Deities

**Deities** are a divine race of supernatural beings in the *Relic of Light* series, acting as both allies and enemies.

While there does not seem to be a clear hierarchy among the gods, there are notable differences in power and significance between them.

## Physical Appearance

Various gods resemble normal humans in their physical form, such as Amaterasu from Shinto or Isis from Egypt, while others only retain a humanoid appearance, such as Quetzalcoatl from the Aztec land. The only exception to this rule is the Chinese Pantheon, as they have the appearance of Dragons. However, even these forms are not their true looks, as deities can take on appearances that humans can comprehend.

## Abilities

They possess many supernatural powers far exceeding those of mortal beings, though there are exceptions. These include the ability to control the elements, immortality, telepathy, flight bestowal, teleportation, creature transformation, and image projection. Certain deities, much like Great Old Ones or Outer Gods, can take on a Giant Form too, the most prominent examples being a majority of the Aztec Pantheon.

## Role

The first gods emerged into existence only after the extinction of the dinosaurs 5000 years ago. After they arrived on Earth, they created humans, animals, plant life, and everything in between. They even gave some animals the ability to walk and talk like a human. After creating life, the deities populated the heavens with members of their own kind, and for millennia, the species flourished. Eventually, the gods went their separate ways, ruling new lands and creating various pantheons. When the first alien arrived on the planet, the deities did not view it as a threat at first, but when they discovered that said alien's power rivaled theirs, they sought to chase it out of the planet. Their attempt failed, and as more aliens entered Earth, the gods eventually developed a racial prejudice against them, making the weaker aliens hide in the shadows out of shame and killing the stronger ones for fear of being overthrown. In modern times, very few aliens now have the courage to come out of the shadows because of the gods' tyranny.

While many gods bear ill will towards mortal beings or disregard them altogether, some appear benevolent toward them and are willing to protect them in exchange for respect. All gods have a racial hatred toward aliens and will stop at nothing to destroy them. However, they also tend to go to war with each other as well, resulting in casualties to those caught in the crossfire.

## Notable Pantheons

* Aboriginal: Located in Australia. The Rainbow Serpent is the ruler.
* African: Located in Africa. Ngai is the ruler.
* Aztec: Located in the lower parts of North America, especially Mexico. The Four Tezcatlipocas rule each side of the land; Tezcatlipoca rules the North, Xipe Totec the East, Quetzalcoatl the West, and Huitzilopotchtli the South.
* Chinese: Located in China. The Jade Emperor is the ruler. Whether the Monkey King was a deity himself is unclear.
* Egyptian: Located in Egypt. Ra is the ruler.
* Greek: Located in Greece. It is unknown who rules this pantheon.
* Hindu: Located in India. Indra is the ruler. The deities of this pantheon are known as Devas.
* Mesopotamian: Located in Mesopotamia. All of them were slaughtered by Lightsen due to two of them harassing a group of female aliens.
* Native American: Located in the upper parts of North America. This pantheon is extinct.
* Norse: Located in Scandinavia. There are three groups: The Æsir, the Vanir, and the Jötunn. Odin is the ruler.
* Oceanian: Located in areas that are in or near Oceania, such as Polynesia, Hawaii, and the Māori regions. Pele is the ruler of the Hawaiian pantheon, Papa is the ruler of the Māori pantheon, and the Polynesian deities are extinct.
* Shinto: Located in Japan. Amaterasu is the ruler.

## Known Rivals

* **Arkeans-** The gods have developed a racial hatred for aliens, but they hated Arkeans more than any other species. Due to the latter going extinct, the gods felt more secure and developed a superiority complex as well.

## Trivia

* The Greek gods and the rest of the pantheons are considered to be cousins. If this is true, then the *Relic of Light* universe and the *Kid Icarus* universe could very well be one and the same universe.