Divinity

> *"Death is the ugly fact that Nature has to hide, and she hides it well."* - Alexander Smith
>
>

To achieve divinity within Apros is the most sought after gift of all, having succeeded in being someone akin to the gods in your eternal life. A divine soul finds itself in constant rebirth, being repurposed into a new body upon loss of the one before. The new body is deemed a vessel, allowing a divine soul to continue onward after physical death. Currently, there are **twelve** divine souls in existence. Not all of them are tracked, but the ones who are typically reside permanently within *the Temple.* All divines, excluding Vox, Ain, and Catori are free to do as they please with their lives, though the Temple doors are always open for them.

With the exclusion of Brahmi, *the --* , all current divines have experienced rebirth, and reside in vessels. Due to this, not every divine is the same soul that they once were. There is a price to pay for everything, as all magic is chaotic, and truly powerful magic struggles to bend under one's control, especially the will of time, and death. Death is the one thing that is inevitable in Apros, having been dressed up with glory as it sends its more feeble-minded soldiers to their ends, expecting to come back with riches, as heroes, but for those who have time to ponder, and things to fear, death is the greatest of them all. Determination will win you grand prizes, though, as for the longest time, divinity was within reach for those determined enough to chase it. The most ambitious mages can find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, so to say when it comes to eternal life.

The trick to it all is that magic can, and will fail. There is always a risk of things backfiring in some form, and when it comes to divinity, the price that you pay for anything less than absolute success shows back up in the rebirth process. Random Event will roll a six-sided die for every attempt at the divinity spell. Depending on the die roll, a divine's soul will be reborn, but with some differences. Higher numbers *(4-6)* will be born closer to their true selves, while lower rolls *(1-3)* are susceptible to nurture, versus nature. They will have similarities to their original selves, and with Temple guidance to 'show them the way' can be close to who they once were, but can be vastly different between vessels.

## Achieving Divinity

Prior to *YR 1029, ERA 1,* divinity was available to those who held the capability to put the effort in, which automatically excludes all *magically inept* horses. Hopeful divines would have to reach an **expert level** in either *necromancy,* or *aether control,* and preferably an **adept level** in the other, though if you can find the right mage with knowledge of the correct ritual, divinity can be attempted for someone other than the caster. This route opens up availability for those with neither of those magical studies to gain divinity.

It is important to warn those who wish to achieve divinity that gaining immortality is a violent, and burdensome task to complete. The ticking clock of time tends to swallow most before grasping such power, and for those who stand at the gates of eternity to peer into their future, there will be a toll to pay before being granted access. During *YR 1029, ERA 1,* Ain, *the Ethereal,* outlawed unapproved divinity attempts, under the reasoning that divinity was sacred, and could only be given to those selected for it. This decision officially began the *second era,* separating the Aprosian eras by the availability of divinity.

## Divinity Rolls

The specifics of a divine soul's rebirth comes down to chance. Whenever a character attempts the spell for divinity, and succeeds in their efforts, Random Event will use a six-sided die to roll for their outcome.

### Die Roll 1

All rolls, except for a *DIE ROLL 1* will end in success, but rolling an one will result in failure. Those who roll an one will be allowed to try again in **three out of character months,** and be given a five-sided die on their second attempt, guaranteeing success. Random Event will provide a way to express your character's failure in an in-character form in their response.

Random Event refusals can result in, but are not limited to *magical maiming, passive magic, changes to magical abilities,* and/or *public random event occurrences.* Any alterations to characters, and their designs through god-modding will be done in accordance to an out of character agreement with the character's player beforehand.

### Die Roll 2

While having achieved divinity in every sense, a *DIE ROLL 2* typically results in rebirths that are only the basic ego of their soul, and fall prey to the environment that they're raised within. Memories of their past lives are fuzzy, and difficult to connect with. Magical abilities that were gained in previous vessels are unable to carry on through the rebirth process, so these divine souls are born almost barren at rebirth, with the exception of a personalized passive magic.

Time is cruel to those who fail. As mentioned before, magic doesn't appreciate bending to the will of a single soul in the extent that divinity requires. The hidden curse to your wish comes in the form of short lifespans, as most of these vessels barely live past the ages of **35 years,** if not earlier deaths.

*DIE ROLL 2 divine souls would be...*

* Vauphine
* Vox

### Die Roll 3

A nice placeholder goes here so that staff can come back in later, and fill this in with lore.

*DIE ROLL 3 divine souls would be...*

* Ain

### Die Roll 4

At last, coming back through the veil with some clarity, these souls mark the beginning of an easier place on the divinity spectrum, in regards to connecting with their true selves. Memories from previous vessels will grow fuzzier as the time between them expands, but those from one, or two vessels back can be partially recalled. Magical abilities have the possibility of carrying over to the next vessel, given that time was taken to hone their skills, or at minimum, polish them while in the previous vessel. The chance of magical abilities rolling over to the next vessel following exodus is decided by a 1-4 die roll, each number representing a 25% percent recovery. Therefore if a die roll 3 is rolled for magical abilities, the new vessel will retain 75% of the abilities. These abilities will return at the same rate that their memories do, beginning to return around **eight years old,** and completing close to **twenty-five years old.**

## Divinity FAQ

* **Is there any difference experienced in divinity due to the means of gaining it?** Yes. Mastering the necromancy field of study will cause different effects, than if the caster had mastered aether control. The same applies to those who have the divinity spell done for them, going by the caster's mastered field.
	+ **Necromancy mastery** results in the divine's physical aging to pause at their prime, holding them in eternal youth. Necromancy's notorious downside remains though, causing shortened vessel lifespans due to the constant demand. These divines typically switch vessels every **30-45 years.**
	+ Mastery in **Aether Control** brings the gift of extended lifespans, though it doesn't spare them from the passing of time. Physical age shows up until halting at **50-60 years,** while lifespans average **90-135 years.**