Metagods and Godlike Beings

A Field Guide

In addition to all dozens of gods worshipped by humans, demi-humans and the other intelligent species on Narth, there are other beings of similar or greater power than the gods that may on occasion find reason to appear on the planet. These godlike beings have no known worshippers, and it is not certain that they need or desire them. It is known that they on occasion take an interest in human affairs, or are at least drawn to them, for some archmages are suspected of having spells that summon them.

The exact strength of the various godlike beings and metagods is not known. Asutine appears to have created both Narth's solar system and all its gods, but Alundrel may be no more powerful than a supported demigod, despite reports to the contrary. It is believed that these beings are often personifications of raw powers of nature, and as such are undefeatable, should one be so foolish as to attempt to engage one in combat. But equally so they are imperturbable, simply incapable of feeling any resentment or anger at mortals, no more than a human could be enraged at a specific e. coli bacterium in his gut. They are simply there, and more often than not, that is enough.

What follows are several of the better-known and/or -understood of the godlike beings of Narth.

Alundrel

(AH-loon-drell)
Quasigod.

Alundrel is a godlike being that frequents the forests of the Jadiwan. He (for Alundrel chooses to take a specifically male form) roams the woodlands in apparent delight with their natural inhabitants. He tends not to associate with humans, but tolerates elves. All other intelligent races who show no care for or interest in woodlands he treats with saddened antipathy.

Alundrel's exact powers are unknown, although he has been witnessed staring down a trio of gods who had intended to cut a swath of destruction through one of his woodlands. It is known that he can command the most powerful creatures of the forest, both magical and nonmagical, and no creatures native to the woodlands will willingly attack him, according to records.

Except for the rare standoffs, Alundrel does not seem to associate with any of the gods. Lindelona has been known to persuade him to aid her, but this has been rare. Divinations have repeatedly confirmed that he was not created by Asutine, but no other information about his origins has ever been conclusively determined. It does not help that each race has a wildly different myth about his origin.

Alundrel frequently aids lost travellers and those in danger in the forests. He is not unsympathetic to the causes of humans and elves, despite avoiding them, but will not go overly out of his way (or out of his forests) for them. In personality, he seems cheerful and bright. Due to the wandering and slightly bizarre nature of his conversations, he is often thought to be slightly wrong in the head by those who encounter him unknowingly.

Alundrel normally appears as a human male, six feet tall and dressed in bright blues and greens; sometimes his clothing is of fine cut and expensive materials, but more often it appears to be little more than rags. He has shoulder-length black hair and a full black beard, and his eyes are deep, rich blue.

Asutine

(AA-soo-teen)
Metagod.

According to Elven records, Asutine is the ultimate creator of Narth and its deities. It interferes in god politics and resolves divine confrontations that threaten the material world. Asutine appears capable of manufacturing entire solar systems from raw stellar material; it is known that much of its power seems to rest in universe-wrenching magic, which it wields at whim or will.

Its behavior indicates a mind and thought processes completely and utterly alien to mortals. Even the gods can be understood on mortal terms, but Asutine and its actions rarely, if ever, can be analyzed and comprehended. When it deigns to communicate to mortals, it is cryptic at best, incomprehensible at worst. It appears to be genderless, at least inasfar as mortals understand gender.

Asutine appears to be native to the Material Plane, but has been seen manifested in Godsland.

Asutine possesses only one recognizably typical form -- that of a great, sun-sized cloud of black gas, shot through with silver fire that flashes from one point to another within the cloud. It is not believed that it can take the size and form of a human.

The Void

Metagod

Little is known about the Void; what information mortals have has generally come from the gods and is rather sketchy. The Elven tale of the creation of Narth mentions that Asutine travelled the "paths of the Void" while looking for a suitable star, and that the Void was jealous and covetous of Asutine's creations once it had finished its work. It would appear that the Void may be of the same order of being as Asutine, although of a different type, given the wide disparity in its abilities. That it is a metagod is undeniable; even given its clumsiness in creative endeavors, it still created two gods of most puissant strength -- Ntono and Mab -- and the phrase "the paths of the Void" suggests that it possesses power on a galactic scale.

No mortal creature has ever actually seen the Void, though; since the Days of Creation and the Childhood of the Gods, the Void has held itself apart from Narth and its creatures and gods, presumably waiting for Ntono and his allies to force the gods of Narth to tire of their mortal charges and their world. Presumably, the Void's enmity towards Asutine still continues as well.

The Watchers Above

Metagods (?)

Watchers are never seen singly; the smallest reported grouping has been three. They seem to operate as the gods of the gods, oftime bargaining with the deities to provide favors or advantages, but more frequently just observing and commenting. The exact purposes of the Watchers are unknown, as are their motives; they may, on rare occasions, change the balance of divine power by strengthening or weakening a particular god for a short time. However, their usual procedure is simply to make themselves visible and provide a running critique both among themselves and to the gods and mortals observed. To both deity and mortal, they are enigmas.

The Watchers usually appear as misty, ethereal human forms in furs and armor, hundreds of feet tall and seated in the sky. Their height is variable; they have been reported as appearing so large that they seemed to be seated around the planet as if it were a card table, and they have appeared so small as to walk among men. The full extent of their power is unknown. They are known to be immune to all attacks, even those employing pure primal energy; unlike other godlike beings, they ignore all attempts to harm them, as if they were not worthy of attention.


This page was created on October 21, 1997.
Last modified August 14, 2019.