A Guide to Deities and Celestials
The world of Meintalia is filled with several different kinds of deities and celestial creatures that inhabit every corner of the realms. This guide will cover the basics of all deities and celestials and what defines them into their categories.
There are only three Grand Monarchs in existence, each one equal in power and influence. They are accredited with the the creation of the universe, most other dieties and, by extension, all life throughout the realms. Never seen by anyone but the Godsand Greater Spirits,nobody really knows what they look like and the Gods refuse to divulge it. They are often depicted as featureless humanoids wearing extravagent plate armour seated upon three thrones. The Grand Monarchs are essentially deities to the Gods, though some mortals worship and follow them whereas others deny their very existence. They reside somwhere in the core of the Divine Realm though nobody knows exactly where or how to get there.
There are nine Greater Spirits in total, each representing an aspect of life and nature. They have an etheral form and a physical form that they take depending on the realm they are in. They are accreditted with bringing into existence the element of nature specifically associated with their domains and have a more passive nature with mortals than other deities. As the Grand Monarchs don't interact with the other races, the Greater Spirits govern life in all the realms, though they mainly focus on the Gods and Lesser Spirits and leave them to govern the mortal races. They can occasionally be seen in the mortal realms in certain specific locations in their awe inspiring physical forms. Many people worship them and undergo pilgrimages for a chance to see them in person.
The God's were the first physical life forms created in the univserse and the only physical life forms created by the Grand Monarch's. There were 15 God's originally, known as The First God's, who then went on to create more God's. Most God's are created by pooling together the magical energies of two God's, however some are conceived and born. God's that are born naturally come into being as infants and reach maturity at around age 20, whereas Gods that are created are brought into being fully matured. In some exceptionally rare cases, a mortal who has achieved phenomenal things in life and has a pure soul can be chosen to ascend to Godhood. Each God has the ability to create mortal life, tasked with populating the realms below. The Gods cannot create life alone other than Lesser Spirits and so must work together to create a new God or mortal race. The God's appear differently to every race that views them, in some cases appearing different to each individual. In most cases, the God's appear as the same race as the person seeing them but all have specific features that can be seen by all, for example Brönt, God of Strength, always has a burly physique, thick beard, auburn mohawk and often has a great warhammer on his back, whether he's seen as a dwarf, orc or elf. It is thought that the God's take the appearance of the same race of the people that see them in order to be more relatable and gather followers more easily. Following a God pledges your soul to them, and whilst many people follow more than one God they can only pledge their soul to one. When a follower dies, their deity gains possession of part of their soul, which is used as a sort of currency: the more souls a God possesses, the more powerful and influential they are considered to be. Many God's have Partnered Deities, though this is not necessarily a romantic connection. Many God's are partnered with Gods that share very similar domains, are the antithesis of their domain (ie two sides of a diad) or share a unique connection in their personal histories that had a significant impact on the realms.
The Godbeasts are divine, primal beings that serve their respective God's. After creatng the first lot of animals, Zolga was given the ability by the Grand Monarch'sto create a singular divine life form for each God, existing and future, of their design that represents their ideals, known as Godbeasts. The Godbeasts represent a more primal aspect of their respective God's domain. The Godbeasts are left to roam the realms as they please, doing their masters will and returning to them when called upon. When a God appears in the mortal realms, their Godbeast will often accompany them.
If a God commits an act that stands against everything they believe in and represent, whether this act is a good or an evil one, they are considered a disgrace to the pantheon and cast down from The Divine Realm, stripped of their powers and sentience and forced to roam the planes as beings known as Titans. The reason for this is that all Gods serve a purpose, whether that purpose is good or evil, and everything must have a counterpart to maintain the universes balance. The mortal races and lesser spirits can defy their natures with no consequence as they are simply followers, but by decree of Lunox the God's must set an example and be held to stricter standards lest the balance of the universe be disturbed. On order of Lunox, Penance and Cain hunt down any disgraced God and strip them of their powers, cast them from the pantheon and scrub their names and deeds from history. Nobody knows how severe a crime must be for a God to become a Titan, but given the actions of Varaxus and Faramel and how they're still a part of the pantheon, the Titans crimes must be diabolical. The only knowledge we have of the Titans is what's been observed and recorded. They are unable to communicate, possbily as part of their punishment, and often don't seem to notice the mortal races around them. In some cultures and parts of the world they are known as The Fallen Ones, or Broken Gods. Nobody knows exactly how many Titans there are but each Titan is unique and their features are assumed to be remnants of the domain they once ruled over. The Titans come in a huge variety of sizes, with the largest being 700ft tall and the smallest around 150ft. Despite their gargantuan sizes, the mobile Titans are rarely seen, leading to the belief that they shunt between realms. Occassionally, a tribe or cult will begin to worship a Titan. This act is seen as the pinnacle of blasphemy and is one of the few acts a mortal can commit that Penance himself deals with.
Originally, Penance would banish the fallen Gods to The Void rather than turn them into Titans. This worked for a while, but gradually the Gods would regain their consciousness and some sembelnce of power and begin pushing themselves back into the realms. These became known as the Eldritch Gods and are the reason that Penance now strips a fallen God of their sentience and mind before casting them down as Titans.
The Eldritch Gods are the only living beings within the Void, unable to conjure a physical form. They yearn to return to the mortal realms but are kept imprisonned by Penance, undetectabe and irretrievable. They have been twisted into grotesque perversions of their former domains, now beings of madness and chaos that occassionally stretch their tendrills into the mortal realms to gain a foothold in the hopes of amassing enough of a cult following to conjure themselves back into being. One benefit of residing within the Void is that nobody can detect them, not even Penance, meaning their influence can grow secretly for decades before the cult is discovered and removed.
Lesser spirits are more powerful and magical than the mortal races and there are many different kinds. Most spirits are uncategorised as each one is unique, these are known as Nature Spirits. Aside from these, there are 9 types of lesser spirit created by the Greater Spirits and 91 lesser spirits created by the Gods, falling under each of their domains. Much like the Greater Spirits, lesser spirits have an ethereal form unless they are in Luxum or Noxum where they take on unique, physical forms. One difference between these spirits and their Greater counterparts is that while the Greater Spirits have never been seen in ethereal form in the material planes, lesser spirits often take on their ethereal state to protect themselves or hide from unwanted eyes. Most lesser spirits are reclusive by nature and often cluster around specific places with strong magical aura's and little mortal activity. It is theorised that the lesser spirits feed on magical aura's and that is why they prefer area's like this. Most are peaceful and keep to themselves, though their natural beauty is a sight to behold and many people seek them out, hoping to get a glimpse of them.
Celestials are creatures with divine blood, possibly descended from the God's or Spirit's in some way, or perhaps they were once spirits that have become mortal. Perhaps they are not mortal at all. Little is known about the celestials, but what we do know is gathered here .
Grand Monarchs
There are only three Grand Monarchs in existence, each one equal in power and influence. They are accredited with the the creation of the universe, most other dieties and, by extension, all life throughout the realms. Never seen by anyone but the Godsand Greater Spirits,nobody really knows what they look like and the Gods refuse to divulge it. They are often depicted as featureless humanoids wearing extravagent plate armour seated upon three thrones. The Grand Monarchs are essentially deities to the Gods, though some mortals worship and follow them whereas others deny their very existence. They reside somwhere in the core of the Divine Realm though nobody knows exactly where or how to get there.
Greater Spirits
There are nine Greater Spirits in total, each representing an aspect of life and nature. They have an etheral form and a physical form that they take depending on the realm they are in. They are accreditted with bringing into existence the element of nature specifically associated with their domains and have a more passive nature with mortals than other deities. As the Grand Monarchs don't interact with the other races, the Greater Spirits govern life in all the realms, though they mainly focus on the Gods and Lesser Spirits and leave them to govern the mortal races. They can occasionally be seen in the mortal realms in certain specific locations in their awe inspiring physical forms. Many people worship them and undergo pilgrimages for a chance to see them in person.
Gods
The God's were the first physical life forms created in the univserse and the only physical life forms created by the Grand Monarch's. There were 15 God's originally, known as The First God's, who then went on to create more God's. Most God's are created by pooling together the magical energies of two God's, however some are conceived and born. God's that are born naturally come into being as infants and reach maturity at around age 20, whereas Gods that are created are brought into being fully matured. In some exceptionally rare cases, a mortal who has achieved phenomenal things in life and has a pure soul can be chosen to ascend to Godhood. Each God has the ability to create mortal life, tasked with populating the realms below. The Gods cannot create life alone other than Lesser Spirits and so must work together to create a new God or mortal race. The God's appear differently to every race that views them, in some cases appearing different to each individual. In most cases, the God's appear as the same race as the person seeing them but all have specific features that can be seen by all, for example Brönt, God of Strength, always has a burly physique, thick beard, auburn mohawk and often has a great warhammer on his back, whether he's seen as a dwarf, orc or elf. It is thought that the God's take the appearance of the same race of the people that see them in order to be more relatable and gather followers more easily. Following a God pledges your soul to them, and whilst many people follow more than one God they can only pledge their soul to one. When a follower dies, their deity gains possession of part of their soul, which is used as a sort of currency: the more souls a God possesses, the more powerful and influential they are considered to be. Many God's have Partnered Deities, though this is not necessarily a romantic connection. Many God's are partnered with Gods that share very similar domains, are the antithesis of their domain (ie two sides of a diad) or share a unique connection in their personal histories that had a significant impact on the realms.
Godbeasts
The Godbeasts are divine, primal beings that serve their respective God's. After creatng the first lot of animals, Zolga was given the ability by the Grand Monarch'sto create a singular divine life form for each God, existing and future, of their design that represents their ideals, known as Godbeasts. The Godbeasts represent a more primal aspect of their respective God's domain. The Godbeasts are left to roam the realms as they please, doing their masters will and returning to them when called upon. When a God appears in the mortal realms, their Godbeast will often accompany them.
Titans
If a God commits an act that stands against everything they believe in and represent, whether this act is a good or an evil one, they are considered a disgrace to the pantheon and cast down from The Divine Realm, stripped of their powers and sentience and forced to roam the planes as beings known as Titans. The reason for this is that all Gods serve a purpose, whether that purpose is good or evil, and everything must have a counterpart to maintain the universes balance. The mortal races and lesser spirits can defy their natures with no consequence as they are simply followers, but by decree of Lunox the God's must set an example and be held to stricter standards lest the balance of the universe be disturbed. On order of Lunox, Penance and Cain hunt down any disgraced God and strip them of their powers, cast them from the pantheon and scrub their names and deeds from history. Nobody knows how severe a crime must be for a God to become a Titan, but given the actions of Varaxus and Faramel and how they're still a part of the pantheon, the Titans crimes must be diabolical. The only knowledge we have of the Titans is what's been observed and recorded. They are unable to communicate, possbily as part of their punishment, and often don't seem to notice the mortal races around them. In some cultures and parts of the world they are known as The Fallen Ones, or Broken Gods. Nobody knows exactly how many Titans there are but each Titan is unique and their features are assumed to be remnants of the domain they once ruled over. The Titans come in a huge variety of sizes, with the largest being 700ft tall and the smallest around 150ft. Despite their gargantuan sizes, the mobile Titans are rarely seen, leading to the belief that they shunt between realms. Occassionally, a tribe or cult will begin to worship a Titan. This act is seen as the pinnacle of blasphemy and is one of the few acts a mortal can commit that Penance himself deals with.
Eldritch Gods
Originally, Penance would banish the fallen Gods to The Void rather than turn them into Titans. This worked for a while, but gradually the Gods would regain their consciousness and some sembelnce of power and begin pushing themselves back into the realms. These became known as the Eldritch Gods and are the reason that Penance now strips a fallen God of their sentience and mind before casting them down as Titans.
The Eldritch Gods are the only living beings within the Void, unable to conjure a physical form. They yearn to return to the mortal realms but are kept imprisonned by Penance, undetectabe and irretrievable. They have been twisted into grotesque perversions of their former domains, now beings of madness and chaos that occassionally stretch their tendrills into the mortal realms to gain a foothold in the hopes of amassing enough of a cult following to conjure themselves back into being. One benefit of residing within the Void is that nobody can detect them, not even Penance, meaning their influence can grow secretly for decades before the cult is discovered and removed.
Lesser Spirits
Lesser spirits are more powerful and magical than the mortal races and there are many different kinds. Most spirits are uncategorised as each one is unique, these are known as Nature Spirits. Aside from these, there are 9 types of lesser spirit created by the Greater Spirits and 91 lesser spirits created by the Gods, falling under each of their domains. Much like the Greater Spirits, lesser spirits have an ethereal form unless they are in Luxum or Noxum where they take on unique, physical forms. One difference between these spirits and their Greater counterparts is that while the Greater Spirits have never been seen in ethereal form in the material planes, lesser spirits often take on their ethereal state to protect themselves or hide from unwanted eyes. Most lesser spirits are reclusive by nature and often cluster around specific places with strong magical aura's and little mortal activity. It is theorised that the lesser spirits feed on magical aura's and that is why they prefer area's like this. Most are peaceful and keep to themselves, though their natural beauty is a sight to behold and many people seek them out, hoping to get a glimpse of them.
Celestials
Celestials are creatures with divine blood, possibly descended from the God's or Spirit's in some way, or perhaps they were once spirits that have become mortal. Perhaps they are not mortal at all. Little is known about the celestials, but what we do know is gathered here .
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