Eco.Cl. Celestials - JulTob/DnD GitHub Wiki

Celestials

Embodiments of Ideals

Celestials are emanations from the Platonic World of Forms. Pure ideas manifested as transcendent beings that embody universal concepts such as Justice, Beauty, Sacrifice, or Freedom. They do not worship gods, they are prior to gods, formed from the very collective will and belief that gives rise to divinity. But some may become gods, if their personification of a concept becomes the focus of a cult or religion.

Celestial realms: The Worlds of Forms

  • Celestials arise in the Realm of Ideals, a metaphysical plane where perfect, eternal archetypes exist beyond time.
  • These ideals are made manifest in the mortal world through will, the collective belief, myth, and memory.
  • A celestial is born when a concept becomes so metaphysically charged that it demands form.
  • Mortals do not create celestials directly, but their beliefs are the fuel from which celestials emerge.
  • Whenever a being makes a choice, they select which principle they believe in. When they do so, a celestial tied to that principle gains power.

Core Nature

  • Celestials are ideologically pure. They act according to the tenets of their originating Ideal without compromise.
  • Each celestial bears a True Name, which defines its nature and limits.
  • According to themselves, they do not change or bend. They are static truths in a dynamic world.
  • Though they strive to embody unchanging truths, celestials are memetic entities. They evolve subtly as the mortal understanding of their Ideal evolves.
  • Over millennia, the concept of Justice may gain nuance, and so too may the celestial that bears it. Their change is not chosen, but reflected through cultural refinement. New celestials may merge to fulfill that Ideal.

The Twin Angel: Life and Death

  • Life and Death are not opposites, they are polar expressions of the same Ideal: the Will to Live also takes resources from Death, so both ar fed equally.
  • Some philosophers claim they are two aspects of one being, called the Angel of Becoming.
  • Life gains energy, while Death takes energy.
  • Encounters with this angel can provoke existential crises, heal, revelations, or rebirth.

Sources of Conflict with Heroes

Celestials are not evil, but they can be dangerously incompatible with mortal morality:

  1. Tyranny of Purity:

    • A celestial of Justice may destroy an entire town to uphold one perfect law.
    • No allowance for mercy, context, or ambiguity.

  2. Conflict of Ideals:

    • Heroes represent multiple truths: Love and Freedom, Compassion and Strength.
    • A celestial will side with only one, potentially becoming an adversary to the rest.

  3. Inquisition of Faith:

    • Celestials often test belief, not for doubt, but for incoherence.
    • Clerics and paladins may face trials if their oaths contradict the celestial’s Ideal.

  4. Stagnation:

    • Because celestials cannot evolve, they often become antagonists to progress.
    • A celestial of Tradition may oppose new forms of governance or liberation.

  5. Embodied Dilemmas:

    • Sometimes, defeating a celestial means harming the Ideal itself.
    • Killing the Angel of Freedom might empower Tyranny, or erase both from cultural memory.

Narrative Use

  • Celestials are philosophical antagonists or mentors.
  • They offer boons, but always at a cost of alignment with their Ideal.
  • They can serve as final arbiters in divine disputes, or as the ultimate test of a player’s beliefs.

Questions for the DM

  • What Ideal does this celestial embody?
  • How has mortal belief shaped or weakened it?
  • What conflict arises when its Ideal is challenged?
  • Is the party meant to destroy it, change it—or understand it?

Celestials don't answer prayers, they answer to ideals.