Portfolios of the Gods

The concept of a deific portfolio is actually a simple one, but it eludes many mortals who have not studied in the concept. It begins with a simple association, as in "Vrovona is the God of the Sun," but in fact stretches even further than that. Since it can be difficult to understand just exactly what a portfolio is in this sense, and how it works, this page will attempt to explain that idea and how it shapes the world of A'therys.

## Concept

To truly understand the idea, we have to go back to the beginning, when the gods still held no physical form and A'therys did not yet exist. At that time, the gods existed as ideas only, as beings made purely of thought and intent. They existed because they had to; in the world of A'therys, there has to be an entity that represents an ideal, no matter how small. This generally means that more powerful gods are more nuanced, as they are responsible for more areas of thought, and each major theme is merely an umbrella for even more minor ones. In any case, when the space that was to become A'therys formed, and Yeor first descended, he took on a physical form to better interact with the plane. He began to create, because that was the main point of his portfolio: it is what he is, and so what he must do.

The thing to understand about portfolios is this: gods cannot comprehend something they do not have domain over. Vrovona, for example, understands better than any other god the concept of honor, and of war, but he does not understand mortal death. That falls to the House of the Dead, and specifically, Yolu. In this same way, gods cannot act against their portfolios; such an occurrence has never been known to happen in A'therys in mortal history, and there is some speculation among scholars that such an action would be entirely impossible. For example, while Astor excels at keeping secrets, Vrovona could never bear to hold anything in the dark; as the God of the Sun, he sheds light on everything, and he abhors anything or anyone that keeps any part of themselves out of the light he understands.

Perhaps the best example of this whole concept is Golgorai-Asthas, God of Rust. Golgorai held domain over the ideas of decay and cruelty, of abandonment and neglect, and so these were the realms he was able to comprehend. He did not understand mercy, he did not understand suffering, only cruel efficiency; he understood creation only so far as to have something to allow to decay. He was not evil, for indeed, most gods had no understanding of the mortal concept of good and evil, as they did not understand most human emotion (save perhaps Yolu). His portfolio, the same which Llyrrh had ordered each god to enforce and control at the First Calling, was destruction, and that is what he did. Humanity was a means to that end, as were his soul furnaces, and the thousand other horrific engines of decay he created and subsequently left to die. Golgorai saw no wrong in what he did, nor did any of the other gods; he was following his portfolio to the letter, and so were they. It is merely humans that attach emotions to such concepts, for it allows them to better understand such things.

*Originally written by OccidentalAnvil for the more official A'therys wiki*