Celestial Phoenix

Basic Information

Anatomy

While there are many different types of celestial phoenix, generally decided by their class, they're still a very distinct species due to aspects of their physical being that are prevalent throughout the species as a whole. Generally speaking, the fire birds are a space-faring species that anatomically appear to be avians of varying sizes ranging from car sized to that of a celestial body--the most extreme example being a size that is comparable to a star. While the colors and layout of the feathers tend to be different between each celestial phoenix--especially between different classes and types--there is always the presence of a large plume across their head and long, ribbon-like tail feathers that extend past the wings and/or shorter tail feathers. Finally, they all have some affiliation to fire, which tends to coat the bird due to the flames generating from their feathers. In fact the celestial phoenixes are often confused for being elementals, similarly to standard phoenix races that are planet side, despite the spaceborn species having a physical body instead of the flames serving as their actual body. This fire is also typically found within the pupils, irises, or the entire eye of these birds, though, despite how common it is, this trait is not found in every single phoenix.
Aside from these physical features, the celestial phoenix race seldom have qualities that can be attributed to any specific group of phoenixes. They have a tendency to be extremely unique compared to their peers, since there is no real limit to what colors, patterns, and sizes a celestial phoenix may obtain. In fact the only true limiting factor that a phoenix has when it comes to their design is their class and type. Class typically determines how complex the colors and patterns on a phoenix are, while the type--sometimes referred to as sub-races--determines the anatomical structure of a phoenix.
Class sorts the fire birds into a hierarchy within their species that defines both their role and power. As one might expect, the higher up on the classification a phoenix is the more elaborate, complex, and unique its appearance will be. Color plays less of a role in this, despite the number of colors and their vibrancy having some correlation to class. It's the patterns on the fire bird that truly make it stand out, especially the ones located on its plume and longer tail feathers. These are often a very good indicator of what class the celestial phoenix in question is at a glance. Standard phoenixes tend to have a basic color or two and no patterns. Sentries are similar yet may have a simple pattern on their body or feathers. Knights are where the more complex colors and patterns come in. Royal phoenixes are the same concept, but even more complex, vibrant, and are unique in the fact that they are the only class to have the color purple on their feathers. Bishops are a bit more unique than the rest of the race, due to being perceived as closest to their respective divine phoenix. While they drop the purple that royal phoenixes have, they instead acquire very unique patterns and sigils on their body indicative of the divine phoenix in question--ones that have an iridescent glow to them that isn't attributed to the flames that coat their bodies. Divine phoenixes on the other hand are completely unique, with no design, pattern, color, or specific physical trait that can be tied to them. Both in class and in type, they resemble no other celestial phoenix.
Type also plays a role in how one of these fire birds will look. Scout phoenixes are pretty basic and tend to maintain the look of a normal bird. In fact, it isn't uncommon for their signature plumes and tail feathers to lack the exaggeration of other types. Sentinel phoenixes are regarded as almost alien looking compared to all other types, divine phoenixes aside, due to how estranged their appearance is. They have very narrow necks and an equally narrow facial structure--their beak included--that tend to have very large, singular feathers that are angled towards the back of their head much like their equally extravagant plume. They also tend to have very beady eyes. Warrior phoenixes look pretty similar to scouts, where their appearance is much like any other bird, however their plumes and tail feathers are much more prominent. They often are far larger than scouts as well. They also have angled beaks and talons to match, both of which are sharper than a scout's. King/Queen phoenixes have a much more regal appearance despite their beaks and talons being just as combat ready as a warrior's. In fact they are pretty similar to a warrior, though they tend to have long tail feathers draped from both their lower ends and their wings, and, much like sentinels, have large plumes. They are the largest type of phoenix outside of a divine phoenix. Oracle phoenixes, as far as size goes, are a step down from a king or queen phoenix. While they are by no means frail, they do appear to be more lithe and slender. They are reminiscent of a sentinel phoenix, except less angular. They also have extremely short feathers, almost looking more like fur or fuzz, while having extremely thick tail feathers that, similarly to kings and queens, drape from both their lower end and wings. These tend to come in groups of threes or fours, due to how large and thick the feathers are. Their plumes are also extremely unique. They are made of a singular large feather that sticks out from their forehead, the steam presenting no barbs until the median of the feather, which then fans out like a peacock. Often this feather proudly displays the sigil of the divine phoenix they worship. God/Goddess phoenixes are too distinct, much like the divine classification, to label any specific characteristics related to their type. The only thing worth noting is that they tend to be the largest of all celestial phoenixes, though even this isn't always the case.
There is one type of phoenix that often goes overlooked, since they are extremely rare, called savage phoenixes. They are in a way unique in the same way a god/goddess phoenix is, but more due to it being an umbrella term for a phoenix that was born from breeding with another species while exiled. They tend to be warped variants of the type/class of phoenix that produced them with aspects of the secondary species heavily affecting the anatomy and appearance of the phoenix.

Genetics and Reproduction

Typically the celestial phoenix race has no real need for procreation due to their immortal life, and thus is often done--at the discretion of a divine class phoenix--recreationally rather than out of survival. Generally, only divine phoenixes breed, typically in an asexual manner though this is not always the case due to very rare cases of male divinites, to produce more of their kind. Interestingly, since all phoenixes can be sourced back to a single divine phoenix, this means that a majority of this species are brothers/sisters and the entire race is directly blood related. It is likely for this reason celestial phoenixes don't reproduce with one another, if they even bother to reproduce at all. Functionally, reproduction is the same as it is for most birds, where eggs are laid and hatch over time.

Growth Rate & Stages

The period of time between birth and adulthood may seem normal for a species such as humans, taking about twenty years to become a full fledged adult, but for a celestial phoenix this is only a very small fraction of their entire lifespan. Typically the type of phoenix they will grow up to be is evident from birth or, in future cases, rebirth. Even as a newly hatched phoenix they are more than capable of taking care of themselves due to the inherent knowledge that comes from instinct and the collective intelligence of the interconnected species. They tend to immediately set out to find an appropriate location to build a nest which a star forms around while planets and ecosystems are created by other primordial species similar to the celestial phoenixes. Once a basic civilization has formed, a process long enough that it allows the phoenix to grow and mature a bit, they will seek out one of the planets near their star to call home. It is here it will grow into a full fledged adult around its new environment and serve as a guardian for its own star. At this point aging and growth immediately stagnate, allowing the rest of its life to play out.

Ecology and Habitats

There is no real specific habitat that a phoenix can't endure and survive in. They are an incredibly adaptive species that can be found in most places typically, even underwater shockingly enough due to their flames being powerful enough to ignite and propel them underwater along with the fact that they don't require oxygen. However, despite their adaptive nature, they are a spaceborn species and thus naturally find that environment far better suited for them. Were it not for their purpose to live among the people who call their star home, they would frequently be found flying among the stars.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Generally speaking the celestial phoenixes survive off what most other species do. Water and food are necessary, though they can resist quite a long period of time without food and water, mostly due to being able to draw in energy from surrounding celestial bodies. In fact, with enough celestial bodies within their line of sight, they can survive months to a year without any real sustenance--especially with the assistance of a divine phoenix. However, their physical bodies inevitably will require food and water. That being said, they don't need air and thus they don't necessarily need to breathe and can survive in vacuums such as space. Being omnivores that can survive a long time without any real sustenance, they don't have any particular habits revolving around food aside from eating what is convenient to them.

Biological Cycle

Much like elemental phoenixes, the celestial phoenixes have a biological cycle involving rebirth after death. When they mature their aging and biological cycle significantly slows down, to the point where even after hundreds of years very little will have changed about the phoenix. It doesn't have a very complex life cycle and is not too heavily affected by its environment, but when the phoenix finally reaches its twilight years the aging process will begin to speed back up. At this point it will seek out its nest within its star, and await for death. Once the phoenix passes, the energy from a divine phoenix will revive it again. Technically it's the same entity it was, but with a fresh new life and memories. Sometimes it will be given its old memories back through the collective intelligence of the species if its role or purpose is important enough, but more often than not the phoenix will come out a fresh new being and either will return to its old habitat on one of the orbiting planets or seek out a new one within its solar system. This process is only possible due to a divine phoenix, which grants them the ability to be reborn. Much like their telepathic communications, without the divine phoenix they would remain dead permanently. It is also here where the phoenix will be reborn as a different type, should a class change occur during its life, either due to a change in power or official proclamation from a divine phoenix.

Behaviour

Due to their interconnected species having a collective intelligence of sorts and there only needing to be a single celestial phoenix for there to be a star, they are extremely solitary creatures. It is very common for one to go its entire life without seeing another celestial phoenix, which the species is completely fine with. It would almost be alien for another celestial phoenix to visit a planet that isn't a part of their own solar system. This being said, they rely very heavily on the connection gifted by their divine phoenix to remain social. Regarding other species, the phoenixes are very passive. Sometimes they hunt or become territorial, but more often than not they are mostly just curious creatures that mind their own business. They only tend to become extremely hostile when a civilization is actively doing something that threatens the celestial bodies within its solar system. If it gets to a point where the fire bird can't quell the issue on its own, it will summon more of its kind to its star in order to raze the planet. In these extreme situations, a swarm of undying celestial phoenixes will burn down a planet to "reset" it and ensure the safety of the neighboring worlds and stars.

Additional Information

Social Structure

These creatures have a very specific social hierarchy that divides the phoenixes based on strength and purpose. These are called classes. There is a correlation between classes and types, since the type of phoenix one is born as tends to place them in a specific class which tends to remain with them until death, which is why specific types hold more prevalence within certain classifications. The only class and type that doesn't share this, due to the nature of the type and class, are divine phoenixes. These entities are so distinct and powerful that a difference in type and classification is both impossible and unnecessary.
Classes are sorted as follows: Phoenix > Sentry > Knight > Royal > Bishop > Divine
There is no name specifically for the classification of a standard phoenix. This rung of the hierarchy is mostly filled with newly born scout phoenixes, and serves as the majority of the species. Their main purpose is to expand the race by flying out past the current reach of the species to establish new stars and ecosystems around those stars. Most are destined to become warriors over time as the race, and by proxy galaxies, expand outwards.
Sentries come next, which are filled out mostly by sentinel phoenixes. Their role is to seek out a location fit to overwatch a section of a galaxy, if a star isn't already in an optimal position, and serve as a sentry as the name implies--both for internal and external threats. They seldom engage in battle and act more like alarms for when something goes wrong, such as a phoenix turning traitor, a phoenix losing control of its world, or an extraterrestrial threat trying to attack their species. They alert higher rungs of the hierarchy to the threat, and allow them to resolve it.
Knights come afterwards and serve as the main soldiers of the species with mostly warrior phoenixes in this rung. It's the second largest majority under scout phoenixes, since most scouts are destined to become warrior phoenixes when the species spreads past already established stars. Those who don't become sentinels become warriors. Their role is to serve as the main line of defense when the species comes under attack and when a planet must be razed.
The royal classification is very similar to that of a knight, but is much more rare and powerful. They serve a similar purpose, however they tend to lead the flocks of phoenixes like a military leader. This class is filled out with king/queen phoenixes.
Bishops are the highest rung under the divinity they all serve and are very rare, so much so that instead of there being one per star, there is only one per galaxy. Oracle phoenixes are the ones found on this level of the social structure, and act as the glue that keeps galaxies together. They also serve as the anchor for the connection to the divinity they worship, allowing the divinity greater range for connections. They also act as a last resort in times of crisis, being the only class allowed to summon forth a divine phoenix for any purpose deemed necessary.
The final rung on the hierarchy is the divinity, which is the current phoenix deity that the species is in service to. They tend to be pretty passive, but are typically the ones that choose which phoenix goes where, their class, and often knows the type they will be born as before they hatch. It is also the divinity's duty to birth the next clutch of phoenixes into the universe.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

The celestial phoenixes have an extremely massive distribution throughout the universe in its entirety. Being a primordial race that created the stars, they are present around every single world that exists in the observable universe. In fact, each and every star seen represents one celestial phoenix. That being said, on a human scale, the geographical distribution of a phoenix is extremely small due to there only being a single celestial phoenix per star. Thus if one is found, there is an extremely high likelihood that it's the only one for a few lightyears, unless this particular one was allowed to breed by its divine phoenix and have a family.

Average Intelligence

This species has an incredibly high intelligence. While they are feral, they have a pretty good grasp of abstract concepts and ideas, as well as an understanding of both the world around them and the people they meet. They are incapable of speech, but appear to be able to communicate in a rudimentary way. Still they are an instinct driven species, with the only truly sapient phoenixes resting in the "divine" classification.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

While the anatomy of celestial phoenixes doesn't award them any extrasensory capabilities outside of what the fives senses can tell someone, they do have psionic powers. Specifically, their ability to communicate with each other telepathically. Their species works very similarly to a hive mind, however they maintain independence from one another and can choose when to share thoughts and even emotions with one another. This ability is not limited by distance either; celestial phoenixes can communicate even on a galactic scale. The only limiting factor is that this requires a divine phoenix to serve as a medium through which information is gathered and shared. Without one the fire birds are completely blind to the senses of others.While the anatomy of celestial phoenixes doesn't award them any extrasensory abilities outside of what the fives senses can tell someone, they do have psionic powers. Specifically, their ability to communicate with each other telepathically. Their species works very similarly to a hive mind, however they maintain independence from one another and can choose when to share thoughts and even emotions with one another. This ability is not limited by distance either; celestial phoenixes can communicate even on a galactic scale. The only limiting factor is that this requires a divine phoenix to serve as a medium through which information is gathered and shared. Without one the fire birds are completely blind to the senses of others.

Origin/Ancestry

Ankaa (Alpha Phoenicis)

Lifespan

20,000+ years

Average Height

Varies

Average Length

Varies