Gods

Not considered a true species, the gods encompass the whole of Terra's pantheon. Whatever the gods are, however, is so far removed from the realm of mortals they cannot be called anything else. Their power is extremely broad, powerful, and largely, unknown. Few mortals have ever seen the full might of a god and it is hoped for all's sake that none ever will again, lest another catastrophe such as the The War of Black Ash happens again. Gods are protectors, guardians, and thought to be the very essence of the world itself, carrying out the whims of fate to steer all we know into a direction of peace and clarity. Others believe that the gods are merely extremely powerful beings, acting for their own benefit. Whatever the case, most are not vile to mortals, even benevolent, seeking to protect them and their lands while not coddling them.

Origins

The true origins of the gods is unknown, and the pantheon as we know them today may have had multiple starts throughout history. Most widely believe that the gods of life and death were the first to arise and did so much earlier than the other major gods, likely several thousand years prior to the first minor gods. It is widely accepted that the gods were born out of the chaotic magics unleashed by the dragons during their war with humanity, and many ancient myths and retellings are consistent in that the earliest gods were free agents, not bound by rule of law or custom to be loyal to any but their own kind and their own followers, though they could be just as fickle as they are today. The early gods are also widely understood from statements by the pantheon themselves to be quite different to they are now as well, both in their function to the world and in their power. Early members of the pantheon were signifgantly weaker and may not have had true immortality, as the vast majority of early stories of them tell that they were rather easily killed and died quite frequently. There also were signifgantly fewer members of the pantheon than there are today as well, with many gods we now consider crucial to the working of the world absent for vast stretches of time- The coyotes in particular did not have any god of their own, instead falling under the domain of Ferventi, God of Wolves until the death of his mate which lead to the rise of Mą’ii, the Coyote God and their full separation from Ferventi's cult.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

All gods often wear Divine Paint in times of war, often made from natural fruits and minerals native to their particular regions. These paints show their seriousness and intent to kill all who oppose them, while boasting their power. Many gods, like Fire God Vega, will actually use poisonous plants in their paints, or Ferventi, God of Wolves, using his own blood and ash.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

All gods possess extraordinary ability in the ways of magic, with even the weakest of them being able to create and destroy as they see fit. Their abilities are almost limitless.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Most typically, Major gods will contain four letter names. In the cases of beings whose names are longer than this, it is clipped shorter to stay in line with tradition. Minor gods will often use the name of their parent or predecessor as a surname, and are known to rename themselves with the names of major historical or mythological figures as a form of boasting and claiming their power as their own.

Major Organizations

Gods do not typically align themselves with the organizations of mortals, aside from their own cults of worshipers, priests, and followers. The larger a god's respective cult, the more their power swells, giving the power powerful of the gods incredible reach, even for the divine. Many gods, particularly minor gods, will align themselves as members of another god's cult, almost always choosing between Cult of Life and Shia's Cult, as followers of the God of Life or God of Death.

Relationship Ideals

There is no true law to the relationships of gods, and any sort of ideals are often self imposed. Typically, a god's options for a serious romantic relationship are expected to be limited to that of other gods, with all relationships with mortals being seen as quick summer romances, due to the short lifespans of mortals. This is not a hard rule, however, and some of the most well known romances with the divine are between gods and mortals- Yung Pagoni, God of Peacocks and Soliairs Taeyang's relationship when they were young, and of course Soliairs' relationship with Benjamen Stridde transcending death itself. Gods rarely stick to monogamy, and are known to have boundless sexual relationships with each other regardless of their own domains, allegiances, wars, and partners. Few gods make any hard distinction between genders or preference as long as the other party is willing. Many gods are especially known for freely having relationships with a very large amount of mortals, Ferventi, God of Wolves being the most well known and the result of his sexual trists creating the modern race of Werewolves.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

There is no language of the gods, and no known language exists crafted by them. All gods can be understood regardless of one's native tongue and the one the god intends to speak in, so such a thing isn't necessary. Individuals with hearing loss or who are deaf can still hear the gods, describing it as 'in their soul' rather than as a sound.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

All gods are protectors of the natural world, with Minor Gods in particular taking up the role as leaders and guardians of specific species. Although there have been conflicts between particular gods and people before, and surely will be more in the future, for the most part gods rarely seek to harm people other than in self defense.

Genetic Ancestor(s)