The Gods

A brief primer on the Gods, for scholars of reality and the world by Emer Alasta, Librarian of the 3rd Rank of Wisdom's Grand Library

What are they?

Beings of immense, but constrained power. Existing on a higher plane of the world, they can effect great works through us, their faithful. But it is this constraint that many overlook; that they require the presence, will and worship of their faithful to perform these divine acts. Amateur historians often question why the gods did not forewarn of some impending tragedy. But if no member of their faithful knew of the events to come, then neither did they.
The gods don't often speak of this, but why should they? It is a simple matter of their nature, to them. I do not often record my bowel movements. More plain-speaking clergy, have, however, elucidated from the lips of the Gods themselves, that they require our worship to have power, and require our presence to effect it. Just as a Cleric is a conduit for a God's divine will, the Gods, it seems, are a conduit for our shared faith. (I don't mean to ascribe, by this passage, that the Gods have no will of their own. It is a matter of recent record, that the Gods have disagreed with even the highest members of their clergy. I simply wish to assert that our bond with them is more circular than some recognise.)
Of their nature, we must also be clear; The Gods are not like you or I. They have great wisdom, great intellect and great knowledge. But these are not the same as the equivalent mortal traits. And ascribing them mortal motivations is a foolish act. Each of them embodies their domains, and sees the world through that lens. To think they would have the same base thoughts or desires as us, in my opinion, diminishes them.
It is, lastly, worth mentioning that as a matter of oral legend, as well as the Gods' testimony; there used to be many more Gods. It is often accepted fact that all the gods, save ours, and Malthracion's, died in the Worldshock a millenia ago. But, if the gods only act through their faithful, what is to say that these lost gods are not simply; lacking in faithful? Perhaps these lost gods might be resdiscovered through experimental worship, or historical documents? (Please see Appendix B: Petitions to Luna's Church & Skyship Admirality, interested readers). What have I told you about espousing this theory in primer documents, Emer? - See me.

So what can they do?

Scholars categorize their effects upon the world into three categories: Presence, Channeling and Intervention. Presence is the most commonly witnessed act, for a layperson. Any dedicated member of a church, once they have received the correct rites, can summon the presence of their God. At the least end are Motes. In the middle; Aspects. And at the highest magnitude: Avatars. I will detail these further below, but in summary, these manifestations can effect the world depending on their strength, as well as providing a more direct communion with the faithful's deity. Nearly all official clergy initiates can summon Motes, whilst Avatars are rarely summoned by those outside the direct leadership councils of the churches.
Channeling is more commonly sighted on the battlefield, as an act of the God's power through a faithful person. An act of both willpower and practice, these acts vary wildly in application and strength. From healing wounds, to smiting blades. From returning from the brink of death, to raining divine radiance upon Malthracion's armies. Those who can perform such acts are rare, and their methods of doing so are nearly as varied as their applications, and detailing them here is beyond the scope of this document. From using the sacred language of the gods, to personal divine connections, and countless more.
Intervention is so rare that records have repeatedly mistakenly attributed it to the Channeling of the faithful, until directly clarified by the Gods in question. When enough faithful are present, and their will united, direct divine intervention is possible, at an apparently not-insignificant cost to the God invoked. The most recent example is some 50 years ago, at time of writing, when Valeria became unresponsive for several weeks after destroying two thousand Malthracion troops that had overrun Fort Endurance, on Amaranth's west approach. Further details are scarce, as Valeria's faithful at the scene were reportedly consumed in the same radiance that destroyed the invading army. An act of sacrifice noble enough to keep Valeria's church together in prayer for the weeks until her return.

What do they look like?

Asking the gods what they look like on their own plane is, according their own words; 'A nonsensical question. We do not see each other. Nor ourselves.' And so I will use this section to detail their manifestations.

Motes

Motes are small and generally of limited power, pertaining to only minor acts in their God's domain. They appear as a simplified representation of that god: for Tethys perhaps a bubble. For Luna, a spark of moonlight. Many are their forms, and they often personally specific to the worshipper. Likewise, instead of being the presence of the God per se, motes are a representation of their power. They are usually only able to communicate, telepathically, with the summoner. Furthermore, they do not seem to have the actual attention of the god in question - for example: asking a query to a mote is not drawing the full attention and intellect of their God, and you are likely to receive a general answer rather than a specific one. More often, they are simply used to remind oneself of the god's wishes, or edicts. It is worth remembering, however, that they have some power that they may expend. For example, motes of Hircus have been known to free the faithful from traps, and motes of Valeria are often used to bless marriage bindings. Such uses tend to immediately expend the mote, but they are otherwise able to persist for several hours on our plane.

Aspects

Aspects, as their name implies, are a more refined aspect of the god in question. When the faithful summon them, it is their intent that determines the aspect in specific, and so a warrior-priest on the cusp of battle, calling on Valeria might summon a Shieldmaiden to watch over his unit. In size, aspects tend to be much larger, though no bigger than an adult tiefling. Some appear humanoid, but others are esoteric still; coils of water or wild beasts. Some are reportedly, a sense or feeling of something, rather than a visible entity. Aspects more readily engage in conversation, including conjecture or advice on specific situations. Furthermore, questions directed to them, even if they are unable to answer immediately, do reach the deity's full attention after the aspect 'rejoins' them. (Though frequently, I am told, questions are asked without correct context, and the aspect's return with an answer is equally disappointing!) On the other hand, their presence on our plane seems to more readily burn through their power and even the practiced faithful have trouble holding them to our world for more than an hour. Still, they are able to perform one or more divine acts, much like motes, as an expenditure of their power.

Avatars

Avatars are usually only summoned by the council leaders of any specific church, and the form of each god's personal Avatar is frequently the same. As such, these avatars are often taken as 'what the god looks like', and artists have copied their likeness for many works. (See Deviation in Avatar Representation: Mistakes or Evolution? for my treatise on Avatar changes over the past millennia.) Most laypersons will only see an Avatar at festivals or before a very important battle, and so, few get to personally converse with them. Their words are, by their decree, treated as the God's direct intent, even though they themselves have clarified that they and Avatars are not one and the same. (For one thing, multiple Avatars of a god can be called simultaneously.) Avatars, I am informed, can exist on our plane for only a matter of minutes, and it can be weeks or months before they can be summoned again by the same faithful. Nonetheless, during that time, they can have a significant effect on the world. Unopposed Avatars can win entire battles. Tethys' Avatar is the only reason the harvest is enough to feed the city. Luna's Avatar has blotted out the sun at noon.