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Devotion takes many forms, and the love of a mortal to a god is one of personal faith and a relationship with the deity. Sometimes, that relationship takes on newer and greater forms in the form of Tokens. The gods are affected by mona just as everything else on Vita, though the mona shows them deference for their amassed power and spheres of influence. A Blessing is a pre-formed conversation with the mona, granted to a mortal as an always-active faint field of magic. Nearly every blessing is individual to the person being granted it, but there have been instances in a mass Blessing for certain cults and religious sects, such as the Everine.

What is a Token?

A Token is bestowed by a god to a mortal, granting them abilities and powers far exceeding their natural capabilities. Tokens are not given lightly, but instead are given to those whose personal relationship and connection to a god warrants that the god take notice. Tokens are individualized, meaning that the ability is tailored to the specific mortal being granted, as if each Token is given for a specific purpose, which is always the case. There are no arbitrary Tokens, instead each represents a milestone in one’s personal relationship with the god granting the Tokens.

A Token is a preset conversation with the mona, a contract made by the god in question that allows the mona to act in a specific way at the behest of a mortal, even if they do not possess a field of their own. This means that Humans and Passives may obtain and use Tokens, even though they would not normally be able to affect the mona themselves. In truth, they are not, but are instead activating a field that belongs in piece to the deity that granted them the Token.

The Path of Devotion

What does devotion to a god look like? Many of the organized churches and cults insist that devotion is living as the god would, doing as they would to further their spheres of influence and gain more members by showing potential worshippers that a god deserves their worship. The truth of the matter is far more simple: Each relationship with a deity is a personal and spiritual one. One needs not offer lip service to their god, nor must they try to embody their ideals. The intent to worship is often enough, as the intent is conveyed through the mona that made the gods. The cause for this is unclear, and many scholars and clergymen have set about looking for scientific and religious meaning behind why each relationship can be so different yet all affect the gods in the same way.

There is no wrong way to worship a deity, other than to directly oppose their influence. Because the gods of Vita encompass all aspects of their spheres, it is as accurate to say that Nualas would both have a relationship with the solemn gravedigger who gives the dead a home, and the serial killer who offers the soon-to-be dead a path to Nualas herself. Because the gods do not share the mortal conception of morals, there is no distinguishing between how the mortal shows their devotion.

Because the gods rarely, if ever, manifest on Vita, gaining a Token is a strange experience. The bestowing often takes place in a dream or through some form of subconscious contact with the god. The mortal awakens from the reverie with a vague idea that they were bestowed, and a vague idea on how to use the Token. Often, this serves as a way to affirm the mortal’s belief in the god, and has more often than once been described as a “miracle”.

Losing a Token

Given that the Token manifests due to acts of faith and is nourished by it, the loss of faith and the Token usually manifests in a spiritual crisis. When a faithful loses their faith, it is as if they were nourished by sunlight their whole lives and suddenly being thrust into a void with no heat. For those with a field, it feels as if though said field had a part ripped from it, as if they'd grown another arm and then it was suddenly torn away when they learned to rely on it. This change can cause intense emotional distress. Then again, the codependency between Token and faith makes the experience nothing short of impossible to document.

Examples of Tokens

Roa, goddess of life, takes notice of a midwife in Vienda whose special attention to the fetus both prior to and after birth nearly always means the success of the birth and the health of the child. Roa bestows upon the midwife a Token, the power of which allows the midwife to remove physical infirmities with the touch of her left hand.

Nualas, goddess of death, is drawn to a series of murders occurring in The Stacks. The murderer, a man whose serial tendencies have attributed six murders to him, is granted the ability to remain inconspicuous in a crowd, and to exude a comforting presence when one on one with his intended victim.

A fisherman on the river in Mugroba garners the attention of Hulali, who admires the tranquility in which the fisherman finds himself when on the river. The fisherman never overfishes and considers the river a place of safety and happiness for himself. Because of this, Hulali’s Token allows him to interact water without affecting it, meaning the fisherman can reach into the water without causing the water to ripple or move.