Origins
In the ageless time, when the mighty ruled the weak and the gods had not yet arrived, some mortal beings found themselves able to call on a strange energy. Primal magic surged throughout the universe, the raw energies of creation untamed, yet when these tiny creatures called out to higher powers and causes in their quest for protection, wealth, and power, something within these energies answered them. The primordials sought to stamp out the appearance of these mortals wherever they were found, for it was something they did not understand and feared to be held under its sway. A cataclysmic battle ensued between them and the largest group of the mortals, resulting in the birth of new entities made entirely of divine magic: the gods. Powerful beings that could get stronger simply through the belief of mortals, an uneasy truce was declared between the primordials and the deities, which was to last until the Great Rift.
Divine magic, at its core, is the manifested expression of a sapient individual's appeal to some higher power or cause to control the world around them for the benefit of themselves or others. Whereas primal magic is simply raw energy that can be directed, divine magic is power granted a will of its own.
Mechanics
Every sapient being (including outsiders) have special ducts in their bodies named "empyrean conduits"; these channels are what enable divine magic to flow through them, allowing them to cast said magic and benefit from magical abilities of a divine nature. Despite eons of attempts, no progress in breeding them out of creatures has been made, though with considerable effort they can be removed. Deities take care to limit how much power they allow to flow through these channels, else the being in question would be burned from the inside out in euphoric fashion. These channels can be enlarged over time through various means: meaningful study of the deitiy's scriptures, acts that further its goals or converting new members to the faith, allowing worshippers to wield greater magicks and recieve greater gifts. Strictly speaking though, it isn't necessary to worship a divine entity to recieve divine magic: a sapient being can worship a cause greater than themself with enough devotion such that their empyrean conduits are filled, though worshippers of these kinds tend to be quite rare.
Advantages
In contrast to many other types of magics which have steep requirements to perform, such as intense study for wizardry or being born with sorcerous bloodlines, divine magic simply requires devotion and prayer from worshippers. More clerics abound the world of Theras (and beyond) than any other form of magical practitioner. And unlike the vast majority of other forms of magic, divine magic does not require the Weave to function, as it predates its creation.
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