I have been giving some thought to apotheosis; the elevation of a person, in this case a recurring NPC, to the ranks of godhood.
“Clerics who worship demon lords cast spells in the same way as other clerics do, but their Abyssal patrons do not directly grant them spells. Rather, the demon lord serves as a focus through which the cleric can access divine energy - his spells are in fact drawn from the chaos and evil of the Abyss itself.” (FC1, pg. 82)
One can thus conclude that a minor deity/quasi-deity might not be entirely divine but rather act as a Living Catalyst for the energies of an otherworldly plane. FC1 also adds Feats such as Abyss-Bound Soul and Evil Brand, which further bind a mortal to a Living Catalyst.
Fiend Folio offers a variety of fiend-focused prestige classes, such as the Fiend of Blasphemy, wherein a fiend can grant abilities to its “worshippers”. The Fiend of Blasphemy can also grant spells, as it can “channel spellcasting ability from it’s own fiendish master to mortals with levels in the cleric class”.
One could also look to Deities & Demigods, giving a Living Catalyst a divine rank of 0 (quasi-deity) to 5 (demigod), possibly ascribing their ascension to an Imparted Divine Power. Perhaps the Living Catalyst is in effect an Avatar (Salient Divine Ability) of a more powerful force.
This results in a fledgling deity who, while removed from recurring use as an NPC, still interacts on a close level with their “worshippers”. The neo-deity can grant spells and knows the goings-on of their worshippers, yet they are removed from the playing field to become a member of the “big picture”.
“Witches gain new spells by performing ritual sacrifice and prayer to deities usually demon princes, archdevils, or the current oinodaemon. if the deity is pleased, it sends a servant being to teach the witch a new spell appropriate to her level and ability... Witches who join a High Secret Order are bound to even greater servitude to their deities than before and take on additional responsibilities to carry out their deities’ wills.” (The Witch, Revised and expanded NPC class - DRAGON #114)
That is the angle from which I am choosing to approach apotheosis, coupled with other elements such as the Loathly Lady , “...a hideous woman who demands that a man kiss or marry her in h er hideous form. This action reveals that her shape is a transformation that has been broken.”, and the Hopeful Monster , “an event of instantaneous speciation, saltation, or systemic mutation, which contributes positively to the production of new major evolutionary groups”.
A brief summary of events in my campaign: The party is now in possession of the third Tome of Apotheosis and a draught of Aqua Mortis, both required to restore life to the spirit hag Xaetra, who currently resides in an eidolon golem made of ambergris. By doing so, they hope to weaken or destroy the blackwater hag Diadema, who holds part of Xaetra's corpse in her amalgamated body. Diadema seeks to awaken three magical maelstroms, to drain the waters of the Solnor Ocean through a planar portal into a hollow cavern within the lesser moon Celene. There, the twin daughters of Dagon and Olhydra have been imprisoned by their father.
Instead of restoring Xaetra to life, she will be called upon to ascend, to counter the influence of the Blue Coven.
I had considered making Xaetra a living avatar of Cegilune, but Xaetra is a neutral hag as opposed to the NE ways of the hag goddess.
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