History

They say the first Divine was Osana, child of Karamea, who later ascended to the title of Goddess before her life was ended by her mother’s own hand. It is no surprise that even the gods fall victim to love from time to time, usually manifesting in short, lustful encounters with those of mortal races. Encounters suchs as these, however, are few and far between, as it is very rare that a Deity will lie with a mortal. For this reason, little is known about the Divine race.

Legends

The Ontari tell a tale of love that has driven the core values of their tribes for thousands of years, that of Lochren, Father of Sea and Storms, and Osana, daughter of Karamea, Mother of Earth and Life, and a mortal man history has long forgotten. Osana was a tribe woman of the Shore People, believed to be a small village of Ontari blood, who did not move with the seasons but instead, remained in their oceanside village all year round. Osana was rumored to be the most beautiful woman in the village and kindly refused proposals for marriage from all who found the courage to ask her. You see, Osana was in love with life, with adventure and the alluring power of the ocean itself.

Every day she would travel to the shore with windswept hair and a simple dress of cotton. She would unwind a line of twine attached to a simple hook, and every day, she would take home the biggest fish the ocean had to offer. Some say she seduced the ocean with her radiancy, a rumour that was later confirmed when Lochren took the form of a man and lay with Osana in the heat of Blaze. It was there, on a bed of sand, that Lochren promised to make Osana a Goddess, gifting her all the rivers in the world that ran to him. He called her the Goddess of Protection and vowed to make her his one and only, for he could not think to part with the woman once he’d finally taken of her company.

When Karamea heard news of the Ocean God’s proposal, she forbid Osana from seeing Lochren again. For a time, Osana chose to heed her mother’s commands and reluctantly kept her distance from the Father of Sea and Storms. Lochren took notice of her absence and summoned a storm that mirrored the turmoil in his being, one that lasted more than one hundred days and nights. The oceans rose, threatening to swallow the land. The people of the land blamed Osana for defying the Ocean God and begged her to go to him and ask him to stop the rains that flooded the fields, and the wind that toppled trees.

Osana went to her mother, asking for her forgiveness. “My heart runs to him,” she said, “just as every river and stream does.”

Karamea forbid Osana from going to Lochren, forewarning her that there would be consequences for disobedience. Disregarding her mother’s command, Osana ran to the shore and into the arms of her beloved. The rain stopped and the howling winds ceased to blow. Lochren placed a string of pearls about the woman’s neck, promising to love and protect her always. Osana gifted Lochren a shell of gold, crafted by her own hand, explaining that she had taken up a craft in their time apart, perfecting the shell she had made just for him as he had perfected every shell found in the ocean. They shared in a kiss, not knowing it would be their last.
On the shores of Oshar to the west of Emanys stands Mount Osana. One foot on the land and one in the ocean, she stands trapped between two worlds, the mother she loved, and the man she treasured. Every year at the same time, Lochren honours the memory of Osana with storms and wind that lasts throughout the season of Frost. During this season the Ontari steer clear of the shore and warn all who take to water to do so with caution.

Appearance

Though Divines are the children of Deities, they are said to be common in appearance, with no distinguishing features that set them apart from the average person. What separates them, however, is their allure, drive and passion. They have an ageless look to their features, less wrinkles than normal folk and don’t tend to gain or lose weight as quickly as members of other races. A Divine’s look always takes after their mortal parent, as the Titans and Gods have no true identity and exist, at their core, as a faceless embodiment of their desires and realms, regardless of the form they adopt.

Racial Ability

While they lack in numbers, Divines are one of the most powerful races within Noar, and that’s all thanks to the hereditary gifts bestowed upon them by their godly parent. Their ability is only best described as Celestial Magic, as it acts and is manipulated in otherworldly ways. Divines have the ability to manipulate their age with this magic by appearing younger or older; it’s progression taking years to show change while never appearing younger than twenty-one or older than sixty. They are immortal beings, but only in the sense of age and sickness. Divines are still prone to injury and can die just as easily as any other race, though given the special quality of blood they carry, heal faster than usual.

They can control the realms of their godly parent to a degree and manipulate the power only after an extensive amount of time has been spent discovering and practicing with these gifts. Most Divines never even come to know of what they are, nor the power they possess. In times of great emotion, these powers have a way of manifesting in the surrounding environment, be it that a sudden rainshower occurs, something suddenly catches fire, or animals flock to or away from them. What is manifested is centered around the realms of their godly parent and will not deviate from them.
Another feature of this race is their blood, which is saturated with the essence of the creators, and heals all who take from it, restoring both flesh and youth. For this reason, all Divines are the targets of those who would use their blood for selfish purposes. Some individuals never learn of their origin or gifts, but for those who do, great care is taken to make sure no one ever learns what they are, for they knew theirs will be a life of enslavement or death.

Levels of Ascension

Even though a person may be born a Divine, they still remain a mortal being until they learn to come into their abilities. Most often this never occurs, meaning that the individual lives a normal life and dies a mortal death when they come to that age. However, should one arrive to the conclusion they might be a divine, they begin the process of ascension.

Titans	Creators of the World of Noar, Titans are the most powerful Deities known to man, however, it is a mystery whether they exist or not. Like their children, some mortals believe the titans have forsaken them, though most believe the mysteries of the world to be caused by their presence. Ascending to the level of Titan is also unknown and appears to be rather impossible. Only actions and time will tell if it truly is.
Gods and Goddesses	Becoming a God or Goddess is a feat in and of itself, unknown to all. That’s not to say ascension is impossible, but the path is neither simple nor an easy one. If one is deserving of a place among the Gods, one will be made for them, but that is for the titans to decide.
Lesser Gods and Goddesses	Ascension into the title of Lesser Deity is much the same process as awakening as a Divine, only it requires more Wild Esen and worship to achieve. Throughout a Divine’s life, they will hear the whispers and feel the pull of Wild Esen when they draw close to an area filled with it. However, this is a trap, as the more Wild Esen consumed before one is ready to partake of it will see them explode into nothingness. Wild Esen is like a drug to Divines and they will feel the need to absorb it immediately when it is near. When Wild Esen is absorbed, it must unify with the esen within the user before more can be taken. During this period, the Wild Esen will feel like a substantial high (from the power it offers) or a sickness, accompanied by voices, whispers, and abnormal behavior that spurs dangerous actions, usually what remained of a previous lesser God. When a Divine ascends to a Lesser God, they take ownership over their own realm while becoming a guardian to those overseen by their godly parent. The realm a Lesser God acquires is one that reflects their character and the actions they chose in life that led them to the point of ascension. By the time a Divine has achieved the title of Lesser Deity, they need not consume Wild Esen anymore. The temptation will still remain, however it will only encourage an explosion. An example of a Lesser God’s title would be Alfai, Child of Zuren, Lesser God of Sprites, Guardian of the Realms of Animals and Fertility.
Divines	If a Divine successfully awakens, they’ve absorbed all of the Wild Esen in that area and have thus activated their racial abilities. This will not go unnoticed within the environment as a great shift in energy will charge the air and spread to the surrounding areas. Normally this is accompanied by a gentle rainshower and a feeling as though a cleansing or purification is taking place. Once awakened, the Divine will not know how to use their gifts and must discover through experience how to harness them.
Children of the Gods	These individuals are as mortal as mortal gets. They age, get sick, and die as easily as any other race and are not any stronger or heal any faster than a normal person. Their Celestial Magic lays dormant, thus their racial ability cannot be used until they’ve ascended as a Divine being and awaken. The awakening process requires a massive absorption of Wild Esen, a kind of Esen that is chaotic and dangerous to most who come across it. If one dares to risk their life to potentially awaken, they must be healthy and without mental or physical injury or risk dying in the process.

Philosophy

Even as a hunted race, Divines are driven and highly intuitive people. They live for adventure, love with all their hearts, and thrive in creative spaces. They are adept when it comes to magic, often becoming excellent Casters, mastering certain classes of magic with more ease, such as Healing and Spirit magic. Divines make good, reliable companions, and though they are protective of their secret, their compassion makes them valuable allies.

Perception

Divines are mysterious due to their low and dwindling population. They are so rare, in fact, that it is believed to be no more than a handful exist in each city, and there had been little to no accounts of two Divines finding one another. The Gods never lie with the same mortal on more than one occasion, understanding the cruelty of man and all he is capable of, even to his own brothers, sisters or parents. For the Gods, creating one of their own and watching them grow and function within the mortal world has become somewhat of a sport, entertaining and sometimes fascinating the creators. There are certain Gods and Goddesses who will never lie will a mortal, Karamea being one of them. The imprisonment of her only daughter was said to be enough to discourage her from taking a lover again, choosing instead to focus on her role as Mother of Earth and Life.
There is a mix of curiosity and wariness surrounding Divines. Some Deities are more protective of their offspring than others, especially if they have the love and devotion of their children. As a result, even those who hunt the Divines for their gifts are said to take great caution in angering the Gods. It is unlike a God or Goddess to step in and defend their children, though they have been known to grant them powerful gifts that enable the immortals to defend themselves, even if only temporarily.

Culture

Divines, like those of the Mixed Blood race, often find themselves devoted to the same Deities as their mortal parent. They are raised into whichever culture they were born into, reflected in the writeups of other races.

Names

The names of all Divines are culture dependent. Even a mortal parent of a Divine is not foolish enough to name their child after the God that sired them.

Language

Celestial is a language no Divines are taught, and yet, every Divine understands. They are the only race capable of communicating with the Gods. The language they are raised with, however, is reflected in whichever race they were born into.

Birth

For mortals, a Divine pregnancy is tricky and laborious. Half of all those who fall pregnant miscarry within the first season, and one in three mortals die during labour, making the challenge of giving birth to a Divine one most mortals seldom attempt.

Divines themselves also find caring and giving birth to a child difficult. Under no circumstances can one Divine ever lie with another and hope to create life, for the two forces seem to conflict with the other. Even if they manage to produce a baby, the child is always stillborn, deformed and unnatural.

Offspring of Divines do not inherit their racial ability. They do, however, have the same blood as their parents, capable of restoring a person's youth. Some have discovered this for themselves and used their own blood to prolong life, though it almost always ends in death, just as it does for any other mortal.

Divines have the most success bearing or producing children with the native races of Noar, such as Ontari, Ecrede, Tasavi, and N’jiin. They are far less successful with the Human and Mixed Blood races.

Faith

Faith is generally determined by culture, though Divines who have had some form of contact, visions, or messages from their immortal parents tend to devote their faith to these Deities.

Death

When a Divine dies, they are said to go out like a star, burning fast and bright, and far too hot to go near until there is nothing left. This fire, however, is magical, said to effect nothing else around them other than another being’s approach (whatever they touch, for example, will not catch fire). When they go, the place in which they died is said to be filled with a strange energy, as Wild Esen is released into the surrounding area. This Esen is considered powerful and dangerous, causing all who witness the death to flee in fear of absorbing the chaotic energy left behind.