Bonus Chapter: Lore on the Gods (1/2)
When one gets their 7th Name, they become immortal, and they're allowed access to the place where the gods dwell. Depending on the culture or which scholar you ask, you'll hear these mages called, "demi-gods", "ascendents", "immortals", and "god-kin". In all honesty, they're just significantly more powerful mages and nothing more, so the most accurate term for them is "7th Gate mages".
In order to become a god, one must first be a god-candidate before they get their 7th Name. How, might you ask, does one become one of these god-candidates?
The answer?
Each type of Name (Dra, Reh, May, Yiir, Fel, Syl, and Ar) has an attached virtue to them, and in order to become a god-candidate, one must be recognized for one of these virtues by the Universe itself.
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Gods of Dra:
"Dra's" virtue is "Power". Power can be manifested either through having power over others (Dominion and force – Dravar) or power over oneself (extreme Discipline and training –Drawyn).
Dravar gods:
Gods who got their divinity through Dravar did so by taking another god's place by Force. This is precisely the reason why the only way to become a dragon god is to slay another dragon god.
Because all Dravar gods are dragons, the only title they have are "dragon gods", and for obvious reasons, Dravar gods are, by far, the strongest of all beings in the Divine Realms.
Drawyn gods:
The other way to use "Dra" to achieve godhood is through Drawyn – intense training and self-restraint. (They're basically a mix between monks and cultivators.) They often spend their entire lives in mundane, monotonous training. Because of how unpopular this is, you VERY rarely see people use Drawyn to become a god.
Drawyn gods are sometimes called "Masters" (since they've mastered some skill), "Cultivators" (since their power is accrued step by step), or "Hermit gods" (since they are stereotypically depicted as being reclusive). They're often called "Sage's" too because of their profound wisdom and their incredible self-control.
"Masters" are generally EXTREMELY good at one skill. For example, a god of Forging would have used his Drawyn to get his godhood.
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Gods of Reh:
"Reh's" virtue is "Connections". You can get this virtue through 2 ways – Feelings (Rehvar / black Reh) and Relations (Rehwyn / white Reh).
Rehvar gods:
Your "Rehvar" can make you a god if you're loved by enough people, or if you're dearly loved by another god. Because of this, a god giving / telling another his Reh (Heart) Name is a very big deal because he or she can make ANYONE a god-candidate by doing this.
Oddly enough, you can also become a Rehvar god if another god hates you enough. Their intense fixation and hatred will boost you up and empower you; this is why gods like to settle all their grudges as quickly as possible. It certainly doesn't feel good to help your enemy get more powerful by the mere act of hating them.
Rehvar gods who ascend by being loved don't really have a special title; they're just called "so-and-so's wife", or "so-and-so's husband". For the sake of convenience, some gods do call them "Lover gods." Gods who ascend through another gods HATRED, on the other hand, are usually called Nemesis gods. They're pretty uncommon, though, since they usually get hunted down and killed before the get to live very long.
Either way, both Lover gods and Nemesis gods have the same perk / role. Their powers imitate their patron god's. For example, if a Smithing god gives his heart to a mortal woman, the woman will gain smithing powers too. If a Warrior god gives his Heart to his enemy, then his foe will gain powers equal to his.
For obvious reasons, having a Lover god is extremely beneficial, since they'll boost your abilities and serve as a great support. For equally obvious reasons, you should avoid making a Nemesis god as much as possible; they might just kill you and take your place, since they DO have powers identical to yours.
Rehwyn gods:
Gods who use Rehwyn, on the other hand, get their chance at godhood by becoming the founder of a long family line, or being recognized as the head of a clan.
Fittingly, gods of Rehwyn are called "Ancestors". (Fun tidbit, but most of the Rehkin clans Haalfrin knows all have an Ancestor god they worship.)
What makes Ancestor gods special is their bloodline abilities. You see, "divinity" isn't passed on through blood at all. A Smithing god's children will just be ordinary mortals… for example.
Ancestor gods, however, share a bit of their divinity with their descendants. (This is why Freyya could use some Spiritual abilities as a child, even before she got her first Name and became a mage; she has an Ancestor god, and she thus has a Bloodline power.)
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Gods of May:
… No one really knows about these gods. In fact, even the existence of the Maykin is considered a rumor, even in the Divine Realm. The only reason they're mentioned is because since there's a race for every other section of the soul, then there should, theoretically, be Maykin out there.
Some rumors say that they're a race who have shed their bodies in favor of flitting through thoughts and dreams. Some say they've been wiped out. Who knows?
As for how one becomes a god through great May… nobody knows either.
The thing people DO know is that the virtues of May is Knowledge and Intelligence. It's theorized that there are some secret things you must know in order to become a May god… though this is speculation too.
It wouldn't be a secret if I told you, right? ;D
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Gods of Yiir:
Yiir's virtue is "Significance." Significance is gained through being the center of important events (Yiirvar) or being tied to an important place (Yiirwyn).
Yiirvar gods:
You can become a Yiirvar god by being the "main character" in events that effect many average lives (like a nation full of millions of people) or in events that effect someone else (like a powerful king or a god).
Yiirvar gods are often called "Champions", "Hero's", "Chosen Ones", or many other titles which depend on what type of role they play. Either way, some great Fate hangs on them.
(Because Haalfrin's Syl Name was altered and shaped to allow him to fulfill his role in the battle against Drakavar, he's actually a Yiirvar god-candidate. It's his important role in the gods' final battle that earned him his divinity.)
Yiirwyn gods:
Whenever something Significant happens (or will happen), a god will be born in that place. Sometimes, this Signifiance will land on someone in this place, and sometimes, this Significance will manifest on its own as some sort of land spirit.
You'll sometimes see shrines with some tucked away spirit inside – granting favors or offering shelter to travelers. You'll sometimes hear of a strange spirit lording over some dark forest. You'll sometimes hear of holy mountains with some slumbering deity lurking beneath it.
There's a reason why, in most stories, powerful artifacts are left for the heroes in some "mysteriously" enchanted forest or some other strange or fantastical location.
Often, these deities are called land gods, though they're sometimes called guardians… depending on who you ask.
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Gods of Fel:
Fel's virtue is "Change" or "Adaptability". Though much is known about the Felkin, the method of becoming a Fel god is also largely a mystery.
One of the only documented cases of someone become a Fel god is when some demons were experimenting on a captured god – viciously digging into the woman's soul to try extracting her divinity for themselves.
They did manage to carve the divinity out of her soul, but the Divine mantle fled from them and was caught by a young Felkin girl. The girl didn't know what this energy was, but she used her immense talent in Alchemy to make an elixir out of it. She drank the elixir herself, digested the energy, and became a Fel god.
The reason why no more Fel gods have been heard of is because the demons responsible for this were all hunted down, and the secrets of their experiments were expunged from existence. No one since has been able to replicate what they did.
However, it was learned from this incident that Fel gods are born from recycled Divinity. Fel IS about refashioning things into other forms, so this only makes sense.
As for the difference between Felvar and Felwyn gods? Nobody knows.
(Well, the only other Fel gods are Felkawyn, Felkavar, and Felkala… but they're primordial entities directly forged by the Creator god; they don't count.)
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Gods of Syl:
Syl's virtue is "Adherence to Truth" and "Obedience to the Law". (If there were a word for both of these things in the English language, I'd have liked to use it here.) For simplicity's sake, we'll call it "Lawfulness".
Sylvar gods:
Sylvar are the artificial rules – codes of morality and religion, and the laws of man. One becomes a Sylvar god when enough people believe in you and willingly do what you say they should do.
These Sylvar gods are, fittingly, called "god-kings" most of the time. They're worshipped by the masses, and their words are used to guide and inspire people. Statues are built in their name, temples erected, etc.
Basically, a god-king's divinity depends on being worshipped. If people forget about their god-king, then this god ceases to be a god. If they can expand their own religion farther and wider, then their divinity grows greater.
(The Death King if a Sylvar god.)
Sylwyn gods:
Unlike Sylvar, which is the artificial law / subjective belief, Sylwyn is Universal Law / objective truth. One may believe that alcohol and drugs are bad (subjective Sylvar), but it doesn't matter at all if you believe in gravity or not; if you jump off a high tower, Gravity will kill you, whether you worship it or not.
In other words, Sylvar is like Authority; Authority can only exist if enough people believe it exists. Sylwyn… Yeah, it doesn't matter even if everyone pretends Sylwyn doesn't exist. It will always be there.
As for the method of using Sylwyn to become a god… No Sylwyn gods are currently known of. Trust me, many people have tried to become Sylwyn gods, but nobody knows how to do it.
It's speculated that since the Universal Law doesn't need any Lawkeepers or representatives, that no Sylwyn gods will ever be made. The cosmic Laws belong to the Cosmos – not to any individual.
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Gods of Ar:
Ar's virtue is "Extraordinariness". Oddly enough, a lot of people get "Extraordinariness" and "Significance" mixed up. It's usually only the nerdy scholars who make a point of keeping those two terms separate. In the laymen's mind, however, you must be Extraordinary if you're Significance.
Thus, when you hear people talking about that thing you need to become a god, you'll often hear them make a blanket statement, saying "You need the Significance here" or something to that effect.
Really, Freyya is to blame for this confusion in Haalfrin, since she's outright disdainful of scholarly learning and too stubborn to change how she talks.
Arvar gods:
The way to become Extraordinary through Arvar is to be Unique. Essentially, the fewer people who are like you, the more Arvar you have.
Naturally, since there are SO MANY PEOPLE, there are TON of people who are like you. Thus, it's actually incredibly rare for someone to have a lot of Arvar. In fact, there's a book in Freyya's library that documents every known case of an Arvar god. They're full of strange and interesting stories.
One of these stories is about a man who was created as a clone by some insane scientists. Clones normally have no souls, but these scientists found a way to make an artificial soul. Unfortunately for their research, their creation (being the only live clone) got so much Arvar that he woke up and became a god shortly afterwards.
The thing about Arvar gods is that the universe will bend over backwards to keep them "unique". Thus, no other live clones were able to be made after him, no matter how hard the scientists tried to replicate what they did.
Arwyn gods:
Technically, every god (except for Arvar gods) are Arwyn gods. Gods are just people who are very Extraordinary about something. A smithing god is the most Extraordinary Smith. A god-king is a very Extraordinary king. A dragon god is a very Extraordinary warrior… etc.
There's a very good reason why one can only be a god once they get their 7th Name… and why the 7th Name is always your Ar Name. Getting your Ar Name is when you become the most Extraordinary version of yourself.
Thus, you can think of an Arwyn god simply a general term for ANY god.
…However, it must be said that there is only ONE god who solely derives their divinity / Extraordinariness from Arwyn and nothing else. She's Lessa, the Goddess of Existence. You could say that she's the most Extraordinary thing that Exists, for she IS Existence.
You can say that all gods are Extradorinary… but they all have that SOMETHING that makes them Extraordinary. Do they stand out because of their immense strength? Are they the best Smith? Are they some destined hero?
This is what makes Lessa's existence so strange. She's Extraordinary, yes, but WHY? The answer? Just because. She's special just because that's how she is.
(A/N: Lessa is a Mary Sue character, except Lessa's Exceptionalness actually makes sense. Mary Sues are just badly written characters.)