The Gods

The Gods are a race of divine immortal beings who control the forces of nature and rule various portions of the Earth. Most gods are a part of a divine tribe, called a Pantheon, and rely on their mortal worshipers for power. Every god represents some aspect of mortal culture, serving as messengers and attendants, to soldiers, scholars, healers and beyond. They are native to the Outer Planes and are imbued with considerable power, with each deity holding influence of their divine domain. A god manifests on Earth in the form of an Awakening, when a mortal undergoes a process where they Awaken as the physical incarnation of a god in our world. A god cannot exist without this vessel. This process has recurred throughout history, in a process the gods call the Divine Cycle.

Gods are some of the most powerful entities in the world, generally outclassing most spirits, Titanspawn and even some Titans.

See also, Pantheons.

History
Sometime after the creation of the world, the gods first awoke to wage a terrible war with the Titans. This war was long and bloody and shook the Earth to its very foundations. But, bit by bit, the gods fought back the Titans, sealing them away in other worlds behind powerful magics.

The Netjer are known to have existed for at least 7,000 years. The Olympians aren't much younger, having been around for at least 5,000 years and the Asgardians for around 4,000 years (of course, these are mostly estimates). Many of the exploits associated with the gods and their wars with the Titans occurred during prehistory and the earliest days of human civilization.

Around the start of recorded history, the gods' role in society changed. No longer warriors, they began to serve as teachers or rulers, growing complacent off the decadence of their mortal worshipers.

But this was not to last. Time continued to move and humanity turned on their gods. The fall of the old ways gave rise to Christianity and the other Abrahamic religions, which in turn gave way to the Scientific Revolution.

While the gods are not as powerful as they once were, they continue to serve the function they always have--embodying the ideals and values of the cultures they are tied to and upholding the agendas and ideals of their pantheons.

Characteristics
As divine rulers, the embodiment of concepts and ideals, and as agents of fate, gods are extremely powerful beings in the supernatural world. They are superhuman beings superior to mortals in power and (sometimes) in intellect. Their true spiritual forms or visages can prove overwhelming to most mortals; most humans cannot look upon their true forms without being blinded or even immediately dying. A gods essence cannot exist outside of the Outer Planes on its own, those their presence has been seen manifesting as a brilliant white light or as a lightning bolt.

When gods die, the white light escapes their bodies and a sigil is burned into the surface on which they are lying. Mortals cannot see these visages as human senses are too limited to truly perceive them. But gods have a sort of divine sense, where they can sense the presence of another god merely by looking at them.

All gods were born mortal. These mortals live their lives as normal until they Awaken and do not necessarily have to come from the civilization that birthed the pantheon. It is unknown whether or not someone who Awakens is born as a god who just needs to "wake up" or if the vessel is chosen by the essence of a god. Either way, fate has a way of drawing the chosen vessels for the gods together at the start of a cycle. When a vessel awakens, they are no longer mortal and instead become the physical incarnation of a god on Earth. The individual gains all of the powers of the god as well as some of their memories; they are no longer the person they used to be, except that they kind of are.

It is impossible to predict who will awaken as a god, though there are a number of indicators, most notably the Calling: the pattern that has shown itself where a god will follow a career or hobby in life that in some way ties to their future godly domains. This is usually only apparent in retrospect.

The effects of this Awakening vary. Depending on the age of the pantheon and their relative strength of their power, merging with the divine essence can severely alter the host vessel. Some are more or less exactly as they were before the Awakening, only with powers and a supernatural connection to their domains and to their pantheons. Other essences are much stronger, effectively "burning" the old personality away, leaving the god in control of the vessel with little of who the vessel used to be remaining.

Even though they have different faces every cycle, a god will always recognize another god by their aura and essence, which are mostly imperceptible to most humans. While awakened as a god, their bodies no longer have blood like a mortal but possess "Ichor"; the divine fire. This ichor contains their connection to the supernatural world.

Due to a variety of factors, many gods look down upon humans and see them as inferior and many do not trust humans due to their "betrayal" thousands of years past. Some gods hold onto this resentment, as evidenced by the Netjer. Despite this, the gods guard the Material world and the humans who live in it. Feelings of resentment aren't universal, however, as Olympians and Asgardians have both been shown to not only remain very close to their vessels and but also to care for human life. Some, such as the Titan Promethus, consider humans better than gods because, despite their inherent flaws, a lot of them strive to do good.

The gods tend to be a lustful crowd and most gods are renowned for their sex drives and prowess; many are insatiable, especially those whose domains include Love. As gods are simply the physical manifestations of concepts and ideas, they cannot procreate with one another. They can procreate with mortals however, resulting in demigods.

Powers and Abilities
The gods are superhuman beings with a variety of magical powers, such as controlling the weather or the seas. In addition to their immortality, all gods draw most of their power from their sphere of control, or domain, but they all share certain powers. These abilities are tied to the ichor in their veins, to the Sacred Trees of their pantheons and the faith and worship of mortals:
 * Ageless Memory: Despite inhabiting various physical forms over the millennia, all gods have at least vague memories from their long lives. While most pantheons remember nothing of their former lives at first, various situations and prolonged exposure to other gods will slowly reawaken the memories of their divine essence, allowing them to recall events from their past lives.  
 * Ambrosia & Nectar: Consumption of Nectar & Ambrosia (which has many names throughout the pantheons) greatly accelerates a god's healing factor, even capable of bringing them back from the brink of death when injured by magic, Celestial weapons or foul Titan magic. Too much is dangerous, making them sick and, in some cases, killing the god if their essence isn't strong enough.
 * Auras: A god's aura are minor powers and abilities that bend reality and affect the world and people around them. Every god's aura is a little bit different and has to do with their Domains. For example, a god of war will tend to make the people around him more aggressive or hostile, while a goddess of love tends to lowers others' inhibitions and more open to suggestions.
 * Combat Intuition: All gods have an instinctive ability to defend themselves, which is tied to their ageless memory. Even if the vessel has never picked up a weapon before, most gods are at least competent with most forms of weaponry, though they can train to become even better.
 * Divine Physiology: Gods never tire and are immune to all mortal disease that is not divinely created (such as through a titan or god of disease). They tend to have dramatically increased strength, able to lift weight far exceeding what most people of their height and weight could possibly hope to lift. Some gods, such as Ares or Thor, can pick up several tons easily. Their senses are enhanced to superhuman levels and their reflexes and coordination tend to far exceed the human threshold.
 * Domains: A god's domain is their sphere of influence, or the ideas and concepts of which they rule. For example, Aphrodite is the goddess of love, so she possesses almost absolute control over love, lust and happiness. Zeus, god of the sky, can fly and command the winds and the weather. Some gods in the same pantheon have domains that overlap, but no two gods interact with their domains in exactly the same way. The vast majority of a god's power comes from their domain.
 * Dream Walking: All gods possess a unique relationship to dreams. All gods have a limited capacity for prophetic ability in dreams and all gods are capable of dream walking, or interacting with the dreams of others, to a limited extent.
 * Electronic Manipulation: A god often interferes with certain electrical appliances or systems when using their powers.
 * Immortality: A god ages much more slowly than a human; left to their own devices, some gods have lived a few centuries and only appear to have aged a decade or so. If killed by any means other than what it takes to put one down for good (see Weaknesses, below), they will come back to life within 24 hours.
 * Invulnerability: A god is much tougher than a human and can withstand a greater degree of punishment. Gods can take the amount of pain and injury that would cripple or kill a mortal human and walk it off. They are superhuman in their ability to shrug off damage and evade harm.
 * Native Tongue: All gods are capable of speaking languages they probably never knew in life, tied to the origin of their pantheon; for example, all Olympians speak Greek, regardless of their origin and experiences.
 * Regeneration: If a god's body is damaged, it will repair itself almost instantly unless the wound is caused by celestial weaponry or particularly powerful magic.
 * Reincarnation: If killed, a god's essence is not destroyed (unless it is Scattered, see below) the god will return to the Outer Planes, where it will remain dormant until the start of the next Divine Cycle.
 * Supernatural Perception: Gods are able to see almost all supernatural activity around them. For example, the Asgardians saw the town of Lochmann as it really was and perceived the hybrid Voldyanoy for what they truly were. Gods are also able to sense one another's presence, most often by sight. Many gods possess an awareness when certain things pertaining to their domain occur (for example, Freya can sense when a pact is broken, Aphrodite is aware of what any person around her finds attractive, and Isis can sense when spells are being cast).
 * Worship Empowerment: As long as a god's domain exists, a god can usually continue existing. Worship is the lifeblood that keeps them strong; a god can exist without being actively worshiped, but they will not be anywhere near as strong. A lack of worship might cause a god to no longer reincarnate during the next Cycle. Moreover, when a mortal performs an act of worship in the presence of a god, the god will get a boost of energy that is described as being a thousand times stronger than caffeine. The more profound the act of worship, or the more costly the sacrifice on the human's part, the more energy can be harvested from the act.

Weaknesses
When at full power, gods are supremely powerful entities and have few weaknesses, especially when compared to other supernatural beings. However, there are many means that can be used against gods:

Harming, Misleading, Banishing and Trapping

 * Broken Neck: Breaking a god's neck will not kill them, but it will render them unconscious for several minutes to several hours.
 * Celestial Sigil: When certain ancient symbols (sigils written in Enochian, the language of the gods) are placed on a surface, they can be used to prevent a god from detecting that place or person. They can also be used to prevent gods from entering a building, capable of weakening a god and they can prevent a god from eavesdropping on a conversation.
 * God Banishing Sigil: This sigil is capable of banishing gods.
 * Hexbag: A hexbag, or juju or gri-gri bags, can be used to prevent a god from detecting and finding someone.
 * Holy Fire: Encased in a circle of flames created from Holy Oil, the god is trapped. The trapped god can still use some of their powers. Touching the flame will kill the vessel and the god.
 * Ichor Removal: A god's ichor is what supplies it with Divine magic and therefore if it is removed, they will be rendered powerless--and mortal. Ichor can be removed by slitting the throat of a god with a Celestial Blade or drawing it out of the vessel using a ritual.
 * Imprisonment Sigil: There are a number of symbols, which vary depending on the god and pantheon, that can be used to imprison a god. These symbols can be drawn or painted onto a surface and, once inside, a god cannot escape and are effectively trapped. Once inside an Imprisonment Sigil, they cannot use their powers.
 * Lack of Worship: If a god is no longer acknowledged and completely loses worship from mortals, they begin to fade. The ichor becomes inert, leaving them as vulnerable as any human. The only caveat is that the god will continue to live as long their domain continues to exist and the god has the will to continue. In effect, the god continues to have a prolonged lifespan but loses their divine powers, magic and ability to resurrect. In such a state, if they die, they will not come back, even at the dawn of the next cycle.
 * Magic: All gods are susceptible and even vulnerable to magic in all of its forms. Most gods can be harmed, hindered, bound or slowed by spells cast from a competent magician. Particularly powerful spells can even kill a god.
 * Physical Trauma: While any physical trauma can slow a god down, minor ones such as cuts, scrapes, bruises and stab wounds are largely ineffective due to their healing factor. More significant injuries, such as broken bones and organ damage can incapacitate a god due to the combination of pain and lack of their bodies' proper function. These injures will take more time to heal and hamper a god's ability to fight or run.
 * Symbol of Power: All gods possess a symbol of power, or a divine talisman that represents their authority. Destroying the symbol of power will severely weaken a god as if they had lost their ichor. While the symbol will eventually reform (unless permanently destroyed), gods are very vulnerable in this state.
 * Wooden Stakes: A wooden stake will neutralize a god when stabbed through the heart. If the stake is removed, the god will awaken in a few hours. Each pantheon requires a specific kind of wood to be effective. Some pantheons require more hoops to jump through; for example, Asgardians require Oak stakes dipped in lamb's blood to work. It's different for every pantheon.

Destroying

 * Celestial Weapon: A god can be killed by using a Celestial weapon, otherwise known as a Relic or Blessed Weapon, usually a sword, gun or arrow (though it doesn't have to be). These weapons are made by gods or with blessed material, or are otherwise blessed in some way. Some powerful relics created by mortals have ascended to become Celestial weapons, such as the sword Excalibur.
 * Divine Powers: A god is usually able of harming other gods using their divine gifts. For example, the fire of Loki or lightning from Zeus can usually kill another god under most circumstances.
 * Scattering: The term used to describe the phenomenon of Final Death; the scenario where a god dies and can never re-form, even at the start of a new cycle, even if there remains an aspect of their domain or their worship. To do this, their essence must be sufficiently scattered throughout the Upper Planes, Lower Planes and the Material Plane upon their death. This must occur simultaneously. This is a rare circumstance and is not usually reversible; reversing a Scattering of Essence has occurred only once in history.
 * Symbol of Power: Certain symbols of power can be used to harm or even kill a god.
 * Titans: A Titan's cursed powers are capable of negating a god's healing factor. As such, most Titans and Titanspawn are capable of killing gods relatively easily using their own natural weapons or the powers inherent to their specific species.