Gods
In Zol, a god is defined by academia as a being that fits all of these criteria:
- Is considered by a sect, culture or society as something greater than a mortal soul
- Is powerful enough to bestow a boon of their power to another being
- Has dominion over an aspect of Zol
- Is immortal by the rules of The Mortal Coil
The god’s influence is very present in Zol, each in their own unique ways. They affect society by communicating with, or granting power to mortals. Some gods even take a mortal form to move amongst society. These influences can be well intended, or malicious in nature.
There are many gods that exist in Zol, all with different intentions, morality, and powers. Some gods are supremely powerful, while others are limited in comparison.
The gods themselves have complex relationships with their peers that are not well understood by the civilizations of Zol, society has organized them into pantheons to better discuss them.
# Main Pantheons
| Pantheon | Description |
|---|---|
| The Zolaen Gods | The creators of Zol. A pantheon of gods who act with The Watcher in The Door as their king. Doing everything they can to see his image of Zol come to fruition. |
| The Wayward Gods | Beings of Zol who are of great power and influence, but do not see The Watcher in The Door as their ruler, nor do the commit themselves to any other group. They act on their own accord. |
| The The Wandering Gods | A group of alien beings who appeared to mortals after The Undoing. Mysterious in nature these gods not act like the others. Some think they caused the The Undoing, other think they are guardians; protecting mortals from the dangerous whims of other Gods. |
| The Void Gods | Beings who hate Zol. They crawled out of the Sea of Monsters to destroy Zol, and return it to the chaotic feast of power it once was: The Sea of Monsters. |
| The Trinity | Some religions like Trinaism and Ashian see The Trinity as a deity. However, most other groups see it as a force. |
# “God” as a catch-all term for powerful beings
There are many beings who’s primary focus is to rule over some dominion as a God. However, these are not the only beings that society refers to as a god. While academia may have rigid criteria for godhood, society may see any being or force of extreme power as a god.
# Minor vs Major Deities
Minor Deities are beings who have a great deal of power that gives them a degree of uniqueness and domain over some aspect of Zol. These beings have the ability to not only influence their domain, but give power to other beings to carry out their will. Sometimes these are called Small Gods.
Major Deities are beings who are vastly more powerful than most other beings. Their power and influence is only kept in check by other Major Deities with a contradictory will, or the great efforts of coordinated less powerful beings. To these creatures, a single mortal is but a blip in the cosmos.
# Small Gods
A loosely defined academic term equivalent to Minor Gods, the title Small God is given to beings who are seen as being at the pinnacle of mortal power, or the bare-minimum of godhood. Mostly this consists of beings like:
- Wordbearers
- Grand Insightors of The Kybis Assembly
- The Paige of Cups
- Draedon, the Ascended Wizard
- King Galliard due to his influence over The Crown Titans
- The Hags
- Members of The Coven or The Cult of the Mothers
- Heroes of legend
However some philosophers who write about individuals like Lord Leonell Vanveld of Holocene as if they are a sort of Small God due to their extreme wealth, or other power they posses. In short, the term Small God is not a quantifiable level of influence. It is instead a descriptor used to illustrate the assumed level of one’s power, and note the fact that they bear god-like influence.
# Wordbearers
Mortals who have achieved the ability to harness The First Tongue are known as Wordbearers. They are considered gods by some. It is not known how many Wordbearers there are, but the ones who are publicly known play a large role in society.
# Cosmic entities
Outside of Zol and its planes, beyond the The Great Wall of Roots, there lies an infinite cosmic expanse. Almost nothing is known of what lies beyond Zol, but it is understood that the world of Zol itself may be the dead body of one of the cosmos’ progenitors. This idea is enforced by many Religions.
These progenitors, known as the Great Old Ones once ruled the cosmos, or at least a large portion of it. However, they were driven away from their former power by some reality bending event. All of what is known about these beings is considered to be legend or speculation.
These beings are known of, but bear little modern significance in the day to day lives of mortals.
# Religion
A complicated topic in a world with so much power, so many gods, and so little that is understood.