Ascension

In ancient times it was possible for a non Prime Asmer to get an immortal form through a process we called ascenion. With their new forms they inherited great power and could become gods and angels in their own right. My people tried to reproduce this with the Asmer technology that we found but never came close.

— Yamaderis

Ascenion is the long lost technology that allowed people from any race to become a Prime Asmer. The majority of the people in Niorath is unaware that this is even a technology, still believing it is a divine process. The humanoids in that underwent the process would have their minds transferred to an artificial body of superior design. Not only did this body ensure immunity to biological death, it also allowed the transferred persons to expand their minds and gain many new abilities.
What many agree on is that some of the gods of the various pantheons of the world at some point went through the ascension process. Not every god was a Prime Asmer at the start. Only those that arrived with the divine vessel of Indovir, the other ones were born as ordinary humanoids. Most with a humanoid background did use illusions to keep a form close to their original humanoid form.

Ascension by Endless Space 2 Vodyani

History

Arrival

When the Prime Asmer arrived on Niorath they brought the process of Ascension with them. At first they did not allow any other Humanoids to ascend but eventually they decided to increase their numbers. Most would become lesser Asmer, commonly refered to as angles by the people of Niorath. But some, however, would join the ranks of the Prime Asmer themselves.
Famous gods who went through the process of ascenion are for example Lofior and Tanajin. Both of them chose bodies similar in size to their original and used illusions to hide the artificial nature of their bodies.

Lost

When Magicfall caused many gods to die or return to the Divine Realms of Nervonia the process of ascension was lost. So far no ancient ruins have been found with knowledge on it. The Deep Gnomes of Tanaria are known to have tried to replicate it, but failed. Many even belief is that the quest for divinity is what caused them their fall.

Tanajin Humanoid Form by Kefkejaco with Heroforge

Process

Lesser Asmer by Kefkejaco with Heroforge

Mystery

How one actually ascends is still a mystery to this day. The only thing that is known is that for a Humanoid to ascend they needed a new body that was created by the Prime Asmer themselves. Thus far nobody has been able to come close to reproducing it and any such projects are often kept secret. There is a rumor that the Pavan Soulknights were originally one such project that were reworked later on.
Once a body was ready the person's mind would be transferred to the new body, expanding the person's capabilities enormously. In addition to that it is known that once the newly ascended had one body it was easier to get a new one. This is most likely what happened every time a god died and was then reborn.