Dude, only we can see this namespace, if you don't count the occasional script kiddie that boots a “hack into corky livecd” :p - so no holding back.

Name above is working title, but might grow on me.

To business.

Gods exist. From the dawn of time they have walked among us, no one knows why, how or from where, but they do. They are vastly powerful, but far from omnipotent. They are immortal in theory, but in practice many have died - almost always in a violent fashion.

Alexander the Great was a famous short lived minor god. So, perhaps, was Hitler. Gods can mate with humans and amongst themselves, and the results are never predictable, but it is a fact that gods get born every once in a while.

Gods had a profound role in the development of human civilization. Some claim that they initiated it, or at least nurtured it against all odds. There is even a theory I like about gods “domesticating” humans into something that can form a society rather than just a clan.

Even the gods themselves do not know much of their ancient history. The oldest known gods still remember the old Mesopotamian pantheon, and their memories of them have been so twisted by myth and time that not much can be certain about them. Most of them are said to have been slain by the younger Egyptian gods, some of which may still be around.

Yahweh is generally considered to have existed and perished many years ago. So say El was his son, some say it was another name he used. Jesus, who was also a god, naturally, claimed to be the son of El, but more of him later.

The Greek gods were another great family, which managed to control (AKA “nurture”) the entire Hellenic civilization for more than a thousand years. Towards the end of that period, Apollon, the young god of light (a stand-in for Helios, who met a tragic fate), started feeling a bit oppressed by his elder Olympians, especially Zeus. He deserted, and along with the powerful but feeble-minded Jupiter jump started the Roman empire and the Roman pantheon. Eventually they eradicated many of the Greek gods, and almost all of the Olympians.

Much divine blood was shed during this time by the Roman gods, and it was against their rule that Jesus son of El preached. Apollon, now called Apollo, personally nailed him to the cross. Common belief is that Jesus died upon the cross and the whole resurrection thing is just a myth - one that was encouraged by Apollo himself, for reasons detailed below.

Either way, Apollo became more and more paranoid. If anything, the history he helped shape has taught him caution, and he was probably the first god to realize what is today pretty common knowledge: being directly worshiped just isn't safe anymore.

During the next few centuries, the Roman gods, led by Apollo, went underground. They systematically erased their own existence as anything other than myth, making much use of Christianity - both as a misdirection and as a means of organizing followers in a relatively safe fashion. Today, the Roman Catholic church is nothing more (or less) than a front for the strongest family of gods in the world.

The reasons for the Masquerade are not yet entirely clear to me, as DM, but I think it safe to assume that if you are directly worshiped, you can be found, and if you can be found, you can be killed; either by other gods or, as technology progresses, by mortals.

In any event, it is clear that most other gods, some sooner and some later, realized that the Masquerade is a good idea, and it has been strictly adhered to for many centuries. The last serious conflict in that regard was around a thousand years ago, when the invading Norse gods were vanquished and forced to sign the Treaty of Hastings. Some of the Norse survivors still wield significant power, using the Anglican Church as a front.

Sol is a relatively new Sun god. He was born during the middle ages, allegedly to Isis - one of the oldest surviving Egyptian gods - and allegedly from the seed of Apollo - who always had a thing for screwing his elders.

Sol never liked the Masquerade. He initiated the Heliocentric heresy, and held a small but powerful cult during the 15th century. The cult was eventually crushed by the Roman Inquisition, but Sol himself was banished (from Europe, I assume, or maybe from the western world). It is said that only Apollo's direct intervention stopped the court from sentencing him to death. It is also said that Apollo, being a god of prophecy, foretold that he will one day regret his decision.

I'm not sure what Sol did in the centuries since. I suppose he played god to a bunch of primitive societies. Practiced. Schemed. But a little while after the death of L. Ron Hubbard he took over the church of Scientology, renaming it “Suntology” and using his divine power to turn it into the most successful cult ever, with millions of well placed followers.

Gabriel Delle is an African ex-cop in the service of the Vatican. Born in Nigeria to heathen parents, became assistant to a missionary, assisted him in an exorcism that went awry and escalated to a fire only he survived. He spent a few years in the Nigerian PO-lice, where he made detective and a few more years as a priest. Eventually he was recruited by the Vatican as a valuable inquisitor.

Deborah Black is a social worker and a devote nun. Born in London to defunct family, had a very tough childhood, including prostitution and drug-abuse. Getting several venereal diseases made her go blind. A short while after a sexual encounter (“was also have this blind girl”), she regained her sight and was completely cured. It was in front of a church. She got her faith and joined a nunnery. Was allocated by the special Vatican forces several months ago, sent to their paramilitary boot-camp and finished top of her class.