Deity
A Deity is a being made of magic power that is worshipped by lesser beings.[1] Before the coming of Sigmar and his Pantheon there were as many gods as there were people, including gods of small things such as trees and rivers. Some of these gods lost who they were and became as beasts, others were slain, still others were imprisoned, and a small few fled into hiding.[9a]
Contents
Powers
The deities of the Mortal Realms are not omniscient or omnipotent as they are dependant of their worshippers as their worshippers are dependent on them, both empowered by their relationship. The deity receives power from acts of beliefs and proof of devotion by their faithful which means that the more souls that pay homage to the divinity or devote themselves to their creed the more powerful it becomes. This does not only provide raw power to the deities but the soul of a faithful also allows them to influence, perceive and even create some form of presence in the realms, with shrines and sites of worship having a similar, if weaker, effect.[2]
In exchange a gods provides part of their power in their time of need, solving the various problem they might have. The very devout are especially attuned to the gods, allowing them to move power and work true miracles though them. The priests and the gods are bonded by spiritual energy that allows a god, in some cases quite literally, see through their eyes.[2]
Lesser Manifestation
A deity can create a lesser manifestation of itself or a shard of their own godly might to observe events that are far from the reach of their physical manifestations. These manifestations are there and not there at the same time, coalesced from raw magic, invisible to everyone, except other divinities. In this form they are also able to summon enough raw magic to destroy things, like a Flux-Cairn. These forms take attention from their divinities and can be dispersed just as quickly.[1]
Lesser manifestations can also be sensed by certain beings:
- Deities can sense the presence of other deities and often use these lesser manifestations to discuss and taunt each other.[1]
- Tzaangors have magical senses that alert them that something is wrong in the presence of a gods lesser manifestation. [1]
- Sylvaneth Soul-Pods held hostage in the Hexwood can feel the presence of Sigmar and plead for rescue.[1]
Blessed
Blessed of the Gods are those select few mortals who have been granted a tiny mote of their gods' powers, allowing them to channel divine energy into miracles that can be used to aid the faithful or smite the enemies' of their gods. In turn the actions of these mortal champions will empower the gods' they serve as such miracles galvanize and inspire the faithful to further worship.[5a]
Chosen
Chosen are those that have been directly picked to be one of the direct agents of one or more deities. Named that way because part of their power comes from having being picked this way. They are not gods, but they are such a force to be reckoned that hapless mortals confuse them with demigods.[5a]
Some of the known Chosen are:
- Archaon the Everchosen, who is empowered by all the Chaos Gods, but the Great Horned Rat.[5a]
- Mortarchs, are Deathlords directly empowered by Nagash the Undying King.[5a]
- Six Smiths, the heroic scions of Grungni who work in the foundries of the Sigmarabulum to reforge the souls and make te weapons of the Stormcast.[5a]
- Some say the Soulbound are Chosen, but the power disparity between them and a verified Chosen is easily apparent.[5a]
Types
Ascended
Ascended Gods are entities who were once beings with mortal souls, who became deities through apotheosis. Usually Ascended Gods are weaker than Elemental Gods, but despite this many are still major players in the fate of the Mortal Realms. Sigmar and the other former leaders of the Pantheon of Order, except Gorkamorka who is an Elemental God, are the most notable of this type of god.[3][4]
Elemental
Elemental Gods are personifications of specific phenomena. Such gods are the coalescence of emotions or thoughts given impossibly vast but often incorporeal form. One of the most notable Elemental Gods is Gorkamorka, the God of Destruction who once allied with the Pantheon of Order.[3]
Chaos Gods
The Chaos Gods are Elemental Gods that exist within the Realm of Chaos, each inhabiting and ruling over a sub-dimension shaped by their personalities and values. They are corrupting beings that seek to influence the Mortal Realms and their struggles, often through their daemonic legions. The most influential of these are Khorne, Slaanesh, Tzeentch, Nurgle, and the oft-forgotten Great Horned Rat.[3]
Pantheons
A Pantheon is a group of gods united for a common purpose:
- Pantheon of Order: The major Pantheon of the Mortal Realms that have controlled it for most of the Age of Myth.
- Pantheon of the Dark Gods: The pantheon that rules the Realm of Chaos, that seek to take control of the the Mortal Realms.
- Invidian Pantheon: A pantheon of animalistic deities once worshiped by the tribes of Invidia. The Godbeast Nagendra was once such deity worshiped as part of this pantheon.[6a][6b]
- Duardin Pantheon An ancient pantheon of duardin gods that predates the rise of Sigmar's Pantheon of Order. It was shattered by the event known as the Thagduegi, the Great Betrayal.[7a]
- Asur Pantheon: The Old Gods of the Asur, the precursors of the Aelves from the World-That-Was. Though believed to be dead and lost they are still worshipped by the Idoneth Enclaves of the Green Gulch.[8]
Quotes
Did you know that there were once many gods? As many gods as there were people, for every tribe and clan had their god. They were the gods of small things – of rivers and trees and fair winds. Death gods, as well.’
Balthas Arum explaining gods to Elya, a child of Glymmsforge.[9a] |
The mortals of the realms worshipped many gods, some old, some new, some real, some false. Who was to say that there hadn’t been a god of cats, who did as cats often do and slunk into some small crack in the universe to wait out catastrophe?
Balthas Arum's thoughts on gods.[9b] |
List
Sources
- 1: Hammerhal & Other Stories, Dark God's Laugther
- 2: Age of Sigmar: Core Book (2nd Edition) - The Illumination of the Gods, pg. 111
- 3: White Dwarf June 2019, pg. 9
- 4: White Dwarf July 2019
- 5: Soulbound Core Rulebook
- 5a: Chapter Ten: Religion & Belief
- 6: Warcry Core Book
- 7: Battletome: Fyreslayers (2019)
- 7a: The Fall of Grimnir, pg. 8
- 8: Court of the Blind King
- 9: Soul Wars (Novel)