THE GODS
Civil War
The Gods are cruel, possessive deities whose envy and lust for power drove the Gods into civil war, a war in which the weaker Gods, and their female counterparts, were slaughtered.
Gods can take on whichever form they choose when coming to the Northern Realms; a man, animal, flock of birds. But when they are summoned against their will they must appear in their true form – a twenty five foot tall giant, and are bound to that form.
By copulating with mortal women they are investing some of their power, hoping to slay the offspring and gain back more power than they spent.
The Defiance of Dragons
Soon after the civil war the Gods created the first Dragons, using them as slaves, but they grew too strong and attacked the Gods in a rebellion led by the Black Dragons. The Gods had no choice but release the Dragons, banishing them to the world in which the Northern Realms lies.
The Gods united and hunted down the most powerful Dragons, the Black Dragons, and drove them to extinction, as punishment for leading the rebellion. The Gods only unite for short periods of time before infighting causes them to disband – hence the other Dragons survived.
Fight or Flight?
Rangál Brûlarchien faces down Novathôn
The Shadowless become stronger as they age but return a greater amount of power to the God when they are slain. The dilemma is to murder the Shadowless early or allow them to reach maturity.
Flexius, the God of War, failed to uncover one of his scions for over nine centuries, by which time the Shadowless had grown so strong that she fought back, causing an avalanche that almost crushed him under a mountain of stone.
A Murder of Crows…
The door to the monastery library creaked open and the faint smell of beeswax polish wafted gently in the air. Santhom sat reading at a desk by the window, the stained glass causing the pages to illuminate in yellows and reds.
The clicking of heels broke the silence and Santhom glanced up from the book to see Pandimonia sashay across the room.
‘It is time,’ Pandimonia stated.
‘Not until I have finished this book.’
‘We have to leave, now.’
‘I am not going anywhere until I have read this book,’ Santhom snarled. ‘Who knows, it may save my life one day.’
Pandimonia sighed and pulled up a chair, the scraping sound of wood on stone echoing through the library.
‘Fine, what is it that you are reading?’
‘It is part of Amrodan’s tome. He documented everything he ever learned about the gods within these pages.’
‘What did he find out about them?’ Pandimonia enquired.
‘The gods can come and go to our world but it costs them strength to do so,’ Santhom began. ‘When they do appear they can assume any form they wish; a man, a beast, even as a glittering shower of gold.’
‘They can do that?’ Pandimonia asked.
Santhom sat back in her chair and looked out the window, her eyes glazing over.
‘Yes,’ she said, her mind seemingly elsewhere. ‘Before my mother was attacked by Rindorex records tell that a murder of crows circled the royal palace for days on end, never leaving no matter how many attempts were made to frighten them off. It was him, Rindorex, waiting for the moment my mother showed herself before striking.’
‘I do not understand,’ Pandimonia replied. ‘When Rindorex attacked Telimar and I he was the size of a townhouse and clad in armour.’
Santhom snapped from her lethargy and then began flipping through the pages of the book. When she found the correct page she turned the book around, for Pandimonia to see, and then pointed at a paragraph.
‘Amrodan has written it here,’ Santhom stated, before explaining. ‘If a god comes to our world of his own free will then he can choose any form he wishes. But, if he is summoned here, in any way, then he must assume his true form – that of a large armoured titan.’
Pandimonia nodded, slowly, as though she now understood.
‘That is why summoning them and fighting them in their true form is so important, otherwise they could transform into a flock of birds and fly off,’ Santhom said.
‘What else does Amrodan say about the gods?’ Pandimonia asked.
Santhom turned the book back towards her and began leafing through the pages once more.
‘He has written that the gods rape mortal women to satisfy their lust and to increase their power,’ Santhom stated.
‘Power?’
‘How does raping women increase their power?’ Pandimonia asked.
‘By copulating with mortal women they are investing some of their power, hoping to slay the offspring and gain back more power than they spent,’ Santhom said.
Pandimonia pursed her lips and frowned.
‘Our kind get stronger as we get older,’ Santhom confirmed.
‘There is more meat on a bull than on a calf,’ Pandimonia muttered. ‘We may as well be cattle to them.’
‘What they did not anticipate is that when they kill us the power gets split between the god and all the remaining siblings, equally.’
‘And we get whatever power the slain sibling had,’ Pandimonia pointed out.
‘Are you sure?’ Santhom asked.
‘How else do you explain your ability to breath underwater?’
What If The Gods Themselves Wanted You Dead?
THE GODS
Hunting their Scions without mercy the Gods know the only way to increase their power is by slaughtering their offspring
Kröm
God of the Sea, Kröm destroyed the coastal City of Artoria with tidal waves because its inhabitants refused to surrender a shadowless girl
Salamoc
God of the Wind, Salamoc's name is whispered with fear and reverence lest blasphemous utterances are carried on the breeze back to their master
Malum
God of Fire, Malum is one of the oldest, and therefore most powerful, of the gods. His priests praise him by offering live sacrifices burnt at the stake
Pimböth
God of Plagues & Diseases, Pimböth spreads pestilence wherever he goes. Consequently Pimböth has no temples within the cities of the Northern Realms
Cravaínius
God of Life, Cravaínius is as adapt at taking life as he is at bestowing it and has been known to breathe life into the dead and even animate statues
Tempustár
God of Time, Tempustár can wither with age that which he touches. Flesh wrinkles, wood rots and iron rusts, even stone turns to sand given enough time
Trokaní
God of Weather, Trokaní commands storms, hurricanes and blizzards. Temples honouring him can be found in cities within the realm of Frigöris
Bahrôc
God of the Sun, Bahrôc relishes using his power to concentrate the sun's rays on his enemies, burning them as a child would with a magnifying lens on ants
Gulfáng
God of the Underground, Gulfáng is responsible for ripping open the rock and creating the chasm that the City of Nocturné was cast into