Pagan Creator

The Pagan Creators serve the Gods themselves and derive their powers from these primordial entities. In ancient times they were quite numerous, with shrines and temples placed in major urban centers or in the far-out wild places. Today, in our secular, modern age, the Pagans still exist but in a much quieter capacity.

But the Gods still exist, and every now and then their gazes return to our world...

Facts:
-Pagan Creators dedicate themselves to a particular Pantheon of Gods, or to a single deity in particular. The specific powers of that God will begin to emerge within the Pagan's own character, so Pagan Creators who follow Thor would develop immense strength, toughness, immunity to cold, and could summon the mythical hammer of Mjolnir, etc.

-Pagan Creators are closely related to, but distinct from, Divine Creators. Divine Creators serve The Source Itself, where else the Pagan Creators serve the ancient entities that were spawned by The Source alongside the birth of the cosmos itself.

-Places and items of importance to the mythological cycles of the past will be where you can find modern day Pagan Creators. Pagan Creators will often make pilgrimages to places historically important to their God or Gods, and items associated with their particular Pantheon will be closely coveted by the attending Creators of said Pantheon.

-A Pantheon is a specific 'family' or 'tribe' of Gods who share a common cultural heritage. Examples include the Nordic or Celtic Pantheons in Europe, or the Greco-Roman Pantheons in Italy and the Aegean.

Nature Of The Gods:
Who or what exactly are the Gods? It's a hard question with no easy answer. The Gods at times appear to be immortal, gifted with immortality and aware of the cosmos' grandest secrets. And yet the Gods can be born, and they can even die.

They grow, they develop, and they sometimes fall from grace. The oldest of the gods are immensely powerful, well beyond anything a mortal could comprehend, but the Gods are not above pettiness. More than one of the Gods has killed another, be it in war or out of personal grievance.

When the Gods do appear in mythology, it is usually during or immediately after the creation of the cosmos. These primordial beings are inextricably tied to galactic creation and, as such, all Gods are creatures of creation. This makes it far easier for the Pagan Creator to serve them, since both Creators and the Gods share a basic component in their very nature.

Mythological Cycles:
Collecting, memorizing and passing on the ancient lore of pagan religion is paramount to all Pagan Creators. Pagan Creators can only serve the Gods if they know about them, so preserving the ancient traditions of various Pantheons is one of the first things any Pagan learns to do.

The ancient mythological cycles are not dry and dusty topics to the Pagans. They are vital to their success, and to creating further Pagans in the future.

Clash Of The Gods:
The Gods are far above mere mortals, but for all their vaunted power and abilities they are still prone to behavior that is strikingly human. One of these behaviors is warfare. Occasionally, a God or Gods will declare war on others, resulting in a brief but cosmic conflict between each deity and their attending followers.

When such incidents occur, it naturally entails that Pagan Creators loyal to any of the involves Gods will become embroiled in the conflict.

Gifted By The Gods:
Most Creators must painstakingly learn about their own particular paradigm of Creating and develop their powers slowly. Practice, education and no small amount of trial-and-error are the hallmarks of growth for most Creators.

But the Pagan Creators can often catch a break.

Should they show strong devotion, or remain true to the ideals of their deity amid tribulation, it is not uncommon for the Gods to bestow special advances in power for a Pagan Creator. This can take many different forms, and the exact nature of the gift is often in relation to the nature of the deity themselves. A follower of Thoth might be gifted with a powerful wellspring of magic (like a Grimoire) or a follower of Hephaestus would be gifted with intimate knowledge of smelting and metallurgy.

Inspired By The Gods:
Pagan Creators are more than just stewards or step-servants to these ancient figures of worship. The Gods are beings of cosmic-level creation, and by their very nature they help to inspire lesser creaturs. Pagan Creators of the past have often been the original bards or skalds of their peoples, memorizing and reciting the proses and poetry of the ancient mythologies.

Many modern-day Pagans still find their art bolstered from devotion to a particular God. And of course the Gods themselves often see fit to send a wave of creativity frenzy down upon the head of one of their devoted servants...

Pagan Religion:
Pagan Creators are by default followers of the older forms of religion present on Earth. Their holidays tend to be more aligned with nature, so things like the Solstice, Equinox and the changing of the seasons will be a big deal to them.

Also, pagan religion tends to be more open about the occult. So Pagan Creators will probably dabble in arcane subjects.

The Old Gods:
The 'Old Gods' is a term applied to prehistoric deities, ancient beings of barbarian worship long before the development of the 'modern' Pagan Gods we are familiar with today. The Old Gods are darker and more savage than their more civilized counterparts of more advanced societies. Old Gods tend to be closer to nature, more about survival and keepers of primordial secrets. They also tend to demand blood sacrifice and other darker acts of religious veneration as part of their worship.

One good example of the Old Gods are the Jotun, the 'Ice Giants' of Northern European myth who were defeated and replaced by Odin and the Nordic gods.

References:
-http://www.godchecker.com

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism

-http://www.paganfederation.org/what-is-paganism/

-http://www.pagan.com/

-http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/

-http://www.patheos.com/Library/Pagan.html

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gods

-https://www.smitegame.com/play-for-free/

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