Deities

Gods on the Roll of Ages are generally divided into two groups: the Overgods and the Pantheonic Gods.

The Overgods are beings of immense power, sometimes considered to be omnipotent (though their power is shown to have some limit). Typically, they are non-anthropomorphic, and represent abstract concepts divorced from the banalities of mortal existence. They are usually Greater Deities.

The Pantheonic Gods are still very powerful entities, no doubt! But they occupy a lower valence of power than the Overgods. Most pantheonic gods are humanoid in shape, and indeed, roughly half are ascended mortals. They range from hero-deities to intermediate powers, with Divine Ranks ranging from 0 to 15.

While the Overgods theoretically rule over all the world (in actuality, their influence waxes and wanes over various regions depending on local worship), pantheonic gods are almost exclusively tied to a given culture, region, or even organization.

In addition to the overgods and pantheonic gods, many beings not traditionally thought of as “Gods” possess divine ranks, can be worshiped, and divine spellcasters may draw power from them. These beings are typically Outsiders of the greatest power; Demon Lords, Archdevils, and categorically similar beings. While there are more powerful exceptions, a typical Demon Prince is a rank 0 power that becomes rank 1 within their domain.

In addition to the listed domains, a Cleric of any deity (except one devoted to peace) may choose the War domain.

Overgods are more than simple divinities: they are, in a very real sense, the Roll itself. Immotian is not merely the God of the Sun— he is the sun, rising and setting. Every drop of blood is Xel. The months are named after the overgods, each waxing and waning with the cycle— though in this Age Immotian is ascendant.

Pantheonic gods are governed not by universal, infallible cosmic law, but simple divine politics. Deities of a region tend to ultimately agree on a contract based on mutually assured destruction: gods of both alignment axes (Good & Evil, or Law & Chaos) try to avoid intervening directly in the material plane because doing so would give the opposing powers reason to do the same. Despite such conventions, however, these interventions still happen relatively often, and there's probably at least one god-war happening somewhere in the world at a given time. And in some regions, gods (typically, weaker ones) live among men and interfere directly and often, sometimes as rulers.

^{see also the Twin Kindoms}
The people of Lunda and Ngonda, the Twin Kingdoms, are nearly identical both physically and culturally. They nonetheless consider themselves to be two separate nations. While they share a pantheon, the worship of certain gods is more prevelant in one country or another.

The Lundan pantheon is chiefed by Amanchye, the Goddess of Protection. Her aim (and the aim of the deities aligned with her) is to liberate her people who are subjugated by the evil god Amazu and his Ichiapu Magocracy. Ngonda is a tyrannical Magocracy headed by the Ichiapu, a nihilistic death cult. They are subject to Amazu, the Lunda-Ngondan god of magic, destruction, and death. His aim is obliteration, and empowers his followers in the short term to achieve this end.

^{see also Shuth}
Shuth is a harsh land, and a harsh land demands strong gods. Shuthan gods typically claim influence over one of the two environments: the Great Road, which is the major trade route (indeed the only trade route) and the heart of civilization; and Utter Shuth, which is as deadly as Australia except littered with old gods and malicious cults.

^{see also Yakami}
The Yakami Pantheon are divided into two courts, the Kami and the Oni. The Kami are worshipped by the civilized people of Yakami; the Oni are revered only by monsters and dissidents.

All Oni are evil, but not all Kami are good – Sen and his sister Nen are both Kami revered by Samurai. And while they each uphold the tenets of honor (more or less), and thus count themselves among the Kami, they have markedly different implementations of those principles and oppose each other.

While 'Demigod' usually refers to a divinities' number of divine ranks, and indeed some Pantheons count demigods among their ranks, this section is generally intended for those gods and powers discovered during play (or invented by enterprising players) which become important enough to merit their own entry.