Author's Note: I present this blog post as an excerpt from my fantasy Universe Iris. I am experimenting with something different which might turn into a whole series. I would be keen to hear what you think of it!

As mortals, we must consider the importance of gods and other forms of godlike entities in our lives and societies. The sheer magnitude of these creatures often strikes us in ways that, if unprepared, will result in us being in danger. The Zollvi know this all too well with The Blood Moon Crisis, and the less said about what our brothers and sisters might have found in the Sweltering Jungles, the better.

We need to be ready for whenever a new God tries to contact us, or if a god approaches us for a conversation in our dreams.

So, we at the Arch Institute for God Studies have put together a helpful, easy-to-understand guide on what a god is and how they differ from other powerful entities like Demigods or Servants.

Don't worry if you are struggling to understand these concepts. The Arch Institute for God Studies is here to help you prepare for any chance encounters with any of these truly fantastical entities.

Gods

The important thing to remember about gods is that they are a personified aspect of reality itself. Just because we Natalianites don't worship Tamashimawari no Ohoryû no Mikoto doesn't mean that time doesn't exist. The Dragon Cultists of the East don't miss out on the Sun because they do not worship Natalya. Should a god become less powerful than other gods, be it through war or famine, just to name a few examples, that doesn't mean the aspect of reality they represent is diminished.

Now with this in mind, we can move on to the second part of what makes a god, if it is possible to kill a god, and how they contact us. It is impossible to kill a god. They might diminish to where they are barely a subconscious whisper. But they can never truly die. They are constants of our reality. A god also can't interact with the mortal realm directly.

The closest a god that we know of has been Judacrat and that caused The Blood Moon Crisis. Instead, a god must interact with humanity indirectly. The common method is through dreams. Often the mortal being contacted will remember vivid dreams of the god and their interaction and will often be compelled to create art in the likeness of said god.

Everyone knows that the Church finances artists for this reason, and that gods are attracted to the creative types. There are other methods for contact.

Meditation has been a popular method in the majority of eastern countries, and some controversially have used drugs or other hallucinogenic substances to achieve an audience with the gods. We should notify the reader that using hallucinogenic drugs can have adverse effects on the users' sense of reality. The artistic expression of gods, be it statues, paintings, songs, or books, has had a noticeable influence on the population.

Belief in a god grows as its presence in society becomes more pervasive.

There is a direct causation between the number of believers a god has and the power it has to interact with society.

These interactions can be as interventions, miracles, or an increased number of Servants and Demigods. One popular report during the Saco attacks was a moment when an entire town was raised, with Swarmers battling down the door of the church.

The people inside begged for a quick death when Natalya herself animated a statue of her likeness. This statue produced a flaming sword and burned the entire swarm to cinders (millions of bodies, if numbers are to be believed) and revived all souls who had died beforehand.

Such examples are rare; however, they have occurred with enough frequency to be noted. If a group or individual can believe in a god enough, the more powerful a god can become, along with the power of the miracles they might perform. Gods cannot inhabit a mortal body, they cannot fully interact with mortals because of the sheer difficulty it must take to occupy a mortal form. How does one tell if a god is friendly or not? That depends on the actions and demands of the gods. All gods demand worship, that is consistent, but how they expect mortals to go about this depends.

Some gentle gods like Natalya only demand worship and obedience for her protection. She appoints our Solar Knights and the Lords Council (both Servants and Demigods respectively) as an example.

A god that isn't friendly is the rumoured (and currently unnamed) Gravity god in the South Jungles. Apparently, they demand frequent sacrifices by crushing or casting mortals off the side of cliffs. This is an example of an unfriendly god, if the reports are to be believed. The Gravity god threatens its followers by sending them into the sky to die by suffocation if it doesn't get a steady stream of mortal lives. This has resulted in its worshippers trapped in a forever war with local tribes, taking no prisoners alive.

A kind, nurturing god will encourage us to better ourselves and our community in their name. A bad one will do the opposite, creating destruction in their wake. However, there is a risk that we must be aware of, chiefly of what gods might perceive as good or how their morality might not align with mortal moral expectations.

Please remain vigilant should some unusual requests run against what the god has previously demanded, or they request us to commit actions that are an affront to our values (such as murder) then it is vital we protect ourselves by removing the god from our public perception.

No matter if the god claims it is good, we must reject all gods twisting morality to fit their nefarious end. Gods seemingly can converse with us regardless of language effortlessly. We have had instances here in Arch, of Dreamers being contacted by the Dragon gods! A rarity given their preference with the established Dragon Cults. I bring this up to show just how fluid gods can be in their communication skills and how far they are within reach.

Gods are omnipotent (as of current evidence), they appear to know what is occurring regardless of the distance from the original country of origin. Many scholars of the gods, including myself, often contemplate how frequently the gods engage in conversation with each other.

This isn't completely outside the realm of possibility, such as the time during the Blood Moon Crisis, when a specific piece of art changed. Before Judacrat went mad, the painting displayed a moment of mutual affection between husband and wife. During the Blood Moon Crisis, the portrait changed, revealing a desperate struggle between Natalya and Judacrat, ending (along with The Blood Moon Crisis) her triumph over the Crimson Father. The tragic side of godhood is that, to prevent horrors like Judacrat from arising again, we must destroy all artworks containing his image.

As fascinating as it could be to have a side-by-side comparison, it would be too dangerous for us to do so. However, this suggests that there is a whole other plane of existence where gods can interact with each other freely! There has been some suggestion that this plane might be the dream realm, however, the evidence on this is minimal.

It is possible that dreams, if they are a domain, might just be nothing more than a means for the gods to communicate with us. We simply don't have the information to truly understand. Reports of gods interacting with other religions are bound to occur, but as of the writing of this document, we don't have concrete examples. We at the Arch Institute for God Studies are eagerly awaiting news from our missionaries. They have been saying that the Death god might indeed be related to our Goddess Natalya. If this is true, then it would be extremely exciting for us, as there could be a whole family of gods related to our Goddess.

On the topic of family relations, it is unknown if gods can reproduce with each other. As the evidence currently stands, they seem to always exist, but are merely a spark seeking a fire to burn. No mortals have had relations with gods on the dream realm that we know of, nor have gods been born of a union between two gods. The sole documented case of gods going into union was with Judacrat and Natalya. However, the nature of their union is unknown, we know that we are the result of this union, but not how.

This lack of information prevents us from being able to provide accurate readings on this interesting subject. Gods can rise and fall along with their believers. While Judacrat is the most recent example of this occurrence, we would like to point to the Arid Crown (roughly translated from Altaaj Alqahil) where the Quazarm used to be a powerful civilization.

All under the watchful gaze of the Earthen Three, a group of gods representative of the soil, the stone and the crystal. After the Demon Invasion caused the extinction of the Quazarm, the names of the Three were lost.

The Al'ard Alnaas have been working hard to recover the lost history of their creators, but success has been sparse. When a god loses power over a population, they will either recover, move, or diminish. The third option is naturally the least ideal outcome. We have seen Judacrat worshippers (Devourers as they like to be called) continue to serve such a blasphemous deity.

Because of the relative secrecy around the Al' ard Alnaas, we don't have enough to confirm if the deities they worship: The Carver, The Sculptor and the Moulder are the same as the Earthen Three.

If the hypothesis is correct, that would suggest those gods have recovered under the disguise of the Quazarm creators. Time will only tell. There is so much we don't fully understand, and there is a book to be made on the subject. However, for the sake of brevity, here are the key indicators of a god:

● Gods are immortal: they can never truly die.

● Gods are a personification of an aspect of reality.

● Gods seek worship and contact through dreams / meditation / drugs.

● Gods are omnipotent.

● They cannot interact with mortals directly, only indirectly. ● Gods gain power through artistic expression of all kinds.

● Gods live on the belief of others and die by it too.

● Gods demand actions in exchange for protections offered, good or bad.

● They live and decline with civilisations.

● They can either recover lost power, move onto another group, or wither away. And now, ladies and gentlemen, we shall move on to Demigods, what they are, and how we can identify them.

Demigods

Demigods achieve a godlike state through ascension from being mortal beings. Please note that they are not gods themselves. They do not personify an aspect of our reality, nor are they immortal. Demigods are mortals chosen by the gods to work as their hands in our reality.

Demigods cannot die naturally (such as old age); however, they can die via unnatural means (such as assassination). They are chosen for (often) doing good deeds for the community /country/ god. Please keep in mind that these deeds are normally out of the ordinary. Marcus Stone: The Lord of Winter became a Demigod after delivering a dragon's hoard back to the winter dragons, thus saving the Northern territories from an extinction-level event.

The Lord of Storms: Alistair Lake, as another example, killed a storm dragon threatening the Southern counties. Millions could have died if it wasn't for his bravery and tragic sacrifice. Nobody could ever forget the wondrous ascension of Alfred Muller to the current Lord of Healing.

It is our most documented recording of a Demigod being born, complete with Mr Muller's wonderful retelling of Natalya's selection during the Blood Moon Crisis.As far as we know, they select Demigods for their strength of character and ability to perform their tasks efficiently. Lord Brown is an exception to the former. Being the Lord of Trickery, he lacks the moral character of his fellow Lords. Nobody knows why Natalia wanted to appoint him.

He is hesitant to explain himself either. He is rather unsettling and quiet, preferring to do his job rather then explain it. It is important to remember that Demigods are selected to serve the gods, not always us. The Crimson Harbinger is one of the best examples of this, once the Lord of Healing but under the influence of Judacrat, began to slaughter those he was supposed to protect.

Another, less grim example would be Lord Brown during that time, his interest in documenting the effects of Judacrat was more important than saving mortals. Here in the Sunlit Kingdom and the Zollvi Republic, the main Demigods are part of the Lords Council.

These include the Lord of Storms, Fire, Winter, Seas, Earth, Trickery, and Healing. They are all under the patronage of Natalya, at least after The Blood Moon Crisis, where the former Lord of Healing fell to the Blood Curse and became the Crimson Herald. There are reports of other Demigods, such as the Chrono Monks under Tamashimawari, no Ohoryû, no Mikoto.

We even have heard reports of Memory Gatherers from the much-rumoured Death god (name pending) who keep the dead from rising as hostile entities. This suggests a risk of zombies, or any other vile spirit unbound by the pleasantries of humanity.

Unfortunately, we require more information on the nature of these supposed Memory Gatherers. Regardless, these are exciting times, and we look forward to telling you more of these potentially wondrous beings as we hear from our missionaries.

Contrary to what Consulates believe, The Lord's Counsel and, by extension, Demigods do not gain power through worship or belief. It will not matter how many worshippers they have; they will never become equal to the gods. They know this and the majority of people understand this fact of reality.

As previously mentioned, the gods can corrupt Demigods should they turn evil. They can refuse orders or commands given by gods as well. The Crimson Harbinger is an excellent example of the former, once one of the most respected members of the Counsel, turned into a raging animal, forever hungry for blood. Observers have noticed that Demigods seem to decrease in power along with their subscribed god patrons.

The Crimson Harbinger, for example, noticeably declined, both in cognitive and physical function and his then newfound ability to control the blood of people towards the end of The Blood Moon Crisis. It is unknown how powerful the Harbinger is.

As of now, he has retreated from society along with Judacrat and hasn't been seen since. We would like to point to some minor occurrences of this phenomenon, such as the minor decline of faith in the aftermath of the crisis. We saw how the Lords became less able to fulfil their duties defending the populace against Saco swarms.

While this did improve as the church did its work, we have to be careful of losing too much faith or Demigods cannot perform their duties to (ideally) serve both us and the gods. Some Demigods have refused orders, such as the order by Judacrat to Lord Brown to twist the minds of the Zollvi people.

Lord Brown ignored the order and continued with Natalya's requests. Truly an excellent example of independence in our Demigods! We are so fortunate to be in such safe, capable hands. Information on Demigods is often scarce because of the age of origin and the surprising amount of secrecy involved in the appointment. There seems to be some contract involved in the process of creating a Demigod, which might explain why Alfred Muller could provide so many details.

The consequences were dire enough for Natalia to rush through whatever process was undertaken to create a Demigod. As a Demigod is created, a Demigod can be unmade. Such is the case for one (currently unnamed) Dragon Priest under the care of Koukaryuu: The Dragon of Summer. She burned a whole coastline until the Dragon himself vanquished the Priest under a pillar of fire. As soon as more information comes in, we shall update this pamphlet in good time.

However, we do have good reason to believe that this example suggests that gods can relinquish Demigod powers at a whim. Whether this includes killing the Demigod is up for debate. Further investigation is required. To identify a Demigod, one should/can observe the following:

● They serve the gods. They are mortals selected to become the beings closest to a god.

● They cannot die naturally but can be killed via any unnatural means. ● Power can be given as they can be taken away.

● Belief in Demigods doesn't make them stronger or weaker. They are immune to the power of belief.

● Power of the Demigod decreases as the power of the god decreases.

● The power they have is a gift from the gods. They are not part of reality but use the tools of reality.

Servents

The important thing that separates the Servant from the Demigod is their mortality. Servants can grow old and die, with a very minor exception to Tamashimawari no Ohoryû no Mikoto, which will be explained later in this section. By showing devotion to the god and adhering to the rules and requirements to be a good believer, a Servant can be granted powers, despite being an ordinary mortal who has never done something exceptional towards the gods.

The Solar Knights are an easy and excellent example of this. They are an elite group of crusaders blessed by Natalya herself, granting them a tiny percental of her power in exchange for their devotion to our Goddess. Servants do not become another kind of creature like a Demigod. They remain the same as they were before then.

They are not as powerful as Demigods, and they are often more plentiful in supply. Now, let's talk to the Servants of Tamashimawari, no Ohoryû no Mikoto.Unlike Zollvi or Natalianite society, followers of Tamashimawari, no Ohoryû no Mikoto, have a multitude of Servants. Unlike our Solar Knights or the supposed Spirit Mediums of the Death God (who are often used militarily or in other social work).

The followers of Tamashimawari dedicate themselves to improving society and helping people while enjoying eternal youth and life granted by the Time God. When the Servant wishes for death, Tamashimawari no Ohoryû no Mikoto can offer them death in exchange for reincarnation. The reward can be anything from a better financial life to greater accomplishments in the next life.

Servants tend to be very devoted to their god, often more than the average loyal worshipper. Many attribute this to the realisation that the gods have truly blessed them with power. They have glimpsed what the gods can offer and, as a result, tend to be more devoted towards their deities.

Unlike Demigods, who often shun family life because of immortality, Servants often have vibrant family lives, those under the Time god often have their entire bloodlines immortalised in service to Tamashimawari no Ohoryû no Mikoto. As of writing, there is no evidence to suggest that Tamashimawari's blessing immortalises children.

One benefit gods have when their Servant count is high is the amount of power they accrue because of the fervency mentioned in the previous two paragraphs. Gods rely on Servants as a lifeline, at least as a potent vein that circulates their power. This is an important distinction from the Demigods, which, while often worshipped as gods themselves, tend to be no less fervent about their belief than the Servants typically are. Belief is the lifeblood of the gods. Our belief allows them to live and thrive.

Unlike Demigods, we have yet to see any small religions spring up around the worship of Servants. The common hypothesis is that unlike the appointment of those to the Lord's Council, which is often shrouded in mystery. There is no doubt about who serves the gods. Servants understand that they are working with the gods, not that they are close to godhood unlike Demigods which down to the name itself can blur the line between gods and mortals. Like Demigods, the power of the Servants are at the whims of the gods they are working with.

They are a lifeline for the gods, but they are always at the strength of the god. If the god declines (famine or plague for instance) the remaining Servants are going to become weaker. Such examples would be the Solar Knights during the Saco Swarms, previously mentioned in the Demigod chapter of this text. As faith fell, the fury of the sun burning in the Solar Knights dimmed, and the beams from their swords faltered. But as our Goddess regained her power, so did her most loyal followers To sum up, the ways one can identify Servants are:

● Servants are not immortal; they can die by natural means.

● They are plentiful by design.

● They are fervent in their beliefs.

● Gods appoint mortals by their devotion, not their deeds.

● They have families and socialise no differently than ordinary mortals.

● They are comparatively weaker than Demigods regarding power.

● They, much like Demigods, are vulnerable to fluctuations of power.

A brief word on Atheists

It would be remiss of us to not mention atheists in the relation to deities. The gods often find atheists rather infuriating to deal with, given how most of this group refuse to admit reality.

Atheists refuse to accept the existence of gods, proven without a shadow of a doubt within this very institution (and the collective efforts across the globe). Atheists are in a battle with reality, down to the claim that miracles are the result of hallucinatory drugs, or some trick of the light.

Natalya herself could make herself known through a statue and they would claim it wasn't real. Natalya has made it clear that if people refuse to accept the reality of her existence, she will focus on those who will. From this situation, we can learn that gods prioritise those who are willing to accept reality. There is an element of strategy when the gods decide who to select for worship and what can the god do to create believers.

Often, the choice is just down to luck. The god attaches itself to the people most receptive to the idea of worshipping said god and the demands given by the god. But the god must ensure that they take the most people. The general populace mocks atheists, and it doesn't take an intelligent man to see why. They refuse to accept the scientific proof of the gods, of our prospective origin from the mother of man and how the Goddess Natalya protects us all.

Rose Garden Atheism, the philosophy that forms the backbone of the Zollvi Republic's anti-religious stance, is an interesting exception. They acknowledge the existence of gods; they know that the gods can perform miracles and the Demigods/Servants are powerful hands of the gods.

Rose Garden Atheists just don't want to worship them. They hold the belief that the gods are too dangerous, as they have the potential to become malevolent and cannot be relied upon. It is hard to argue against this. Judacrat has left a terrible scar across the body and brains of people and will continue to do so for centuries to come.

Gods will have to deal with the potential threat of this form of atheism. As it can be terrible for everyone should we lose our ability to use Demigods and Servants. If the gods fail, who will be left to save us?

Conclusion

We hope this can help you understand and identify the deities talked about here. There is so much we don't understand about gods, Demigods, and Servants, but as time continues, we shall discover so much about our world and universe. We at the Arch Institute for God Studies believe that to understand our Divine beings to build a better relationship with them is a net good for society. A strong relationship with our gods will see a prosperous era for mortals around the globe.

I have been Dr Johnothan Ridley, and this is the Arch Institute for God Studies Guides to Iris.