#; lore

The punishment is the user gaining snake like features with each use until they turn into a large snake, and become a servant of Zalelaus.

     Dominus is the name of the realm, the world, and the planet -- and there exist many countries upon it’s surface. Religion, however, extends uniformly across the globe -- they all acknowledge the existence of the Pantheon. 

     Some countries worship certain deities over the others, but worship tends to be a personal decision more than a cultural one. Most commonly, the god you worship is related more to your personal values. Many people choose their personal patron based upon their occupation, though some cultures and countries have differing opinions on how patrons are decided. 

     The powers of a god, no matter how they were born, are based upon their aspects -- the concepts or things that they are the deity of. 

     The presence of their aspects and the active worship of them as gods provides the deities with energy, and power. It is channelled to them through their relics, and regulated in the same way. 

    All gods have one 'main’ relic, which represents their primary aspect -- this is the one that they had upon creation or birth, and is tied to their godhood and immortality. Without it, they are rendered mortal, and unable to return to their godly form.

     Some gods possess relics for all of their aspects, while others control all three (or both) of their aspects using their primary relic. These secondary ones form as their lesser aspects become more prevalent in the world, but aren’t tied to their immortality, only their secondary and tertiary aspects.They can act as a crutch, to help soothe the effects of being without their primary relic -- but they cannot return them to their godhood.

    Taking a god’s relic, whether primary or not, separates them from their power, and renders them unable to answer prayers, or access their major abilities. They struggle to regulate the flow of prayers and power, and are left vulnerable. Ordinarily, with their relic, they are able to access their gifts in a controlled manner -- without it, they are left at the mercy of their own aspect.

     When there is an influx of their aspect’s presence, all gods risk being overwhelmed -- even with their relic in hand. Without it, however, they are far more susceptible to the side effects of over saturation. They can become mad with power, controlled by their aspect, suffer from sensory overload, or experience excruciating pain -- and that is only a few examples. 

     Being at a temple of theirs can soothe the symptoms of being without their relic. While at their temple or in the possession of their relic, a god can grant blessings to mortals, as well as curses -- they are closest to their aspects, there. 

     They are never able to control mortals as if they were puppets, but they can influence their aspect in the world around them, and entice mortals toward certain behaviours, depending on their aspect. They can also gift their aspect to them, (ex; fair winds for a journey, good ideas, etc) or, conversely, withhold it. 

     All blessings or curses must be related to a god’s aspect, as it is the basis of all their abilities or powers, and the thing they have control over in the world. ( A god of wind, for example, is unable to bless someone with healthy soil, however an earth or agriculture god could. )

     If a god’s primary relic is destroyed, it destroys them, as well. Relics cannot be destroyed by other gods, however -- only mortals possess the capability to do so. However, touching a god’s relic has a powerful influence over mortals. Different relics have different effects, but they are all perilous for mortals to hold, let alone to wield. Should they dare risk their minds and their lives to find one, and carry it, they must find their way to Tartarus to destroy it. The land of chaos has a strange effect on relics, and on gods -- and there, mortal blood and mortal hands can overtake a godly relic. By casting them into the Abyss, and following them thereafter, a mortal can Ascend, to take the place of whichever god whose relic they’ve destroyed. 

AETHERIUM

     The realm of the gods, Aetherium exists in a separate ‘world’ from Dominus. It is ambiguously ‘above the clouds’, and can be accessed only from a rift that does exist, ‘where the sun touches the earth’ -- or so the legends say.     Mortals can be brought through, but without powerful magic of their own, cannot find or access the door on their own. Even if they do find it, though, they must contend with the gatekeeper -- and they are unlikely to let anyone in. 

DOMINUS

     The mortal realm, Dominus is accessed with ease from Aetherium, though it is mostly separated from Tartarus. It is the home of all mortals, and the realm most affected by the gods various aspects and influence. 

     Magic exists there only thanks to Tartarus’s walls being penetrated and opened eons ago, but it exists in secret. It effects the world in small ways, bonding itself to flowers and plants to gift them magical properties -- and particularly in crystals or stone, though most mortals cannot sense or make use of it.

TARTARUS

     The realm of daemons and the realm of magic, Tartarus is a lawless place of chaos and discovery. It changes with each passing minute, twisting within itself, and is considered a rather hostile environment for any non-magical being.

TRUEBORN GODS

     Gods that were created as a concept came to be, born from the Aetherium itself. They have no parents, neither mortal nor otherwise, and are considered the highest of the gods. Seracius is considered the highest of these gods, as he was born ‘first’.

      Trueborn gods and are ‘born’ at the height of their power, when their aspect is both newest, and strongest. They are considered the ‘greater’ or ‘original’ pantheon, even if a godborn deity was born before them, chronologically. 

GODBORN DEITIES

     Gods that were born of the union of two other deities, godborn deities are second in the hierarchy of the gods. They are considered slightly less powerful than their forebears, for the most part, but above mortal born gods. 

     These god’s primary aspects do not mimic those of their parents, but they do often relate to them. As well, they can often carry some of their parent’s aspects as their tertiary or secondary aspects. 

     Who their parents are can differ between myth and truth, as it is often unclear to many mortals who was borne of whom, and how. The birth of a god is unlike that of a mortal, and ‘gender’ does not factor into the equation.

MORTAL BORN GODS

     Born of a mortal soul that has ascended, mortal born gods are still revered and respected as deities, however, they are considered weaker by their ‘higher’ brethren, and treated accordingly. They are still gods, however, unlike demigods -- and thus, command respect from mortals, who do not often adhere to the gods own hierarchy system.

     Mortal born gods are created after large events in the world, during which they passed away. Sometimes, they are chosen by trueborn or godborn deities to ascend, but many are created with no outside influence. 

     Mortal born gods can be any age when they die, and also any age when they reform. A mortal born god who dies as a child is just as likely to appear as an adult when they ascend as they are to retain their child-like form. Usually, however, the events of their death or their life before relate to their primary aspect, in some way.

DEMIGODS

    The children of gods and mortals, a demigod’s worth depends on their accomplishments, to many of the gods. Familial ties matter differently to all of the gods, though many gods tend to keep distant from their mortal offspring. Demigods do not inherit their godly parent’s immortality. They do, however, inherit some powers related to one of their parent’s aspects, making them more powerful than mere mortals.  

     Many demigod ascend as mortal born gods once they pass away, and most of them have shorter lives. Demigods now are the heroes of legend and stories, as they are extremely rare -- even more so than mortals who can harness the magic of the world. 

DAEMONS

     Not gods, not mortals, and not quite something in between, daemons are a different race entirely from the deities that oversee Dominus. They are a varied assortment of creatures and beings; some are spirits of nature, or magic, lesser beings that lack the soul of a mortal, or the influence of a god. (ex; naiads, dryads, ogres, and trolls.) 

     Daemons hail from Tartarus, and for the most part, remain trapped there; some, however, have found their way through Chaos’s fractures, and call Dominus their home, in secret. Others have sworn loyalty to specific gods, and thus negotiated their freedom from their realm.       These Daemons are then related to their patron god’s aspect, and considered spirits of said aspect -- wind, wisdom, order, etc. This applies to all daemons of that race or species, and it is incredibly rare for them to live independently, and even further rare for them to remain in Tartarus.   

     Some daemons can swear fealty to magically gifted mortals, becoming their familiars in exchange for freedom from Tartarus as well, however doing so risks the ire of Seracius, and thus, few will risk it. 

MORTALS

     The humans of the realm, those that inhabit Dominus. Humans are mundane, though they can be skilled, clever, and talented enough to stand toe to toe to the gods in rare situations. 

     Some mortals can use magic, without being a demigod, or a daemon. This is a trait that they are born with, which awakens near puberty for them. It is not common knowledge to the population of Dominus as a whole, and their society works hard to keep it that way, after the systematic hunting of their people after the schism so many years ago. 

     Magic came to the mortals of Dominus when the Rift was opened -- or, so legend says. 

     Now considered myth, more than history, magic is the stuff of children’s stories. These stories tell of creatures known as Daemons -- magical beasts and beings that live within Tartarus, who revel in toying with mortals. They also brought forth magic into the world as they poured free, allowing rare humans the ability to accomplish great feats -- but with it brought forth death, destruction, famine, and war. Or, so everyone believed. 

     Historians 'know’ that the belief in Daemons caused mass hysteria, as neighbour accused neighbour, brother accused sister -- of being a monster, infected by their dark magic. In their desperate attempts to protect themselves, the people of Dominus attacked one another, kicking off a century and a half of fear mongering that resulted in the deaths of many innocent people. 

     Anyone who was suspected to be a Daemon -- anyone who could possibly be using magic was hunted down, and killed. 

    What the historians do not know, or perhaps refuse to acknowledge, is that the Daemons were real. They were dryads, sirens, mythical beasts and creatures that lived in the other realm. They were hunted in earnest -- and many of them did indeed fall to the hands of the frantic humans. All who died were not Daemon, though. Some, indeed, were simply humans; wrongfully convicted of ‘crimes’ they never committed, and caught in a hysteria that gripped the world. Others, however... others, were magic. 

     The power that the Daemons brought with them -- that Chaos unleashed within the world -- bonded to the souls of select humans. A rare assortment of people connected with the power, and were able to utilize it at will. Yet, amid the Daemon Hunts, they had no chance of blossoming. They learned quickly to hide their gifts, and they have yet to stop.

     Thanks to the fear bred by these hunts, magical mortals hide in plain sight, keeping their magic a secret from all around them. As it has faded now into myth, in the modern age, it has become easier -- but still, they dare not risk exposure. 

     Magical mortals aren’t always connected with the mythical underworld of Dominus, but it tends to find them, one way or another. Magic seems to pass through hereditary lines, though there is the occasional outlier -- orphans, skipped generations, or unawakened parents, that leads to a young mage being on their own. 

     When the three realms came into being, so too did the gods. Our realm -- the mortal coil, Dominus -- lies between the realms of the gods, Aetherium, and that of the daemons -- Tartarus. 

     Seracius was the first of the gods, born when the three realms came into being. He saw the first mortals take their first steps; and has guided them, ever since. As the other gods sprang into being, he took them too under his wing, shaping the world in his vision. 

     His first age -- the golden age -- was a time of prosperity. Of obedience. Fate guided both man and god, and the pathway for them was clear.

     And then Chaos was born. Or, rather -- she was discovered.

     Curiosity had long been man’s driving talent. As that curiosity lead them ever further along Seracius’s path, it lead them as well toward a doorway, hidden deep within the world. As mortal hands touched the rift under the darkness of a solar eclipse, long locked away from Dominus, that doorway sprang open; and the daemons were freed. 

     Unleashed upon an unsuspecting world, the daemons brought forth a time of upheaval. Of change, that Seracius had hoped to avoid. War, famine, plague, and pestilence... chaos, amid his once clear cut plans. Magic was a factor that was not meant to lie among the humans -- but with the daemons’s presence, so too came magic.

     The gods fought to repair the rift, sealing as many daemons as they could away, back into Tartarus -- but the damage was already done. The rift had been opened, and there was no sealing it again. There were cracks -- fractures.       And a new young goddess, amid it all. 

     She had no name, when she appeared, emerging from the confusion that the daemons caused. She radiated power, feeding off the chaos around her -- and Seracius named her abomination, the cause of it all. He rallied the gods in an attempt to destroy her, but one spoke out -- giving name to chaos, and for but a moment, order to the young goddess. He argued in her defence, speaking of discovery, change -- all things that had borne good, in the world, thanks to the chaos. He spoke of balance, and of the order of things; and in doing so, saved her from destruction.

     Seracius used the name to seal her away; but no name remained for long, and so too, her sealing did not last. Over many centuries, she slipped free once more, returning to the mortal realm, and the banished god who had named her. She introduced chaos to the fate of the world, upsetting the careful plans that Seracius guided. Endangering the mortals -- and enraging many of the gods. 

     They came for her in the mortal realm, chasing the daemons that had escaped alongside her. When they found her, the banished god tried once more to speak in her favour; and for his efforts, had his relic taken. His very voice, stripped away. 

     Chaos was sealed once more inside of Tartarus -- weakened, beaten, and restrained. In her absence, Dominus flourished; but change cannot be so easily stopped.      When next she escaped, she did so in secret. Sneaking through to the Aetherium, she found the relics of the gods who had crossed her - spurned her -and harmed her guardian. She had sought to find for him his voice, but still, that remained beyond them. The other relics, however...

     They were all too easy to steal away. 

      In one fell swoop, she cast them into the mortal realm, weakening the gods that had for so long kept her imprisoned. She robbed them of their godly forms; forcing them from Aetherium, ripping them from their homes. Their safety.

     Daemons walk the earth, unleashed from their prison at her side. Magic has surged, among the mortals, upsetting their lives and beginning the descent into chaos, once more. To stop her, the gods must band together; but without their relics, they have no hope of doing so. They need to find them... but to do that, they need to survive.