Category:Gods and Outsiders

Godliness
The innumerable deities of Altera come in many shapes and sizes, most existing in ever-changing levels of power and influence over the Prime Material plane. The origins of many are unknown, but some are directly created through group belief and worship. Throughout history, godliness has been obtained by many mortals, or even by concepts given form by beliefs. Some deities were once mortal or sprang from the combined belief of mortals akin to animism, but a deity cannot become mortal once they have risen to godliness. Their default fate, should their existence ever end, is of a different kind to that of mortals. Some fall dormant, their deific essence persisting in a form of hibernation, while others less fortunate meet a true end.

The Timeless
The Timeless deities have existed since long before recorded history, and are often the most powerful due to their domains and their intrinsicality. They are often tied to forces of nature or other immutable concepts; Gaia is the foremost deity of nature, its denizens, and its wrath. Her followers number in the millions, and many are created by her own power - Dryads, spirits of nature, Treants, and more exist because of her, and in turn worship their deific mother. Others exist as an embodiment of primary emotions or other concepts, such as love or death. Though other gods may draw powerful from the same domains, the Timeless will never truly vanish even if their worship wanes. In essence, the Timeless deities are so established that their beginning is beyond true comprehension, and their end unfathomable.

The Created
The Created deities are best described as those who have a traceable origin. Derizal was once a mortal, but he rose to Godliness through the adoration and worship of the nation he built. He exists now through continued worship and belief by the descendants of his original worshippers, but it is possible for him to become dormant or for his existence to cease entirely if worship of him were to end completely. The created vary significantly in power due to the nature of their existence, as they possess more or less power based on the size of their followings. It is possible for Created deities to be as strong as a Timeless deity, or even be so weak that particularly powerful mortals rival them.