Divine Beings

Divine Beings commonly refereed as **"Gods"** and **"Goddesses"** are immortal beings of incredible power to that of an actual deity in the real world however unlike Gods in the real world, Divine Beings are just as vulnerable as mortals. They may be immortal where a Divine Being will never die from age, lack of sleep or starvation however a Divine Being can still be killed by the hands of magic or by a sword and they still experience human emotions such as fear, pain, wraith, hatred, jealousy, lust etc, which like mortals can drive their actions. Despite the universal belief that Divine Beings have always existed since the beginning as beings of great power, that couldn't be further from the truth. While most Divine Beings are capable of producing and having Children that inherit their parent's god like abilities, the majority of Divine Beings were originally mortals whom managed to ascend to divinity through some action, usually through their actions or being granted divinity by other Divine Being. However being mortal once with the majority of the Divine Being's still have mortals emotions as well as staying close to their belief and morale's, it is common for Divine Being's to take an active interest in the world of Athrunial. Most Divine Beings often watch over those whom they admire, envy, hate, respect, maybe they remind them of their selves at one point, perhaps they simply entertain them, no matter the reason, these Divine Beings can simply watch from afar to getting involved indirectly to making events much more worse. Those whom impress a Divine Being or has simply attracted enough of their attention through some means may be selected as one of their **"Chosen"** or If they have done much, could even become one of their **"Champions"**, A being whom has been chosen to represent them and their ideals and due to being one of their Chosen, these mortals are often blessed with great gifts depending on their mark of power granted to them. At the end of the day however, these are beings of great power and with the result of many of them taking an active interest in the people of Athrunial, no matter whether good or i'll, these beings of such power are venerated and worship and rightly so. You may never know If a Divine Being is watching you from afar, or next to you, disguised as a normal, ordinary mortal, trying to experience how it feels to mortal once more or perhaps they have more mischievous goals in mind?

## **Faith and** **Marks of Power**

Within the realm of Athrunial and Aelthuan lies vast pantheons of Divine Being of diverse personalities and temperaments whom have established themselves throughout the lands, acting as harbingers of change and influence within mortal societies. These Divine Beings being once mortal are driven by their emotions and passions and much like mortals, wish to control their sphere of influence to further their own agenda. As a result, these Divine often have established churches, cults and even societies built around their very existence and to serve them.

Though the Divine Beings are incredibly powerful beings, capable of doing nearly anything with their divinity, it is common knowledge these Divine Beings gain an unknown amount of power through worship and belief. The more a Divine Being is worshiped by mortals, the stronger they will become over time, so much so it is common for a Pseudo Divine Being to ascend to true Divinity through sheer belief alone. In the world of Athrunial, faith matters considerably to those whom are Divine and for those whom are supported are will always make a significant difference.

For those whom had strong faith, undying loyalty and devotion, such followers can be greatly rewarded and for those whom prove themselves generally are. Those whom prove themselves will receive a mark of power, a elaborate tattoo infused with divine tier magic that is deeply etched or engraved into the follower's skin and cannot be removed by any means, even Dark Lords cannot remove the mark under normal circumstances. This mark of power is a conduit that is used by the Divine Being to channel a portion of their divinity directly into the bearer of the mark, thus granting the person sudden surge of power or powers depending on the mark of power. This can vary greatly between Divine Beings as some may grant pure power to make one stronger where as If another Divine Being may grant their follower an ability such as water walking or incredible speed, no matter what is chosen, the Divine Being will ALWAYS take into account who is marked and why they were chosen to be marked. Marks of Power from a Divine Being are often rewards for impressing or pleasing them but at times, they can given as punishments no matter what the bearer does, the Divine can always see and track the bear with their Mark of Power.

A Divine Being can grant up to for Marks of Power per person no matter whether beatifical or as punishment and as long as they live whether alive or as undead, they will have their Marks of Power engraved into their body until it is removed by their Divine Being. These four marks of power represent how much a Divine Being has taken interest in a person and with every mark, this chosen person will receive more power or abilities.

* **First Mark -** A Divine Being has for whatever reason, taken some small interest in a person either through some feat or action or may find them simply entertaining. Those whom are blessed with their first mark can be blessed with a minuscule amount of power from their Divine Being, given an ability or perhaps an enchanted or unique item for their work.
* **Second Mark -** At this level, A Divine Being has taken true interest in a person, this can be a good or bad thing depending greatly on the situation. By this point however, those whom can earn a second mark of power are usually in some form, a follower of the Divine Being and due to this, they can now be trusted with performing small, important tasks or perhaps be used as dedicated entertainment It's not unheard of for a Divine Being to begin developing a friendship between those whom have similar interests, morales and respect for each other. The Second Mark of Power will often grant a small amount of power or ability
* **Third Mark -** At this mark, this represents the end of no return for the person as once they finally receive a Third Mark Power, this marks them as a sign of great importance to their Divine Being as they have become one of the **"Chosen",** a individual whom proved themselves time after time to their Divine Being and has became true, dedicated follower of their Divine Being, as a result, they can no longer serve another Divine Being. As one of the few, trusted Servants of a Divine being, they will be tasked with important tasks only those whom can be trusted can perform. At this point, a friendship between a Divine Being and one of the Chosen may become much more deep as the Chosen may spend significant more time with the Divine Being, developing a close blond of friendship.Those whom receive a third mark are often allowed to ask what they would like to receive although a moderate amount of power gifted to them is the most common
* **Fourth Mark -** Receiving a Fourth Mark of Power is considered the highest possibly honor a mortal can attain from a Divine Being. At this point, they have became one, if not the most trusted mortal servant of their Divine Being's and are usually one, if not one of their mortal Champions. A Fourth Mark of Power is not something to ever take lightly as this individual has taken an Oath to their Divine Being to serve and protect them for all entirety in all forms. At this point, the friendship of a Chosen and Divine Being couldn't be tighter as the Divine Being could consider them as a best friend, a son or daughter or perhaps rarely as a lover. Those amongst the Champions of the Gods whom had truly proven themselves beyond all odds to the point their feats could have saved Athrunial, may be granted Immortality or possible even Divinity. Those of the Fourth Mark of Power are granted a significant amount of power from their Divine Being as well as the possibility of a vast amount of abilities, which in return could make them Pseudo Divine Beings or demi-gods.

A person whom has been chosen can for all intentional purposes, can have unlimited first and second marks of power from multiple Divine Beings however a person can have only one third and and fourth marks of power from a single Divine Being since in all due technicality, the person becomes effectively owned by that Divine Being unless released of their marks by their Divine Being. Of course this limit does not contribute to marks of power whom are used as punishments and curses. In that case, a person could have multiple marks of power that curses them through some means or outright punishes them, even third of fourth marks of power while their body is engraved by another third or fourth mark of power that grants beneficial abilities or powers. It is possible for a person to receive four marks of power from multiple Divine Beings however this is extremely rare to the point, only one being, **"The Hero of time"** has ever received four marks of power from multiple Divine Beings. This is because of Divine Beings often consider their Champions as a piece of their property, they view other Divine Beings with suspicion or it related to politics of the Gods. The politics between such beings cannot usually be comprehended by mortals however it is common knowledge Divine Beings still have mortal personalities and emotions as well as morals they cling to so it's common place for Divine Beings to cling tightly to their most precious pieces in their game of politics. In their game, mortals are constantly used by the Divine Beings as pawns in their political game for struggle between the Divine Beings for power. It's common for Divine Beings to create artificial circumstances that benefit them in the long run as well as gain new pawns and perhaps even a few chosen or a Champion worth fighting over.

### **Important notes for Marks of Power**

1. Marks of Power engraved by a Divine Being are permanent and can never be taken off by anyone other than the Divine Being under normal circumstances. It is possible for a Dark Lord using his absolute full power to remove a Mark of Power however that would leave them extremely vulnerable for lengthy period of time, time a Dark Lord does not have in the realms of Oblivion. Even if a limb containing, the mark is cut off, it will not effect the bearer in any way with the even mark of power reappearing some time later on the bearer's body.
2. .A Divine Being will often reveal themselves to bless those with a mark of power although it is possible to bless one with a mark of power over long distances although this requires significantly more power to do so.
3. A mark or marks of power will fade away and disappear from one's body if the Divine being in question is slain.
4. Marks of power of beneficial and negative natures are different and are easily notable by the naked eye. beneficial marks ten to glow and have an elegant design or symbol of their Divine Being, a negative mark of power will often be much smaller and can appear ghastly or as a wound or even have stench of the worst of smells although one cursed with a negative mark of power are often "different" in their appearances are easy to tell someone apart.
5. Those whom receive a mark of power are permanently bonded with their Divine Being until they are released of their mark of power. With this bond, depending on what mark of power it is, one can sesnse where their Divine Being is or at least be able to detect when they are nearby.
6. The higher ranked a Divine Being is, the stronger their marks of power become and what abilities they can grant. The closer one is to their realm or their domain of influence, the stronger a mark of power can become.
7. Supreme Beings almost never mark their followers
8. Those whom have been marked by a mark of power can instantly tell if another has a mark of power, regardless If its from the same Divine Being or not. One whom has a mark of power can sense when another mark of power is nearby so it's impossible to hide one's mark of power, even by cloth or by magic means under normal circumstances.
9. A mark of power can change instantly from a beneficial mark of power to a negative mark of power at any time and the Divine Being does not have to be present to do so.
10. Supreme Being marks of power are the most powerful by far and cannot be broken by any means

### **Why Faith matters**

There will always be those whom believe, to their core that faith is nothing more than a belief to worship self constructs of man to inspire fear and promote order however to those whom would delve into the history of Athrunial. one would soon realize Divine Beings are in fact true and belief plays a major part of Athrunial and are the sole reason why the world still exists. Such examples are

* If the loyalist Archangels of Necris, the original so called Divine Beings whom weren't Corrupted by Amriel's doing hadn't allied together, than the Archangels whom were corrupted by Amriel whom became the first Dark Lords of the realm of Oblivion, would have easily conquered all of Athrunial, enslaving all those on the planet.
* Through sheer belief alone, Lendira ascended from a Pseudo Divine Being as an a Aeadra to a full blown Divine Being during the Dark Ages and became a Goddess of Light, Hope and of Prophecies to the many people on Athrunial and became indirectly responsible for saving Athrunial from destruction as well as the entire Aeadra race.
* Through the increase of his martial abilities and increase of his power from Lendira, **"The Hero of Time"** ascended to become a Pseudo Divine Being and after becoming a Hero amongst Champions combating the Darkness for the sake of Athrunial itself, through belief and being blessed by every single Divine Being at the time, The Hero of Time ascended to become a Divine Being amongst Divine Beings. After becoming a Divine Being and being recognized by the people of Athrunial as Athrunial's God of War, of Light and Order, it was only through belief, blessing of the gods and the Necron Stones that the Hero of Time gained the power necessary to combat Necris when he awoke from his slumber and defeated him in single combat, saving all life on Athrunial at the cost of his own life.

## **Ranks of Divine Beings**

Divine Beings are organized into five ranks. Those ranks are the following

* **Supreme Beings -** Are without a doubt the most powerful beings by far in existence. Their power is near  immeasurable, it cannot be comprehended and are truly the only Divine Beings on Athrunial whom could be best described as a true God or Goddess. They are truly immortal in the way they are not capable of dying from anything but from another Supreme Being and their power is considered to be truly unlimited. Due to their power and place within Athrunial, Supreme Being's rarely take notice of mortals and often care little for worship. While Supreme Being's are capable of granting a mortal a mark of power, this is non existent due to their only being two known Supreme Being, Necris whom is asleep and is unable to perform any action and the Namless One whom has his own court of followers and worshipers.
* **Elder Divine Being -** The Oldest Divine Beings in existence, they are often forgotten by the Divine Beings of new as these Divine Beings are easily tens of thousands of years old and those whom had worshiped had died or their names have been lost to time itself. Despite their age, they are by far the most powerful Divine Beings under normal circumstances, they still do not come anywhere near the power of a Supreme Being.
* **Divine Being -** Being of incredible powers along with centuries, if not thousands of years worth of knowledge and with a immortal body, these Being's are considered the true gods and goddesses amongst mortals and are commonly the most worshiped. They are also the most numerous and spread out amongst Athrunial.
* **Lesser Divine Being -** Pseudo Divine Being's whom have finally ascended to Divinity or are the equivalent of two Divine Being's having a child. These Divine Beings are considered infants in the eyes of a true Divine Being due to their young age and little power and few followers.
* **Pseudo Divine Being -** Essentially demi-gods, they are immortal like Divine beings, not having to eat or sleep however they do not have the power of a Divine Being. Pseudo Divine Beings are incredibly strong and powerful but they are nothing in comparison to a true Divine Being. Most Pseudo Divine Beings are often champions of the Divine Beings as well as the Aeadra whom are the demi-god protectors of Athrunial. Pseudo Divine Being's are capable of granting their own marks of power however they are significantly weaker than that of real marks of power from Divine Beings

## **Divine Being Pantheons**

**Imperial Divines -** The Imperial Pantheon and the main religion of the Thrymir Empire and the Thrymir region, it consists of Hokuten, Bakura, Gawain, Themeya, Fania, Rednidheim, Necris and Archiss, five gods and three goddesses.

## **Notable Divine Beings**

* **Necris-** Elder Supreme Being of Creation and Death, is responsible for the creation of Athrunial and all life on the planet
* **The Nameless One** - Supreme Being, Is the Eternal King of the Vyreadra and is the only being capable of slaying Necris
* **Lendira** - Laetannia's Elder Divine Being of Valkyrie's, Prophecy, Hope and Light, Is the only Divine Being worshiped in Laetannia and is the Chief Deity of the Aeadra
* **Hokuten -** Chief Deity of the Imperial Divines and is the Divine Being of War and Order as well as Righteous Rule and Heroes
* **Bakura -** Imperial Divine Being of wraith and protection against the dark arts
* **Gawain -** Imperial Divine Being of Honor, Duty and Justice and is Patron god of all Knights within the Thrymir Empire
* **Themeya -** Imperial Divine Being of Alchemy and knowledge
* **Fania -** Imperial Divine Being of Nature, Love and Fertility
* **Rednidheim -** Imperial Divine Being of Vigilance,Truth and protector against the Dark Arts and the Deadra
* **Archiss -** Imperial Divine Being of the seven deadly sins,  lust, greed, pride, envy, gluttony, sloth and wrath as well as murder and betrayal
* **Celestine** **-** Once a disciple of Lendira at some point, Celestine is a Aeadrain Divine Being like Lendira, whom had decided to take a more direct route at guiding the mortals of Athrunial. Like Lendira had decided to guide Leatannia, Celestine took control of the Lentullus Kingdoms and reorganized them into the Holy Celestine Empire so that, she could guide these mortals down the correct path. Eventually Celestine was overthrown by one of her Serra Paladins, Vaulter and it was he whom took the control of the empire. Her fate is unknown.
* **Nerio -** Elder Divine Being of War that had fought during the War of the Heavens whom was known to have critically wounded the Dark Lord, Kerai during the final battle, forcing her to retreat to the realms of Oblivion. Nerio seemingly disappeared sometime after the final battle.
* **Lyia -** A goddess of Light mentioned in Rominian texts and legends, Lyia is a Goddess that dwells in the Great Beyond and is said to be the winged Archbeing of the Light and the winged beings in the sky whom was said to have blessed the Ancestral Goddesses Skulda and Ariya with her Light. It is believed Skulda is now one of her Avatar's of light.