Hero

A hero (masculine) or heroine (feminine), in the face of danger, combats adversity through impressive feats of ingenuity, bravery or strength, often sacrificing his or her own personal concerns for their sense of the greater good and peace. Those who take heroism as a profession are referred to as Pro Heroes or Champions.

What makes a Hero or Heroine?

The first thing to do is clear up the problem of semantics. In this world, there are two definitions of hero; subjective and objective. The subjective definition is someone of great moral character who displays their strong skill, courage and bravery in the face of danger and adversity.
The objective definition originally meant someone empowered by the gods to do their work in this world. Ever since the Samsara Pilgrimage, this definition now refers to any profession that involves rescuing people from danger.
A hero can be any of the mortal intelligent races that exist in the world, though most have been fey humanoids throughout history. For example, before and during the Ghulat Wars, Dwarves, Elves, and Gnomes, were the bulk of the hero races.

Types of Heroes

Classical
These heroes were raised by their town or lords to be warriors via rigorous training followed by being blessed by their patron deity. These heroes were known for taking on adventuring quests for treasure, controlling the populations of monsters, etc. resulting in personally glory as well as showing off the influence of the gods in the mortal world.
Many heroes took on adventuring classes during their training days, which they often honed to the highest degree, some even creating a new class with their expertise.
Rescuer
These type of heroes are employed in professions where their main job is to save lives in a dangerous environment. Many of these careers are within the law enforcement, fire department, emergency medical, coast guard, even military sectors.

Superhero
These heroes possess supernormal powers used for fighting crime, protecting the public, and usually battling villains who also possess supernormal abilities.
Superheroes often have a distinctive uniform or costume, often used to conceal the secret identity or as specific battle wear that is needed to fight and use their powers and abilities more efficiently. Costumes are often colorful to enhance the individual's visual appeal and frequently incorporate the superhero's name and theme.
Hero names are considered very important, as they are able to bring a person closer to the image they may want to cement, and are also able to reflect their true character.

Terms such as masked crime fighters, costumed adventurers or masked vigilantes are sometimes used to refer to superheroes without supernormal powers or advanced combat magic but have mastered skills such as martial arts, espionage techniques, and applied or forensic sciences to a highly remarkable degree or rely on magical weapons or technology.

History

Favor of the Gods

Heroes came into existence not long after the deities created the Godrealms to reside in. Wanting to keep their influence the material world, they raised heroes to performed inspiring acts to ensure that people would continue deity worship. In conjunction, the clergy for the various deities made the training of heroes a central pillar of their strategy to prevent monsters/invaders from invading settlements and spreading their religions.

The usual route for becoming a hero seemed to be a combination of rigorous training and holy blessings. Heroes would typically be the very best warriors. Mortal beings chosen by fate (rather than a recruiter or drill sergeant) to become heroes may find their development watched over by a warrior class angel sent from a Godrealm, typically a Valkyrie.

After the Gods

With most gods leaving their positions in the Samsara Pilgrimage, the process of being empowered by deities became increasing rare. A shift began where an ideal hero wasn't simply someone chosen by the gods to fight evil, but anyone willing to selflessly protect and rescue others despite the risk to themselves.

More occupations were born modeled after this ideal in various sectors known as rescuers. Also increases in population led to increases in individuals with unique powers called Endowments, many using them to become superheroes.

Type

Professional

Form of Address

Hero [Insert personal name here]

Alternative Naming

Champion, Rescuer