Gods grant shards to chosen mortals and supply their wielders with magic. Their influence reaches through their wielders and believers, shaping both magic and government.
Shards and worship
Xoh'Tenol, the sun god, and Xoh'Metztli, the moon goddess, are worshipped in Thalcoris. Their shards have passed between wielders for generations. Tazarin carried Xoh'Tenol's sun shard and accepted Kaelion as his future successor when the god chose him. The choice carried political authority: Thalcoris's rulers and followers recognized the god's decision.
A god and its wielder can have opposing intentions. Xoh'Metztli controlled Meliora's body and used her voice to dominate Aurivallis. Meliora resisted from within and asked Cassian to end the goddess's rule. Cassian trapped and destroyed the divine essence while killing Meliora, freeing the city from her control.
Gods grant shards to chosen mortals and supply their wielders with magic. They draw strength from their followers' belief and can act through their wielders or descend into the mortal world themselves. Their powers and influence differ, and a god can be killed.
Belief and perception
Tianlei arose when the people of Thundermarch wished for rain and storms over their fields. He sees through those who share their essence with him. Their belief lets him watch Thundermarch, while in Xalmyrra he relied on Jin's senses. When Thundermarch's people renewed their faith, Jin felt their offered essence flowing through him and strengthening his magic.
Gods dwell in the God Realm, where they communicate and pursue alliances. Tianlei joined Xelthys and Zal'therak in a plan to oppose Xol'Zahir and protect Eira. Their knowledge is limited outside the reach of their followers, and descending can expose them to danger.
In Thalcoris, divine choice carried political authority. Tazarin and the city's officials accepted Xoh'Tenol's choice of Kaelion as the future emperor.
Wielders and limits
A god's shard provides a connection through which a god speaks and shares its magic. The god and wielder can want different things: Xoh'Metztli controlled Meliora's body and used her voice to dominate Aurivallis. Meliora resisted from within and helped Cassian oppose her.
Cassian trapped and destroyed the goddess's essence while killing Meliora. His success alarmed other gods, who feared that the power of Thalassai could threaten them as well as the darkness.
Gods grant shards to chosen mortals and supply their wielders with magic. They draw strength from their followers' belief and can act through their wielders or descend into the mortal world themselves. Their powers and influence differ, and a god can be killed.
Belief and perception
Tianlei arose when the people of Thundermarch wished for rain and storms over their fields. He sees through those who share their essence with him. Their belief lets him watch Thundermarch, while in Xalmyrra he relied on Jin's senses. When Thundermarch's people renewed their faith, Jin felt their offered essence flowing through him and strengthening his magic.
Gods dwell in the God Realm, where they communicate and pursue alliances. They have limited knowledge outside the reach of their followers, and descending can expose them to danger.
In Thalcoris, divine choice carried political authority. Tazarin and the city's officials accepted Xoh'Tenol's choice of Kaelion as the future emperor.
Wielders and divine forms
A god's shard provides a connection through which a god speaks and shares its magic. The god and wielder can want different things: Xoh'Metztli controlled Meliora's body and used her voice to dominate Aurivallis. Meliora resisted from within and helped Cassian oppose her. Cassian trapped and destroyed the goddess's essence while killing Meliora.
Gods can alter how they appear. Hrzai presented herself as the golden mage Xelthys, then revealed her golden female form and her identity as Cassian's mother. Gods can also descend to fight directly, as Xoh'Tenol did against Jorhan. Such power does not make them invulnerable: Cassian later killed Pyrathalor and Ozaith.
Jorhan claimed to be a god while hiding the spiral shard he wielded. His claim differed from the separate beings who granted their power to mortals.
Gods grant shards to chosen mortals and supply their wielders with magic. They draw strength from their followers' belief and can act through their wielders or descend into the mortal world themselves. Their powers and influence differ, and a god can be killed.
Belief and perception
Tianlei arose when the people of Thundermarch wished for rain and storms over their fields. He sees through those who share their essence with him. Their belief lets him watch Thundermarch, while in Xalmyrra he relied on Jin's senses. When Thundermarch's people renewed their faith, Jin felt their offered essence flowing through him and strengthening his magic.
Gods dwell in the God Realm, where they communicate and pursue alliances. They have limited knowledge outside the reach of their followers, and descending can expose them to danger.
In Thalcoris, divine choice carried political authority. Tazarin and the city's officials accepted Xoh'Tenol's choice of Kaelion as the future emperor.
Wielders and divine forms
A god's shard provides a connection through which a god speaks and shares its magic. The god and wielder can want different things: Xoh'Metztli controlled Meliora's body and used her voice to dominate Aurivallis. Meliora resisted from within and helped Cassian oppose her. Cassian trapped and destroyed the goddess's essence while killing Meliora.
Gods can alter how they appear. Hrzai presented herself as the golden mage Xelthys, then revealed her golden female form and her identity as Cassian's mother. Gods can also descend to fight directly, as Xoh'Tenol did against Jorhan. Such power does not make them invulnerable: Cassian later killed Pyrathalor and Ozaith.
Jorhan claimed to be a god while hiding the spiral shard he wielded. His claim differed from the separate beings who granted their power to mortals.
God cores
The Malverand Empire preserved god cores with different designs. First-generation cores can house independent gods, such as Pyrathalor and Horol'Khai. Their connection to wielders can be interrupted: the vault beneath Maraveth cuts off divine communication. Second-generation cores supply power directly and contain no separate god.
Gods are sentient beings of essence, formed when essence and will converge around a common purpose. They draw power from human belief and can share their magic with mortals through shards. Some arose naturally; others were created through the Malverand Empire's god cores.
Belief and the God Realm
The God Realm is the interconnected essence of Valrindor, through which gods channel their power. Gods see through those who share essence with them, making their reach dependent on their followers. Tianlei could watch Thundermarch but relied on Jin's senses while traveling through Xalmyrra.
Belief directs essence toward a god and its wielder. When Thundermarch's people renewed their faith in Tianlei, Jin felt their offered essence flowing through him and strengthening his magic. Losing followers weakens a god and restricts where it can act.
In Thalcoris, divine choice carried political authority. Tazarin and the city's officials accepted Xoh'Tenol's choice of Kaelion as the future emperor.
Shards, forms and limits
A god's shard connects a god and a mortal, allowing speech, shared perception and access to the god's magic. Their intentions can differ. Xoh'Metztli used Meliora's body and voice to control Aurivallis, while Meliora resisted from within and helped Cassian oppose her.
Gods can project partial forms or descend into the mortal world. Their appearances vary with their powers, from Hrzai's golden humanlike figure to Nahm's geometric body. Descending exposes them to harm, and some wielders can kill them. Cassian trapped Xoh'Metztli's essence and destroyed it while killing her wielder. His unmaking is a demanding form of divine magic, also supplied through Tal'Massar's core.
Origins
Natural gods
A shared purpose can bring a god into being without an artifact. Tianlei arose from the wish for rain and storms in Thundermarch; Thalion's earlier journey helped plant that belief. Xoh'Tenol, Ozaith and Nahm were likewise natural gods.
Constructed gods
Arcanis gathered essence, spells and will from many mages into crystals. Their common intention and individual personalities shaped the resulting gods. The first successful creation, Hrzai, came from thousands of mages seeking healing and restoration. Later first-generation cores supported other independent gods; second-generation cores instead supplied power without a separate sentient being.
These origins distinguish a god from a powerful mage claiming divine authority. Jorhan called himself a god while concealing the spiral shard he wielded. Hrzai likewise misunderstood her own beginning, remembering herself as Xalmyrra's first divine mage born during a plague until Michael revealed her constructed origin.
Gods are sentient beings of essence, formed when essence and will converge around a common purpose. They draw power from human belief and can share their magic with mortals through shards. Some arose naturally; others were created through the Malverand Empire's god cores.
Belief and the God Realm
The God Realm is the interconnected essence of Valrindor, through which gods move and communicate. It holds echoes of the mortal world rather than being the timeless void between worlds. Gods see through those who share essence with them, making their reach dependent on their followers. Tianlei could watch Thundermarch but relied on Jin's senses while traveling through Xalmyrra.
Belief directs essence toward a god and its wielder. When Thundermarch's people renewed their faith in Tianlei, Jin felt their offered essence flowing through him and strengthening his magic. Losing followers weakens a god and restricts where it can act; without continuing support, its reserves can run down.
In Thalcoris, divine choice carried political authority. Tazarin and the city's officials accepted Xoh'Tenol's choice of Kaelion as the future emperor.
Shards, forms and limits
A god's shard connects a god and a mortal, allowing speech, shared perception and access to the god's magic. The god and wielder remain distinct beings, and their intentions can differ. Xoh'Metztli used Meliora's body and voice to control Aurivallis, while Meliora resisted from within and helped Cassian oppose her.
Gods can project partial forms or descend into the mortal world. Their appearances vary with their powers, from Hrzai's golden humanlike figure to Nahm's geometric body. Descending exposes them to harm. A surviving connection to the God Realm can let a weakened god retreat; destroying a mortal vessel alone does not necessarily kill the god. Cassian's divine magic could sever those connections and dismantle divine essence, preventing escape.
Gods can also take human bodies. Gathering essence becomes harder in that form, and continued belief remains important. Renneth, the former Kharvos, lived as a human after passing through the storms; he initially lost the ability to dissolve and reshape himself. Such changes differ from a god merely projecting a humanlike appearance.
Origins
Natural gods
A shared purpose can bring a god into being without an artifact. Tianlei arose from the wish for rain and storms in Thundermarch; Thalion's earlier journey helped plant that belief. Nahm also emerged naturally. In the other Valrindor, Ozaith seeded new gods, including divine Helena, by spreading their names, performing deeds in their honor and sharing parts of himself. These divine children were formed through belief, rather than human parentage.
Constructed gods
Arcanis gathered essence, spells and will from many mages into crystals. Their common intention and individual personalities shaped the resulting gods. The first successful creation, Hrzai, came from thousands of mages seeking healing and restoration. Later first-generation cores supported other independent gods; second-generation cores instead supplied power without a separate sentient being.
These origins distinguish a god from a powerful mage claiming divine authority. Jorhan called himself a god while concealing the spiral shard he wielded. Hrzai likewise misunderstood her own beginning, remembering herself as Xalmyrra's first divine mage born during a plague until Michael revealed her constructed origin.
The gods' loss of power
Under Alistair's threat, Hrzai, Ozaith, Zal'therak, Xoh'Tenol and Tianlei took human form. Cassian severed their connections to the God Realm, and Alistair killed Hrzai. Their released shards were destroyed, while her golden tree became inert. The survivors remained beings composed mostly of essence and continued to need it. Nahm retained his divine existence and later accepted study in the other Valrindor.
Thalena's account
In Thalena's Shores of Eternity, Thalena's small group sustained Nahm with their combined essence through centuries of Valrindor's decline. He eventually chose to fade rather than make another pact.