Talk:Celestial

From the Gaera Guide thread for records.

Jan 2003 / Celestials

Alright, AM and I discussed some stuff on Celestials lately, given he has worked the most with them, and I RP one the most. This is what we've come up with.

Types of Celestials

• Divine Celestials: These are Celestials devoted to a deity. They may have been mortal worshippers who ascended after death, or creations of the deity itself. They lie by the deity's code, and serve in its name. They may lose a little freedom, but gain the direct support of the deity.
• Ideal Celestials: These are Celestials who live by an ideal. Rather than following a specfic deity's code, they follow a general ideal in their own way. They are more free to follow their own heart than Divine celestials, but they are also more likely to Fall (See Below)

General Nature of Celestials

The true form of a celestial is that of a free-floating aura. When they choose to, they may manifest in a physical form with a set appearance. However, this body is just a guise, something they wear as they desire. Some Celestials may never use it. Others may spend their entire lives in physical form if left to their own.

From this, Celestials gain a number of things. Firstly, they are they have no need for food or water, and are immune to age, disease, and so on; effectively they are immortal until killed. A slain celestial may only be revived with the highest level of Divine intervention.

Also, the concept of gender is not a physical one, but a perception-based one. In the case of Divine Celestials, they may be Male, Female, niether, or both as their deity wills. In the case of Ideal Celestials, they will manifest as they see themselves. An Ideal Celestial who sees herself as female will manifest as one. An Ideal Celestial who sees itself as above gender will not have one when it manifests.

From this, and their own immortality, Celestials have no biological urge to reproduce as mortals do. Quite simply, thier psyches are not hardwired to seek sex for its own sake. They can have it, gender permitting, and can enjoy it. But, they do not usually seek it for it's own sake. Exceptions may possibly exist, based on what deity or ideal a particular celestial is devoted to. But even then, it would not be a particularly strong urge.

Celestials can reproduce, though. This is done by a mingling of their essenses. This could be done via sex if they choose, or by simply mingling their true forms. In the case of Celestial halves, it has to be done physically. True Celestials are never born by accident, the desire to create an child must exist in both parents. Celestial halves may be accidental, that is a case by case situation, but generally they are not.

Aside from an absense of lust, Celestials can experience the full range of emotions that mortals can. They can fall in love, they can feel embarassed, they can be sad, or jealous, or hateful. However, they are much better at mastering their darker emotions than mortals tend to be. They can feel all the hate in the world for something, but they may not act on it. Most will try to alleviate that hate by understanding the thing they hate. Crimes of passion are not common among Celestials.

States of Grace

Celestials strive for perfection: their own view of it in light of their devotion. Once in awhile, they fail. They may take a 'wrong' path, or they may simply not have the character of their brethern. Or, they may run afoul of fate.

• Fallen: These are Celestials who turn away from their deity or ideal. Sometimes, they fall into evil. Other times, they simply stop striving for good. Or, perhaps they disagree with something their deity does so strongly that they turn away from it. Or perhaps they feel that they have to violate their ideals to achieve something greater.
  
  A fallen Celestial changes based on the nature of their fall. The may or may not retain their innate holiness, for example. It is entirely based on circumstances. An Angel of Justice who begins to disregard justice to pursue vengeance may well become a creature of darkness. It all depends on the nature of the Fall.
• Lost: Lost Celestials are incredibly rare. They are Divine Celestials whose deity is no more. Perhaps the deity was destroyed, or perhaps it stepped down. Whatever the case, the celestials that followed it are hurt very badly. It is not possible for an Ideal Celestial to be lost; a concept cannot die unless everyone who supports it turns away from it.
  
  Lost Celestials lose almost everything that differentiates them from mortals. The are confined to their physical forms, no longer able to become free-floating auras. They lose their innate holy alignement, and virtually all of their celestial abilities. While still immortal, they have to eat, and can contract disease. Essential, they become humans with wings; if they had wings to start with.
  
  However, no longer supported by a deity, and having lost everything, the Celestial has a chance to grow and change as a mortal does. They can draw upon their own abilities and their own beings to find magic and powers uniquely derived from their own selves. Often, the deity that made them will have a hand in this. The best example would be Enlil's elemental manipulation, which she inherited from the mortal wind mage turned (temporarily) god that created her.

Changing Devotions

It is possible for an Ideal Celestial to become Divine, and vise versa. An Ideal Celestial may find a deity who matches its own beliefs and pledge fealty. Or an Divine Angel may opt for it's freedom over its devotion to a single deity.

The transition period is essentially a minor Fall. The Celestial's nature weakens and changes as its body adapts to new devotion. What is lost and gained is dependant entirely upon the nature of the change in faith.

A Fallen Celestial may redeem itself by reapplying itself to its old ideals or deity. This is a long, hard process, but those that can do it are welcomed back to the Celestial community with open arms. The nature of this redemption is situational. It may involve doing good deeds, or sequestering itself until a certain enlightenment is achieved.

A Lost Celestial may be adopted by another deity. Or, they could devote themselves to an ideal. But, having been stripped of nearly everything that makes them Celestials, they have a long, hard road of devotion to follow before they can regain their true natures back; becoming holy once more and being able to regain their aura forms." -- Pervy

Works for me. One thing: !Xiaman (my celestial, duh) has two physical forms set by mutual agreement between him and the Warden. If a deity is involved in their creation, would more than one physical form be possible? -- Blaze

In the case of Divine Celestials, it can be done as the deity wills. So long as said Deity keeps it within reason; two forms should be plenty for anyone. For Ideals, no. But this does not prevent them from benefiting from shapechanging magicks of their own design. -- Pervy