As has been covered elsewhere in this guide each god’s power is tied to a specific domain. Although all gods have the power to alter things on the physical plane of Alaria it’s been shown repeatedly that this power is always restrained by their domain, often heavily restricting in what way they play the games they so love to play with us mortals.
When their desires lay outside the realm of their domain, or if there aren’t enough of their worshippers in an area thus limiting their ability to use their divine powers there, they will lead their faithful to fulfill their desires. A dream or divine vision along with a promise of divine favor has often been enough to topple empires. When the gods use mortals in this way the mortal in question need not worship or even know of the god’s existence. The gods are wily manipulators who pull at our strings like we are no more than puppets to them.
Yet sometimes a god’s subtle or not-so-subtle manipulations of us mortals will be enough. Sometimes they need a servant who can have a clear understanding of their desires, one that can wield more of their power than even the most devout Priest or Paladin.
This is when a god creates an Angel or Demon. They are an extension of the god that creates them, becoming a physical being when they are sent to Alaria. This divine being arrives infused with some of the deity’s divine power that they can draw on freely. But in being made flesh and blood their connection to their creator is somewhat severed during their time on Alaria, leaving them an independent being with their own mind and perhaps even soul.
These Divine beings are something that is between mortal and god, often wielding divine powers no mortal could safely wield, yet having many of the physical limitations of a mortal. The Divine beings are powerful, yet once they take physical form they DO become living beings who can be harmed and even killed. Most are filled with so much divine power they may SEEM invulnerable, but if that power is weakened enough they can become as fragile as you or me.
My research suggests that the longer one of these Divine beings remains on the physical plane the more “mortal” they will become. An Angel or Demon who is sent to Alaria to take part in a single battle or finish a short task will seem otherworldly, appearing and feeling more like a god than a physical being. Yet if that being were to remain on Alaria for a prolonged time they would slowly become more “real” feeling to those who interact with them.
Some scholars of the divine suggest this “weakening” of Angels and Demons comes from innate limitations in how their physical bodies are created when their creators send them to Alaria. Many theorize that when this happens the divine power given to them is limited, that whatever they have in the moment of creation is all their god can give them till they return to the Ethereal Plane.
My research suggests there may be some truth to this, but that it can’t be a full explanation. What DOES seem clear is that the longer a divine being remains on Alaria the more “mortal” they will start to become. The frequency they are sent to the physical plane affects this process as well, although each return to the Ethereal Plane does seem to slightly reset a Divine being.
When first appearing in physical form in Alaria an Angel or Demon will seem alien and otherworldly, with unnatural mannerisms. They often will only speak in short, simple sentences as though they barely understand the spoken word. They’ll be lacking in personality and will struggle to understand and interpret mortal emotions.
But over time these things will all lessen or even fade completely, leaving them both able to clearly communicate with and understand mortals while also picking up many of our mannerisms. They will become more emotional and more impulsive. They also seem to develop desires of their own outside their creator’s will, with some stories suggesting this has led more than once to a divine being questioning their creator’s intentions. Some legends even tell of Divine beings turning against their creators!
Other tales suggest that if an Angel or Demon were to stay on Alaria long enough, or to have their divine favor removed by their creator, they would essentially become mortals. More than a few races’ creation legends include stories of their people being birthed in part by an Angel or Demon, although I’ve never found any compelling direct evidence this has happened in recent times.
Through this entry I have spoken of Angels and Demons as though they are the same kind of Divine being. Some will argue this isn’t how they should be viewed, the physical difference between Angels and Demons along with the differences in how they are known to act prove they are not the same kind of thing. My research has convinced me that Angels and Demons ARE the same. An important fact that has convinced me of this is that no deity can create both Angels and Demons.
This leads one to ask why some Divine beings sent to Alaria appear as Angels and some appear as Demons. Many jump to the conclusion that Angels are what “good” gods create while Demons are created by “evil” ones. Aside from the fact that it is a fool’s errand to apply the mortal concepts of “good” and “evil” to the gods it can easily be proven those this theory is wrong. Take Uwodon, God of Wrath. Many view him as an evil deity, yet his divine servants have always appeared as Angels. Wrathful, violent Angels but still Angels.
No, this difference in Divine beings must be caused by something else. One theory I’ve read suggested the cause, like so many other oddities related to the gods, is tied to a mysterious force some call The Corruption and the supposed war between those gods aligned with this sinister force and those that oppose it.
Although I have repeatedly expressed skepticism that The Corruption exists, it is a better explanation than most. If The Corruption exists it is not a necessarily evil thing, but rather an antagonistic power that craves to alter and corrupt things, often through sexual perversion and indulgence. Its influence could explain why the uncorrupted deity’s Divine servants appear as winged beings of resplendent and pure beauty whose personalities tend to be innocent and naive, while the corrupted deity’s servants appear as dark, sultry, and often menacing beings who radiate raw sensuality more than untouchable beauty.
Philo Hunter Erotica 