Caelestine

A race of angels, having long since become mixed in blood with humans, both those who arrived with them in the ancient war, and those of the native variety, are typically born without wings, and only receive them upon being deemed worthy by the "Featherkeeper" after a great journey. However, some are born with their wings, or gain them spontaneously during their teenage years. A dedication to order and a strong sense of justice is a common trait amongst them, with magic preferences being centered around the light, water and the wind. Healing magics are quite common amongst them. Angels living in Neutral nations are rare, and usually as a result of being born with wings or gaining them spontaneously. They worship a Goddess of Light whom is considered young and weak relative among gods her native pantheon.

Appearance
Very human in appearance, their skin can range from a peach tan to alabaster white. Hair color ranges in whites and grays, blondes as well as shades of blue. Hair of light shades of brown is fairly uncommon, and only a handful have dark colored hair. For armor, their warriors favor an enchanted bronze that is very strong and magically resilient over iron derived alloys. Standard civilian fashions favor white silks and bleached leathers and silver threaded trimmings and symbols. Cities make extensive use of marble architecture though their capital's central structures are formed from gigantic diamonds. Angel wings are diverse in color, while the majority of angels have white wings, many have a mixture of brown and white like some of the native predatory raptors. Others have wings of varying degree's of grey. Rare are those who have feathers that reflect light with a metallic luster. There is only one known instance of an angel who bares black wings. Some angels ascend in power, growing additional sets of wings. Those with 4 wings are called Archangels, while those who possess 6 wings are referred to as Seraphim. The growth of additional wings often comes with an increase in magical potential. Archangels are rare, and Seraphim are exceedingly rare, usually the ascendance of one occurs once every 50 years.

Culture
The Caelist society is predominantly split into three groups. The Blades, The Choir, and The Plowshares; with the Royalty presiding above all after proving themselves worthy of the people's loyalty.

The Blades: are subject to a system of basic military ranks at the top of which resides the Supreme Commandant... and unlike the leadership of the Clerical and Artisan groups, The Supreme Commandant and the Luminous Generals have the authority to disobey or countermand Royal Decrees if they believe the decisions unwise in regards to military matters.

The Choir: are the Clerical division of the Caelest and the least numerous. Most study of magic is handled by the members of the Choir. Most predominantly serving as healers, some do take up the dedicated study of offensive magics. A handful learn to incorporate defensive barrier spells with martial training and become capable of front line combat on par with soldiers of the Blade. While embedded with units of The Blades, they are subject to the immediate command structure. For the most part they live by the rule of Seniority, with leadership coming from "The Voices", a group of 10 members of the Choir elected by their fellows to the small democratic assembly. It is not unheard of for members of The Voices to be young in age.

The Plowshares were originally made predominantly of farmers, but has expanded to include merchants and craftsmen; allowing members of the other two orders to dedicate more fully to their duties. The Artisan Hand is the elected leader of the Sickles, and has since developed an Administrative Board to aid in handling the many issues that they must preside over.

Caelestine Royalty are the ruling family of the Caelest; with the King and Queen presiding above all others. Relatives of the current leaders are known only as Nobles with little real authority unless recognized for their courage and wisdom by The Supreme Commandant, The Voices, and the Artisan Hand... and in the event that a new King and Queen must be chosen, a current Noble is selected by the leadership of the Three Orders to take the place as ruling King/Queen.

Ascension
While officially, the state of a Caelestine's ascension has no bearing on their authority in any of the Orders, or among the Royalty... it does often give them a more commanding presence among their fellows and fast track them for promotions and grant greater influence. There are presently 4 states of Ascension.

Un-awakened: The vast majority of the Caelest population fall under this category. Having no wings, and incapable of flight without the use of magic. This is the state most Caelest are born as. Life Expectancy: 80-90 years.

Angel : With a single pair of wings, and a light magical aura. Most who become angels require a visit to the Right Hand of the Goddess; known as The Featherkeeper; to receive their wings. A small number are born with wings or spontaneously develop them in their teenage years. Life Expectancy: 200-300 Years.

Archangel : The occasional Angel ends up growing a second set of wings at some point in their lives. Their magical aura typically sees a substantial increase in intensity, empowering their magic or physical strength to a greater deal than with angels. Their prolonged lives often allows them to fully master the art of combat, grow very wise in the use of magic, or truly master their skills as craftsmen. Life Expectancy: 700-1000 years.

Seraphim : The highest form of the Caelest, on average, only one person ascends to this state once every 50 years. Often they master several crafts or take on both Blade and Choir training to the point of full mastery. Most voluntarily exclude themselves from official leadership in any of the Orders to allow for fresh blood and fresh ideas; but tend to offer their services in an advisory role for their younger peers. Life Expectancy for most can extend beyond 3,000 years. An group of 5 Ageless Seraphim from the original war serves as the bodyguards to the Featherkeeper in her Citadel overlooking the Blade Rim Caldera.

History
Revelation: 540,000 years ago, the Caelestine were once mere humans, toiling under the tyranny of a malevolent demigod,  Tenabres... serving as mere slaves to his favored race, a combative race of humanoid lizards. The ancient Caelestine were a broken people, lacking a will to fight, only having will enough to struggle to survive off the meager scraps allowed them by their brutish masters and Demigod they worshipped. A mysterious woman wandered into one of their shanty towns one day. Though her appearance far too clean to be counted among the slaves, but also clearly human in appearance. She was known simply as the traveler in the hills. Her eyes empty, as though her soul were broken and void of hope. She made a home in the hills overlooking the town and asked only to be left alone. One time, the lizard masters, upon hearing of this mysterious beauty and wishing to claim her for themselves, sent a party to her home to forcefully take her. Their bodies were found the next morning by the patrols, each killed in a different manner, a clear warning of not only her power, but the diversity in which it came. They extended their patrols to go around the home, but never near it, her message made clear to them. A report was never passed along to their demigod, as all the corpses had their tongues pulled from them and left in a pile nearby.

While the existence of one who could bring fear to the Lizardfolk brought hope to the Caelestine ancestors, they fell into despair once more once they realized she cared nothing for their plight, only for her own isolation. After 100 years, few thought on the stranger anymore and the people fell into despair as the cruelty of their masters grew. Finally, it came to a head as a disease broke out among the many towns of the humans, and they were gathered and forcefully quarantined in the village where the stranger resided. They perished, often several dozen by the day from the disease combined with the overcrowding. One day, suddenly everyone who had been ill was suddenly cured, and some who had died recently rose from their graves, soon recovering their warmth and color as though they had never died in the first place. That day, for the first time since she arrived, the stranger stepped out of her hovel, still a radiant beauty, though her stare still cold, but her eyes no longer empty. She wandered into the town with certainty until she arrived at the square in the center of the makeshift quarantine zone. Their lay a child upon her side, her body slowly vanishing. The stranger kneeled over the child who was fading away from existence and she asked as if for all the wisdom she concealed, she could not comprehend something. She asked the child "Why would you give up all that you are for a people who would suffer still in spite of your sacrifce."

The child, her eyes remaining shut, answered the woman, "So long as there is life, there is hope.  So I give my life, to let them hope." The people, not understanding what had occurred, gathered around the two, listening intently. The stranger stood up, pain upon her eyes as she glanced around the gathered people. "This child has given you life, by giving her own.  She is a Goddess, too weak to remain in this realm.  But you can save her by giving her your heart." At last the stranger commanded, "Believe in her, and she shall be."

Few believed the words, but slowly they came to understand the miracle, and slowly they bowed before the young Goddess, and soon her form stabilized. But the miracle, and the growing spectacle did not go unnoticed by  Tenabres or his warriors, and they descended upon the village, forcing the humans aside as they made their way to the center. By the time they had reached the center, the young girl's form was once more full, and the stranger placed herself between malicious lord and the recovering goddess. When  Tenabres noted the beauty of the stranger, and the fact that it was a weakened goddess that she was protecting, he commanded his warriors to take them both to be his slaves. In that moment, the stranger held out a single hand, and soon darkness fell over her, consuming all light in a growing sphere, first the square, then the sky to reveal the stars and moon, then the moon followed by the sun and at last the stars themselves seemed to blink from existence. And then it all returned, a single marble sized dark orb hover over woman's hand. She then gave  <span style="color:rgb(255,255,255);font-family:Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif;line-height:normal;">Tenabres a warning, to leave or suffer oblivion. When he laughed and gestured his hands to command his warriors forward, a single ray of light shot forth from the orb, striking the Demigod in his chest, punching through him in the blink of an eye before wrapping itself around him like a pair of snakes coiling around their prey, igniting him everywhere it touched. He was quickly consumed by the light, screaming for but a short time before the light dispersed and left only a pile of ash. His followers quickly dispersed in fear of the woman and fled the village in disarray, taking care not to strike any of the humans for fear of inciting the woman's wrath. When the last of them vanished, the people turned to bow before the woman who vanquished the Demigod that had plagued them for countless generations, but she refused to accept their worship, stating it was the Goddess' selfless act that inspired her to at last do what was right.

Notable Individuals
The Goddess :<span style="color:rgb(255,255,255);font-family:Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif;line-height:normal;"> None know her true name, but she is known to be a benevolent Goddess of Light within her native Pantheon and is considered fairly young relative to other deity's at only 550,000 years of age. Stories speak of Marble skin and golden locks. She presently expends the vast majority of her power and focus into keeping the fearsome Demon Lord Drakling imprisoned beneath the center of the Blade Rim Caldera.

The Featherkeeper :<span style="color:rgb(255,255,255);font-family:Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif;line-height:normal;"> It is known that she is an ancient traveler of worlds whom the Goddess once stated was older than herself by far. She has seen the birth of stars, and much later, their demise. It is unknown what race she truly belongs to, or her motives for joining the Goddess on her journey. It is suggested she may have had a previous history with Drakling apparent from her refusal to fight against him during the war between the Angels and the Demons during the age of Heavenfall. She now oversee's the ascension of prospective Caelest after they have made a pilgrimage to see her. Among the Caelest and the Dalimos, it is believed that she once demonstrated her power to the leadership of the Demons to ensure they would neither break the peace treaty, or interfere with the pilgrimage of the Caelestine.

The Blind Seer : <span style="color:rgb(255,255,255);font-family:Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif;line-height:normal;">Very young for an angel who has received her wings, this 18 year old woman is one of few survivors of the Saccing of Kanas by the Dark Angel Dyeiraniuce; blinded by hellfire wounds to her eyes, she can no longer see light in the traditional sense, but can instead see the souls and spirits of people and things. She is blind to the truly lifeless and empty. Highly respected by the King of the Caelestine as she was the daughter of Zeknif, the Rogue of Angels whom the king was close friends with.

Zeknif, the Rogue of Angels: An angel of mysterious origins, he is notable for his ashen grey wings, his lack of official affiliation with the Caelestine, and his skill in aerial swordsmanship. He lived as a sword for hire, he was at first considered a potential threat by the Caelestine. In the wake of what has become the Zeknif Incident, he received high praise by who would become the king of the Caelestine in his handling of the rogue Dalimos tribe that had kidnapped him. He eventually settled down to a quiet life in Kanas where he wedded and raised a daughter until the sacking of Kanas during which he had perished, presumably in combat with Dyeiraniuce.

Dyeiraniuce, the Dark Angel : An angel with ebony black wings, apparently born to humans living on Dalimos territory, he would eventually spontaneously sprout his wings, demonstrated the ability to summon Hellfires, and would go on to set the town of Kanas to the flame. Wanted dead or alive by the Caelestine, Dalimos, and the Cruentai.

Galric Lunasdiei, Examplar of Justice : Born 800 years ago, A Seraphim of the holy guard, he constantly found himself at odds with his peers because he perceived the idea that upholding the law was not always pursuant of justice. He is known to disregard some laws and traditions as he did not always deem them to be "Right".