Would you believe that I am a god? You wouldn't think it to look at me would you? A humble blacksmith but then again, everyone needs a job and a good blacksmith is hard to find. I used to forge lightning and my hammer sounded like thunder against the anvil. Its not really important how I ended up here. You'd do well to remember that not everyone wants to recall their arrival to this place. Either way I like to keep my nose clean and my head down. It's remarkably easy to do - just make sure you're useful, but not too useful and try not to piss anyone off.
Worshippers? Ha! Well, I've got apprentices and that does well enough as long as you teach them the proper respect for the forge and for the hammer if you know what I mean, they never need to know about me. They can keep their guesses to themselves and I can stay that little bit safer. Now, if you'll excuse me unless you've got a horse for me to shoe or a lightning bolt for me to temper I've got work to do.
- Berant Smith, blacksmith in the City and former Goddess of Thunder.
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A God? Moi? But of course! It’s not as if I'm hiding it, and frankly it would be criminal to hide a body like this one. Haven't you ever wanted to be loved darling? All my followers are loved. I look after those who love me and they're all part of my happy family. I can make your dreams come true. I can satisfy you like no other. I can give you bliss and you need never worry again. All you need to do is join me, follow me, worship me… love me.
- Francisco, Socilite and God of beauty.
A god is a creature that draws its power from the adoration of others. Born of the belief of mortals, once created they can nuture the belief that was responsible for their birth to grow and thrive.
Gods can be hurt and killed just like anyone else. Unlike others however they can defend themselves using the power gained from the worship of their followers. Thus to get to a point where anyone could harm a God, they must first reduce the power base (e.g. the number of people worshiping the God) that that God could draw on for defence. Most Gods style themselves as a God of something but that is cosmetic - their power is that of creation and their perview merely a way of attracting a particular group of followers and perhaps a reflection of what initial faith created them.
The Gods of the world of End of the Line are fallible creatures and far from all knowing… more akin to the gods of 'The Discworld' and the mythic pantheons of ancient Greece and Rome full of squabbling and argumentative individuals. While some are old, they have been around only as long as there have been things to believe in them. The all seeing, all knowing, creator god is not what the Gods of this world are like.
Gods have the power to create whatever they desire bar sentient life. Creating sentience requires an understanding of a spark of something else, something that no-one has yet understood well enough to create… Other than that there are few limits; Manna appearing from nowhere, lightning bolts from the blue, whole buildings from thin air. As you can imagine this makes them incredibly versatile in a place like the City where getting new things is incredibly difficult.
There are few limitations on what a God can create - simple things like food and water and rock and wood are easy to create with raw power. More intricate devices such as machines are much harder and intelligent living breathing creatures practically impossible. The limits of what you can create stem from your understanding of a thing. Food should be nourishing and water wet, a building should provide shelter and contain many rooms, rock should be hard while wood should be supple and flexible. These are all concepts we are familiar with. However when trying to create something like a steam-engine or a clockwork mechanism how many of us really know how all the cogs work or how the pieces fit together? A scientist might have a chance to create such a thing if they were capable of it but then again they cannot since they are not a god. The things created by Gods last indefinitely. You must be able to see what you are creating and fine detail may require that you are close enough to see it in order to create it. Once they are created however they are permanent and will not vanish like fairy gold.
However there is one more key limitation and that is where your power comes from. Gods require the awe of others not only for their miracles but to sustain their very being. They require the worship of followers and the belief that they have to fuel the creation of such miracles. All gods have followers. Most have enough to keep them in good health able to summon small things whenever they like or larger things up to the size of a building. Gods with few followers are very weak and able only to create small things with great effort. A few gods have many followers and are able to create things that effect whole blocks regularly and occasionally whole districts of the city. The very highest levels of power though are very hard to maintain for long periods of time and are draining on ones followers to the point of death for some. Therefore it is a careful god that tends their flock and draws what is required from them but is not wasteful or overtaxing least their followers die from over-exertion.
Most Gods follow the pattern of fitting a niche within the pantheon they originally came from. There are gods of thunder, lightning, rain, beauty, war, death and cats. When they arrive they usually keep to what they know although they are by no means obliged to. Their purview does nothing to constrain their creative powers merely gives them a focus around which to attract their supporters. Many arrive finding their niche is already filled - that there are already a god and two goddesses of fire and that trying to push into that role as well is going to be difficult - many re-imagine themselves, perhaps becoming gods of the hearth or of the forge instead or some decide to throw off the limitations of their old role altogether and choose to present themselves as something else entirely. The only limitation is what people will believe in.
Many gods are part of the pantheon of discord but there are still others who decide not to associate with that group for one reason or another and although complete anonymity is not possible it is still realistic to keep a low profile with a small group of loyal followers to sustain you
| With one action… | Critical | Weakened | Normal | Empowered | Ascendant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The power of Divinity | You can summon something small for yourself, enough food for perhaps one or two people to eat or a rough shelter for yourself from the rain. | You can create enough to keep a small group fed and sheltered. You could create enough gold to pay off someone for a small service | Your flock are well looked after and you can provide their basic needs. You can create new buildings to house them or (if you have the skill) well crafted items | Your flock are lavishly looked after. If threatened then you could summon a tidal wave to flood or a firestorm over an entire city block. You can create many new and exquisite buildings | Every thought can be created with ease, palaces are easily summoned and violent storms covering city districts are yours to command |
| How many lives can I change? | Yourself, or someone else. | Small Group | Building | Block | District |