Deities

in Deities & Religions

A deity was a divine being of great power.

“Operas, like the gods they so often portray, are a mystery to me. They are a mystery wrapped in an enigma swallowed by contradiction and covered by a silken shroud of dark chocolate and best served with hot milk before a nap.”
— Giogioni Wyvernspur

 

Description

Most deities, particularly those that were of intermediate ranks, controlled some aspect of mortal affairs, referred to as the god's portfolio. True gods were called Estelar and differed from the Dawn Titans (primordials).   All deities were either elevated to their positions by Ao (the overseer) or were approved by Ao to be worshiped in the Realms, in the case of interloper deities. No divine power found a permanent faith and power base without his approval, though there were cases of short-term quasi-divine beings who gathered faith from worshipers without being deities. The most noted example of this was the various fiendish cults that had arisen. In at least two cases, the worship from these cults had provided enough power or filled a niche that was not otherwise filled, and the fiends in question had become deities in their own right. Both Gargauth and the Minotaur deity Baphomet became deities by building on the power foundation of a fiendish cult.   A god's power was in large part determined by worship, the sum total of actions performed when venerating some divinities over others, including prayers and offerings in addition to general deeds and behaviour. The more fervent the worship and more abundant the worshipers, the stronger a god became. Worshipers were necessary for the continued existence and powers of most deities, and a fade in worshiper population or passion resulted in a fade in power which, in extreme cases, could cause a deity to die from neglect.  

Aspects

Some deities possessed alternate forms, referred to as aspects. Each aspect of a deity was wholly separate from the others, separated sometimes across different pantheons and event different planets across wildspace. The concept of divine aspects was sometime lost on or greatly misunderstood by a deity's numerous followers.  

Types of Deity

Deities could be divided into categories, either by rank, origin, or by living and dead.  

Types by Rank

 

15th century DR

Following the Second Sundering, the deities of the Realms withdrew most of their direct influence, the divine ranks were redefined, and the number of divine ranks decreased.  

Quasi-deity

A powerful being of divine origin that had potential to acquire true godhood. Types of quasi-deities were demigods, titans, and vestiges. Examples of quasi-deities as of the 15th century DR were Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul.  

Lesser deity

A deity that was embodied in the planes, from the Material Plane to the Abyss, etc. Examples of lesser deities as of the 15th century DR were Lurue, Sekolah, Lolth, and Auril.  

Greater deity

A deity that was beyond the understanding of mortals, almost always did not directly interfere in mortal affairs, and could not be summoned.  

Types by Origin

Native deities

The native deities of Faerûn were those whose worship arose during the creation of Abeir-Toril, or shortly after, and who were only worshiped there. In general, the native deities were worshiped by the native races of Abeir-Toril, those that arose from the primordial chaos at Ao's creation of Realmspace. humans, Dragons, lizardfolk, nagas, yuan-Ti, locathah, doppelgangers, and the fey races were the most common worshipers of native deities.  

Interloper deities

Humans, elves, and other creatures had made their way onto the face of Abeir-Toril over the millennia. Many of them brought their own divine patrons with them. Those gods who served portfolios where no native Faerûnian power exists seemed to almost automatically achieve divine status. Those whose portfolios conflicted with an existing deity were either absorbed into the existing deity, or may have contested for the power of their worshipers. In the last case, it would be a "winner take all" type of event, or the loser would have to accept a smaller portfolio and a subservient position within the pantheon.   The gods of the dwarves, Elf, illithids, halflings, and gnomes followed their respective peoples into Abeir -Toril. Later, the gods of the orcs and other goblinoid races did the same, following and supporting their worshipers.  

Types by Living Status

Deities could be categorized by their living status: alive or dead. This category held because a dead deity wasn't necessarily unable to influence the world.  

Dead Deities

"Behold the forsaken deities, their names whispered but their power extinguished. Even gods can meet their end, their stories lost to time. Learn from their fall, for it is a testament to the cycle of creation and destruction."
— Elminster Aumar

Deities, while immortal, were capable of dying. Conflict with other deities, conflict with great mortal heroes, and neglect were the most common causes of a divine demise, though it was also possible for a god to lapse into apathy, drift into sleep on the astral plane, and eventually perish. Ulutiu was a prime example of this last possibility.   Though a deity could die, at least a part of them would always remain. There were instances of worshipers of these deities tapping into these remnants to wield divine magic. Dead deities also had the potential to be resurrected if they maintained some kind of physical or metaphysical presence and a significant base of worshipers. For example, Garagos was thought to have revived himself in this way.