The world of Terminus is rife with situations we as adventurers probably have not seen very often. In most worlds the barrier between the divine and the mundane is fuzzy. Too often the only difference between how much a mortal emperor and a god can influence the state of the world is that one of them is immortal and responsible only to himself. Gods are everywhere, impugning on the agency of the mortal races to affect their own destiny, often capriciously and without concern for the ramifications of divine action. Not so in Terminus, for the Celestial Boundary erected by the Dragon Accord has had an interesting effect of keeping these capricious and unaccountable dieties from laying waste to both each other and to the many refugee nations the world now hosts. The refugee pantheons of Terminus have had their hands tied, forced to make a choice: retain your immortality but live paralyzed, unable to wield your authority.
But that selfsame barrier has somehow allowed for those erstwhile divinities to transfigure themselves into a state known only as 'High Mortal'. While the precise nature of how this works is at this time hazy, there have been enough such metamorphoses recorded that I believe, with a reasonable accounting, we can begin to draw some conclusions on the nature of the process. It is this essayist's opinion that we adventurers need to understand what it is these gods are doing, what they gain and what the power's affect on Terminus might be in the future.
The first, most important thing to understand about High Mortality is the nature of the exchange known as Descension. The history of Terminus describes High Mortality as an "etheral tranfiguration" and a "lesser power" than that of immortality.1 Perhaps the most obvious ramification is that these previously immortal beings give up their "immortal essence" as described by Ginavi. Throughout the history of Terminus, immortals who have taken the form of High Mortals have been killed in combat between themselves, by mere mortals and by dragons.2 In addition to death in combat, several Gods and Goddesses have perished upon the completion of the transfiguration, usually because they have gambled for something more.3,4 It should be noted that, though many immortals who have Descended have died of unnatural causes, the only examples of Gods and Goddesses who have Descended for its own sake and who have not been killed prematurely have lived for hundreds of years, so it is unclear if they can die of natural causes.5 Still, it should come as no surprise that these Gods, once so sure of both their power and permanence on their home worlds would view the choice between the two as a great sacrifice.
So what is there to gain in this transfiguration? I believe the answer lies in the second set of gods, those who sacrificed their immortality for some boon. Syronai, Nythir, and Ginavi all expired immediately after transfiguration, but each used the powers they had originally been granted as a last act.6 Even Ittero, the Ravaging Lord, provides us with insight: Ginavi, Ittero's Bride-Queen, forcibly descended his body (which had suffered from an encounter with an external force, that thing called the "Eyeless Eclipse") in hopes of keeping him alive. Unfortunately, this twisted Ittero into a "half god" who still retained some part of his "gift of creation". It seems probable from these cases that the nature of Descension involves the ability for Gods and Goddesses to retain some degree of their power. Ittero's case is an outlier (because of his additional powers gained from the encounter with the Eyeless Eclipse), but that hypothesis is consistent with the other cases.
I would like to point out a significant difference between Syronai and Ginavi, however: Ginavi expired immediately after reshaping and dispersing her power into the Ginto, but Syronai did not. The "exhausted High Mortal collapsed on the shore of Terminus", only to be killed by Nythirian zealots who abhored her changing of their bodies. I believe the difference between these two examples is the most important part of the High Mortal form: that whether a High Mortal dies from the use of their powers is a question of the degree of use. I would not be surprised in the slightest if High Mortals were to use their powers to this limit during our adventures.
I believe this also to be consistent with those High Mortals who descended but did not die. There is no evidence that High Mortals of the Dwarves or the rogue gods of the Archai and Humans used their traditional powers to excess. In fact, Rhazik (the "evil" god of the Dwarven pantheon) was forcibly Descended in order to be imprisoned, implying that there was no inherent reason why Descention would automatically hasten his death. Khazas himself Descended in order to lead his people, and aside from long life there is nothing in, for example, the Keepings of Castigue would imply he used his power inordinately. Ossari, the War Wizard who perished, and even the Ravaging Lord himself might still be alive had they not been struck down, assuming this theory holds true.
What to make of High Mortality and the Celestial Boundary? To be honest, I question the effectiveness of its proscription of the immortal exercise of supernatural power. I dread the day that a race arrives on Terminus with a singular, all-powerful god, for what possible limit can there be on limitless power should that god choose to become a High Mortal? For now, though, we can safely draw the conclusion that the Boundary forces a weakening of the divine, and a somewhat even playing field. We shall see what the future holds.
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1 The context of this description is in the Descension of Rhazik the Rageful, a Dwarven god. On the Dwarven homeworld of Oldassa Rhazik was forbade from destroying the Dwarves (a creation of Khazas, another god) by a mandate called the Edict of Balance. On Terminus, Rhazik was freed of this edict and sought while still immortal to destroy Khazas' creation. To stop him, the third Dwarven god (a godhead named Lock/en/hammur) had him forcibly turned into a High Mortal so that he could be imprisoned.
2 The most notable examples we have date to the time of the Deicide War, wherein many High Mortals were slain directly in combat. Ittero, the Husband-god of the Ginto (later known more broadly as the Ravaging Lord), was famously crushed to death by Rok’Nhilthamos, the Dragon King. Ossari, a human god known alternatively as "He Who Rages" or "the Betrayer" was slain by the High Mortals known as the War Wizards. Of the six War Wizards, one himself was slain by the Ravaging Lord.
3 The Dark Myr in particular have two excellent examples. The Myr, a (previously) aquatic race, were unable to breathe in the oceans of Terminus upon their arrival. Thus "Nythir, the God of Battle, sacrificed his body, which was composed of Issul’s native seas, creating a breathable sphere of water within the ocean". Proving a temporary solution, another Dark Myr Goddess of Bounty, Syronai, "leveraged the essence of her mortality" to save the race. In the classic fashion of grateful fanatics everywhere, Nythirian loyalists promptly brutally murdered her.
4 The Ginto have another, somewhat more positive example in Ginavi, the Bride-God married to Ittero. Sensing Ittero's corruption of her people, Ginavi sacrificed her immortal form in order to still the Ginto against the corruption from her High Mortal husband's similar transfiguration. She promptly expired.
5 All three of the Dwarven gods (Khazas, Lock/En/Hammur, and Rhazik) Descended roughly 1000 years before the present, and as yet we have no information on their flagging health. Likewise, though Haethus-Kevgrejl has not been seen since her humiliating defeat during her seige of Whitethaw during the Deicide War, it is not clear that she actually died.
6 Syronai was the Goddess responsible for the creation of the Myr, and her sacrifice allowed her to reshape them. Ginavi's powers are less clear, but texts refer to her as "undiminished holiness", and that the nature of her change in the Ginto was consistent with the spreading of her power.
6, cont. Nythir's sacrifice is less clear. It is true that her expired and enacted a supernatural change in the world, but as his body was made of Seawater from his homeworld it may possibly be a coincidence.
Jimmayus -
Once again, this is an exceptional dive into the logic and law behind one of the more significant aspects of our world. I'll be clear: it is extremely helpful at this stage to hear how well (or poorly) what we've sown into the history comes through. Really at any stage. It answers the dueling question of "Was the rigor worth it and were we rigorous enough?" Thank you for putting in this work.
Secondly -- and to me, more critically -- I won't be speaking to a lot of these details. One reason may be obvious (keeping the secrets unspoiled), but the other -- and equally vital -- reason is to serve you all: you must be free to speculate and wonder. I don't want to interfere with that in the least. Even if you're dead wrong on an issue I won't look to correct it, unless it's a point that's in the sweet spot of benefitting everyone by illuminating. So keep the campfires of imagination tended and the torches of discovery fueled, we'll just keep in the shadows.
Onward and upward.
Well thank you for the kind words and the restraint in correcting me. Honestly it's just kind of fun to write in a tone that I imagine an essayist in the actual world of Terminus would use. I'm not a big fanfiction guy, but fan non-fiction? Pretty fun. Now back to planning when I can go see Rogue One again.
I mean if you really need an itinerant historian I'm your man. Like we've discussed before, I think the premise of Terminus is intriguing (it's why in that thread on novels I suggested talking about song and iconography, or the ways mortals express themselves), so this type of research and writing is fun for me. Frankly, I'm extremely flattered anyone cares enough to read it.
As it is, I intend to take the idea of Keeping to heart, with my next post being a brief guide to the known gods of Terminus. Also heads up, because at some point in a stream I'm gonna ask you a super esoteric question like "is Lock/en/hammur inspired by pre-Nicene Christian deliberations on the nature of their own godhead?", or something equally more bizarre just for kicks.
You know what, I'm going to have to track down Joppa for the answer to that question. The base concept for Lock/ehn/hammur was his idea, and he already had the name in plkace before he shuffled them off to me. Ha! Now you've got me curious.
I am a poor, dilettante fan of history. No degree in it, no training on it, just a mad love for it. I've forgotten more than I'll ever remember, but I still can't get enough of it. Human history informs the way I conceptualize Pantheon history like nothing else. Ever since I was a child pouring over books on Egypt and Greece, my creative instincts have been honed by the whetstone of studying the past. History and the study of history dictates the structure and composition of Pantheon's lore, from the most opulent narratives to the most mundane details and every interwoven thread running in between. Whatever I do creatively, my debt to historians is greater than I can repay.
Now, back to the forge.
