Cult God
Every so often, some deeply fortunate mortal comes face to face with the primordial magic. At these rare occasions, the Primordial Gods often grant them their divine magic, creating a magic-user without peer. These magic-users often reach the status of cult god.
Cult gods are magic-users who, due to their immense magical power, become the center of religious cults that recognize them as deities. Cult gods wield supreme religious and secular authority over their cults, which often consists of entire nations and regions.
Over time, the worship of cult gods began to usurp that of the Primordial Gods, until the latter were forgotten almost entirely. Many cult gods also rule their respective regions, and seek to advance their power by advancing the influence of their religion.
Cult gods tend to highly oppose other people finding primordial magic, and do their best to prevent it, such as charging their followers with hunting and killing the Pilgrims and other magic-seekers. Cult gods themselves can grant magic to other humans, but it is generally weaker than the magic that they themselves have. For the most part, Cult gods strongly prefer to be the only magic-givers; however, any magic they give away comes from their own pool of magic, so they can never give as much as they have.
Qualifications
Cult gods do have any formal set of qualifications, but people generally will not follow them unless they can prove possessing extreme magical power.
Appointment
After achieving divine magic, cult gods may gain their worldly position in one of two ways: a new cult may be formed, in which case a new city-state will form around it, or a cult god may replace another cult god of an existing state. Regarding the latter, this change of power may be done peacefully, such as adoption or conferment, or may be done via usurpation.
Duties
Because the rank of cult god is largely informal, the duties associated with its status are never set, and generally depend on the individual's morals. However, they are often similar to the duties of any other major government or religious leader, such as caring for the welfare of the populace, protecting the nation, and so on.
Benefits
Cult gods enjoy the extraordinary prestige and power of, well, gods. They always wield supreme religious authority, and often secular authority as well.
Grounds for Removal/Dismissal
Only a full-scale revolution by the populace or usurpation by another cult god can force an incumbent cult god to leave.
Type
Religious, Special
Status
Often cult gods are active rulers, but sometimes they may simply be figureheads for their state.
Alternative Naming
Demigods
Source of Authority
Cult gods take power from the cult that forms around them, from the major apostles to the most minor worshiper.
Length of Term
A cult god's tenure generally lasts their lifetime, which is often magically extended far beyond the average human lifespan.
Related Locations
Related Organizations
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