GODHEADS & THE CYCLE OF DIVINITY
The cycle of divinity begins and ends in the godhead. These sculptures of divine stone are left behind as an elder god ascends to celestial form, and they are the birthplaces of new fledgling gods echoing the aspects of the ascendant. In time, they will pass on and leave godheads of their own - and so the cycle of divinity is maintained. No godhead is the same, but they usually take the shape of a distorted head. These stones are indestructible by mortal means, impervious to the passage of time, and form the celestial divine's sole conduit to the material realm.
When a god ascends to celestial form, they leave behind a godhead. These sculptures of divine stone, usually in the shape of a distorted head, are indestructible by mortal means, impervious to the passage of time, and form the celestial god's sole conduit to the material realm. Gods and, to some extent, Servants may commune with their celestial progenitors at godheads, though the thoughts and concerns of celestials are far removed from earthly matters and hard to parse.
Some godheads are found in desolate, wild places, the last refuges of an ascendant deity, birthing godlings far from the luxuries of civilization. Others form the heart of elaborate temple-cities, their offspring celebrated by millions at every stage of their lives. Some are found in deep pits, where only the strongest of their children may rise from. Still there are those left at the side of a road, or in a sleepy village, or within a forest brook. The ascendant have greater matters to dwell upon than the placement of their last remnants, though there are exceptions.
Godheads, especially vulnerable, remote ones, are routinely destroyed by the rivals of that deity, or by unscrupulous godlings seeking power at any cost. Wars have been fought to destroy godheads and crush the enemy's source of divine aid. Such an act tends to bring swift and terrible vengeance from the spawn of that godhead - the destruction of truly ancient godheads may draw the ire of descendants of descendants down many generations. The destruction of a godhead does not appear to destroy the ascended deity, merely cut them off from the material world.
The cycle of divinity can also be ended long before a god grows powerful enough for ascension. Gods, even young ones, require armies of mortals or divine assaults to destroy, but they can be killed. This is considered a worse crime than the destruction of a godhead, though gods die often enough in wars and rivalries. Killed gods leave nothing behind but their spark of divine anima - dark rumors abound of cannibalistic gods hunting and murdering vulnerable gods to consume their power for themselves.
