Alter Aeon The Great Library

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Note - as with any topic, researchers should question the reliability
and veracity of these texts.  The library's aim is to preserve
documents, not verify accuracy.

AABN:  10522
Title: a book entitled, 'Deities and Demigods'

Deities and Demigods by Seranik, high priest of Xandar

The definition of what is a god and what isn't is something has has
perplexed all sentient beings since the beginning of time.  A great deal of
entities out there are very, very powerful and bear some trappings of
godhood.  This treatise attempts to break down the power of deities into
easy-to-understand categories.

Mortals - Most living creatures have a definite lifespan, beginning with
birth and ending with death.  They must eat, breathe or otherwise receive
sustenance in order to survive until dying of natural causes.  Mortals that
die before the end of their natural lifespan can be resurrected by deities
of at least B-Rank.  Those that die because they have reached the end of
their lifespan cannot.

Immortal Non-deities - Certain individuals or races can live forever unless
slain but must eat, breathe or otherwise receive sustenance in order to
survive.  Though they may inherit this ability by virtue of divine origin
or divine grace, most scholars, including this one, do not even consider
such to be any sort of deity because of their physical dependence.  With
extant magic and artifacts that can halt or even reverse aging, any living
creature could conceivably live forever, and that does not make them any
sort of god.

Examples: angels, demons, djinn, low faeries, undead, yokai, primordial
dragons, the Aztec pantheon

D-Rank - These are beings that are ageless.  They have enough divinity
within them that they will live forever unless slain.  They do not need to
eat or breathe, but can do so if they choose to.  Laymen typically refer to
this category of beings as demigods.  The ability to transcend physical
needs is what seperates angels and demons from archangels and archdemons,
respectively.

Examples: archangels, third tier demons (archdemons), aesir, high faeries,
olympians, titans, the Harbingers, teraphim, incarnates, aspects, divine
remnants, godlings

C-Rank - In addition to being ageless, these beings have a divine means of
resurrecting themselves should their physical forms be slain.  They can
receive divine power from sentient beings who worship them, and they are
effectively immortal so long as they continue to receive divine power.  If
worship of them were to cease, and their physical bodies were to be slain,
they would remain dead.  C-Rank deities typically use their divine power to
protect themselves since they cannot redistribute it to followers.

Examples:  Second tier demons (demon lords), Magar, Thendulomassar,
Torsius, the Unnamed Ones

B-Rank - These ageless beings are capable of collecting divine power not
only from worshippers but from all thinking beings.  They can use it to
empower themselves, and they can redistribute it to other beings as they
see fit.  B-Rank deities usually use their divine power to protect
themselves from physical harm, but they are still not completely
invulnerable and are capable of being slain.  Like C-Rank gods, B-Rank
deities can be resurrected.  Their ability to collect divine power from all
sentience and be resurrected makes them forever immortal and incapable of
being truly destroyed.  Even if no method of resurrection is attempted on
their behalf, they can eventually self-resurrect.

Examples: First tier demons (the Demon Pantheon), Tarrant, the Void

A-Rank - These ageless beings are capable of collecting divine power from
worshippers and all thinking beings.  They can use that divine power to
empower themselves and also redistribute it to empower others as they
desire.  They are invulnerable to all physical harm and cannot be reached
or seen unless they desire it.  Since they do not need to use their power
to protect themselves, A-Rank deities can afford to be generous with their
divine power and often perform many miracles.  A-Rank deities can
manipulate the basic building blocks of the universe as they see fit.

Examples: Dentin, Draak, Gandor, Glorida, Kenai, Morpheus, Schlyne, Vember,
Xandar