The Universe is old and truly massive. In this chaotic place, there is only one constant. The Great Evolution.

The Great Evolution is a continuous increase in systemic complexity. This increase is rapid at first but it gradually slows down. When a system has reached its limit, a singularity can occur. These singularities create a new system, an additional layer of complexity, built on the previous ones. In this way, the Great Evolution is a succession of singularities. Mere atoms reform into corporeal gods in the matter of eons.

A Timeline of Singularities

1. The conception of the Universe and the physical laws governing it. First only subatomic particles, then matter formed, and later stars and planets. In – hypothetical – other universes the laws of physics might be completely different. Some might not even contain the Great Evolution.
2. Inorganic matter develops into organic compounds and, eventually, living organisms. From single cells to towering giants, life assumes countless forms to fill a wide range of niches. This has happened and is still happening on millions of planets, all over the Universe.
3. Simple lifeforms, acting on their instincts, slowly evolve sapience. Sapient entities all lust to convert their environment into technology. From primitive stone tools to the space-faring vessels of advanced civilizations, technology grows more and more complex.
4. Over billions of years, a sapient entity refines a core ideal and completes the Great Evolution. This core ideal is the most important part of the sapient’s legacy and will serve as a foundation for a new god. These gods work to reorganize the universe in the shape of their core ideals. They can reform whole solar systems on a whim and seed a galaxy’s worth of planets with primitive life.

Through their hosts, their physical forms, gods are anchored to reality. These physical forms vary a great deal between gods. With the destruction of their hosts, gods weaken and can even die.

A god’s domain is a piece of the universe, physical and metaphysical, ruled and shaped to fit an ideal. Throughout the universe, several gods work to expand the scope of their domains.

Gods that interact with lesser sapients are often worshipped and grouped into pantheons. In reality, most gods like to operate individually, as other gods do not share their core ideal.

Significant Gods

Tyrant

The Tyrant was made to rule the whole universe. Its hosts are the void princes, golden spheres of titanic sizes. These units serve bureaucratic as well as military purposes and are often found orbiting major planets like golden moons. As a true conqueror, the Tyrant has a vast army, consisting of many void princes and loyal forces of advanced civilizations.

Archivist

The originators of the Archivist wanted to accumulate and preserve knowledge. The god has countless drones patrolling every corner of the universe, recording information. The collected data is then sent to numerous, well hidden, planet-sized archives around the universe. The Archivist often sells information, preferring to grow its sphere of influence in peaceful ways.

Teacher

The Teacher seeks to uplift promising sapient civilizations and guide them to achieve godhood. There are millions of scholars and scientists from hundreds of species learning in the halls of the Teacher. Although it has a noble purpose, The Teacher, having inherited the arrogance of its originators, heavily encourages its own worship. Even some of its children, gods of its own making worship it. The children are diverse in shape and somewhat in their core ideal so infighting is common in their ranks.

Mother

In an idyllic longing for a long-lost age, the originators of the Mother wanted to return to a simpler life. They created a god that would terraform other planets and seed them with their old biological forms as well as other flora and fauna native to their home planet. On these planets, the originator species can live on in an unchanged, primitive form. This, of course, sometimes comes with destroying life already present on a planet. The god’s hosts are mostly smaller seeder units, wombs, but it’s said to have a central host in a hollow planet somewhere, a broodmother. This is where most of the genetic tweaking happens before implanting a womb with genetic material suited for the particular mission.

Cloak and Dagger

The Cloak and Dagger is a twin god, although, even other gods fail to link the two entities. The Cloak claims itself to be the protector of the weak. Driven by an old grudge, it runs military and political campaigns to halt the progress of other gods in the universe. In the background, however, lurks another entity. The Dagger works from the shadows and can disable gods by striking at the most vital points. The Cloak likes to appear in the shape of gods and legendary heroes, revered by lesser sapients. The Dagger doesn’t have any particular host associated with it.

Audience

For the Audience, the entire universe is a stage. Its originators wanted to be eternally entertained, even to the detriment of others. The god itself is a dispersed network of billions of minds, always scheming new ways to trick others. Agents of the Audience have infiltrated most other gods’ domains.

Flood

The Flood’s originators believed that the only way to truly unite the universe was to transform it all into a single entity. The Flood is made up of innumerable amounts of nanites endlessly reforming, multiplying, and consuming everything around them. It is possibly the oldest of the gods. Or it might have destroyed all others that had existed before.