Gods

Gods include any being which derives power from worship and can pass on that power to others in the form of divine magic. Some of the first beings to dominate the planes, the elder fey and elementals acquired worshipers and ascended to godhood. These beings were responsible for the creation of the mortal races who now populate the Material Plane and funnel its energies to the gods on the outer planes. Gods compete for this energy so they can shift the balance of power in their favor.

Gods themselves are complex beings that can appear in different ways at different times. Most gods exist as bodies on the Outer Planes where they control certain territory known as a realm. They rarely leave this realm physically but instead project weaker versions of themselves know as avatars. Gods who draw followers from very different populations sometimes take on modified identities with different populations. These separate identities are known as aspects and avatars will often modify their appearance to play the role of these different aspects. By projecting multiple avatars at once, separate aspects can sometimes interact in ways that cause confusion.

Because gods rely on followers for energy and the beliefs of worshipers alters their form, gods can and do die, often persisting in weakened forms known as vestiges. The only true immortals are those beings who predate the gods, abstract entities known primordials. These beings do not require worshipers to exist since they essentially represent the spirit of the planes they represent. They can acquire worshipers, however, and do acquire power the same way that other gods do. Some have argued that all gods are essentially avatars of the primordials engaged in a Darwinistic competition for followers.

The Sephirot Consensus
After the long wars of the last Dark Age, the sages of the Steel Empyrean have uncovered what they believe to be the true nature of the gods and have resolved to make a science of their sprawling religions and sects to discover the attributes most basic and natural for deities representing the four cardinal moral alignments (NG, NE, LN, and CN) and their elemental composites (LG, CG, LE, and CE). They hoped that among the various gods they could discern the true primordials and so be able to best channel the power of worship towards a universe of reason and justice. The most successfully adopted scheme was created with The Sephirot Consensus.

The Consensus recognizes ten deities, each with their own alignment, substance, and domain:

The Four Cardinal Deities:

 * Gaia ♀, the Great Mother (NG) and embodiment of positive energy and life
 * Primus ♂ the Judge (LN) and embodiment of law and knowledge
 * Samael ♂, the Grim Reaper (NE) and embodiment of negative energy and death
 * Eris ♀ the Rebel (CN) and embodiment of chaos and trickery

The Four Elemental Deities:

 * Bahamut ♂, the Platinum Dragon (LG) and quintessence of earth and nature
 * Ishtar ♀, Queen of Heaven (CG) and quintessence of air and tempest
 * Asmodeus ♂, the Prince of Hell (LE) and quintessence of fire and light
 * Tiamat ♀, the Leviathan (CE) and quintessence of water and war

The Two Unknown Powers:
* The Lady of Pain is not a true deity in that she accepts no worshipers. ** It is believed that the Slender Man is revered by aberrations and provides divine magic to their divine casters, but it is unclear whether he is acting as a true deity or merely appears to do so.
 * The Lady of Pain* ♀ (N), keeper of gates and the way
 * The Slender Man** ♂ (Unaligned), the intruder

Paganism
Traditionalists have reacted against the Consensus by adopting a greater willingness to accept gods of all kinds and reject the notion that the ten "discovered primordials" are any more genuine than other gods. On one hand, this has led to some unusual groups working together. On the other, where once a worship group might accept that various entities were different aspects of the same deity, they now tend to accept more gods with fewer worshipers. This has resulted in fragmentation of once monolithic institutions becoming fractious grassroots organizations with varying levels of participation. Many erstwhile pagans have been absorbed into the Consensus as older traditions are syncretized.