Celestial Elves

Star Elves

The Celestial Elves, also known as Star Elves, and Celesti in their own language are a rare subrace of True Elves. Paternalistic and reclusive, celestial elves are ageless, nearly immortal creatures who hold the secrets of the origin of elves and The Old Imperium

Gameplay: When making a Star Elf character, develop your character’s reason for leaving her homeland. She will need a very specific reason to have left The Worlds Tree. Reasons can include (but are not limited to), a quest to find a lost Imperial artifact or piece of knowledge, a mission to protect a tribe of Lesser Elf descendants, a falling out with other Celesti in The Worlds Tree, etc. Work with your DM to develop this into her backstory. Star elves possess secrets about the history of the world and their people that might radically change the game world if revealed to outsiders. So players with Star Elf characters should work with their DM's to determine the extent of this "secret knowledge" that is revealed to the player and the in-game consequences for the character's revelation of that knowledge. Also, the DM may use the mechanic of ancient memory flashes to give the player/character background information.

Origins & History

The Celesti are an ancient race, having come to these worlds from the stars untold eons ago, they were the vanguard of The Old Imperium. While they did not rule The Imperium themselves, they were an integral race, representing much of the Imperium's biological and ecological engineering skills. Master terraformers and bioformers, they sculpted the biomes of these worlds and the lifeforms that populate them.
This included the uplifting of various non-sapient species to fulfill different functions. In particular, they are responsible for taking certain species of native apes, shaping them in their own image, and creating the demi-human races. Noting a lack of mechanical engineering talent amongst themselves, they first created the Gnomes. Together, they built biomechanical wonders such as The Worlds Tree. To this day where one finds Celesti, one finds gnomes.
The Dwarves were created to live and work in subterrean environments. Humanity was created for a two-fold purpose; first as an adaptable worker class, not particularly specialized in any one skill but able to adapt and thrive in almost any environment; and second as an experiment to help the Elves overcome their own inability to reproduce. This experiment has been seen as a mixed success with the emergence of Lesser Elves and Half-elves.
During The Fall of The Old Imperium, the Celestial Elves fled this world, retreated to their sanctuaries in The Worlds Tree or The Undercity. These later elves would become the Drow. Hidden away for ages, their outlook turned from expansionist to protectionist. The Celesti now view it as their duty to preserve the knowledge of the Imperium, and keep it out of the hands of the "child races" until they are deemed ready for such advancement, what ever "ready" might mean.

Keepers of Ancient Knowledge

The Celesti see themselves as the guardians of the remaining knowledge on The Imperium and its technologies. As stated before, they are not sharing. They have a natural understanding of the workings of the artifacts left from The Imperium and much of this technology is designed only to function in the hands of those who possess Celestial or Gnomish heritage. As a result, many pieces of inert objet d'art from the Imperial era cluttering collectors shelves are waiting to rewaken in the hands of a Celesti.

A Fading People

Despite, what many of their worshippers in "the younger races" might think, the Celesti are not immortal, not exactly. The Celesti have spent ages using their bioforming techniques to "perfect" their own physical bodies and minds. Over the course of millenia, they have sculpted themselves to be extremely resistant against disease and injury; and to have minds capable of astonishing psionic feats.
But, this "perfection" has come at a price. The Celesti have not been able to create offspring among themselves for eons. Instead, when a Star Elf's body does eventually succumb to age, injury, or disease they clone their body and transfer their consciousness into it. The result is that the Celesti are unable to create new individuals and their population can only slowly decline as individual elves have died away from the The Worlds Tree without being able to complete the procedure.
The Celesti are coming up against the limits of their technology. In a sense, each Star Elf is a copy of a copy of a copy, in body and mind. While any particular Star Elf has existed for a virtual eternity, their memories do not stretch back as far. A Star Elf's memories become weaker and more clouded each time their consciousness is transferred. Most can recall the last few centuries with clarity, however recalling events five or more centuries in the past is akin to an old man trying to recall his earliest memories from his toddlerhood. And memories before that are a jumble of vague impressions and images. So, as a Celestial Elf might have lived through ancient events such as the the fall of The Old Imperium, they are not an easy source of knowledge on these histories. Although at times a sight, sound, or smell may trigger a long lost memory. Star elves make up for this deficiency by keeping exacting chronicles as the years pass, but these are kept in The Worlds Tree and are unavailable to those who venture outside.
The Celesti recognize that at most they have only a few "generations" of transfers left before they become unviable at which point their species will go extinct. So, the Celesti have been desperately searching for a solution. One early attempt was the uplifting of Humanity and the creation of the Lesser Elves. However, most Celesti do not see the creation of mixed-blood "child races" as a true solution to preservation of their race.

Inward & Outward

Since The Fall of The Old Imperium and the realization of the crisis facing The Celesti, a split in outlook on relations with the outside world has developed. Having seen the outside worlds descend into barbarism and being cut-off from off-world Imperial civilization, most Celesti have chosen to "hunker down" with in The Worlds Tree and devote themselves to research in order to find a solution to their reproduction crisis. As long has the "child races" are kept from the dangerous knowledge and power that the Celesti possess, they can be left to their own affairs. In this, the Wood Elves of the surrounding Eleva Forest are seen as a useful barrier to curious interlopers.
On the other hand, a small faction of Celesti have grown to believe that the answer to their crisis lies outside the confines of The Worlds Tree. Somewhere out there in the chaos of The Shifting Lands might be a piece of forgotten Imperial technology or knowledge that holds the answer. These Celesti have been willing to leave the protection of The Worlds Tree and its resurrection technology and risk permanent death to find an answer to their people's survival.

Description

Celestial elves have a reputation for being beautiful and graceful. They give off an ethereal air, an impression of a sublime creature that belongs to a far distant realm and age. When walking into a room most mortals are struck by a sense of awe and reverence for the heavenly creature before them. This reaction was bred into humans and demi-humans by the Celesti as a means of control.
Celestial elves have fine gray or white, bluish tinted skin and hair most often of sliver or white. Star elves typically have blue, black, or grey eyes often with a liquid or sparkling appearance. The have slight frames, with long and nimble arms and legs, standing slightly shorter than the average human.
Celesti no longer take part in sexual reproduction or other sexual activities so the concept of biological sex is considered vestigial. However, all Star Elves pattern their cloned bodies on female forms and no males remain. In dealings with other races, they are addressed as female.

Relationships

Celestial elves are not "born" in a traditional sense, nor do they have children with each other. As a result they have no family structure. In addition, they have no hierarchies or government. Due to their psionic abilities, each Star Elf is able to form a type of subconscious bond with every other Star Elf around her. While not exactly a "hive mind" this interconnection allows every Star Elf to have a relationship of some sort with all others. No Star Elf needs to be introduced to any other as this bond makes each Star Elf acquainted with each other by virtue of physical proximity. They make all decisions with consensus based discussions with those who are there to make the decision. Although violence between Star Elves is unknown, discord and schism is not, as the existence of the Drow demonstrates.

Personality

Star Elves are firmly of the belief that they stand as the only true elves, burdened with the shepherding of the child races and the lesser elves. Patient and deliberate, they demonstrate an orderly nature uncommon to most elves, preferring to master a skill before applying it, rather than learning as they go. Star Elves are often seen as aloof, detached, or even cold, observing the actions of the lower races for centuries before choosing to intervene.

Arts & Culture

The Celesti qualities of patience and deliberate focus are demonstrated in their art. Celesti architecture and design are undeniably beautiful but spartan. Star Elves work with their gnomish compatriots to construct sleek environments that blend the organic and the technological. The technological is sculpted by the gnomes to form structures with clean, simple lines that are then accentuated by the Celesti with living walls. No other adornments, such as tapestries, filigrees, or paintings are placed to impress. The fact that such a wondrous structure exists at all is enough to speak to the greatness of the Celestial Elves.
Star Elves will accept nothing short of perfection, working tirelessly in their art to constantly raise the aesthetic bar. Star Elf art, poetry, music, etc. all demonstrate a regal attitude with a deliberate and considered approach. For example; a Star Elf may spend two centuries searching from the perfect final line to a sonnet that they are writing.
Star Elves prefer clothing that is at once beautiful and understated, with subdued colors such as mother of pearl and muted silver. Most Star Elves decorate themselves with mithral embroidery in subtle patterns woven into the design of their clothes and which add to the beauty of the clothing without seeming flashy or showy.

Rare Adventurers

Celestial Elves are less motivated to become adventurers than their wandering lesser elven brethren and prefer, for the most part, to keep to themselves. Those who are driven into the world to forge a path among the other races often do so in order to explore the ancient ruins of The Old Imperium, searching for a cure for their people.

Technology & The Mind

Star Elves' powers lie in their technology and the development of their mental/psionic abilities. All Celestial Elves have some psionic ability. All Celesti have the ability to subconsciously link with all other Celesti and Drow in their presence and at least one other psionic ability. Through the power of their own will, training, and study they are able to develop their abilities further.

Equipment

While Celestials have access to technological weaponry and defenses of incredible power, they are extremely frightened of that technology falling into the hands of outsiders. As a result, Star Elf adventures leaving The Worlds Tree are outfitted with equipment commensurate with the technology of the younger races. However, they are encouraged to acquire (or destroy) any surviving Imperial technology that they encounter in The Shifting Lands. Any technological enhancements implanted in their bodies are rigged to self-destruct if removed from the body.

Religion

The Celesti are a pragmatic and secular people. They see no reason to worship any "gods" or "spirits". Since The Fall it is clear that powerful beings or forces wielding "magic" (probably extremely powerful wills from unknown realms) have entered the world. The Celesti see the veneration of these powers by "the child races" as a natural consequence of their primitive state. Many see the primitive beliefs as useful tools to keep the "child races" out of their hair. In particular, the Wood Elves' worship of The Celesti and their fear of the Drow are seen as especially useful for keeping the secrets of The Worlds Tree and Eleva out of foolish hands.
However, the Celestial Elves have a distain for the younger monotheistic religions: The Teachings of Chantrel and Unity. They consider the zealotry these religions inspire as dangerous to the stability of civilization.

Relations with Other Races

Celestial elves have a high opinion of themselves and see themselves as the last guardians of true Imperial civilization.
Most Star Elves do feel an affection for their "children", the lesser elves, in a paternalistic way. Star Elves generally see lesser elves as amusing but, immature and irresponsible, needing to be constantly reminded of their duties to the greater elven family.
The true companions of the Celesti are the Gnomes . While a creation of the Celesti, the Gnomes have proven their equal as builders, engineers, and friends. True partners in the creation and maintenance of The Worlds Tree, both shoulder the burden of keeping the flame of Imperial civilization alive.
Star Elves' opinions on other races are far more strained. Star Elves see the lower races both as children, in need of guidance and restraint, and as dangerous experiments that have run a-mock. In addition, as Celestial Elves control powerful, ancient technologies, they are wary of the lower races getting a hold of them and wreaking havoc on the world.
As a result Star Elves can be incredibly xenophobic. Their homeland of The Worlds Tree is closed to outsiders, and few Star Elves venture from it.
But, of all the races in the world, however, the one that Star Elves hold the strongest feelings for, both love and anger, are their sisters of the Drow. Drow, being a break away race of immortal true elves, are the Celestial Elves only true sisters (as the lesser elves are their children). Both races view the other as wayward sisters, and while both races work over the course of millennia to out maneuver each other, neither is willing to commit violence against the other. And secretly both hold out hope that the other will join them.

Your elf character has a variety of natural and synthetic abilities and some limitations.
Ability Score Changes: Dex +2, Int +2, Con -1
Size: 6 to over 7 feet tall. Size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Vision: You have normal vision.
Enhancement: You start with one Level 1 technological enhancement of your choice. If it is removed from your body it self-destructs as a security feature. The manor of the self-destruction and resulting damage is left to the DM's discretion.
Keen Senses: You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Strong Mind: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.
Strong Body: You have resistance to disease.
Trance: Elves don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.
Languages: You can speak Classic Imperial, & one extra language of your choice.
Elf Weapon Training: You have proficiency with the longsword, short sword, short bow, and longbow.
Mental Link: You are aware of any other Celestial Elf or Drow in the immediate vicinity. You are aware of their general mental state. Upon seeing them you become automatically acquainted with them. Any acts of Deception are rolled at disadvantage against each other.
Psionic Talent: You know at least one Level 1 psionic ability.
Nonmagical: You may not start at 1st Level with any magical abilities, classes, or items. You may acquire them later.
Technology: You have proficiency in technology and can work functioning Imperial artifacts and technology.
Starting Classes: Artificer, Technomancer, Fighter, Rogue, Monk, Pscionist, Ranger
Forbidden Starting Classes: Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Paladin, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Life Span: Immortal???
Homeland: The Worlds Tree

Parent ethnicities

• True Elves

Related Myths

• Moeri - Goddess of The Wilderness