I see them teem on the globe below, oblivious to my guarding gaze. They know only toil and adversity while my mind reaches for the very fabric of eternity. I glide amidst vast nebulae, dance with surges of plasma, touch the strands of the elements, and sleep in a sea of stars. But in the cold silence of the vast cosmos my name is unknown and my tale unsung. There is only me. But who am I?— The planetar Mercurius, speaking to his creator,
Oberon
Planetars are titans with near-godlike levels of magical power. Created by the
Empyreal Gods in their own image and bestowed with their greatest gifts, they are the rarest and most powerful of all titans. They enact the will of the Empyreals in the wide
Universe and serve
Ulthgard as its most effective agents.
In the wide cosmos beyond Amanor, there are dozens of worlds that have been converted to worship the Empyreals as gods. It is planetars that safeguard and nurture these worlds while the Empyreals themselves attend to Amanor and the
Divine Conflict.
Planetars are not encountered on Amanor, for their duties keep them confined to the
Outer Planes.
Behavior
A planetar's existence is one of unending duty. As titans, they do not need -- nor do they long for -- nourishment, rest or frivolous pastimes. The basest of biological needs are foreign to them. Moreover, they planetars have few opportunities to forge relationships.
The duties of a planetar take them far from Ulthgard and the gods, and their great power allows them to perform most tasks without help. Planetars rarely find relatable company on the worlds that they watch over -- the very nature of their lives is so far removed from the experiences of
mortalkind. It is perhaps no surprise then, that most planetars live alone.
Some planetars can, at times, yearn for companionship -- or even just simple distraction to break the monotony. Such forlorn individuals can either meet with like-minded planetars or seek the company of other ageless beings.
Eternals, such as
elementals and
fey, can prove worthy companions in social discourse. Like planetars, their insights and opinions are shaped by an ageless existence.
Duties
Planetars are the most trusted servants of the Empyreals. Their most common duty is custodianship of a world, but sometimes they can be also be assigned shorter tasks. These can be diplomatic endeavors or exploration missions, for example. Whatever their assigned duty, planetars usually work alone.
A planetar's great magical talent allows them to overcome even the greatest of obstacles with ease; indeed, their most challenging problems are those of judgement, ethics and morality. The Empyreals grant planetars a high degree of independence in performing their duties. Different planetars can solve similar problems in widely different manners. Oversight occurs at intervals that are very long by mortal standards. An Empyreal deity might check up on a planetar's work once every few hundred or thousand years.
A single planetar most often has custody of only a single world. In rare exceptions a single planetar can watch over several small worlds. In other rare cases, several planetars can be assigned to a single world. Young planetars can have mentors, such as senior planetars or minor gods.
Comments
Author's Notes
In the world of Amanor, the concepts of angels and planetars are entirely divorced. From the times I first played Baldur's Gate II as a kid, the word planetar has evoked in me images and ideas entirely different from angels. The word brings to mind cosmic grandeour, galactic beauty, and vast expanses of cold emptiness colored by distant stars. Add to that me discovering the inspirational works of Jonathon Earl Bowser, and the formula for Amanor's planetars was complete. Bowser's paintings are legit amazing -- go check them out and support the artist if you feel like it!