Of Gods And Fae

This is an IC Document the content within may be incorrect.
In the Great Library of Faerie, where thousands of faerie books and scrolls are kept, which detail many things from the history of Faerie to the faerytales taken from mortal tongues, a new manuscript has been discovered. It shows signs of age, and was discovered folded in the pages of an ancient historical text by a fae scholar, but has somehow remained unseen until now. It has become the subject of much discussion, both because of its contents and because of how it had remained unfound, despite having been hidden in a book that while old, is often consulted. The news travels throughout Faerie and will be known to anyone who keeps company with those who travel there.***
It is no real secret to us that our more powerful elder kin can, if they choose or are chosen, become gods to the mortal races. It was done long ago, before the War of Thorns, perhaps before Faerie took upon itself the form and structure it has today. If we look at Lady Dancing Sky, of the reverence her memory still holds for many fae, we can see the beginnings of godhood upon her. Her House still calls upon the grace of the Dancing Sky to empower their spells and rituals, and it is uncertain, known, perhaps, only to the minds of those who call it, whether they call upon the House, the sky, or Lady Dancing Sky herself.
Though we show them the utmost respect and reverence where they deserve it, we fae do not worship our elder kin. Such a thing would be absurd – like a boy worshipping his grandfather, a brother worshipping his older kin. Absurd, and improper, when we know they hold the same weaknesses as we. As such, we do not worship those the mortal races call gods either, because we are aware that at some point, in the long distant past, they may have been just like us.
But this last point is greatly contested; indeed, many mortals take great offense to hearing their gods referred to as old fae. This is less true in the realms where human tribes still call our kind 'little gods', where we are aloof and mysterious to them, but in lands where we walk amongst the mortals, equal and manifest to them, it is not taken kindly at all. In fact, they are as right to contest it as we are to suggest it, for there is little evidence either way. This writer feels it is time this matter was properly addressed.
The theory is that gods are fae of great power, who have for one reason or another attracted followers, and draw even more power from their followers' worship. Using magic is largely a matter of will; any mage can tell you that. If worshippers pray to a god, it stands to reason that their combined force of will has an effect upon the god, and the amount of power the god receives will be proportionate to the number of worshippers praying to the god. Therefore, when a fae attracts followers, their power increases, and this is what makes them a god.
The other issue is that of worshippers drawing power from their god. It is difficult to say without asking one, and gods are almost without exception very secretive about their own natures, but we can only assume that a god must feel that drain of their power. This would be a reason for their eagerness to keep their worshippers devout; they need their power refreshed if they are not to be drained of it completely. In this way, a god becomes as dependent upon their followers as their followers are upon the god. The giving and taking of power forms a relationship of sorts.
This is how we perceive gods to work; but why do we believe them to have been fae? Well, the description many will give of a fae is that it is a being of magic, with no true mundane form or fabric, who has a natural aptitude for magical working and is capable of great feats of magical power. If asked to describe a god, many will say that it is a being of magic, with no mundane form or fabric (unless they choose to have one), who is capable of great feats of magical power. So is it not a natural assumption to consider the two related?
However, as much as we like the idea of being akin to gods, there are notable differences and reasons to wonder. Gods have, in this writer's experience, been known to lie. They have been known to kill, or allow to die, their followers, which, in the god-worshipper relationship, can be considered their kin. They have killed, or allowed to die, other gods, who must surely be considered their kin if no others are. They have killed, or allowed to die, fae – which we all know is a great evil in faerie culture. If asked, this writer, who has spent many years wandering the mortal lands, can give many, many examples. By their behaviour, they do not represent themselves as fae. In fact, if asked, they would most likely deny it – another lie, if we are correct.
There are other differences beyond their behaviour. Gods show no apparent reliance upon a concept, instead seeming to rely on the worship of their followers to keep them alive. It has been said many times that a god without worshippers soon withers and fades from existence (much like a fae whose concept is destroyed). It would seem, if gods are fae, the act of 'ascending' (though the writer does not necessarily consider it an improvement) to godhood changes a most fundamental part of their faerie nature. Nor do they call upon the elements to power their spells, as fae do; they call upon their own power, seemingly completely divorced from the elements and the powers of nature instead of a part of it; they seem to be a force unto themselves.
So it seems to this writer that there are reasons to both believe and disbelieve the theory that gods are elder fae. However, allow this writer to propose a third option, based upon the points above:
That gods WERE once fae, but are no longer.
We have already supposed that godhood brings great change to a fae. Considering both the similarities and differences between gods and fae, the writer proposes that fae DO ascend to godhood, but that 'ascension' changes them so fundamentally that they can no longer be considered as fae. We all know that it is possible to change from one thing to another, beyond the realms of glamour; mortals change to changelings beneath the power of Faerie, so much so that if they remain, they can become indistinguishable from true-born fae. Mortals have even chosen to change to fae through the power of ritual magic. Surely the change for mortals from physical form to spiritual at the time of their deaths is another example (if we believe it)?
A fae who goes through the process of godhood, therefore, loses their concept, as it is replaced by their worshippers. They become both the leader of and the representation of this group of people. Their power swells and diminishes, ebbs and flows with their followers. They no longer need to call upon the elements, as they have a potentially inexhaustible supply of power from the prayers of their worshippers. Their connection to nature severed, their spirit no longer bound to a concept and so no longer bound to the Summerlands, they have lost much of what made them fae. Before long they no longer consider themselves fae; they lie, they allow their own kind to be sacrificed, and they show little or no regard for their former kin. By this reasoning, the writer concludes that they can no longer be considered fae.
So beware, fae who might aspire to become gods one day; godhood will change you, and change – as our kind know better than most – is never entirely good.