God

The Gods are powerful, immortal creatures who have control over nature and magic, with many pantheons ruling great large chunks of Earth and the appropriate followers. Each of these pantheons are ruled over by a Chief God who acts as their king and lord with their thrones in a separate pocket realm or dimension. They typically have control over the souls of humans and where they go after death and providing blessings during life.

History
In ancient times, before mankind spread across the Earth, there existed countless gods who guided their followers and taught them how to tame the land and structure their civilization. Warriors were shown the ways of combat, farmers taught about the harvest and how to grow crops, while craftsmen were gifted with knowledge and skills to create great feats of craftsmanship. The Old Pact between humans and gods nurtured both sides, allowing humans to grow to love gods, and gods to love humans in return.

Overtime, humans began to abandon their gods for others who provided more immediate advantages over their old figures, or worshippers had died out. These actions has led to many of these ancient gods to become bitter towards humanity and left to go into isolation away from Earth.

As the ages and generations passed, divine pantheons arose alongside new cultures and religions, with many taking inspiration from those that came before, adopting the old ideas into new frameworks. With the fall of pantheons through time, gods were given homes with new names and faces within their religions.

Characteristics
Pantheons are to gods as nations are to humans, a gathering of gods from similar backgrounds into a group that are commonly worshipped by one or more religions by humans. While they are somewhat united, there are factions with each pantheon with different goals and methods to reach them, much like human nations. When the fall of a pantheon occurs, the survivors split off and form entirely new pantheons, joining existing ones, or remain independent and leave for other lands.

Gods have a natural link with their creations that allow them to exist in their original form, even when it bypasses known laws of the universe itself. When a god abandons their creation, they typically undergo a process of evolution that allows them to go beyond their initial programming and into a state that is at peace with the natural order. One of the major examples being the absences of the Biblical God that led to his angels gaining far more sentience and free will than they originally possessed, and their demon counterparts evolving past the mark of sin bestowed upon them by the Biblical God.

Although gods do not have a need for sustenance, there are those who have created a form of divine food that would allow them to reinvigorate themselves with. Notable for the Greek's Ambrosia, the Norse Idunn's Apples, and the Hindu's Amrita, the nectar of the gods provides for them a substantial boost in their own power, something that is often seen as immortality due to the effects it has on their divinity.

Appearance
Gods do not have a "true" appearance as they are all capable of changing what others see with little preparation, whether it is for the purpose of fighting or polite conversation. Should they put no mind in their what they look like (as with most gods) then males will generally look middle aged and females with a more youthful and younger appearance. As the mentality of a god ages, their appearance tends to naturally evolve to better fit what is on the inside, making it more difficult for a god to hide their true persona.

Powers & Abilities
Gods are stronger and far more durable than any most other species, while their magic exceeds that of most other species depending on their own understanding. While they do not normally age, they can undergo symptoms similar to it if they overexert themselves for prolonged periods of time. Despite their power, gods are not omnipotent or omniscient as their powers do have their limits and they require outside sources of magic should their own reserve run empty. Human belief can allow gods to replenish their supply quickly.


 * Magic: Gods have an innate connection with magic that allows them to perform spells that is typically superior to anything other species can do. Some gods are capable of instantly learning spells by simply seeing it in action, but most are limited to those that fall within their sphere of influence and cannot learn them if they have been hidden from divine view. In regards to their sphere of influence, gods can best perform magic that fits their specific specialty.


 * Language: Gods have an innate ability to know any language that has been spoken on Earth as long as the were alive during the time as its native speakers. Ancient gods have knowledge of a vast number of languages, while younger gods need to be taught extinct languages if they wish to know. Languages can be enchanted to prevent gods from automatically understanding it, mostly used by other pantheons to hide their magic.


 * Reincarnation: Gods are able to undergo reincarnation where their essence will re-arrange themselves into an entirely new divinity. The most common among use of this power is when a god severs a portion of their essense and casts it adrift to be reborn elsewhere as the main portion continues to exist.


 * Immortality: Gods possess an indefinite lifespan and do not naturally age as mortal species do. While gods are immortal, they can be wounded or killed if they are damaged severely enough through powerful magic or other gods. Should one be killed, their soul will survive in a dormant state that would require outside interference to revive.
 * Immunity: The status as gods grant them several inherent immunities that other species do not have access to. Gods are immune to the manipulation of time, remaining in motion when someone stops its flow and being able to detect when someone moves through it.