Ascension

This page contains spoilers for the following products: The Return of the Runelords Pathfinder Adventure Path, particularly Runeplague; A Song of Silver; the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path; In Glorious Battle.
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The Starstone Cathedral in Absalom.

See also: Ascended and godling

The process of a mortal becoming a divine entity, such as a god, is often referred to as ascension. This term is most prominently associated with the Test of the Starstone, which resides in the Starstone Cathedral in Absalom's Ascendant Court. Mortals who pass the test become deities, known collectively as the Ascended, and their followers celebrate their ascension on holidays called Ascension Day, Ascendance Day, or Ascendance Night.

However, other forms of ascension exist:

• Gruhastha, Irori's nephew, is said to have written a book so perfect and profound that he merged with it in the process of becoming a god.
• Hanspur, murdered by drowning in the Sellen River, was spared by Gozreh and rose to become a demigod.
• The Iron Gods of Numeria ascended through alien technological and supernatural means.
• Irori is claimed by his followers to have ascended by achieving physical and mental perfection.
• Lao Shu Po ascended by eating the flesh of a slain god.
• Nalinivati was once a mortal naga sorceress. She ascended to divinity through unknown means near the end of her life.
• Ancient Osiriani texts suggest Nethys ascended through mastery of magic and knowledge that granted him omnipresent senses.
• Nivi Rhombodazzle became a godling by trading a gem with Torag.
• Orcs can challenge their deities in a posthumous trial called the Crucible, in which a deceased mortal victor replaces the slain deity. Several orc deities ascended in this manner after the death of Gorum in 4724 AR.

Natively immortal beings and creatures with a divine spark shy of godhood have also ascended to become more powerful deities:

• Tales of Gyronna's origins differ, but some claim she was an immortal fey cast out into mortality prior to becoming a goddess.
• Nocticula, once a demon lord, became a goddess after redeeming herself from evil.

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