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The Nature of Divines
Fundamentally, Divines are "gods" powered by faith. In actuality, they include gods, demigods, sufficiently well-known mythological beings, folklore, and legend. They range from Lucifer to nymphs to Bigfoot. THeir power is directly proportional to their "belief." Belief can come as genuine religious faith, widespread superstition, and even exposure in media and fiction. Engagement in fiction has its own kind of spiritual and emotional energy, that hearkens back to the power of oral tradition.
Just as belief and lore can sustain a divine, lack of faith can kill them. A divine whose religion has been lost can subsist weakly on traditions and folk tales. However, being forgotten is an absolute death sentence. Divines can generally come back from a physical death, but if they're weak enough that won't be possible. A weak divine is more fragile and mortal than even a human: susceptible to simply fading away.
Every divine fears this.
Interestingly, divines are also prone to change and evolution. If the legend or doctrine about a divine changes, and eclipses or competes with the old tales, the divine will change to reflect it. Some divines, especially older gods, have a wide range of conflicting myths and depictions. This results in a somewhat confused or unstable nature, or a personality that splits the difference. Vampires began as hideous monsters, but have gradually become the alluring, sexually charged predators they are today. Many Greek gods have more than one set of parents, owed to conflicting myths.
Many divines resent this mutability, and yearn for a more stable, self-possessed existence.
Just as belief and lore can sustain a divine, lack of faith can kill them. A divine whose religion has been lost can subsist weakly on traditions and folk tales. However, being forgotten is an absolute death sentence. Divines can generally come back from a physical death, but if they're weak enough that won't be possible. A weak divine is more fragile and mortal than even a human: susceptible to simply fading away.
Every divine fears this.
Interestingly, divines are also prone to change and evolution. If the legend or doctrine about a divine changes, and eclipses or competes with the old tales, the divine will change to reflect it. Some divines, especially older gods, have a wide range of conflicting myths and depictions. This results in a somewhat confused or unstable nature, or a personality that splits the difference. Vampires began as hideous monsters, but have gradually become the alluring, sexually charged predators they are today. Many Greek gods have more than one set of parents, owed to conflicting myths.
Many divines resent this mutability, and yearn for a more stable, self-possessed existence.