r/worldbuilding's Official Prompts #1!

[u/Pyrsin7]

I used to do these a while ago. and unfortunately life got me pretty busy and I wasn't able to keep it up. But they were a lot of fun, and I've really been wanting to come back to them!

With these we hope to get you to consider elements and avenues of thought that you've never pursued before. We also hope to highlight some users, as we'll be selecting two responses-- One of our choice, and the comment that receives the most upvotes, to showcase next time!

This post will be put into "contest mode", meaning comment order will be randomized for all visitors, and scores will only be visible to mods.

If you've got any other questions or comments, feel free to ask in the comments!

But with that, on to the prompt! This one is a suggestion left over from last time, submitted by u/Homicidal_Harry:

• What is the nature of Gods in your setting?

• Are they creators of the universe that predate time itself, or just very powerful beings perceived as gods?

• Are your deities a pantheon of immortals in the image of man like Greek gods, or vast, indescribable, otherworldly entities too great for mortal minds to comprehend?

• How often do they interact with the mortal world? If they do, what stakes do they have in the events of your setting?

• Can your gods die? If so, explain how the consequences that would follow.

• Do your gods even exist in your setting? Even if they don't, how would the people of your setting answer these questions?

If you have any suggestions for prompts of your own, feel free to submit them here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf9ulojVGbsHswXEiQbt9zwMLdWY4tg6FpK0r4qMXePFpfTdA/viewform?usp=sf_link

[u/Quick-Window8125]

Q: What is the nature of Gods in your setting?

A: "Gods" are just ascended beings, referred to as Caeui. Or however I spelled it (can never remember if it's Ceaui or Caeui).

Q: Are they creators of the universe that predate time itself, or just very powerful beings perceived as gods?

A: To me, the first option is boring and overdone. The Caeui are just ascended beings in a "heaven", so essentially the second option.

Q: Are your deities a pantheon of immortals in the image of man like Greek gods, or vast, indescribable, otherworldly entities too great for mortal minds to comprehend?

A: You could call them immortal, I suppose. They are similar to the Greek gods in the way that there are many of them; minor and major ones, but that's where the similarities end. If you do something extraordinary or something simply never done before that's fairly significant, when you die, you'll ascend.

Q: How often do they interact with the mortal world? If they do, what stakes do they have in the events of your setting?

A: Very oftenly. Mostly the Caeui related to war; they can lead entire armies to victory or sabotage their enemies to ruin.

Q: Can your gods die? If so, explain how the consequences that would follow.

A: Very easily. A Caeui can die from their act that made them a Caeui in the first place becoming insignificant. There aren't really any consequences to this, though. The Caeui close to the dead one would probably mourn, but that'd most likely be as far as it goes.