Demigods¶
"To be classified as a god, one must have a clergy with their spellcasting abilities drawn from the god." — Fifth Age Magic
Demigods are "beings of tremendous power, normally immortal, but not quite as indestructible as the Einar. They also often inhabit the material plane. Various mortals may worship them." Some hold a speck of the Throne of Law; some were raised by a god and outlived it; some are simply very old, very large, or very clever. What they share is worship without godhood proper: a demigod's power is local, its followers few, and its cult, very often, desperate. The Fifth Age has more of them than any age before.
Kinds of demigod¶
"Their power can come from different sources. For some, their power is innate, other have it granted through Ascendancy, and other still through artifacts, knowledge and experience." Fifth Age scholars sort them into three kinds:
- Astral: "fallen ascendants of dead gods, powerful demons or a holder of an Astral fragment or artifact".
- Fae (Elemental): beings that have "enslaved or absorbed part of the power of a Titan".
- Eldritch: a handful of the freed Eldritch "have set themselves up as gods, complete with a functional priesthood" (see Eldritch).
"Demi-Gods are distinct from gods in the scope and depth of their power." The older Compendium draws the line between Demi-Gods, who can "affect an entire region or larger", and Lesser Demi-Gods, whose "powers are far more local. That does not stop them from being worshipped under the right circumstances, however." When a lesser demigod gathers a scattered following, "they often use surrogates directly endowed with some of their power to represent them at each site to counter their lack of power projection".
Astral Dust holders¶
The Greater Demi-Gods of the Compendium are Astral Dust holders. "When the throne of law shattered, in addition to larger shards, were tiny ones which were dust compared to the other shards. However, this granted them much of the same power (though less), and most importantly, a platform from which they could grow their power." Dust is the fifth and smallest class of Astral Shard, "possessed by Greater Demi-Gods" (see Astral Shards). A dust-plane is "small-town sized" and cannot be lived in, so "most astral dust holders remain on the material plane the vast majority of the time". Worse, "without followers, the dust shard shrinks and can disappear entirely. This has been known to happen in several instances with dust shards, making these demigods need followers desperately … which is why they are well known for their cults." The 2026 revision adds the reason such gods are local: a shard's Asomatus Lines anchor it to points on the Material, "more powerful shards have more lines that spread across greater distances. This is why some demigods and lesser gods with smaller shards are known as 'local' deities."
Abraxas, "Demon God of Sorcery, The Shiftless Sorcerer, The Wizard-Eater", is the type: a one-time lieutenant of Asmodeus, "Astral Dust Holder (Magic, Polymorphism and Illusion) - The Shiftless Mansion", who binds the souls of sacrificed casters to his shard to grow it. In the Fifth Age the dead gods' remains are Astral Dusts too: the Blood of Arya, Khardic crystals and others are listed among the sources of magic.
The other great kinds the Compendium files under Demi-Gods have their own pages: the seven Archdemons; the Primal Dragons, "the Dragon Gods"; the Four Giant Kings, immortal elemental kings of the Storm, Fire, Mountain and Frost giants (see Giants); the Fae Archons, who "in some places in the world ... appear as gods in various physical manifestations, and have many mortal followers" (see Fae); the sleeping Titans, of whom "it is said many of nature's mysteries are directly caused by the dreams of titans"; the First Wizards, whose staves channelled the Worldstone; and the demonlords Gothmog and Orcus and the arch-maleficus Vinias, who are Figures. The Elder Gods, "most ... banished or weakened to the point of being little more than demi-gods", are Elder Gods.
Lesser demigods with followings¶
"Numerous lesser demi-gods exist, either ancient products of the Titans, Faeries or extremely powerful magic-users that have learned the secret to immortality. Like Demi-Gods, they are immortal and nearly indestructible." The Compendium lists four with cults.
Harra'Sebbek¶
"The Crocodile God, Lord of the River. The crocodile god has a cult following in several locations in the South. They practice human sacrifice and their priests are initiated by surviving a bite from a crocodile. Their temples are generally built over the river when able to practice in the open. If in hiding, they will often choose a remote marsh for a temple or shrine." The Compendium lists the Cult of the Crocodile God among the notable organisations of Numenia without saying more.
Thumma-Set¶
"Serpent King, Lord of Life and Death. The serpent king has a cult following in the central Empire despite repeated attempts to stamp them out. They practice human sacrifice and believe the god has the ability to grant them immortality and vitality." The Empire is the Thyssal Empire of the Age of Magic.
Kor Kanak¶
"The Living Mountain. This mountain is sentient and has lived for countless millennia. It communicates telepathically and does not normally allow strangers near it. It is a collector of information, lore and secrets, and will sometimes agree to a trade, if the information is particularly important, rare or powerful."
Tahmouress Behrouz¶
"The Thunder God. Originally a mortal draconian, this Blue Draconian's study of Arcane magic led him to the secret of immortality using lightning. He is able to use lightning to destroy his mortal form and recreate it in a purified form at a distant location. His understanding of and power with lightning is legendary. However, he guards his secrets closely and lives high in the Dragonspine mountains. Many local humanoids worship him as a god, hoping for blessings or gifts, which he does occasionally bestow."
Local and off-world gods of the later ages¶
The Fourth and Fifth Age campaigns add gods of peoples and places that no pantheon claims.
Agrob'Anzut¶
The heart-mother of Markhan, the awakened consciousness of a Worldstone fragment, has her own page: Agrob'Anzut.
Rak'or¶
The Sun God of the Urok'gar Confederation of orcs, ogres, goblins, half-orcs and humans, which "has seen considerable success and growth in the lands of former Dalmar and Naher" and is ruled from Agor'haem by nine Priest-rulers, among them Princeps Hrok'thog. Nothing else is recorded of him (see Urok'gar Confederation).
Uiren¶
A Frost Archon and "the Boreal Elves Patron", dwelling in the Glittering Caverns of Uiren, a sacred cave the Boreal Elves patrol. An onyx Amulet of Uiren, "infused by the spirit of Uiren (A Frost Archon) with protective magics", is worn by a Snow-Huntress of Brae'Dal. The elemental cultists of the Primal Union of Ter'Gaia planned to capture him, needing "a Frost archon heart to douse the flame wards" around the prison of the fire primordial Ambusthene (see Boreal Elves).
Kosh-Tuul and the Tuulish¶
In the Fourth Age kingdom of Arnyr the Tuulish religion worshipped Tuulish, "Lord of Health and Vitality", with a priest in Marshford, a temple compound of fifty outside Dueneport, and an inoculation against the Pig-Pox plague manufactured in that city. The inoculation "is a fragment of Kosh-Tuul", a being who lived "deep in sewers" in Narlhaven, "God of Rats, Plaguebringer", who "isn't really killable … he just reforms among other rats", backed by the Collegium of the Amber Sun and bound by an understanding with the wizard Tserrerak. When Tserrerak betrayed him "the Tuulish religion seems to have collapsed", and Kosh-Tuul went east "a bitter enemy of Tserrerak". The campaign is Marshford Campaign; Kosh-Tuul's earlier career is told in the Demonlands Mini Campaign.
Aeradris¶
"Mother of the Arctic Sun", named in the Marshford notes as a Kalar Ascendant. Nothing else is recorded.
Sukmaril and Mafaesial¶
The gods of the world the Uk'Zarai came from. "Mafaesial was the creator of the world and of the An'Zarai", the feathered Seraphim who radiated Phi energy. "Eventually Mafaesial raised up one as a Goddess and made her his wife (Sukmaril). With Mafaesial's help she created the Uk'Zarai as well as many other creatures." Sukmaril twisted Phi into Fel energy and gave it to her Uk'Zarai; when Mafaesial judged the whole race infected and marked for destruction, "Sukmaril murdered her husband (Mafaesial) and waged war upon the An'Zarai until they were driven to extinction. After their fall, the world declined quickly into the dead world that it now is (renamed Sukmaran)." She rules it still, "a harsh goddess" who "requires the perfection of all of her subjects", banishing the imperfect to starve; "many Uk'Zarai breathe in the quietest of whispers that the Goddess is insane". The later documents call the Uk'Zarai homeworld Sharuvas and its god the Divine; whether the two accounts describe one being is not said. The peoples are Uk'Zarai.
Earlier accounts¶
The 2014 Demi-Gods document and the 2015 Compendium have the Einar instruct "thirty-two Ventari in the use of the thirty-two spheres of magic" or "twenty Ventari in the use of the five spheres"; the 2019 Overview has five elven wizards. The First Wizards are an open question held by Magic. The 2015 Compendium calls the Fae Archons survivors of a decimation "at the end of the Age of Fae" and the 2014 document "early in the Second Age".
Gap
No source describes how a mortal becomes a demigod other than by Astral Dust or lightning, or what a demigod's heaven is like. Rak'or, Aeradris and the Giant Kings are names without stories. Kor Kanak's location is not given.