On the Gods of the Divine Web
As written by Chanlun Ban, Chief Magister to Shan Lun Cun, the Emperor of the Highest Kingdom in the East
Before we delve into the nature of the gods and divine beings in general, I will begin with a word of caution: to study divinity is an honest path, one that will lead to good health, good fortune, and great wisdom. However, to physically seek divinity, to seek a way to the Divine Web is a dread path, for many who have done so have returned as cursed men and women, and many more have never returned at all. I have been wise enough to take the former path, and as such I am transcribing all that I have learned into these journal entries so that others may learn. This first entry will catalogue the nature of the gods and of divinity in general
The Gods
Nature
The gods of the Divine Web are not "beings" in the traditional, material sense. Rather, they are reflections of a force of nature, an emotion, a concept, or some combination of the three given name and influence by their followers. As they are neither alive nor dead but merely an accumulation of thoughts given free will and influence, they can neither die from lack of worship nor can they be killed by either conventional or unconventional means.
Despite this, they do have an equivalent to our concept of an afterlife, but this will be discussed in a later section. For now, let us discuss the nature of these divine beings so that we may gain greater respect for and understanding of them. We will be covering the gods of our people and others, for they are all a part of the Divine Web.
Other Pantheons
Many gods in our pantheon and those beyond our borders are gods of multiple facets of life. Ren Takan Bujen, for instance, is our god of night, thieves, intrigue, and death. Ren Takan Bujen ensures our nights are quiet and peaceful, that the thief's hand is steady and his foot light, and that those who die peacefully are granted passage to Tengshun Han.
The god Alfathrana of the western Flomen people is their god of chieftains, warriors, wizards, and the stars. To his people, he is responsible for granting chieftains the wisdom to rule, warriors the strength of will to fight, wizards the gift of magic, and providing the stars for navigators to use.
Other gods, however, are representations of but a single aspect of life. Kuleta's weeping causes the rivers to flood, providing our farms with new silt each spring. Endulion of the elves of Drazhinyi provides the warmth of the Sun for those on the surface. Whilst you may assume that those gods who represent multiple facets are more powerful, within the Divine Web it is seniority that is respected over power.
Creation
The creation of a deity within the Divine Web requires a certain number of prerequisites. The first is that a sizeable community must first assign a name and a body to that which they worship. Upon receiving a name and body, this thing must be worshipped for one hundred and one years so as to gain enough spiritual energy to become a Sprite, the lowest form of godhood. These Sprites are then guided to the heart of the Divine Web, where they then gain the form they were given. It is then that Sprites become Junior or Lesser Gods. They are then apprenticed to an older god, who shows them how to use their powers and influence upon the world responsibly. After being worshiped for five hundred and one years, they fully join the ranks of the gods.
Life and Death
It is here that I will discuss "life" and "death" for a god. In order to maintain their uncorrupted forms, a god must be worshipped in some capacity. It matters not if it is by a priest, a cleric, a peasant, or someone in desperation calling for aid. Whilst their powers do not increase, the areas which they are able to influence waxes and wanes in regards to the number and spread of their worshippers. Ren Takan Bujen has a great amount of influence within the Highest Kingdoms of the East and South, yet he has little to no influence outside these two realms. Likewise, Endulion's power does not usually extend much further than the borders of the Enduligon Enclave. Think of a god's influence on the world as a number of strings extending from the divine plane to the material, with new strings being added and old strings being cut over time.
But should the worshippers of a god cease to exist, whether due to extermination or conversion, the god is transported to the Outer Web where they begin the slow and painful process of corruption, becoming monstrous and deceitful beings that are mockeries of what they once were. The length of time this process takes is equal to the amount of time they were worshipped. Sprites become demons and lesser gods devils, and younger gods fiends. Should a particularly old god "die", they transform into Old Ones, who are servants to the enigmatic Great Old Ones. These beings have regained their influence upon the material world, spreading their corrupting influence from the Outer Web. Whereas fiends are in the process of forgetting their names and Old Ones simply do not have them, Great Old Ones give themselves names based on the nature of their influence. Examples include the Mastermind, the Saviour, the Lord, and the Many Eyed.
Structure
The final entry in this section shall give an abridged overview of the bureaucratic organisation of the Divine Web. Working our way from the top down, and including the fallen gods as well, the Divine Web is organised as such:
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The Aspects (beings as old as time itself and whose creation is a mystery)
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Greater Gods
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Gods
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Lesser Gods
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Sprites
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Great Old Ones
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Old Ones
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Fiends
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Devils
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Demons
With this final entry, I shall conclude my first entry on the nature of divinity.
Politics of the Elder Gods
In this section, which I shall warn you less diligent students will be far more in depth than the last chapter, I will discuss the politics of the higher echelons of the Divine Web.
As we have already learned, the gods are merely manifestations of concepts, emotions, and natural energies given free will. And although the Divine Web is but a place, its nature is similar to that of its inhabitants, although it is more malleable in shape. The political divides between the Divine Web can easily be seen in the manifestation of energies within the Web, which is created by the the gods' emotions and desires. Whilst this is a fascinating subject, I will discuss it in a later chapter. As the proverb goes, "To know a man's house, one must first know him."
Divine Political Structures
In the previous chapter, I taught you that in the Divine Web it is seniority that is respected and revered above all, not power or influence. However, this is not to say that power does not play a part in divine society. I will discuss the power and control exhibited by sprites and lesser gods in the next chapter; for now, I wish to focus on what are called the Four Mountains of Power, moving our way from the lowest to the tallest. Please note, dear student, that other peoples may call the Four Mountains different things, such as the Four Heavenly Clouds in the religion of the Ilkhars. It is all the same in the end, so do not feel you must take it upon yourself to correct others.
The Stormy Mountain
Beginning first with gods who are between the ages of five hundred and one and one thousand and one years of age, these gods exhibit a great deal of control of their respective powers, knowing just how much to use and when to increase or decrease their influence. They lack the finer control that is exhibited in their elders and may at times lose control, resulting in great cataclysms. One such instance can be found in one of the chronicles Hyelu Lyang Tao: in one chapter, she writes of when Gowan Jensu was young and lost control of his threads, sending the dragons of the Old Kingdom into a frenzied rage that caused the kingdom to splinter and many to flee northward. As they grow older, a god's control over their power strengthens, and they eventually no longer lose control.
The Tranquil Mountain
The second Mountain is the pedestal on which the greater gods stand. The discipline exhibited by these gods is only surpassed by the discipline of the Aspects. Their masterful control over their power means that they are not prone to losing control; however, should they feel slighted by a rival to the point that they become wrathful, they will send down an apocalyptic cataclysm that can result in the extinction of entire civilisations and the unleashing of powerful demons and, at times, devils. I have heard tales of such calamities occurring four times in the west, one of which gave rise to the tiefling race and another the beastfolk, although I know not which god or gods are responsible for such travesties.
The Dark Mountain
The third mountain is one that is occupied by the Great Old Ones. I do not include the Old Ones, for whilst they are indeed powerful, they are not considered to be equals to the Four Mountains. The Great Old Ones are, unfortunately, just slightly more powerful than the greater gods, for they care not for control and do not need worshippers to influence the world. Because they exist in the Outer Web, their natures are mysteries even to the gods, and as such we know very little about them save for their power and corruption. As no sane man knows the full extent of their power, I shall write no more lest I make a full or puppet of myself.
The Crystal Mountain
Finally, we reach the Heavenly Mountain, the throne upon which the Aspects sit. They are the exception to the divine rule of power being overruled by seniority. They are the most powerful and disciplined of any of the gods, never allowing their emotions to rule them. They are the serene and wise sages that guide all things in the universe, and they are eternal. I fear what would happen should one of them be driven to any emotion.
The Nature of Politics
Now that I have taught you of the powers of the elder gods, I shall now discuss the nature of divine politics. Unlike us on the mortal plane, the elder divines do not often seek alliances with those outside their respective spheres of influence or those who are not of the same or similar nature to them. This is not to say that they despise those that are not like them; rather, they recognise the delicate balance that exists within the Divine Web between the different gods. There are, however, exceptions. Gods of merrymaking will seek out others of all natures in order to throw a banquet. Gods of mischief and belligerent war often look for others whom they can prank or harass. And gods of diplomacy often seek out others so that they may foster an alliance or initiate a war between peoples and pantheons. Should a god wish to do a particular action that goes against the desires of another god, the most senior god will be allowed to do as they please.
On this topic of alliance and war amongst the gods, these matters are often on an individual basis and frequently require some outside stressor. Should such unions and divisions happen, the effects can be seen in unusual phenomena, such as a horde of raiders being swept away in a tsunami after an earthquake or a dragon in human form arriving at a royal court to offer diplomatic aid to an incompetent emperor.
Demigodhood
Although I have detailed the birth of new gods in the previous chapter, I wish to take a brief moment to speak of those who have ascended to demigodhood and their relationship to the gods. Whilst rare, those mortals who serve a god faithfully and show nothing but complete devotion to a god and all they stand for may find themselves elevated to the position of demigod. Although not true divine beings, many worship them as though they were. As such, many gods go on to have the same name and appearance as a demigod. When this happens and after the sprite ascends to godhood, their demigod template is made a royal guardian of the new god, sometimes even merging with them to become one whole being with memories of the mortal world. These events, however, are rare.
The Forbidden Search
There are those, however, that lack patience, virtue, and discipline, and in their pride seek godhood themselves. Many perform forbidden rites first performed by the likes of liches, witches, vampires, demons, and devils. Depending on who first wrote and performed the rite, the impatient one may be transformed into a hideous monster, turned into a mindless host, or worst still an unwilling servant. Others, such as warlocks in service to fiends and Great Old Ones, seek godhood by receiving gifts from their otherworldly patron. For these sinful souls, they are slowly turned into puppets, monsters, or avatars of their patron.
There are those who, rather than turn to mystical means, seek entry into the realm of the gods by other means. Some commit suicide or intentionally commit a heinous enough crime for them to be executed. These people never achieve their goal, and their soul is sent to the Pit of Everlasting Pain. Those with enough ambition, resources, and skills may seek out one of the last working transplanar gates located throughout the world. Those that find one and find themselves in the Divine Web often go stark-raving made upon immediate entry. For the unlucky ones who retain their sanity for a time and who find themselves standing before a god, their essence is scattered into the Space Between Spaces, and their screams of pain can be heard in the howls of ghosts and other cross-planar horrors.
But what do the gods think of us?
For those curious to know how the gods feel about us, worry not. All gods, even the cruelest and most vile, rely on us to maintain their uncorrupted forms. Without us, they are doomed to experience corruption. For all the fear, love, or hatred a god may feel toward us, in the end we rely on each other, and they must do so graciously.
Divine Interaction with the Mortal Plane
There are some methods for a god to interact with us here in the mortal plane. Some gods imbue particular followers with divine powers, allowing them to become holy representatives of divine will on the mortal plane. We know these holy warriors as clerics and paladins. Others find imbue a great deal of their power into an individual of their choice, turning them into sorcerers. Some sorcerers go on to become prophets, oracles, or priests, although many more turn to some ambitious lifestyle, such as adventuring. Those sorcerers that become holy men and women can act as conduits for the divine presence in exchange for their power. Others are more direct, sending avatars into the material realm for but a brief amount of time, making their presence known far and wide through miraculous or terrible acts. And there are those that are more subtle, masking their presence in the faint blow of the breeze, a sudden rain storm, or as a shadowy figure lurking through the trees.
In the next section, I shall discuss the lesser gods and their role in the Divine Web.
The Younger Gods
The study of the younger gods of the Divine Web is, I feel, the most fascinating topic in modern theology. Although the study of the greater gods is fascinating in its own right, aside from mild variations in relations and temperament the study of the elder gods is focused more on politics and bureaucracy, and as such has limited interest to me. The lesser gods, on the other hand, are far more varied in their powers, temperaments, and abilities. Much about the origins of the lesser gods has already been discussed in previous sections, so I will refrain from providing redundant information.
Willful Youth
The first area in which we see a great deal of variety is in how powerful the younger gods are. The youngest sprites are only as powerful as the most powerful of sorcerers, yet their control over their powers is much like a newborn babe's control over their limbs. The birth of a new god is most often seen in chaotic fluctuations of the natural world. When Zhendon She Diqxun, goddess of earthquakes, was born, minor tremors could be felt first around the town that first began to worship her before spreading throughout the entire kingdom as she grew older.
As they grow older, a sprite's power grows, but not their control. The aforementioned tremors associated with Shanshu Diqxun's birth grew evermore powerful over the hundred and one years of her spritehood. When a sprite becomes a lesser god, these fluctuations eventually cease as the god's control is tempered by their tutor, and toward the end of their apprenticeship they begin to exert intentional influence upon the world. By this point, their power has reached its maximum.
How numerous are the younger gods?
Although there exist many more lesser gods and sprites than elder gods, their numbers are constantly in both positive and negative growth, for the lesser gods are far more susceptible to corruption than their elders. At some points in time, I have heard it said, there were no new gods being born and the Heavenly Nursery lay silent and dormant for centuries at a time.
Growing Responsibilities
Whilst the gods continually play the game of tempered politics with one another, lesser gods and sprites are not allowed to interact with their elders in political matters, much like how we do not permit our children to interact with household politics until a certain age. However, the greater gods may use their juniors as pawns in their scheming, but I know not of any examples of such happening within our pantheon. Sprites are given more freedom to explore the Divine Web and play with one another than the older lesser gods, who over time are prevented from participating in the activities of their youth.
Although the gods use a variety of means to interact with the mortal plane, sprites and at times lesser gods may find themselves physically within the material world should they find themselves having strayed too close to the Permeable Sea. Should this happen and they are not returned to their home -the manner in which this is done varies depending on the situation- these sprites and lesser gods may face a different form of corruption than if they were no longer worshipped.
Should a sprite or lesser god be left in the mortal plane until their appointed ascension, they will lose their minds and become beings of destruction with no hope of ever returning home. Such was the unfortunate case with Yinyin Contenran, the mother of vampires who descends upon villages and towns from her chariot at night to steal the souls of children and turn them into her vampiric children. I have also heard tales of a great dragon to the west known as Balgorion, the father of great calamities enshrouded in an inky shadow who has felled many civilisations.
Healing Corruption
Should one of these fallen sprites or lesser gods attempt to return home, many of them have their followers exterminated, dooming them to even further corruption. However, there have been rare instances where one of these forlorn deities are allowed back into the fold. In these situations, they are stripped of their memories and identities and are sent back into the Heavenly Nursery, and their followers are forced to worship them for a further one hundred and one and five hundred and one years. I have heard of only one tale in which this has happened, and it is a tale that comes from the Porunga people to the east. A storm giant named Baduka was allowed back into the Divine Web after much bargaining and pleading by his followers after they suffered five years of devastation whenever Baduka walked past their island home. The gods accepted him back into the Divine Web, stripped him of his power and identity, and forced his followers to begin the process again. He is now their god Udlampu.
Direct Interactions with Mortals
People who claim to have interacted with lesser gods and sprites claim that they, more often than not, often have a curious and playful disposition toward mortals and that they often have a faint glow around them. Depending on what the lesser deity represents, the results of accepting or declining an offer to "play" would most likely vary. I have no doubt in my mind that it would be in one's best interest to almost always accept such an offer, even if the game is to one's detriment, for not accepting could lead to disastrous consequences.
As interesting as the lesser gods are, there is little to write on the lesser gods. As with children, they are in their developmental stage and much of what can be written are stories and anecdotes, which would take up valuable space meant for other sections. Perhaps in another volume I shall transcribe the many stories I have heard regarding the lesser gods.
The Divine Dwelling
In previous sections I have alluded to and named some of the dwellings of the gods. In this section I shall give a fuller explanation of the dwellings of the divines. Like the gods themselves, the Divine Web is shaped by emotions, concepts, and natural phenomena that us mortals worship. However, the gods also have agency in the forms their home takes. First, though, we will explore the Divine Web itself.
The Infinite Realm
In some instances, we are fortunate for the bravery of fools. Were it not for them, this chapter would have been impossible to write. Those who have gone to the Divine Web itself and kept enough of their sanity have told of an infinite number of tendrils made of thin sheets of light that are in reality all the planes of existence, including ours. These tendrils originate from an immensely large crystal palace and illuminate the entirety of the Divine Web to such an extent that shadows cannot exist unless the gods themselves will them to, and it is claimed by some that these tendrils grow over time; this, however, is utter madness, and such claims are largely and rightly ignored. Spheres of varying colours and materials float about this crystal palace and the spaces between tendrils, with thin threads extending to multiple planes, and smaller islands orbit these spheres.
The Homes of the Gods
It is said that the crystal palace that lies at the heart of the web is the primary meeting place of the gods and the home of the Aspects, those great and terrible primordial gods, who sit upon their thrones atop the palace in a circular manner, looking upon the planar tendrils in all directions. It is here in which the Heavenly Nursery also resides, where sprites go to ascend to godhood and those that have spent too long in the mortal plane are reborn. Those that had the gall to ask a god where the planes originated from have been met with tight-lipped responses, implying that there is indeed something that these planar tendrils originate from.
The infinite spheres that float around the palace are said to be the homes of pantheons and at times even individual gods, should they be of sufficient enough rank. Those that have had the fortune of travelling within them tell of realms that appear just as their resident gods wish them to. The sphere which houses our gods, Shubu Pobo Gondan, contains within it a beautiful golden palace surrounded on all sides by cliffs and waterfalls. Within the halls of this palace, serene music is played and feasts and competitions are held. The islands that surround our pantheon's sphere are the homes of spirits, demigods, and souls.
The Edge of Infinity
In previous chapters, I have named the domain of those corrupted gods as the Outer Web. Although no mortal has seen it, some of the divines have, and they tell of a place where reality begins to break down, where the sound of screams, laughter, and howling can be heard, and where past, present, and future occur at the same time. This place, it is said, is dark and stormy, and whilst faint light comes from it no light can go in. If these stories are true, and there is no reason for them not to be, then the Outer Web is a literal hell.
"Thus She Spake, and There Appeared a Tree"
The Divine Web is shaped by the will of those within it, to a certain degree. Should a god wish to create, for instance, a tranquil garden or a field with a lone tree, they are able to do so, creating a miniature sphere for them and them alone. These spheres, however, begin fade once their creator leaves them. Other manifestations of divine power include spheres and islands meant to house gods of particular affiliations and the Crystal Palace itself, which is said to exist solely because the Aspects will it to.
Most of the time, these different spheres do not interact with one another. There have been cases, though, where two or more spheres collide due to religious wars waged in the mortal plane. When this occurs, the spheres will temporarily merge and raids will be conducted by all sides in order to desecrate the homes of the enemy or enemies.
During peacetime, the different major spheres are not connected to each other, making travel impossible from one sphere to the next. The only way in which a god can travel to and from their domain is by using a sort of teleportation doorway that exists connecting their sphere to the Crystal Palace. Although these doorways all look similar within the Crystal Palace, these doorways vary in appearance from sphere to sphere. In some instances, they are literal doorways in the motif of their realm, in others they are teleportation pads, and still in others they may appear as whirlpools or as the mouth of some great creature.
Accessing the Divine Domain
Now, I have mentioned both in this chapter and others that there have been people who have gone to the Divine Web by way of transplanar gates. I must warn you that the techniques to use these gates with any sort of accuracy have been lost for millennia and that there are very few that still work; those that do are rare and are often the nests of foul creatures, both from our world and others, and cults that wish to bridge the gap between their master's realm and ours. But if you are feeling either foolhardy or brave, the only way to return to our realm is to either ask a personal god for use of their teleportation pad or, for those especially foolish, to jump into the spaces between the planar tendrils and hope for the best.
In the next chapter I shall address the nature of magic. For now, I want you to meditate on my last paragraph. Should you decide to profane the realm of the gods with your presence, do not put the blame on anyone but yourself.
Magic: Arcane and Divine
As we near the end of our lessons, I wish to devote some time into discussing one of the prominent questions of our day: what, exactly, is the nature of magic? This question has been asked on numerous occasions in the past, and I have been dissatisfied with many of the past answers, despite the kernels of truth that lay within them. Many authors that I have read have answered this question by lumping all magic as being divine or arcane in nature. I, however, believe that magic is not one thing but rather two: arcane magic that exists in the natural world and divine magic.
The Nature of Magic
Arcane, or natural, magic in our world, as you may well know, was once a much more prominent force, with magic at times solidifying into crystals called "lodestones". So prevalent was magic that anyone and everyone could claim some sort of magical ability, even those who had never studied the mystic arts in their life. Current theories, however, state that the opposite is true: that lodestones are in reality release magic rather than form when magic begins to coalesce. As a brief aside, I believe these new theories to be true. When manipulated, lodestones could have differing effects. Small lodestones were used by magic casters to amplify their own abilities for a period of time, with some even attempting to infuse the substance into their body in some fashion. Larger and rarer lodestones, on the other hand, were used to generate near unlimited amounts of power for centuries, even millennia. However, as with all resources that come from deep within the earth, the amount of lodestones began to dwindle, and arcane magic began to fade. Those who once drew their power from the arcane forces of the world, including those who practise nature-based magics, have become rarer over time, although their powers have not appeared to have diminished. The more powerful of those born, namely wizards, druids, and bards, are often conceived or born near a sizeable source of lodestones. Others, however, are born far from a lodestone deposit and have at most only minimal magical abilities.
Divine magic, on the other hand, is a direct gift from the gods. Paladins, clerics, priests, prophets, warlocks, witches, and sorcerers all have a spark of the divine in them, for their magic is not affected by the growing lack of lodestones. There have been reports that many that directly serve a god or Great Old One are capable of performing magical feats that are otherwise unknown. I have heard tales from the far west, for instance, of a warlock in service to the Mastermind who was able to summon hordes of spiders at will. I have also heard tales of ancient emperors who were once able to transform themselves into golden dragons despite never having studied the mystic arts. Divine magic can also be taken away at any time if the deity deigns their servant unworthy to wield their power.
Magic in the Divine Web
Magic within the Divine Web itself is strange and otherworldly to those who travel there. Magic, it has been said, exists and yet does not exist. Mages who have attempted to use magic in the Web have said that where one spell becomes "supercharged", to use a word from one of the reports, another will fail altogether and may even have the opposite effects. Even those granted divine abilities are affected. The gods, however, appear to be immune to this constant ebb and flow of magical energies. Whenever the gods use their magic, the Web reacts just as our world would if a wizard were to cast a fireball or if a druid were to summon a stone wall. We have no explanations as to why magic would be so arbitrary with its success rate, although there have been whispers that the magic of the Divine Web is alive somehow, and that all magic in the planes descend from it. There is no way to prove that this is true, so for now we must continue to speculate.
Granting Divine Magic
In the first section, I made mention of how divine magic is granted and taken away, yet did not explain how; I shall do so here. When granted with divine magic, a spellcaster is first given base abilities related to their deity. The effectiveness of these abilities is dependent both on who the individual serves as well as their own creativeness. A cleric of a nature god, for instance, may first be granted the gift of animal-speech before being granted the ability to summon a swarm of insects at their opponents. Paladins are slightly different, in that they swear their fealty to entire pantheons rather than an individual god or goddess, meaning that their magical ties are not so easily broken if they go against the wills of any particular gods. The mystic abilities taken by a paladin are not directly influenced by one particular god; rather, it is influenced by the nature of their oath. Should a paladin swear themselves to be a holy warrior hellbent on punishing the wicked, they are granted spells in accordance. Warlocks are by far the most affected by their magical ties to their patrons, sometimes undergoing mutations as their service grows longer. Those warlocks that serve archfey may begin to exhibit fey-like qualities, such as antlers, gossamer wings, or bark-like skin. Those that serve fiends may begin to exhibit both physical and mental mutations, with many becoming more monster than man. But those that serve the Great Old Ones are by far the most affected; many begin showing signs of at the beginning of their servitude, with some form of gift bestowed upon them with each new accomplishment. Those that serve the Great Old Ones the longest often no longer resemble that which they once were.
Taking Away Divine Magic
The breaking of ties between a spellcaster and their divine patron can often be extremely traumatic, and rekindling broken bonds can at times be impossible. I shall use the above examples to demonstrate what would happen in each scenario. Should our cleric insult their nature god patron or matron in some way, such as deliberately defiling nature, their magical abilities will be removed and they will be forced to atone for their sin. What this entails varies from deity to deity. If our paladin were to break their oath, the process would be the same, yet they would have to atone to all the gods rather than one. But if our warlock were to break their pact with their patron, they would have almost no hope of regaining their patron's trust. And not only would they lose their powers, but they would be forced to live with their mutations slowly eating away at their sanity. Should they be particularly unlucky, their scorned patron may inflict their body with more mutations than their body could possibly hold, driving them instantly mad. Sorcerers, although gifted with divine magic, are not affected by these relationships in the same way. Sorcerers are granted immense magical powers, and at times dragon-like mutations, at birth, although they must take the time to hone these skills and progress in power. Should they serve a deity directly, however, they may be given an offer: sacrifice whatever powers were granted to them at birth, and in exchange they will be granted the powers of their god in a reduced state. This deal appears to appeal to many sorcerers, for many continue to become priests and prophets.
In the final section, I shall detail the nature of those societies who worship only one god.
Many Gods, One God, and None
Now we have reached the final chapter of my lessons to you. Here we shall discuss the conundrum of those who do not worship any of the gods and those who do not know whether the gods exist or not. We shall also discuss those people who worship a single god.
Unbelievers
What is it that compels a minority of people to not worship or believe in the gods? Are they simply people who have been brainwashed into believing atheistic nonsense? Are they those that have decided to follow a nihilistic and anarchic creed? Do they simply not believe in the wonders and splendours the gods have granted us mortals? It seems to me that the answer is a combination of all three, although there are those who follow only one of these three forsaken paths. Those that have chosen or were forced to choose the path of nihilism and anarchy often see the miracles of the gods as tricks by spirits, fae, or people who seek to scam those they see as naive. Some of these lost souls claim to have come to their conclusion on their own, seeing no evidence in the world for divine works. Others, it seems, have been brainwashed by some malignant force seeking to weaken the hold of the gods on our world. Whatever the case, these people are often met with fear, suspicion, and persecution, as should be rightfully done.
Monotheism
For those communities and people that worship only a single god, they are often said to worship near all-powerful and all-wise gods and goddesses. There are such gods who carry in them a spark of all aspects of nature, emotion, and idea. However, the near-limitless power that their followers claim they have are often exaggerations; many often show more of one particular trait, such as wind, the sky, or the Sun, than others. But what they lack in raw power they make up for in arrogance, and this is often reflected by the fact that many followers of a monotheon turn become haughty holy warriors and clergymen with truly barbaric views on what should be done to those who do not believe in their god. Orders such as the Shorhutai Kuth are frequent scourges in regions where these monotheists are allowed to spread unchecked.
Cults
There are, however, those groups that worship one particular god from a specific pantheon. The Uolkunlodn people on our western borders worship the god Velkun, the Flomish god of the sky, however they at times pay homage to the other gods of the pantheon. These people are often called cultists, and those ignorant of the dual nature of the word often persecute those who follow a specific god of a pantheon. Even amongst their own communities they are attacked, and as such many have gone into hiding. The Tashu Sheyochan Shiyan of our Empire was once a mighty cult of Tayochan Shiyan that at one point was so prominent that it was said that every fifth person was a Tashu. However, pogroms by Emperor Long Zi in the thirtieth year of his reign saw the Tashu dwindle in number to the point where they now only exist in rural and coastal villages, where even there they are a minority.
This short chapter concludes my writings. To my students who have read this far, I give you a thousand thanks. You are truly men and women of the cloth and worthy of great honour. May you never stop learning and may you never stray too far from Shubu Pobo Gondan.