Deity

A deity of Seven Skies is an immortal, supernatural being that personifies and encourages a singular ideal, concept, or philosophy.

Although they are divine, their power is finite, and rarely wielded directly. Instead, the gods work to spread their gospel through their respective religions.

In cases where they feel more direct involvement is necessary, many gods will seek out a mortal who is best suited for their purpose. In most cases this means someone who has fully devoted to their ideal; the more they have sacrificed for their god's cause, the better. However, in some cases a god will choose a mortal based on other factors, dependent on the specific purpose they have for them. These chosen mortals are known as Avatars, and are blessed with a small portion of their deity's divine power.

Each god's religion manifests in different ways depending on their philosophy. Many religions are large enough that their local chapters serve a municipal or civil purpose as part of their work. For example, members of the Church of Truth serve as historians and archivists—and in some cases, interrogators. Very few religions span the whole globe, however; at least, not in the same form. During the Age of Exploration, explorers have encountered religions that serve the same philosophy (and presumably, the same deity behind it) but that are structured very differently depending on the native culture and race.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Deities rarely take physical form. When they do it varies wildly, depending on the people to which they appear, the timing of their appearance, and perhaps most importantly the purpose of their appearance.

Additional Information

Social Structure

There is no hard evidence that any particular god has any direct command over another. Some are certainly more prominent than others, such as the god of Life, but historically nothing points to a divine correlation between popularity and authority. There is in a practical sense, though, as the sheer ubiquity of the Life religion leads to it becoming the dominant religion in many corners of the planet.

Deities do not directly interfere with each other, as far as mortals know, but they often come into conflict—or work together—through their mortal followers. Few major events worthy of the gods' attention involve only a singular domain.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The true extent of a god's abilities and powers are a major point of contention between religious scholars. Some argue that as the gods are incapable of directly interacting with the mortal plane, and the few accounts of such events are fabricated exaggerations of natural phenomena. Others argue that they possess far more power than they've been given credit for, and that they simply choose to restrict themselves by some unspoken agreement beyond mortal understanding.

Regardless of the academic debate, historically speaking gods virtually never get involved in domains other their own. Whether this is actually impossible or simply a choice is unknown, as in the very few examples of such occurrences, arguments could be made that the god's domain was indeed involved, albeit loosely. Incidentally, these examples are often brought up as evidence that oftentimes mortals' understanding of a divine domain may not be complete.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

(forthcoming)

Major Organizations

(forthcoming)

Gender Ideals

The deities themselves are not gendered. That said, mortals sometimes assign genders to them, based on their respective cultures' understanding of genders.

Origin/Ancestry

Unknown

Lifespan

Immortal