主神): The Supreme Divinities who hold the highest-rank within their respective religion's hierarchy, being the leaders and rulers of their pantheon. They often possess rare and incredible powers that grant them the title of [Demiurgos]. Some examples of Chieftain Gods are Zeus from Classical mythology, Odin from Norse mythology, and Amaterasu from Japanese mythology.
* **Mother Earth Goddesses** (大地母神): A type of female deities who possess a strong affiliation toward nature. In the purest sense, they are personifications of the planet and of the cycle of life and death. Their male and heavenly counterparts are the **Sky Fathers** (天空神). An example of a Mother Earth Goddess and Sky Father are Gaia and Ouranos from Classical mythology.
* **Tricksters** (道化師神): A special type of deities known for their powerful reality-warping abilities. These beings are common in many cultures and mythologies, and are famous for generating chaos, mischief, and mayhem. Some examples of Tricksters include Anansi from West African mythology and Hermes from Classical mythology.
* **Psychopomps** (死神): A type of deities tasked with heralding shades of the dead into their respective religion's afterlife. Like all deities, they are humanoid beings, but while on duties, they automatically take on the form of animals associated with the Underworld (black dogs, snakes, screech owls, etc.). Some examples of Psychopomps include Thanatos from Classical mythology and Anubis from Egyptian mythology.
* **Apotheosized Gods** (英霊): Humans who achieved their godhood through their own efforts, usually as the reward for performing heroic feats of divine/cosmic importance. Alternatively, those within this type were reborn as deities from the collective reverence they received from the cults built around them. Some examples of Apotheosized Gods are Guan Yu, Imhotep, or Alexander the Great.
	+ **Buddhas** (仏): Buddhist divinities. They were enlightened humans who gained *apotheosis* upon attaining *nirvana* and Buddhahood through their own efforts and insight, without a teacher to point out the *dharma*. They are among the most powerful gods, having galactic powers instead of being confined within certain planetary systems. Those who generated *bodhicitta* are known as **Bodhisattvas** (菩薩), while those who are on the path of Buddhahood are known as **Arhats** (羅漢).
	+ **Magic Gods** (魔神): Magicians who achieved godhood through their mastery of the arcane arts. In order to attain *apotheosis*, the magician must master all potential schools of magic and then more, reaching the end of their chosen path of magic and surpassing it, as well as having a body that can allow them to understand the will of the heavens. Some examples of True Magicians are Agamotto, Taliesin, and Nostradamus.
* **Unnamed Gods** (劣等神): Deities whose name was never recorded by humans and didn't feature in their religion's mythology. They are the lowest of the minor gods, the majority of them being immortal demigods or half-gods with no actual purviews or even titles within their pantheon's hierarchy. They are more-or-less the workers/commoners within their respective pantheon.

## Population

According to the Grigori's official records, there are a total of roughly 10-millions deities in existence in 2020, though only 15% of them are named and recorded in mythologies while the remaining 85% are Unnamed Gods born throughout the millennia. Their number was once said to be much larger, counting in the billions, though due to the multiple minor conflicts between pantheons and the Third and Fourth Holy War, their number was dropped to 12 millions.

Another thing to consider when it comes to the population of gods is syncretism, as sometimes when multiple cults merged or assimilated their traditions - especially in terms of theology, mythology, and religion - and thus resulted into two or more deities being combined into one singular entity, who often be the most powerful among the originals, as the result. The most notable examples are that of the Roman gods, who originated as Greek gods before being adopted by the ancient Romans and merged with the local deities, thus forming the Greco-Roman Pantheon.

According to Thor, most deities are "semi-sterile", as in they could not reproduce with other deities to populate their number yet still normally - and even potently - sire new demigods or half-gods with their non-deity partners. The "godly DNA" - even though they don't actually have one - is said to be quite strained at this point, being the result of constant incest and inbreeding between them for millennia. As such, within about 5-6 generations from the primordial gods, the divine blood would become thinner and thinner until it ultimately dies out.

## Major Factions

* **Western Civilization** (西洋文明): The pantheons whose divinity is tied to the spirit of the western civilization, whose culture is most influenced by Hellenistic and Judeo-Christian cultures. Because of this, the Western Gods can be empowered by what is associated and symbolized by their divine purviews, or associated with them or the myths surrounding them. Due to the increasing popularity of Wicca, Modern Paganism, and many reconstructed religions in modern culture, many Western Gods begin to regain their lost power, day by day.
	+ **The Western Triumvirate** (西部三頭政治)
		- Greco-Roman Pantheon
		- Egyptian Pantheon
		- Norse Pantheon
* **Eastern Civilization** (東部文明): The pantheons who don't follow the western civilization, but instead chose to remain in the Old World at their roots. Unlike the Western Gods, most Eastern Gods' religions are still going strong with thousands to millions of active followers, continuing to imbue them with more belief-based power day by day.
	+ **The Eastern Triumvirate** (東部三頭政治)
		- Dharmic Pantheon
		- Japanese Pantheon
		- Celestial Bureaucracy

## Trivia

* Most deities have names that are indirect references to their purviews, with few exceptions (mostly Apotheosized Gods).
* Deities are said to be prone to easily getting jealous and tend to harbor grudges for eternity. Those who hold contempt against a mortal are said to chase after them in the afterlife and even after they are reincarnated just to satisfy their need for "revenge".
	+ The Olympian Gods from Classical mythology are known to be notably fickle, lively, and irrational even among other deities.
* According to Apollo, to understand the gods based on myths alone is as hard as to write an accurate biography based on nothing but outdated gossip, false rumors, and bits of information gained through a centuries-long game of telephone. As such, not even the most devoted of followers can even come close to understand what the gods are like.
* While it's stated that deities are shaped and influenced by humans' thoughts, faith, and beliefs, the full extent of said influence is never clearly explained, though according to Apollo, the power of the Collective Consciousness is great enough to transform an entire pantheon overnight.
* Half-Gods such as Jötnar and Asuras are considered "wild/old gods" in some religions.
* Despite being known as the Monotheistic God, the Divine Presence isn't considered a god in the same way as other pagan deities.

### Notes

* **List of Deities**
	+ **List of Deities based on Their Birth**
		- List of Born Deities
		- List of Fission Deities
		- List of Created Deities
		- List of Apotheosized Deities
	+ **List of Deities based on Divinity Levels**
		- List of Lesser Divinities
		- List of Greater Divinities
		- List of Supreme Divinities
	+ **List of Deities based on Purviews**