In previous cycles of the world, celestial beings of the gods stood against evil and sought to hold the world together each time it was destroyed. Gradually, their souls became as shattered as the gods they served, and fragments of their being splintered off. Every so often, very rarely, these drifting flecks of the divine find their way toward mortal souls. And when this happens, an Celeste is born.
Though it is unknown whether Celeste are made with intention or a product of random chance, once they come into the world they are set on a path to serve as guardians of law and good. Their celestial patrons expect them to strike at evil, lead by example, and further the cause of justice.
From an early age, an Celeste receives visions and guidance from their celestial entity via dreams or while unconscious. These dreams help shape an Celeste, granting a sense of destiny and a desire for righteousness. However, these dreams are cryptic and fragmented, just as likely to be confusing and even disturbing as they are helpful.
Each Celeste can count a specific celestial agent of the gods as a guide. This entity is typically a deva, a celestial being who once acted as a messenger to the mortal world. However, in the world’s final cycle the deva have become so fractured that they are missing memories of eons past, relying on their core programming to guide their Celeste along. They are imperfect beings learning about the world through the eyes of their Celeste, and their combined life experiences shape the form the Celeste’s celestial revelation takes. A change in this power usually marks a significant and even life-altering event for the Celeste, and is never made lightly.
While Celeste are strident foes of evil, they typically prefer to keep a low profile. An Celeste inevitably draws the attention of evil cultists, fiends (especially those of the Red Kingdom), and other enemies of good, all of whom would be eager to strike down a celestial champion if they had the chance. The deva may have forgotten the wars they once waged, but their enemies in the Red Kingdom have not.
When traveling, Celeste prefer hoods, closed helms, and other gear that allows them to conceal their identities. They nevertheless have no compunction about striking openly at evil. The secrecy they desire is never worth endangering the innocent.
Art Credit: Mike Chan
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Physical description
Celest are easily mistaken as humans, which they prefer. While some have unusual features that hint at their true nature (luminous eyes, an unusual hue tinting their shadow) they typically take care to hide any of these features from view. Those with obvious celestial features, or those who are foolish enough not to keep them hidden, generally do not live long enough to become adventurers.
Celeste are born exclusively from human parents, as the souls of other ancestries do not seem to take well to the addition of a divine fragment. Celeste mature at the same rate as humans but they can live up to 160 years.
Celeste typically follow the naming conventions of their native culture, hoping not to stand out from the crowd.
Common occupations
Because Celeste typically live passing as average humans they take on any occupation that suits them though typically they want to stay out of the limelight to avoid drawing attention to themselves.
Adventuring motivations
Celeste often embark on adventuring careers due to the influence of their celestial guides, or else to uncover the truth about themselves in the likely event they are not aware of the nature of their dreams and abilities.
Celeste in Oidhre
Society
Celeste blend in with whatever society they are born into. Collectively the only common thread is the need for secrecy. An Celeste found to have been spreading word of their existence by another Celeste is at risk of severe and possibly deadly confrontation. On the whole the secret of Celeste is meant to be protected at all costs.
Lore Note: the term ‘angel’ is not used in the Tenth World.
Religion
The Celeste can be connected to a deva of any of the Shards, though they are slightly more commonly associated with the older members of the pantheon as they, and their deva, have been fractured more times. However, not all Celeste ‘worship’ their deva’s Shard, and many are not even aware which they are associated with.
While all Celeste are extremely rare, a higher proportion are connected to deva of Scythe, Mask, Gear, Contract, and Vane. Coin, Chalice, and Gavel are rarer, and only a handful have splintered from Vessel’s deva so far.