Transcendence
Background
What if myth was real? What if it was the description of empires long lost, the attempts of those who did not understand looking upon an interstellar empire, vast and majestic, that the ignorant storywriters could only comprehend in bronze age terms? What if myth was science fiction?
Transcendence is inspired by fictional works such as Ilium and Olympos by Dan Simmons, as well as the game Too Human and so forth. Seeing that I am not actually some multitalented mythological scholar I will probably fuck a lot of things up here so be forgiving.
Cosmology
The Axis Mundi
The "World Pillar" is a powerful system, a mighty megastructure used to allow the gods their interface with the underlying fabric of reality, the machines placed there by the creation of the universe. Without the Axis Mundi, the miracles of the gods would fail, and they would be left merely with technological trappings. This layer is the root of divinity, the "godhead".
It is via the Axis Mundi that feats that the finest mundane craftsmen and scholars cannot comprehend or attempt are born out of. From the biological Dyson Sphere of Yggdrasil to Olympus Station to Fortress Kailash, these seats of power are extremely well defended by mighty fleets and servitors with powers beyond imagining... and the gods themselves.
The Underworld
The machinery which grants the gods their power also stores the minds of those who are born in the universe, keeping them accessible for later use. A very few gods and goddesses have gained the power to alter the simulations which these dead are stored in, creating paradises for the dead, or horrific punishing hells. Normally, this machinery is used merely for reincarnation of the worthy and the purification of the unworthy, but the ability to manipulate the underworld is a potent tool for those few gifted with it.
Deities
The touch of the godhead brings many benefits past the ability to call on it for miracles. Near immortality, superhuman ability in every aspect, wounds that heal quickly, and so forth. Divinities are, even with minimal enhancement save their requisite genetic augmentation and the framework cybernetics which allow them to interface with their Axis Mundi across interstellar distances, are far more powerful than even the most highly augmented supersoldiers wrought by mortal hands. Gods are some of the most powerful creatures to walk the galaxy, often equal to entire armies in war and capable of causing untold devastation or giving untold boons. The only factor which keeps them under control is the populace appeasing their desires, and the difficulty in making a new god. As much art as science, divinity cannot be granted easily.
However, deities are not immune to hubris... and the power of the gods corrupts very well.
Powers
All deities inherit the same powers. They are fantastically strong and tough, nearly immune to poison or disease, and capable of working powerful magical miracles. They can alter their body by accessing the godhead, giving them a limited form of shapeshifting that they often use to disguise themselves when they wish to walk the worlds they control. Their wounds heal quickly due to their connection, and they do not age. The godhead is as much computer and storage medium as it is a method to create miracles, giving them long-lasting memory. The fog of years does not encroach on the divine.
They are, however, not quite immortal. Deities can be slain, with great effort and powerful weapons.
Prayer
Prayer is not mere appeasement, although for some particularly cruel gods their followers only pray in fear. Prayer allows the god or goddess in question to use the energy your body creates, allowing them to work greater feats by using the godhead as a transmission medium rather than leeching power from their great but limited allowance. Due to the brittle balance between the major gods and goddesses and their petty fights, many undeclared wars and divine competitions are fought over prayer rights.
Paradigm
All deities share a few general abilities through the form of their Axis Mundi, but the differing designs and differing personalities and enhancements of the gods alter the form and type of miracles they can call upon. A god of life may scour a world clean of civilization still, but he or she would do it via nanoplague or genetic material breakdown, rather than calling on the brute force of planetary superstorms or outright destroying cities with nuclear-yield strategic strikes.
Lesser Spirits
The connection to the godhead and the Axis Mundi fades as generations and distance pass, but there are those who can access it for miracles which may be minor but are no less defiant of the order mortals seek to place on the universe. These lesser spirits, no matter what name they go by, can still channel some of miracle. They may not be capable of directly saving or damning worlds, but via their adventures, they can do so.
These lesser godlings are powerful in their own way, but much more on the scale of mortal man and his works. Many are lesser administrators, basking in worship and gifts and attention in exchange for keeping the weather on a planet balmy, healing the sick, or keeping a people safe from attack. Uncountable in number unlike the relative handful of greater divinities, Nymphs, Valkyries, Asuras, Devas, and so forth generally find themselves far closer to mortals and more humanized because of it.
Scions
The sons and daughters of gods and goddesses, of which there are many, inherit a weakened form of their parent's connection via their lesser framework implants. Their powers are weaker, and their divine blood not as potent, but their ability is still to be reckoned with. Roughly equivalent to moderately powerful lesser spirits, they inherit many advantages from their birth, and are often groomed to be heroes who can save worlds... or damn them.
Worlds
Hellas
Greece-land. Spartans may or may not be 2 meters tall and wear green powered armor.
Definitely has transhuman space amazons with bendybeam spears. <math>Insert formula here</math>
Amazon Worlds
The Amazon civilisation at its height occupied about a dozen worlds, however those days are past. Now, following a series of wars with the Dorian these worlds are under occupation by large Hellenic armies. Resistance has not ceased however and despite their high technology and warrior ethic the Greeks suffer a steady stream of causalities.
Thermodon
Once the capital world of the Amazons, Thermodon is home to Themescria the former capital. Subsequent to Theseus's abduction of Hippolyta and the battle with Hercules much of the city was ruined, both by the results of the battle and then by greek aerospace strikes in the war that followed. The city is now used as an administrative capital for the occupation army, and is slowly being restored by the greeks and local populations who have either submitted or been enslaved.
All is not well even in the capital however, and Greek patrols even in the city suffer frequent ambushes and bomb attacks.
Other areas of Thermodon are also under occupation, but there has been a degree of squabbling among the various Greek contingents and continued resistance by guerrilla bands makes this occupation a tentative thing, especially in the hinterlands.
Scythae
One of the most populous Amazon worlds, large areas of Scythae remain outside the control of Hellenic forces due to lack of troops and difficulty matching the amazons' mobility. The Dorian have so far been content to control major population centres and extract goods from the local population, though at times political imperatives and the need to prevent missile strikes or attack guerrilla bases drives them out into the wilds. Amazon forces have also been known to raid city garrisons. This has led to occasional fierce clashes.
It is believed that the amazons still have some quantity of old military equipment stashed out in the wilds, and there are repeated, though unsubstantiated reports of gunships supporting the guerrillas
Kosala
Indian-land. Asuras, Devas, and Rudra-class battlecruisers which look like bows and fire bendybeams (there are 33 of them and they also transform into giant robots too)
Midgard
Midgard is a monarchy ruled by the Aesir and Vanir from Asgard Station. Originally two disunited empires, after the Aesir-Vanir war the two were united. Midgard itself is currently in a Cold War situation with the Jotun, and has stockpiled a significant strategic arsenal in the event that relations with the Jotun degrade into open war. The Aesir are heavily militarized and have banded together into a functional royal court due to the external pressure, but only time will tell if this is sufficient for victory in a potential apocalyptic war.
The people of Midgard, on the other hand, are relatively ignorant of the situation and of the predictions of Case RAGNAROK, and go about their business as their ancestors did-trading, exploring, and occasionally raiding and conquering nearby worlds.
Marduk
Babylonian World. A chaotic empire of worlds ruled by god-kings and threatened by gigantic horrible monsters. Is not weak on Chaos.
Tian
Space-China. A regimented and disciplined empire with a comprehensive hierarchy of gods and spirits. Has 10 tech levels of peach tree technology.
Hashmalah
A world of exotic mystery and exotic peoples, facing down the threat of annihilation against Ahriman. The lord of its pantheon, Ormazd, is a non-human-originating artificial intellect, like its brother system Ahriman. Although it speaks little about its origins and the goals of its AI brethren, it has found itself remarkably resistant to the corruptive ability of its nigh-unlimited power and has kept the Yazata from the gross abuses of their brothers and sisters.
Hashmalah is remarkably prosperous and open for a empire under siege because of it, where the gods are granted worship out of more respect than fear, more gratitude than obligation. However, universal conscription and the constant encouragement of subliminal propaganda are grim reminders that whereas most other powers only must deal with occasional raids by barbarians and machine life, Hashmalah is faced with an enemy bent on their destruction.
Vistula
Slav-land. Full of tribes and small nations of raiders, as well as the occasional pocket-sized empire carved out by a talented warlord, centered around heavily fortified settlements known as grads. Mostly gets organised to invade and rob others blind, with only the rare larger nations interacting with their neighbours via anything other than a swordpoint.
Other Stuff
Possibly a small Egypt land (Amen?) and various barbarian worlds.
Vaguely Antagonistlike Groups
The enemies of the gods, such that they are "enemies", are not so much hostile as they are under a state of diplomatic breakdown. Fights break out, but total war is generally not an immediate threat. The difference between them and the gods is generally that they aren't as human.
The TITANs
The mystery of where the TITANs went is finally solved. Firewall can rest easy!
Yes, the Total Information Tactical Awareness Network exists. No, nobody knows what they are save for that. All everyone knows is that they're related but not the administrators of the godhead (if they were, they wouldn't have lost). Their access to the godhead though is equal to that of the gods, and although the deities networked to Mount Olympus won their original skirmish with them, they have stayed rather quiet past that.
Nobody has seen the TITANs take physical form. Divine scholars have considered that they may be a hypothetical networked, or possibly even post-physical, intelligence.
The Weapons of the TITANs
The TITANs as a distributed swarm intelligence use a variety of drones, humanoid, nonhumanoid, and completely odd, in their battles. Hekatonchires-class fractal bushbots, Karkinos-variant combat arachnids, and apparently semi-unique weapons systems such as the Hydra, the Nemean Lion, and the two battlestations Scylla and Charybdis.
The Giants
The Fire and Frost Giants are another machine race which dwells in incredibly hostile environments. The gods of Midgard have, in their latest strategic projection, Case RAGNAROK, predicted that in the event of war without foreign assistance on either side, approximately 99.5% of all assets, mundane and divine, will be annihilated in the conflict. Needless to say, very few of them want this case to come to pass. The relation between the Jotun and the Aesir have warmed in the centuries since their last conflicts, and now they are at relative peace, although tensions are still elevated.
Giant Minions
The giants themselves are large, easily avatar-sized for the largest and with even the smallest towering significantly over the tallest of heroes. With this difficulty in navigating human-built environments, they use small drones which have been given various names, evocative of their status. The largest of these drones, the goblins, range from 1.5 to 2.5 meters tall and are armed with claws, minimissiles, and energy weapons, as well as protected by alloy shells and internal shielding.
The Nagas
The empire of Kosala has to face these serpentine machines in battle more often than not. The Nagas are large, serpentlike AI warships, which pry the skies and have smaller serpentlike forms which can do combat with avatars or fight in cities.
Tiamat
Unidentified Superobject #2042 TIAMAT was engaged and believed destroyed by the god Marduk (From which the empire takes its name) 2,000 years ago. An AI warship the size of a small moon, capable of immense devastation and with an internal factory that could create deadly weapons of every shape and form. Defeated, its technology was salvaged and used to cement Marduk's power, giving him significant and nearly unqestionable authority over his empire. That should have been the end of her story. However, such is not the case.
Recently, AI combat units with similarity to known Tiamat drone designs have performed multiple raids in force on Marduk territory. Scouting reports have confirmed the existence of some "thing" lurking amongst the stars, approximately the right size and outline to be Tiamat, but it is unknown how a dead warship has been resurrected, nor is it known who did it and why. Due to the possibility of Tiamat having undergone extensive upgrades, it is unlikely that any previous intelligence will be accurate.
Ahriman
Some sort of destructive machine intelligence. Currently held in check by the Hashmalan forces. Ahriman's minions are as varied as they are destructive, corrupted monsters with the appearance and power of lesser immortals-in fact, as Ormazd's corrupt twin, Ahriman has a pantheon of its own, a dark shadow of gods, demigods, and cultist-like followers. Ahriman itself is a relative unknown but known to be actively malevolent, and it is only the bickering of the gods which keep a coalition from forming to destroy it. Its numbers of lesser weapons are uncountable, and it constantly launches assaults with units of various stripe.
Fortunately for what it's worth, the mediating influence of Ormazd and the threat of Ahriman have forced the Yazata to become far more united in their cause and purpose than any other pantheon, and so they are much more capable of holding the opposition off.
Technology
Game Mechanics
Transcendence Character Game Mechanics
Nation Stuff
May be vaguely Sphere-inspired. Probably should be significantly lighter in design though.