Demigod
Demigod, also referred to as half-god, is a mythological race referred to in religion and fables. Genus Reditus and Assecula de Genus believe the High God cast off various parts of his body to grant Mankind emotions and personality, hence the term half-god. In this sense, they are more spiritual embodiments of certain concepts than anything else.
Religious context
The book of Genus involves eight Demigods as 'messengers' from the Godrealms that visited Surface to establish a land for the 'chosen' people. This land became Radosis. The eight Demigods each represented a domain, which they granted to all of Mankind, that together combined as four dualities, which became central to the belief of Redits and Asseculs. The largest difference between the two religions relates to the belief of a day of reckoning (a doomsday)--where Redits believe the demigods will return, while Asseculs believe the demigods have been here all along--and their form of reincarnation--where Redits believe in the soul being passed through bloodline, while Asseculs believe the soul can be reborn in any person.
The belief held by Asseculs gained large foothold in northern parts of Surface, and spread its way to a subset of Church of Langenthal. These are known as Devout Asseculs.
The eight domains of the deities
| # | Domain | Symbol Animals | Patron Deity | Characteristic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Creation | Snake Butterfly Phoenix |
Lysa | The symbol of infinite growth, Creation represents a belief in progress and change, and the transition from chaos to order. It is usually represented with white, as a symbol of life and peace. |
| 2 | Destruction | Scorpion Bull |
Solutus | The symbol of entropy, Destruction represents the inevitable breakdown of any and all systems, and a transition from order to chaos. It is usually represented with black, as a symbol of death and war. |
| 3 | Sincerity | Dog | Felix | The symbol of honesty and purity, Sincerity represents a strong optimistic belief in the good of others, and the concept of trust and good will. It is sometimes represented with white, as a symbol of peace; other times with red, as a symbol of love. |
| 4 | Deception | Monkey Spider |
Khada | The symbol of impurity and ingenuity, Deception represents the corruptive force that spreads doubt, distrust, anger and hatred. It is sometimes represented with red, as a symbol of bloodshed; other times with black, as a symbol of hatred. |
| 5 | Reason | Owl Three-eyed Raven |
Dianna | The symbol of the mind, Reason represents the desire to objectify and structuralise the natural, and to recreate it synthetically, but also rationalism; the disregard for emotions in favour of logic. It is sometimes represented with blue, as a symbol of intelligence; other times with grey, as a symbol of technological advancement. |
| 6 | Empathy | Lion Cow |
Tayibea | The symbol of the heart, Empathy governs sentimentality, emotions and a desire to follow one's true self, but also a respect for nature and harmony. It is sometimes represented with red, as a symbol of love; other times with green, as a symbol of nature and courage. |
| 7 | Ethics | Camel Horse Turtle |
Rakish | The symbol of moralism and stoicism, Ethics represents the resolve to change and restrain oneself, and to hold strong principles, willpower and adherence to social order. It is usually represented with blue, as a symbol of responsibility and matureness. |
| 8 | Aesthetics | Cat | Aurelia | The symbol of decadence and selfishness, Aesthetics is a hedonistic instinct to indulge in greed, lust and gluttony, but also represents pragmatism, shallowness and beauty. It is usually represented with yellow, as a symbol of wealth. |
The four dualities of life
| # | Duality | Meaning of Mastery |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Creation & Destruction | In order to create, one must first destroy. This duality symbolises that life and death are two sides of the same coin, and that nothing is infinite. |
| 2 | Sincerity & Deception | Blind naïveté is as toxic as blind hatred. To be distrustful of ill intents is to guard oneself, but to trust others is to take care of oneself. |
| 3 | Reason & Empathy | Reason allows Mankind to evolve far beyond animals, but Empathy makes sure one's humanity is not lost in the process. There is a time for emotions, and a time for rationalism. |
| 4 | Ethics & Aesthetics | The duality symbolises treading the balance between freedom and order; selfishness and selflessness; to be able to enjoy life's bountiful experiences without succumbing to it. |
The Old World
Content below is considered metaknowledge.
Demigod, also referred to as Half-God and Hochländer, is an ancient race associated with the old world, and the cross between Celeste, inhabitants of the Godrealms, and Humans. While considered below Celeste, they still carry magic affinity through their blood which can be passed to some degree to Human offspring, but their lifespans, while still long compared to a Human, is significantly shorter than that of a Celeste.
In the old world there was great difference between Demigods, as various races of Mankind evolved and adapted with unique traits, which in turn made Demigods resemble other Mankind races much more the thinner their lineage to Celeste became. While some pure magic affinity was sacrificed in the process, they gained other, more specialised affinities for certain type of magic, as well as distinct features. Another consequences was a reduction of lifespan, as normal reproduction became more commonplace.
One such 'specialisation' was what is today referred to as Divine; it was one of the purest Demigod races, as they had a distinct opposition to non-magic races such as Humans. However, through a limited gene pool, they underwent much of the same lineage thinning as other races; they became more 'specialised', with frailer bodies and stronger minds, and a particular affinity for destructive magic, however, unlike almost all other races, kept the longest lifespan of remaining Demigods. One could think some of their unfortunate traits could be a result of their tendency for inbreeding.
Another Demigod offshoot is Elves; similar to Divine, they kept a large affinity for magic in exchange for a frailer body and stronger mind, but other traits could not be more different. Elves became excellent analytics, and discarded sentimentality in favour of a strong rationalistic belief. Eventually, Elves surpassed their innate magic affinity with artificial magic, and gained insurmountable knowledge of metaphysics to the point of achieving an artificial cosmic magic. This colossal feat turned them into a threat to Celeste, and they were forcibly attempted rooted out; as a result, they became an exceedingly isolative race, and in fear of a purge, used their cosmic magic to conceal themselves in spacetime. In fact, Misthliþ was created as one such hideout, and has thus existed separate in the spacetime cosmos for many millions of years prior to the Cataclysm.