New Gods

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The New Gods sprang into existence from Gaea's connection with the Demiurge before the rise of Atlantis 50,000 years ago. New Gods are the progeny of Gaea and other Elder Gods, and they are spread among a multitude of demesnes in the region of the Demiurge, such as Asgard, Olympus, and New Genesis. Godlings assumed guises, values, and characteristics from dozens of disparate tribes and cultures that existed in the prehistory before Atlantis.

Biology of a Godling

The godlings have some common traits. Breathing, eating, and sleeping, are affectations borne by their affinity for mortal worship and regard. Being deprived of food can destabilize their harmony and weaken them, but will not kill them outright. They can lift anywhere from ten to thirty tons and have superior endurance to mortals. Some have significantly enhanced senses and reflexes. Almost all of them have a innate attunement to magic flowing around them. Human pathogens, poisons, and natural extremes of heat and cold have little effect. All godlings, from Asgard to Olympus benefit from the All-Speak, allowing them to communicate effortlessly with any living, intelligent creature connected to the realms of the Demiurge. Gods do not age the way biological life does and can recover from wounds that would permanently cripple a mortal. Barring destruction, godlings will live indefinitely as long as worshippers petition them.

Notably, godlings are not created with a soul, and can gain one only by virtue of mortal association and forswearing their divinity. Nor are they creatures of flesh. Their organs are little more than rough imitations and cellular examination reveals only the blurry, swirling mists of magic holding together shaped astral matter. Unless freely given or taken by magical means, scraps of flesh and blood and hair will return to the aether moments after being separated. Godlings do not otherwise genetically reproduce; they simply shape the requisite cosmic energies when the harmony of the pantheon requires a new godling be born.

An injured god requires magic, not medicine, if they wish to heal. Destroying a godling outright requires a force of sufficient energy to overwhelm the magical energy that keeps their physical vessel intact. Slain in this way, a godling's memories and essence can be lost into the universe, and may leave their home harmony greatly lacking for wont of that energy as well as the worship the god attracted. When godlings dream, their consciousness tends to stay in the shelter of Yggdrasil's many realms rather than voyaging to the Astral like a mortal. On rare occasions, the Demiurge attempts to divulge prognostications to dreaming godlings, but these messages almost always end up as a confusing array of irrational prophecies.

Demigods

The process of attaining godhood is not one that's well understood by even the Primarchs. Like the Fae, some half-mortals have been taken to spiritual realms and over time, forsworn their mortality to become part of their parent's realm. If the demigod is raised with mortals, they tend to have lesser abilities than their divine parent. However, they are more likely to manifest a soul by virtue of their ongoing contact with mortals. Producing a demigod requires the mixing of mortal biology with the divine magic of a god, with the mortal's soul and willpower shaping a viable embryo. Demigod genetic maps often have at least one 'perfect' chromosome, with no broken or junk DNA sequences. There are three thematic elements that tend to crop up the most frequently: The Sacrifice, surrendering something of great personal importance or value; The Transmutation, giving up mortality or divinity, because gods don't have souls and mortals can't be gods; and The Separation, where the ascendant chooses one world over the other.

The Home of the Gods

The homes of the godlings are all connected to the Demiurge by a series of branches called Yggdrasil. New Genesis can be accessed by space travel. Other planes are located immediately adjacent to Earth and can be reached by travelling to certain mountains or areas (Takamagahara and Heliopolis). Asgard's reality protrudes into real space and can be visited with interstellar starships. Boomtubes are a means of instantaneous transportation around the branches of Yggdrasil; in Asgard it takes the form of the Bifrost, while New Genesis can replicate this magic with their advanced technology.

Each dimension, or 'demesne', is a domain that reflects the attitudes and spirits of the creatures that live there. There is a symbiosis between the gods and their demesne, and between the realms and the mortals who believe in them. It is in the nature of these godlings and ideologues to be unchanging; only the beliefs and vision of mortal minds can change what a god *is*. The symbiosis of belief, demesne, worshipper, and god is called 'harmony' and is a key component to much of the structure of the universe.

Navigating between all dimensions via the 'branches' of Yggdrasil is swift and effortless for the New Gods. Several realms maintain casual treaties and alliances with other dimensions. Prior to the Age of Humanity, the New Gods made frequent visits to Earth and traveled freely.

At the 'high point' of any dimension, the place of greatest power, the Primarch of that dimension is virtually omnipotent. Through their connection to the Demiurge, each primarch has access to the Power Cosmic, a fundamental force of creation that few creatures in the universe can channel. They can establish the reality of their realm with only an effort of willpower. The further a ruler goes from the high point, the weaker his powers become. Rarely do Odin and Zeus, among others, venture from their thrones, for that reason. Many choose to send emissaries, avatars, or children out into the universe to defend against threats and spread their ideology. This attracts new souls and grows the power of the realms.

Demesnes:

Several prominent domains and the gods ruling them include:


Notable Exceptions

The Vishanti are a special case: Hoggoth is a First God and Oshtur is the daughter of Gaea. Their son, Agamotto, forms the third part of the Vishanti triad.

Amon-Ra, also know as Atum, is the youngest of the Elder Gods despite being worshiped in the pantheon of the Ennead.

Homo Immortalis were created at the same time as the New Gods, but by Celestial bioengineering rather than the magic of the Demiurge. The Titanians occupy Saturn's artificial moon of Titan. The twin worlds of New Genesis and Apokalips were created as control groups for genetic experimentation. This realm is the home of the Forever People. These realms share a single dimensional plane, with two points of power. Highfather wields the Power Cosmic, whereas the evil Darkseid uses his Omega Force. The twin worlds exist at the heart of a singularity that makes traditional travel to or from the system an extraordinary challenge. Their approach to technology and travel has allowed for substantially advanced scientific developments to parallel their mystical affinities, putting them on par with the more empowered deities of other realms.

There are many other sub-dimensional realms spread around the universe. Any sentient race of sufficient intelligence and mutual harmony is capable of instinctually creating the conditions that lead to the budding of a new demesne, and attracting new intelligences to it that grow naturally out of such conditions. X'hal of Okarra ascended into godhood among the Okaarans and Tamaraneas; the Sky Lords of Indigarr were worshipped by primitive life forms on the planet Indigaar. No other realm or region of space has such a density or complex ecosystem of demesnes as Earth and the realms associated with Yggdrasil.

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