The gods are gone from the world of Skies of Mor-ladron (SoM). Maybe they will return one day; maybe they’re gone forever. Only time will tell. I wanted a way to have active divine or holy influences in the world, a small connection.
It won’t be enough of a connection for someone to play a cleric or conduit, but maybe a holy Censor rather than one who owes their allegiance to a powerful mortal (more on that in another post). This way, we can still have fantasy cults and something akin to local deities in SoM.
The Appearance of the Celestials
During the years of the demonic wars that preceded the breaking of the world, the gods fell silent, refusing to answer the prayers and pleas of their priests and acolytes. Scholars disagree about the cause of this silence. Some schools of thought say the gods grew angry, others that they were afraid, and still others that the will of the gods was and will always be unknowable.
What everyone agrees on is that near the end, legions of celestials—servants of gods both feared and loved—appeared from divine rifts to help the world in its final hours. At first, the celestials’ appearance helped turn the tide, but there was no end to the demons pouring through the rifts from their realms. The fabric between worlds was so weakened that a rift could be closed, but another would appear, a crack in the fabric of reality widening and growing from the weight of the demon horde trying to push its way through.
The people of the world begged the celestials to appeal to the gods for reinforcements or divine interventions, and the celestials answered quietly, sternly that no more help would be coming. When pressed for more details, the celestials fell silent.
The celestials and many fine mortals led a final charge against the largest rift, hoping to slow down the onslaught and give the rest of the nations and kingdoms time, time to escape this world and its evils. Did their attempt to stop the flow of demons cause the breaking of the world, or was the world already so weakened that it gave up and let loose its bonds? Again, the scholars debate the possibilities endlessly. What is known is that all but a few of the celestials were destroyed in that final attempt. Those that survived were not there or do not talk about the time before.
Celestials in the Skies of Mor-ladron
As I work on world-building, I’m not sure how many celestials are left. I will probably leave that as an unknown so they can fit into a story as needed. I have three in mind for now.
Keep in mind that these are early ideas—I still need to come up with names and personalities and decide on answers to many of the questions I ask below. I think it’s worthwhile to consider the impact their mere existence might have on the world.
The Tree
A silver tree with golden leaves and fruit-like drops of ruby hanging from its boughs sits deep inside Mount Ancora. A sleeping face is visible, set in the trunk, and if one looks closely at the roots as they disappear into the earth, one can see a tint of discoloration like tarnished silver on the edges. Many have tried to awaken the tree, but the tree slumbers on.
We can do so many things with this concept. Let's take the fruit, for example. Depending on how often and how much fruit the tree bears, we can make it a common or rare ingredient for potions or other elixirs. If it’s common, perhaps it’s useful for making health potions. If it's a rare ingredient, maybe it can even bring a person back from the dead.
If this fruit is valuable, then people will want it. How well-known are the fruit’s properties? Is it a secret held by the people who first discovered it, or is it well-known and part of the mountain’s usual trade and exports?
Who controls or owns decisions about the celestial and the fruit? Is there a merchant or alchemy guild that makes money off the fruit? Maybe a knightly order has sprung up to protect and care for the celestial and its fruit.
When was this celestial discovered? If it's been around for a century, it could be well-understood and integrated into the world. If it's just been discovered recently, people might still be figuring out what the fruit can do. Who found the celestial? Are they the people that live on or in the mountain, or were they outsiders?
The Cult Leader
A tall golden man lives on an island, off the normal trade routes. Stories of him curing sickness and granting simple wishes spread throughout the ports and taverns. Many who visit decide to stay and serve or worship him; they are called the Cult of the Angel.
A cult is a reflection of its leader. This golden man—is he good or evil? Was the deity he served feared or loved? Does it even matter anymore? Once a celestial is separated from their deity, do they stay as they were, or do they gain a will of their own, no longer bound to the dogma and domains of their deity?
Is this golden man content with a small following? Does he even want a following? If so, is his island home more like a monastery, a place to contemplate the divine and live a simple life? Or does this golden man wish to expand? Does he do so via preachers or crusaders, making the island a place of conversion? Last but not least, if this golden man does what the stories say he can, how do the powers that be feel about that? Do they fear him and his followers? Do they wish to destroy him? Or make him into an ally? This one cult leader could vastly change how the populace and city leaders view celestials and shift the power dynamic in the regions around him.
The Animal Spirit
A silver stag with stars on its horns appears from the mist. The lost, confused elf child in the wode is startled. As they make eye contact, the child feels safe and calm. Then the stag disappears, and the child hears the searchers’ calls. Later, one of the searchers will swear they saw a light glittering in the woods near where the child was found.
This celestial is slightly more formed and purposeful than the others. As mentioned in a previous post, the wode elves are lumber barons, using Green magic to grow lumber fast and keep up with demand. Some elves still live in the deep wode and prefer to work with nature instead of mastering it for their own gain. I wanted to give them a solid reason for staying with their old ways—hence the animal spirit celestial.
Given the existence of a very real nature celestial, how do people react? How do wode elf society and the broader world deal with the knowledge of this animal spirit? Do the elves of the baronies worship it? Do they give it lip service? Is it something they ignore or consider a hindrance to their productivity? Does the celestial wish for the baronies to cease lumber production, or is it okay if they stay away from the sacred places? Is it aggressive or passive?
Adding this power can create conflict amongst the elves and has the potential to even the power differential between the wealthy baronies and those who still live in the wodes.
What do you think?
Let me know what your thoughts are on my take on celestials. Which one strikes you as the most compelling? What kind of celestials would you want to encounter if you played? Let me know in the comments!