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Why does the origin of the Gods matter? (Ending Spoilers)


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At the time Iovara was preaching her belief it did matter. Thaos and his Inquisition were fresh on the scene, torturing and murdering dissidents who went against their faith. This would have been necessary early on because we don't know if the supposed "Gods" were as powerful back then as they are now. Had Iovara's rebellion been successful the Engwithan Pantheon would have been severely weakened either from a lack of followers or for lack of belief in their divinity. 

 

As of the present, right now? It might not matter that much at all. There are countless temples and shrines with innumerable priests and devotees attending them. If you think you could walk up to all of them and convince them the gods are actually constructs of a bygone age then you will be in for a great deal of disappointment right from the get-go. In this matter I suppose Thaos has won, but his continued actions over the millenniums showed that he believed it could still be undone. 

 

When you bring Kana to the final fight, Thaos basically admits to sabotaging the efforts of civilizations to replicate Engwithan technology or destroying them utterly if needed. Theoretically, if a civilization stumbled onto the manner in which the Engwithan Pantheon was created then that may disprove the divinity of the gods outright.

 

Going forward, I don't think you would be able to make as big a splash as Iovara did with such a revelation. With the gods maintaining their domains and with their followers ready to serve them it is unlikely that even the recreation of the Engwithan technology will dent their worship. I also theorize that Iovara's rebellion was buoyed by a  general hatred of the Inquisition, which might explain why Thaos disbanded it and formed the Leaden Key to work behind the scene. This is why Galwain, Magram and Abydon do not care that Kith society delve into animancy as they believe it is the place of Kith to progress and improve themselves, rather than fear about the supposed reveal of this secret.

Edited by Venatio
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I find it interesting and brave of OE to open this can of worms in a fantasy game.  These are questions raised in the real world since ancient times.  Wars have been fought over beliefs, millions killed and tortured.    I believe that human beings create their own gods in their (human) own image and likeness.

 

Does it matter how or who created the gods?  Yes it matters very much.  If the gods are born out of the essence of a  primeval creator their powers would be far greater than any mortal's  If they are created by mortals their powers would be limited and what mortals have created mortals can destroy.

 

In PoE, the world of Eora, the soul is the governing factor.   If souls are the essence that makes mortals or gods function then the study of souls does become immensely important.  It is morality of the study that comes into question not the study itself.  

 

What I believe to be true is not always true.

 I have but one enemy: myself  - Drow saying


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What if somebody makes themselves into a god?

No, John, you are the Gods.

Don't be silly Bryy, you know turning yourself into a god isn't an ending option in Eternity.  They are saving that for the Eternity 2 Expansion, Throne of Bha.... uh Eothas.  Throne of Eothas.

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What if somebody makes themselves into a god?

No, John, you are the Gods.

Don't be silly Bryy, you know turning yourself into a god isn't an ending option in Eternity.  They are saving that for the Eternity 2 Expansion, Throne of Bha.... uh Eothas.  Throne of Eothas.

 

 

That works for me.

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Absorb 150 souls and become the god of madness

 

I would go with easter egg feature where you ascend to godhood when you kill your millionth enemy in the series :)

 

Yep, that would certainly qualify you.  :w00t:

 I have but one enemy: myself  - Drow saying


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Curiously Dungeons and Dragon's gods of the forgotten realms are bound by rules, their power actually depends on the belief of their worshipers, they can die or be killed, and it's even possible for a mortal to become one. Most would still agree that they are real in that setting.

The thing with the D&D gods is that although they all give their own personal touch to their portfolios, they still represent concepts that are universal and they are a necessity for the good working of the universe.

 

PoE's gods are different. As constructs of kith, they fatally mirror the belief of the people who created them, even if those people genuinely intented for those constructs to help give them purpose.

 

I think Skaen is probably a good representation of that difference. His portfolio feels strangely narrow compared to that of other gods, and I believe that's because he's the product of a culture who believed in having strong, "worthy" individuals ruling over others, but still recognized the possibility for abuse. So they created Skaen, who doesn't want to change the status quo but is only meant to remind the ones with power that they aren't above everything and that the lives of others kiths matter.

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What is a god then, what would they have to be to be considered real?

 

Curiously Dungeons and Dragon's gods of the forgotten realms are bound by rules, their power actually depends on the belief of their worshipers, they can die or be killed, and it's even possible for a mortal to become one. Most would still agree that they are real in that setting.

Easy -- Ao is the only "true" god in the Forgotten Realms setting.  The deities that the players (and the rest of the setting) interact with on a daily basis with "serve at his pleasure".  No mortal can ascend to a divine position without his tacit approval, and no deity can maintain his/her position if Ao wishes otherwise.

 

Simple enough, yes? :)

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What if somebody makes themselves into a god?

No, John, you are the Gods.

Don't be silly Bryy, you know turning yourself into a god isn't an ending option in Eternity.  They are saving that for the Eternity 2 Expansion, Throne of Bha.... uh Eothas.  Throne of Eothas.

 

 

Well, if we're going to keep pissing gods off, it seems like a necessity. Otherwise, you'll end up facing one directly, and...

 

PC: Woedica the Burned Queen? Good evening. As a duly-designated representative of the city of Defiance Bay, capital of the Free Palatinate of Dyrwood, I order you to cease any and all mythical activity and return forthwith to your place of origin, or to the next convenient divine realm.

Woedica: Are you a god?

PC: [Honest] Err... No.

Woedica: Then.... Die!

Eder: [playername], when someone asks you if you're a god, you say "YES!"

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