Rite of Divine Apotheosis

This article has been contributed by: Yxjun

The Rite of Divine Apotheosis is the ritual through which a mortal being can become a Celestial deity. Known only by a select few individuals, unknown to many of the gods themselves, this ritual is highly difficult to perform, with many minute steps and hard-to-find objects required for its completion. This ritual allows an individual to bypass the natural process of becoming a god, taking multiple shortcuts to achieve divinity. It has been performed only once successfully, though many have attempted it, by a once-fey named Bylle. All others who have started the ritual have perished during the process.

History

After his failed ascension due to the intervention of his sister, Yxjun devoted the following centuries to studying the new forms of magic that the gods were using, eventually coming to a greater understanding of it than those harnessing it. It was not long before he crafted a theory on how to artificially obtain this godhood, though to his dismay, he was ineligible to perform it. So, he remained with this knowledge in his back pocket until a banished Seelie approached him inquiring after this knowledge. Admiring the trickster's ambition, Yxjun mentored the young faerie, and the two molded Yxjun's theory into a concrete ritual, which his apprentice was then able to perform - the first and only to do so successfully. In later years, many mortals had attempted to learn and perform the ritual, but for unknown reasons, all of them failed. This was perhaps due to the intervention of the gods, or some hidden criteria Yxjun has yet to figure out.

Execution

To even attempt this ritual, a prospective deity must obtain the blood of a Celestial god. In theory, the blood of an angel should work, though the sole successful ritual used the blood of a god. It also requires the assistance of four mortals, all of whom perish at the conclusion of the ritual, and an anchoring artefact so as to not lose the soul of the ascender.
First, the blood is used to draw a circle of ancient runes, remnants of one of the first languages. At each of the cardinal points of the circle are the true name of the individual attempting to ascend, the name of the Overdeity, the ancient name of the land, and an invocation to the Devourer. Each aspect is incredibly important to the ritual, and omitting any of the four can have differing yet catastrophic consequences.
Upon completion of the circle, the prospective deity must stand it the centre of the circle as four mortals stand on the cardinal points. Each must recite an individual incantation relating to the rune upon which they are standing, the speed of which must be exactly in time with all of the others. It is also important that all aiding individuals are free of any emotion for the duration of the ritual, as any difference in emotional state between them can cause the ritual to fail and everyone involved to lose their minds. Upon completion of the incantations, all four of the aiding mortals' souls will channel into the prospective deity, who must maintain focus on their anchoring artefact or risk being overwhelmed by psychic energy and dying. If they are successful in doing so, they will ascend to divinity.
Once someone has become a celestial through this ritual, it is vital that they find followers to maintain their power. Otherwise, they will fade into nothingness shortly after their godhood began. Unlike typical celestials, however, deities who ascend through this rite only need a handful of living followers - the minimum appears to be somewhere around ten, rather than the hundreds to thousands required for natural ascension.