Category:Theoi
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
The Theoi are a race of beings who appear to be some sort of symbiotic organism similar to a retrovirus that inhabits a human host. The human host, called the Avatar, is genetically altered to make it more suitable for a Theoi consciousness. This can lead to changes such as an increase in size or musculature, alteration of skin and hair color, and alterations of cognitive functions. The merged Avatar and Theoi is called an Incarnation.
Additionally, the Theoi implants a genetic memory into the host which combines into the Avatar's own memories to make an incarnated version of the Theoi in question. This process is imperfect, often times leaving the host with muddled or confused memories, or even the inability to remember their past before they became a Theoi. Some seem to be unable to cope with the flood of memories and go slightly mad. For others, the Theoi memories are weak and dream-like, or vice versa with the past life as a host being only half-remembered.
With these new memories typically come changes in personality and behavior appropriate to the Theoi in question. Many hosts often had qualities similar to a particular Theoi before being "Apotheosized", suggesting that which Theoi genetic imprint is given to a particular host is not random. Only humans can host a Theoi. Other species will either have no effect when "implanted", or will die during the transformation. In half-human hybrids, partial Theoi transformations have occured, most often resulting in a temporary madness which, along with the powers and memory of the Theoi, eventually dissipates. It requires a fully human host for an Incarnation to take root and survive.
The Theoi claim to be the ancient gods of the Greeks. If the Theoi actually were beings worshiped by the Greeks (and later Romans) as gods, or if they merely assumed the identity of the Greek deities as a means to gain power, no one knows for certain, not even the Theoi themselves. Because of the imperfect means of transmitting memories to new Avatars, speculation amongst the Theoi themselves ranges from a skepticism about their deific status to a zealous belief in their own godhood. However, even those with doubts as to their divine nature will rarely share that information with mortals, preferring to keep the image of divinity intact. Either way, it seems many of the myths about the greek gods actually have the antics of the Theoi at their root, as many of the Theoi recall specifics about stories in the Greek Myths that the poets did not capture, and old rivalries from those times still burn fairly hot.
Many Theoi, particularly those who believe themselves divine, have a strong need for public adulation and worship. Even the most agreeable Theoi will become a grand-standing glory hound if they see a chance to strike awe, adoration, or fear in the hearts of mortals.
The main means of Theoi immortality is through a substance they call Ambrosia. This is an amber jelly like compound. Doctor Fear's analysis of Ambrosia has revealed that it behaves in a similar fashion as a retrovirus, re-writing DNA. Until recently, all attempts to reproduce a Theoi in the laboratory with Ambrosia have resulted in rampant mutation and the ultimate death of the host. However, Eidolon has recently managed to create a hideously mutated creature called Atroxius, in their labs. Atroxius is an entirely new, genetically engineered Theoi and a being of pure malice and cruelty.
How, exactly, Ambrosia is created or the genetic memory of each subsequent incarnation is preserved is unknown. The Theoi themselves do not discuss it, and in fact may not even know. Those who remember their past incarnations the most clearly tend to know where to acquire Ambrosia, so speculation is that Ambrosia is a by-product of a particular avatar's biological death. The transformed host has a very long life span, often well over a century before aging begins, and are very difficult to kill by other means, so this theory is as yet untested.
Due to the nature of Ambrosia, it is possible for there to be more than one incarnation of a particular Theoi at any given time, creating multiple "strains" with divergent genetic memories. To differentiate between these different divergent incarnations, Theoi often adopt a surname or sobriquet to identify which line of incarnations they come from. Theoi will often use their native tongue for their sobriquets and surnames.
The native tongue of the Theoi bears a striking similarity to, and shares much vocabulary with, Hellenic Greek and Minoan with aspects from other nearby cultures as well. It is possible that the Ancient people either learned the Theoi language and it evolved over time in those isolated cultures, or that the Theoi picked up the language of various humans in the region and cobbled them together in a pastiche. Again, no one, not even the Theoi, is sure, although the latter seems more likely.
Theoi are capable of normal human reproduction both with each other and with normal humans, with two notable differences. First, they are notoriously fertile. In fact, fertility seems to almost be a choice rather than a random act. Second, the offspring of Theoi, called Hemitheos, grow up very fast, reaching young adulthood in a matter of weeks or months, equipped with a genetic memory permitting them to bypass early learning and maturation of normal humans. These offspring may have abilities similar to their Theoi parent or parents, or may manifest new abilities entirely. These Hemitheos sometimes will grow to become full Theoi over time, but some still require Ambrosia to fully "Apotheosize".
While they are usually capricious and mercurial, it's certainly possible for Theoi to be beneficent to mankind and even heroic. Even so, many of them end up branded as villains because of their casual, even flippant, disregard of "mortal laws" which they generally feel do not apply to them. Even the most well-intentioned and agreeable Theoi will likely run afoul of the law more than once. A Theoi may well become a hero and obey the law, if they believe they will receive greater adulation and worship as such. However, even then they will walk a fine line between heroism and vigilantism, ever teetering on the edge of illegality.
It seems all Theoi have an innate sense of social order, with elder Theoi being obeyed, even if grudgingly, by the younger members of their family. They acknowledge that Zeus is their king, but by all accounts he's been missing for a very, very long time and most seem confident he is never going to re-incarnate. In his stead, his brother Hades Aedoneus maintains a tenuous rule over the Theoi. As his Avatar's identity, Julius Stone, he manages the investment firm The Theoi Collective both as a means to finance the excesses that gods require and as a clarion call to other Theoi that they are gathering once more in number.
