Signed: Year 1200 of the Era of Conflict
Signatories: Representatives of The Alorama, The Nyx, and the Assembly of Mortal Realms
Enforced by: The Tribunal of Balance (joint divine-mortal court)
Preamble
Whereas the abandonment of divine guidance led to the near-extinction of conscious civilizations, and whereas unrestrained divine intervention has proven to destabilize the fundamental nature of reality itself, and whereas both mortals and immortals have suffered from the extremes of divine absence and divine excess, we, the representatives of the divine powers and mortal realms, do establish this Covenant to govern the relationship between the divine and mortal spheres for all ages to come.
Article I: The Doctrine of Measured Intervention
Section 1 - Divine Responsibilities
The divine powers acknowledge their responsibility to guide and nurture mortal consciousness while respecting mortal agency and the integrity of natural law.
Section 2 - Intervention Thresholds
Direct divine intervention is permitted only when:
- Mortal civilizations face existential threats beyond their capacity to address
- The fundamental balance between creation and entropy is threatened
- Violations of this Covenant require divine enforcement
- Mortals formally petition for divine aid through established ritual protocols
Section 3 - Prohibited Actions
Divine powers are forbidden from:
- Manifesting physically on the Material Plane except during Covenant-sanctioned emergencies
- Directly controlling mortal minds or overriding free will
- Engaging in divine combat within or above the Material Plane
- Creating weapons or magic designed to eliminate entire bloodlines or species
- Temporal manipulation that alters established historical events
Article II: The Framework for Divine Guidance
Section 1 - Permitted Methods of Influence
- Inspiration and Dreams: Subtle guidance through sleep and meditation
- Chosen Champions: Empowering mortal representatives with divine abilities
- Sacred Texts and Prophecy: Providing wisdom through interpretable revelation
- Ritual Magic: Responding to formal requests through established ceremonies
- Natural Signs and Portents: Communicating through environmental phenomena
Section 2 - The Champion Doctrine
Divine powers may choose mortal champions subject to these restrictions:
- Maximum of seven active champions per divine power at any time
- Champions must be volunteers who accept their role through informed consent
- Champion powers cannot exceed clearly defined limits established by this Covenant
- Champions serve for limited terms and may resign their roles at any time
- Champion conflicts must be resolved through formal dueling protocols, not warfare
Section 3 - Clerical Orders and Divine Magic
Religious organizations operate under divine authority but with mortal accountability:
- Clerics receive power through spiritual alignment, not direct divine command
- Religious hierarchies remain subject to mortal law in temporal matters
- Divine magic used for healing, creation, and protection receives priority support
- Magic used for destruction requires justification under self-defense protocols
Article IV: The Tribunal of Balance
Section 1 - Composition and Authority
A permanent court consisting of:
- Three representatives chosen by The Alorama
- Three representatives chosen by The Nyx
- Three mortal representatives elected by the Assembly of Mortal Realms
Section 2 - Jurisdiction
The Tribunal has authority to:
- Investigate violations of this Covenant
- Mediate disputes between divine powers
- Authorize emergency divine interventions
- Modify Covenant terms in response to changing circumstances
- Impose sanctions on powers that violate agreed upon limitations
Section 3 - Enforcement Mechanisms
Violations of this Covenant may result in:
- Divine Censure: Formal reprimand and reduced sphere of influence
- Power Limitation: Temporary restriction of intervention capabilities
- Champion Recall: Forced termination of champion empowerment
- Territory Loss: Reduction of sacred territories and jurisdictional claims
- Cosmic Isolation: Complete severance from Material Plane influence (reserved for extreme violations)
Article V: Mortal Rights and Protections
Section 1 - The Right to Choose
All conscious beings possess the inalienable right to:
- Choose their own spiritual path and divine allegiance
- Reject divine influence and live according to mortal wisdom alone
- Change their religious commitment without persecution
- Access neutral territories where they can make informed spiritual decisions
Section 2 - Protection from Divine Coercion
Mortals are guaranteed protection from:
- Divine punishment for choosing alternative spiritual paths
- Forced participation in divine conflicts between competing powers
- Retaliation for refusing divine commands or champion roles
- Collective punishment for the choices of their leaders or communities
Section 3 - The Right to Appeal
Mortals may petition the Tribunal of Balance for:
- Relief from excessive divine intervention in their communities
- Protection from divine powers that violate Covenant limitations
- Arbitration in disputes between competing divine influences
- Recognition of new autonomous zones or sanctuary territories
Article VI: The Mechanisms of Renewal
Section 1 - Regular Review
This Covenant shall be reviewed and potentially amended every 500 years through a Great Conclave including:
- All signatories to the original agreement
- New divine powers that have emerged since the last review
- Representatives from all major mortal civilizations
Section 2 - Emergency Provisions
In case of existential threats to the Material Plane, this Covenant may be temporarily suspended by:
- Unanimous agreement of the Tribunal of Balance
- Joint petition from at least half of all major divine powers
- Formal request from the Assembly of Mortal Realms representing three-quarters of global population
Section 3 - The Living Document
This Covenant is intended to evolve with changing circumstances while maintaining core principles:
- New divine powers must formally accept these terms before operating on the Material Plane
- Emerging forms of consciousness (artificial, hybrid, or evolved) receive protections under mortal rights provisions
- Technological or magical innovations that affect divine-mortal relations require Covenant evaluation
- The fundamental balance between divine guidance and mortal agency remains inviolate
Article VII: The Sacred Commitments
For the Alorama:
We commit to nurturing mortal growth through wisdom, compassion, and patient guidance. We will respect mortal agency while providing the inspiration needed for conscious beings to reach their highest potential. Our light will illuminate without blinding, guide without controlling, and inspire without coercing.
For the Nyx:
We are the necessary darkness, the price of strength, the cost of wisdom. We commit to operating within these bounds not from mercy, but because order serves our purposes better than chaos. We will corrupt what deserves corruption, test what claims strength, and reveal the lies that mortals tell themselves. Our influence is earned through mortal weakness and invited through mortal choice. We accept these limitations because true power needs no exceptions, only opportunity.
For the Assembly of Mortal Realms:
We commit to exercising our freedom with wisdom, accepting divine guidance with discernment, and building civilizations worthy of both divine investment and cosmic respect. We will honor our responsibilities to future generations while claiming our rights to self-determination. Our choices will reflect the understanding that we are part of a larger cosmic order while maintaining our essential nature as free and conscious beings.
Closing Invocation
May this Covenant establish lasting peace between the divine and mortal realms. May it preserve the freedom that makes consciousness meaningful while providing the guidance that makes growth possible. May it endure as long as thinking beings seek to understand their place in the cosmos, and may it evolve as their understanding deepens.
Sealed in the presence of The Aetheric Weave (Magic) itself, witnessed by all the forces of creation, and empowered by the collective will of those who choose order over chaos, wisdom over ignorance, and balance over extremity.
So it is written. So it shall be.