Peter sez:
> Perhaps, but the anecdotal evidence of the emergence of 2nd
> generation gods changes the god-landscape with either an
> enlargement or a reorganization of duties, powers and
> responsibilities. This implies change in the cosmos on a less
> grand scale than that of the cataclysm of Diesmaar.
Not at all.
Haelyn became unchanging and therefore could not adapt to new ways in
which men were worshipping him, so he created an aspect of himself. That
aspect grew into Cuiraecen who was ultimately venerated as as god
himself, separate from Haelyn, but under his authority.
Interesting, the “chicken or the egg” dilemma does not apply to deities
for me. Deities are non-temporal and so it makes no difference to them
that time passes. It is we mortals who try and bind them with the same
chains that restrict us, simply because we cannot encompass a world with
no time.
> Isn`t that a bit contradictory: more worship equals more
power but less worship or no worship has no effect ? What
makes a god a god after all ? (you can`t use divine being in
> your definition - :“divine being” == “god” is a null
> statement containing the same information twice)
Here we go then.
Before I start I will say that your point is spurious as I do not think
that I was defining gods at any point.
Anyways…
Being a god means that you have a quantity of “divinity” (power or
whatever you like). Lets say it`s called “x”. Now if the god has
worshippers then it has a divinity of “x+1”, if it has a lot of
worshippers then it might have “x+1000”. However, it can never be robbed
of its basic essential divinity by lack of worship.
If you want to think of this in mechanical terms, using those from
Deities and Demigods, then it is like saying that a god cannot be
reduced to a Divine Rank of lower than 1 (or 5, or whatever you like)
through the actions of others, barring truly strange circumstances, such
as the mass suicide of a pantheon to destroy an enemy deity.
If a god has the power to do “X” (whatever “X” is), and this
power delineates him as a god (as distinct from a demigod, or
mortal for instance, then that ability power or
characteristic is a defining power.
Its not a power to do a specific action, it is the inherent quality of being a god. Dont ask me what this quality comprises exactly, I don`t
consider giving gods precise stat-blocks to be a beneficial exercise in
most cases. I feel that it is enough to specify that godhood is not
dependent on such an ethereal thing as the worship of mortals.
> A god who has no people and no worshipers and whose name is
> unknown is difficult to have interact with the BR world. From
> a game perspective they no longer exist (or the effect is the same).
Sort of. They continue to “actually” exist and they could interact
with Cerilia if they wanted to. But obviously they dont want to, for whatever reason. Cosmologically they are present, but to mortals they dont exist.
–
John Machin
(trithemius@paradise.net.nz)
“Nothing is more beautiful than to know the All.”
Athanasius Kircher, Ars Magna Sciendi.
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