Gods, as described by the Universal Strata Model, are a product of Natural Personification, specifically Material Concentration: the result of the Unreal’s inability to manage excess amounts of Real. Gods are subject to unique rules imposed on them by this altered and improvised form of Unreal. Despite this Gods are capable of interacting and existing in Reality like normal entities.
Theogenesis is the study of Gods, how they work, and why they exist. It is a study primarily taken on by astronomers, and especially wizards.
Creation
Further information: Natural Personification
Gods are known to be created via two means: Natural Personification, and domain subdivision. Despite this, only two Gods are known to be products of personification, the Gods of What Is and Is Not. All subsequent Gods were created by other Gods through the process of subdivision.
Natural Personification, specifically Material Concentration, creates Gods as a way to resolve an imbalance in the interaction between the Real and Unreal. This original imbalance, resolved through the creation of the Gods of What Is and Is Not, appears to have been stabilized enough that no further Gods have ever been created in this manner.
Domain subdivision, unlike Natural Personification, is a willful act that may be performed by one or more Gods, dividing their domain(s) into two or more domains and creating new Gods to preside over them. It is unclear if domain subdivision is a fundamental ability of Gods, or if it was created with the creation of the First Epoch Star.
When Gods divided their domains the former Gods typically retain control over their domains, succeeding only a small portion of their control to the new Gods. In some scenarios Gods may completely forfeit control of a portion of their domain. As Gods domain’s are divided and joined together a trend of domains becoming emergent properties of Reality and not fundamentals emerges.
Perennial Classification and the Heavenly Lineage Model are the two primary methods by which theogenists classify Gods. HSL classifies Gods based on their direct lineages and is used to gauge the significance of a God. Perennial Classification divided Gods into two distinct categories—Higher- and Lesser-Gods—dependent on whether or not control of their domain has been completely forfeited by their creator.
Appearance & Hearts
Gods’ physical presences in Reality come in the form of their hearts, single points in space which represent the position of the God. Gods’ hearts form spherical transparent structures around themselves which warp incoming light, obscuring their position. These hearts are described in a multitude of stars, including Mortality Revisited, the Afterlife Star, and many stars throughout Death’s Star System.
Several factors regarding Gods’ hearts appear to change depending on the materialized state of the God. The more material a God is the larger its heart grows, vice versa the less material a God becomes. Gods’ hearts also exert a repulsive pressure on their surroundings which wavers the more material a God becomes.
While not a property of the heart itself, Gods are known to draw in entities related to their domain, arranging them into stable structures around their hearts. These entities provide protection to the God while also allowing them to express themselves physically.
Abilities
Gods possess a wide range of abilities derived from their relationship with the interaction between the Real and Unreal. Many of these abilities were first established with the publication of the First Epoch Star and have since been regulated through the passing of various legal stars. Examples include the Material Limits Act, Spatial Act, Energy Act, Relations Act, and many more. Most notably, the Harmonic Treaty severely restricted the influence of Gods over the Plane in an effort to prevent further God-War-like incidents.
Beyond their abilities of domain subdivision and the repulsive pressure exerted from their hearts, Gods are also capable of manipulating Reality. The extent to which they can do so appears to depend on numerous factors, including their degree of materialization—the more materialized a God appears to be, the less control they exert over Reality. A God’s effective range of influence also seems to diminish with distance and materialization, they exert a stronger control over areas closer to their hearts. Additionally, interference from other Gods sharing the same domain can weaken each other’s control, and some domains are subject to far greater regulation than others—energy Gods have heavily regulated domains, unlike elemental Gods.
Gods are also capable of publishing stars to the heavens. Unlike organisms which require limn to forge stars, Gods can form stars without external resources. To Gods the creation of stars appears to be a natural act, requiring little conscious effort or preparation. Gods may choose whether a star should be published or remain on the Plane. Multiple Gods may also come together to publish stars. Legal stars which inhibit a Gods control over their domain must be published by or contributed to by the God(s) (or those God’s parents) who will be effected.
Upon their death, all stars published by a God will fall back to the Plane as rocky debris. These remnants retain the general form of the original star, but preserve little, if any, of the language which was inscribed onto them. Gods are capable of reviving fallen stars and republishing them.
Materialization
Gods are capable of undergoing a process known as dematerialization, wherein they forego their existence in Reality as a physical entity. It is unclear how this works or where the Gods go, though works such as Historical Depictions of Gods and The Nature of Gods have attempted to address this. Materialization exists on a scale, where Gods can either be highly materialized or lightly materialized. Factors like a God’s emotions, or the Material Concentration of their domain, seem to have an impact on how materialized a God is at any given point.
Gods have complex and emotional minds, like living things, and see survival as a positive. If threatened, to sustain their survival, Gods will assume defensive and offensive capabilities—but, to do so must further materialize, increasing the size of their heart while simultaneously decreasing the repulsive force which would normally protect their heart. In some instances this can create a negative feedback loop, wherein a God begins growing more materialized because of their desperation for survival.
If dematerialization was voluntary and the conditions are right, a God may willfully reenter Reality at their own command. Through Material Concentration they may also be rematerialized without their consent. The exact mechanisms and modeling behind dematerialization and Material Concentration are not well understood and are an active subject of research by theogenists.
Half-Gods
Highly material Gods are capable of holding sensual relationships with organisms, although their ability to do so is highly regulated by the Relations Act. These relationships are capable of fertilization of either party—the God or organism—although how this comes about is not well understood. The resulting pregnancy gives rise to either a Demi-God or Womb-God depending on whether the mother was the organism or the God respectively.
Neither Demi- not Womb-Gods are well understood phenomena.
Death
Gods’ hearts are susceptible to disruption by foreign bodies; to kill a God requires lodging a foreign object into their heart. This process is described across various stars, many of the same which describe their hearts.
When a God dies it is possible that their portion of the Real and Unreal becomes inaccessible to Reality. Instances of this occurring are few and far between, the greatest example being the Lost Elements Star. Whether or not a God has complete control of their domain, including its existence, is decided by the parent(s) of that God when they are created.
The exact mechanisms by which a God’s death works are debated, but it’s believed that by disrupting the heart the Unreal which holds them together is disrupted, causing a collapse. It’s hypothesized that a God can be brought back from the dead by their original creator(s), and this seems to be supported by recorded interactions with Gods, though there is no recorded instance of this occurring.
Also See
This article is considered complete for the moment, but is missing sections which can be elaborated on as the setting develops! If you think it needs expansion now, suggest an edit through a GitHub issue!
This article could use expansion on the history and cultural impact of Gods. Could also use some elaboration on specific details around how Gods operate.