Divinity

Divinity started out as a simple idea to have some people able to Bless and others able to Curse and a desire to explore perspective, to show that what one person thought was a blessing might be a curse to someone else. As the story developed I found I needed some bounds and limitations to this idea and Divinity began to form.

Gods

As its name suggests, Divinity centers around the Gods that keep Holissa running. For various reasons, they have chosen to share their powers with the inhabitants of Holissa.

Demigods

Demigods are beings who have been given a large measure of a god’s power. At the risk of sounding cliche…with great power comes great responsibility. They often take on many of the tasks that the god would normally manage. Unfortunately, the intensity of the position takes its toll on a mortal body and Demigods have a shorter life expectancy.

Acolytes

For a reason unknown to anyone but themselves, the Gods of Holissa have each given a small portion of their power to one individual that best represents their realm. These Acolytes have no control over the power, it simply surrounds them at all times.

I don't love this picture..but it was the best I could get AI to do...

Casters

Two gods have given their abilities to the masses. People born with the ability to Cast can either Bless or Curse and each has its own abilities and limitations

Blessings

Blessings are the power to change. A Blessing will take a random feature from the most recent item a Caster’s palm touched and give that feature permanently to a new object. Blessings are affected by the phase of the moon increasing and decreasing the potency of the Caster or changing the probability of passing on different attributes. Because it’s incredibly difficult to control the outcome of a Blessing, Casters have been developing a language of intricate runes for over a century that when drawn on the palm can better control the effects of a Blessing.

Curses

Curses are the ability to manipulate space—to make space look or act different than normal. They are temporary and fade after a few days. Casters each have individual affinities for different types of Curses and most of a Caster’s time in school is spent identifying their natural ability and then developing a specialty. Curses don’t mix well with the living and can have horrible effects when used on a person. Interacting with a Curse is nauseating at best.

I can only really scratch the surface of Divinity to avoid spoilers. But I loved writing this magic and consider Divinity the magic system that keeps giving back. The draft I wrote after solidifying the details of the magic bloomed in ways I could have never imagined.