Mythic Arts

Over the course of history, the world's changed in all kinds of ways. New species, new environments, new climates, etc. Even more so during human history, with things like revolutions, wars, inventions, discoveries, and many other important events happening, sometimes over the span of less than a century. History in this particular verse is similar, but with one major factor: mythology. Due to reasons that still haven't been fully discovered, Gods, Demons, Monsters, Magic, and all kinds of phenomena not only exist, but coexist with humanity. Of course, this has led to a variety of differences in this world's history, but that's best saved for another time. Here are the main details for now:

• The most commonly accepted reason for the existence of mythological beings and phenomena is belief. If enough people believe in something, they'll all think it's true. In this world, belief in something has the potential to make it real, and the existence of whoever or whatever is believed in creates a feedback loop of belief. Humans thought Gods existed, and they became real through the culminated belief in them, which reinforced the faith humanity had through their actions.

• Various Gods, Monsters, Demons, and forms of Magic exist based on the location of those who believe in them. Due to the fact that each location is obviously not representative of the entire world, Pantheons formed that encompassed their specific region. Examples include the Greek Pantheon staying in and around Greece, the Norse Pantheon mainly staying in Scandinavia, the Egyptian Pantheon staying in Egypt (though beliefs and the gods that represent them often travelled between Egypt and Greece), and the Shinto Pantheon staying in Japan. Due to the inevitable transferal of beliefs over time as people moved around, the Pantheons are less restricted now than ever, though they mainly stay in and around their original areas.

• Since mythological beings and phenomena are tied to the beliefs that allow them to exist, their condition can change too. If nobody believes in a specific God for example, they would gradually lose power until they cease to exist. On the other hand, if belief in that God increased, they would gain more power, though how much varies depending on what their domain is. If belief in something changes over time, the being or phenomena in question will change too. This includes things like Gods gaining new abilities, personalities, appearances, and other traits. Other things like Demons and Monsters tend to not only gain these, but also gain access to new locations if it's believed that they can show up in more places.

• Due to magic traveling around the world and the inevitable overlap in beliefs, magic itself became a form of energy that can be used in a multitude of ways. A wide variety of uses for it exist based on common beliefs and pop culture, with the more traditional forms of it either being utilized in their places of origin or by those who'd prefer to branch out from the main methods.

• In order for Gods to coexist with each other and travel the world, a common belief in a separate world for them came to be. This world has many names, but is often just referred to as The Heavens for the sake of simplifying the many places Gods can come from and go to. Within The Heavens, pathways between areas and Pantheons exist, with each Pantheon's home being based on the region they were originally believed in. A good example would be Asgard, which is commonly believed to be the Norse Pantheon's section of The Heavens, though it's also been used as the regional way of referring to this separate world as a whole. The main factor that everyone agrees on in regards to The Heavens is that only Gods and other divine beings can exist there. Mortals, Monsters, and Demons are incapable of reaching it via any means, and at best can only look into their world.

• Given the wide variety of Demons in existence through different Pantheons, a counterpart to The Heavens exists known as The Underworld. This counterpart also takes on traits based on regional beliefs, such as being the frozen Helheim in the Norse Pantheon, or Hades from the Greek Pantheon. Demons of all kinds can travel between these places as well, and can use various methods in each region to view and access the human world. Unlike its divine counterpart, The Underworld can be accessed by beings other than demons, most commonly by Gods with connections to death, the afterlife, and similar concepts. Humans can access The Underworld too, though extreme preparation is needed in order to survive and return.

• In regards to Monsters, they lack a separate world of their own, and are innately tied to the human world due to the things they supposedly represent. Depending on the Monster in particular, some may be limited to their specific region, while others can travel as far as they want.

• Due to conflicting beliefs on certain Monsters, there are many that aren't referred to under the same umbrella term, such as Dragons and Phoenixes.

• While the nature of their existence has been debated many times throughout history, various beings exist that are most commonly human hybrids. The most famous example are Demigods, which have been more common in the Greek Pantheon, though plenty more have appeared throughout the world. Other examples include things like Cambions and Nephilim. While the more visibly human hybrids are often just referred to as whatever the name of their hybrid species is, others are often called Demi-Humans. Whether or not to continue using this umbrella term to refer to hybrids with different body types is still being debated.