Gods are plentiful in the world of Norrath, and their presence is felt everywhere. Agents of the gods are active in all corners of the world. Even clearly segregated cities devoted to good or evil gods often have one or two worshipers of an opposing god lurking somewhere within. Beyond the major gods, many more minor gods and powers exist in the universe, such as demigods and spiritual deities. Sometimes their handiwork is visible long ages after their actions. The gods struggle against each other constantly, often using the mortals who worship them as their agents.
Impossibly large and powerful, they rule from their various planes of existence, known as the
Planes of Power, as their true forms are too powerful for the mortal world. When more direct intervention on Norrath is required, the gods may send their avatars or create demigods to send to the lands of mortals to enact their will. Some gods choose to alter the form of their avatars to better blend in with the mortals on Norrath, while others choose to have it resemble their true form.
There are four main classifications of gods:
Elemental Gods
Sometimes referred to as primordial gods or the Gods of Power, the elemental gods were the first of the
The Nameless's creations in the universe. They are beyond the comprehension of mortals and lesser gods, and even the greater gods struggle to understand them and their motives. They exert an enormous amount of power over the world but who care nothing for the affairs of mortals nor seek mortal veneration through religions devoted to them.
The Nameless tasked them with creating the other gods to bring balance and order to the universe. They obeyed and created all of the other gods for this purpose. Some of these gods were the children of the elemental gods made in their image.
Greater Gods
The greater gods are those who were created by the elemental gods or
The Nameless itself. Considered the creators of all, they are responsible for Norrath's conception and (some say) its inevitable per-ordained devastation. Their breath is the wind through the trees; their voice is the roar of waters. They rarely intervene in Norrathian affairs, except when it is to use it as a proxy for their conflicts amongst each other. Not all greater gods are created equal, some are significantly more powerful than the others, but they are all more powerful than the lesser gods and demigods.
Demigods
Demigods are the lesser gods, generally taking on smaller avenues of creation and influence within the world of Norrath. Some demigods are mortals who received divine attention from one of Greater Gods and are rewarded with the gift of
divinity. Others ascend to godhood through accumulation of magical power and sheer force of will. They stand in for the avatars of the greater gods and frequently return to Norrath to engage in whatever activity earned them their divinity in the first place. It is possible for them to be as powerful as some lesser gods.
The Spirit Deities
Several powerful divine spirits are worshiped similarly to deities by Norrath's more primitive. They are different than the deities of power, influence, and nature as they do not exist to rule or be ruled by a plane of existence nor are they tied to mortal beliefs. They are divine creatures imbued in the physical and spiritual world of Norrath itself. Primal and nature based classes, especially agnostic ones, draw their power from bonds with the spirits of animals and nature. These spirit deities are the most powerful examples of such spirits.
Comments