Celestials

History of Celestials at Kersar Academy of Magical Arts is usually taught by Professor George Sarsand, but plans have changed this year. This semester, beginning in September 1490, History of Celestials is being taught by Professer Yeliah Grange. None of the students seem disappointed by the replacement.

Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to your first class of History of Celestials. I am Professor Yeliah Grange, with degrees in both History of Magical Arts and Magical Theory. I know many of you will be surprised to see me teaching this course since this is not one of my usual classes nor my area of focus in teaching.

I admit it was a surprise for me as well. I do not teach this course, my friend George does. This semester, however, Professor Sarsand informed me that he would be unable to teach this class due to a family emergency and that I would have to fill in. He told me early enough in the year that I was able to write up my own curriculum and syllabus to fit with my teaching style.
However, a little-known fact about me is that I minored in Celestial Studies alongside my Magical Theory degree. So don't worry, I know my stuff. Also, George has literal shelves on the subject.

by Lilliana Casper

Introduction

I'll begin with a quick overview of the course and details about the classes. History of Celestials is a complex course, as it is the only course at the Academy that focuses on Celestials. They are mentioned in several other classes, particularly History of Magical Arts, but this is the only course you will learn about them and their history in-depth.

"Ms Yeliah, is this how Professor Sarsand structures his classes on this subject?"
"Yes, it is! I tend to go for lectures followed by a quiz and accompanied by weekly quizzes. George prefers creativity and discussion. It's an approach I've never tried."

I have a lot to cover in this first class, so we won't go over the syllabus. You should have a copy of it. There are no textbooks or required readings. Instead, you will do a semester-long study on a specific Celestial that you will hand in at the end of the course. There will be a quiz at the end as is usual for anything I teach. This lecture is open to discussion, so if you have any questions, raise a hand, I'll answer it, and then we can discuss it. The transcript of the class will not include these digressions.

Today's class will focus on what Celestials are, how they are organized and classified, what their powers are, and other basics like that. We will also learn a few names and mention a few myths. At the end of class, we'll have our quiz and then I'll call people up to choose the Celestial they wish to focus on. No one will be able to do the same Celestial as someone else.
I think that's all the introduction you need, so let's get into the lecture.

What Are Celestials?

Celestials are not that much different from Eternals by definition. However, Celestials are a type of Eternal. Not all Eternals are Celestials, but all Celestials are Eternals. Celestials are more well-known than Eternals and appear in more myths. The basic definition of a Celestial is "An Eternal whose powers reflect an aspect of existence", which is a little vague but it works.
Celestials are more powerful, more influential, and more well-known than general Eternals. They have a high but limited number (although it is believed that certain Celestials can be replaced by someone who also qualifies for their power) and they are classified into "generations" to approximate age. It is difficult to determine exactly when they came into being, but the generation system helps historians and mythologists to guess how old they are based on that.

Professor Yeliah's slides by Lilliana Casper

There are five generations. Pre-generation Celestials are, without a doubt, the most powerful Celestials in existence. First generation Celestials are also incredibly powerful. These first generations include the Elementals and the Emotionals. Second generations are those who became Celestials more than... Hmm, I'd say more than one thousand years before the Celestial War. Third generations are sometimes called the "War Celestials" because they came into being within a thousand years of the Celestial War in either direction. Fourth generations are those created or born more than a thousand years after the Celestial War.
We are going to dive into the generations and discuss several individuals in a few minutes. For now, let's address a quick question. In my class on Eternals, I brought up the question: "Are Eternals real?" Because this class is focused on Celestials and their history, we are going to assume they are and that everything mentioned in this class is true and did happen. You would not be taking this course if you didn't have some slight belief in the existence of Celestials. I am not explaining their existence here, just their history.

Generations

As I mentioned a moment ago, Celestials are categorized into broad periods to approximate their age. These are called "generations". The generations also help to determine power and influence. A first generation Celestial who is thousands of years old will be more powerful and have more influence than a fourth generation Celestial who is only a few hundred years old.

Pre-Generations

We'll start with the pre-gens. Pre-generation Celestials are the most powerful Celestials in existence. Their powers defy reality and follow the most abstract of concepts. They are believed to have appeared at the beginning of time in our galaxy, simply walking across various planets as fully-formed adults with all the knowledge of a normal life span. There were seven pre-gens at first, reflecting the aspects of Darkness and Hate, Light and Love, Life, Death, Time, Creation, and Destruction. Four of these Celestials are now dead and one of them has been missing for thousands of years.

Second Generations

Second generation Celestials are an odd category. They came into being more than a thousand years before the Celestial War. There is a definite line between first and second generations, however. First generations came into being under mysterious circumstances. Second generations either became Celestials, were born Celestials, or were made into one by an older Celestial. We'll discuss methods later. Second generations are the largest age group and many of them are the children of first or pre-gen Celestials. There are, however, a few second generations who are just as old as first gens.

First Generations

The line between first generations and pre-generations has always been incredibly close and highly debated among scholars and historians. First generations are less powerful than pre-gens and there are significantly more of them, although the exact number is unknown. They are believed to have appeared under mysterious circumstances just one or two millennia after the pre-gens. The first generations have a wide variety of powers and reflect very old and intrinsic parts of reality. Two of the most famous groups of Celestials are first generations. We'll discuss them later.

Third Generations

Third gens are the same as second generations, except they are younger, becoming Celestials within a thousand years in either direction of the Celestial War. Many of them are the children of second generations. George was the one to discover this little fact: the generation system even trumps parental hierarchy, as being the child of a second generation does not make one a third generation. The number of third generation Celestials is supposedly very similar to the number of first generations, although we don't know the exact numbers of either generation.

Fourth Generations

This is the youngest generation and also the smallest. We have almost no confirmed fourth generation Celestials. The only ones that are known are Isla, the Celestial of ice, whose age is confirmed; Tarson, the Celestial of weakness, who is associated with Alvacia; Matthew, the mysterious Celestial of redemption; and Thanatosk, the Celestial of bartering, which is an odd domain, but apparently works. Two of those were made Celestials, one became a Celestial, and Matthew is, as mentioned before, extremely mysterious. His name appears in a single text dated from just before the Polaris Collapse and no earlier. Some wonder if he truly exists.

by Lilliana Casper

Does anyone have any questions? I know that's a lot of scattered information and there are a lot of references to things we'll get to in a little bit, so is there anything I can clarify for you all? Oh, yes, about the differences between first and second generations? It's a little hard to explain but I'll try to elaborate. Basically, both first and pre-gen Celestials just...appeared. They have no parents, they have no pasts, they just are. The difference between first and pre-gen Celestials is age. Pre-generation Celestials appeared at the beginning of time and first generations showed up later, roughly around the same time as each other but possibly over the course of a decade or two. Second generations appear slightly after first generations and in the same time period, but they are either born, made, or became. That's why second generations are the largest category.

Ways To Become A Celestial

Becoming a Celestial is far harder than becoming an Eternal. To become an Eternal, you simply need a very powerful Eternal or Celestial to use life magic and make you into an Eternal. If you want to be a bit different, you could always try to become a Turned Vampire. I wouldn't recommend it, though. To become a Celestial, however, you must fit a certain criteria. Celestials are Eternals whose powers reflect an aspect of existence. That means there must be something in their past, personality, or motivations that is compatible with the aspect they are the Celestial of. This knowledge means that Celestials with certain domains are seen as particularly kind or particularly cruel. We'll get to that later.

There are four ways to become a Celestial, although one is unattainable anymore and reserved for first and pre-generation Celestials only. That way is simply appearing under mysterious circumstances. I've already talked about this, so we're just going to list it here for posterity's sake. Normally we would assume they were born or became, but every text about first generations and older insists that they just appeared. As such, they are considered the Celestials who conform to their domains the closest.
The next way to become a Celestial is to be born one. This is a method that is difficult to figure out. All Celestials who were born such have Eternals or Celestials for parents, but having an Eternal or Celestial as a parent does not guarantee being born a Celestial. They may be Eternals, but it is only if they fulfill the required criteria for the domain that they are considered Celestials. Second generation Celestials who were born such have either first or pre-generation parents, although there have been mentions of a trio of Celestial siblings whose parents were not Celestials.

by Lilliana Casper

The third is to be made into a Celestial. Similar to being made into an Eternal, this is when a stronger and more powerful Celestial uses life magic to turn someone into a Celestial. Of course, the person must fit the criteria for the attempted domain, but it is much easier for a powerful, intelligent Celestial to figure out a domain than for the possible Celestial to achieve their status alone. The process of being made into a Celestial requires the older Celestial to basically force life magic into their protégé and give them a chosen domain. Something George discovered in his extensive research was that created Celestials are more likely to have widely varied magical talents since they may not fit their domain perfectly. An example of this would be the Celestial of food having healing powers.

The moment I became a Celestial, I knew. I knew I was no longer human, that I was no longer normal, that I was no longer what I had been before. At the moment, I did not know what I was, but I knew I was different. I was stronger. I was colder. I was something else. That is how it felt for all of us when we became Celestials. One moment we were human or whatever our species is and the next moment we were not.

— An unknown Celestial

The final way to become a Celestial is to become one of your own power. This is the most mysterious, difficult, and confusing method. Those who became Celestials rarely write about how they achieved it. However, if one looks at what the powers of these Celestials are, a picture can be formed. It may be a blurry and faded one, but the message comes across. The Celestial of murder killed someone. The Celestial of torture either suffered or caused suffering. The Celestial of leadership defied all expectations. The Celestial of bravery stood tall when others failed. Celestials who became such of their own power are some of the strongest Eternals in existence both mentally and emotionally.

My final words for this section are about allegiances and sides. Many texts, including those written by Celestials, refer to two separate camps within the main body of the Celestials: Dark Celestials and Light Celestials. Dark Celestials are the Celestials with negative domains and more unsavory powers. The leader of the Dark Celestials is the Commander. The leader of the Light Celestials, or the Celestials with positive and comforting domains, is Love. These were also the sides that were taken during the Celestial War. According to records, however, these camps existed before the War. There are also various Celestials who consider themselves neutral and refuse to take sides. The most well-known of these is Nicole, the Celestial of Compassion.
The reason I am talking about this here is because of a common conception about Celestials, which is that they cannot change their nature. Especially if they are a first generation or became a Celestial because that means they align with their domain strongest. It is my opinion that this assumption is wrong, but it could be right. Becoming a Celestial means you are, in the moment of becoming a Celestial, the perfect representation and manifestation of your domain. I believe that life experience can change that. Only the Celestials know which stance is true.

Important Celestials

There are several important and well-known Celestials that I should introduce before our next class. These Celestials I’m about to talk about are the ones most people know about, the ones who appear in the most stories or have the most impressive feats. We’ll discuss most of them again during the rest of the course but I want to make sure to introduce them as soon as possible.
First of all, we have the pre-generation Celestials. These are the oldest and most powerful of the Celestials. As I mentioned, there were

originally seven pre-gens. The first two were always referred to as siblings: the Commander and his sister Love. Those are not their real names, as their true names are Unspeakable. We'll come back to that. The Commander is the Celestial of darkness and hate and Love is the Celestial of light and love. The two were close once, but some unknown event drove them apart. During the Celestial War, they led opposing sides and fought each other in a battle that neither of them survived, although a prophecy claims the Commander did not actually die and was only banished from our realm.

The next pre-generations are the Celestials of life and death. Alvacia is the name of the Celestial of death, but the Celestial of life is Unspeakable. Alvacia is one of the most well-known Celestials and many believe she is the second most powerful overall, even stronger than Love. She and the Commander were friends and she sided with him during the War, but she is usually portrayed as a neutral party. The

by Lilliana Casper

Celestial of life, who is often called "Life" as a placeholder, appears in very few stories. He is the only Celestial and indeed, the only Eternal, to die of what we would call natural causes. Alvacia and Life were very close.
Cronus is the Celestial of time. He is a known neutral party and never takes sides. He and Alvacia are referred to as friends. Then we have the Celestial of creation and the Celestial of destruction. These are the truly mysterious pre-gens. The Celestial of creation is Unspeakable and disappeared before the Celestial War, while the Celestial of destruction is only named a few times, as Luther. Luther was the first Celestial to ever die, but there are no myths about his death and the pre-generations have never written about him.
We'll talk about groups of Celestials in a little while, so let's talk about some other important Celestials. These two might surprise you, but the most well-known Celestials after the pre-generations are actually Nicole and Felicia, who are seen as figures of kindness, welcome, and protection. Nicole is the Celestial of compassion and is said to have the most powerful protection spells of any Celestial and healing powers that are second only to Life. Felicia is the Celestial of food,

but unlike Nicole, who drifts silently through myth and legend without showing her face, Felicia widely accepts praise and honor, even blessing a statue of herself located in Dernere on Xyan.

Let's see, who's next... Ah! Jason is the Celestial of justice. Despite his domain, however, he seems to be a controversial figure. While he is widely loved by Light Celestials, all the Dark Celestials and several others seem to dislike him. His greatest critics are complete opposites: Venegria and Merci. Venegria is the Celestial of revenge and retribution and Merci is the Celestial of forgiveness. All three are first generations. It's interesting that both women dislike him, as they rarely agree on anything. Venegria states in one myth that she "prefers her justice served with knives", while Merci rants "Justice and mercy should balance, not this."

He learned from the other Celestials that this man had created an object of great power, something he claimed brought balance and justice. One woman he spoke to told him it was a vile thing. Her sister shrugged when he looked at her and said, I prefer my justice served with knives. The Celestial of archery could agree with that.

— From a myth about the Celestial of archery

Aliend is another unique Celestial. She is one of the Dark Celestials and is the Celestial of denial. Aliend is known for hosting elite tea parties with other Celestials, Eternals, and even particularly influential mortals. Although she is both younger and less powerful than Xuena, one of her common companions, she is often seen as the leader of her tiny posse, which includes Neve, the Celestial of ruthlessness, and Madeleine, the Celestial of murder. Other Dark Celestials will communicate with her. While not exactly powerful, I would say she seems influential, cunning, and likely incredibly skilled. One does not overcome a first generation in leadership skills if one is weak and naive.

Groups Of Celestials

There were several Celestials I couldn't mention a moment ago because they are always grouped together. There are three groups that I can recall, but we'll see if I added more to the slideshow and just forgot.
The first group is of four women, the Elemental Celestials. These four have the powers of fire, water, nature, and air. They are some of the

most powerful first generations. Celosia is the Celestial of fire and is known primarily for her relationship with the Commander, particularly their tragic end. Naida is the Celestial of water and is very mysterious. Before the Celestial of secrets was created, she was the person believed to keep everyone's confidence. Fadilah is the Celestial of nature. She had the most varied power, being able to control plants, animals, and the environment. And finally, Oralia, the Celestial of air. Oralia was closest to Celosia and had one son with a mortal man. The Elementals, although not related, often treated each other like sisters. Celosia died before the Celestial War, and the other three were killed during the War.

The next group is the Emotional Celestials. These were ten Celestials with the ability to feel and manipulate emotions. Half of the Emotionals died in the War. Haides was the Celestial of anger and Xuena is the Celestial of rage. The legends imply an odd relationship between the two. Dolores is the Celestial of sorrow, while her counterpart Terico was the Celestial of sadness. These two were incredibly close, as the myth

After Grief reveals. Francis is the Celestial of fear and Deimena was the Celestial of terror. Deimena was not highly regarded among her peers and Francis did not seem to like her. Jordan was the Celestial of happiness, while Natasha is the Celestial of joy. Some believe these two were in love while others insist they acted like siblings. Ella was the Celestial of uncertainty, while her counterpart Zeke is the Celestial of confusion. Zeke is a very quiet Celestial, so there isn't much information about their relationship.
Then we have a group of six. These six are the children of Fadilah: Conri, Turina, Corah, Riharra, Everett, and Flora. Conri is the Celestial of wolves and one of the more well-liked Celestials. Turina is the Celestial of carrion birds, sometimes listed as birds of prey, and although standoffish and cold, is believed to help travelers in danger. Corah is the Celestial of lions and stays on one planet, where she is praised as a goddess. Riharra, the Celestial of foxes, wanders around

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the galaxy like many other Celestials. Everett is the Celestial of dogs. He's known as a sociable Celestial who likes making friends. Fadilah's youngest child is Flora, the Celestial of flowers. Flora is a quiet Celestial who is friends with Natasha and was once the bosom friend and protégée of Love. The six siblings meet up often to discuss recent events.

Planets Associated With Celestials

While most planets now refuse to admit the existence of Celestials, there are several that continue to hold legends and stories about them in high esteem. Very few of these are currently part of the Interplanetary Peace Alliance and most are small planets on the outskirts of the galaxy. An interesting thing to remember is that the planets in the outer rims were the first discovered, meaning they are the ones that have been populated the longest and have had the most exposure to Celestials. There are, however, a few planets that are located closer to the center, such as Jaque. Jaque is the most populated planet associated with Celestials and has a preference for myths about Love, the Commander, and the Commander's daughter Rohana.

by Lilliana Casper

Likaina, the Celestial of leadership, is strongly associated with a planet in the outer rims, although no one is sure exactly which one it is. As we will learn about later in the course, Likaina started a rebellion on her planet and led her fellow slaves to completely take over the planet. She has been worshipped as a goddess there ever since but is known on other planets as a Celestial. Denironia has a large pantheon of gods, but it is believed that two are based on Celestials: Avasvaren, the Denironian god of assassins and the Celestial of archery, and Ceruis, the Denironian goddess of death who is believed to be inspired by Alvacia.

The mysterious planet Crosteron, which some believe is a myth, is strongly associated with the Celestial of creation. Some believe that she was the one who created the planet as a haven for her beloved Crestantos. A planet considered even more of a myth is Eküiliber. According to legend, Eküiliber is a magic-rich planet that is perfectly sliced between a complete wasteland on one half and a gorgeous paradise on the other. Eküiliber is a representation of the balance between all forces in the world and is the home of the mythological Temple of Peace. Eküiliber is associated with all Celestials, but especially the Commander and Love.
Xyan is associated with Felicia. Xyan is a small, second-class farming planet and has very little trade with the rest of the galaxy. However, denizens of the planet, and especially the town of Dernere, continue to hold true to their belief in Felicia and all Celestials. Geranium is believed to have not one but two Celestials: Conri and Isla, as well as another Eternal. That's all I have for planets, but we will discuss them again during the coming weeks. Any questions?

Some Celestial Legends

With that business complete, I think it's time to move on. I don't have time to go over every single myth and legend about Celestials, especially since we'll be discussing them more and taking our information from them, but I can mention a few important ones.

There is, of course, the origin of the Celestials, a very important story about the pre-generations. There is Burning Shadows, the vague yet tragic story about Celosia and the Commander and how their love story ended in death and darkness. There is After Grief, a story about Natasha and Dolores. The Death Harp is a myth from Denironia about how Avasvaren became the Celestial of archery and the Denironian god of assassins. Life's Death is about the death of the Celestial of life and has even reached other worlds. Fans of Felicia know about her stews and the importance of her bowl. We have a touching story about the love between Conri and his wife and a story about Isla's origins. On the darker side, Lady Spider is a twisted story about the Celestial of spiders, although parts are suspected to have been modified by her over the years.
And there cannot be a list about Celestial myths and legends without a mention of the two most important things: the Celestial War and

by Lilliana Casper

the Tales of the Celestials. The Celestial War is more accurately described as a battle that lasted almost two days, fought by Celestials, Eternals, and the followers and subjects of those Eternals and Celestials. Almost all of the Eternals and Celestials who are currently dead were killed during the War. The world was not the same after it. The Tales of the Celestials are a collection of stories about Celestials. They are considered the only entirely truthful records of Celestials and their lives. Written in mythological form, these stories were once split into five volumes before they were destroyed. If a copy does remain, no one knows where it is.

Conclusion

That's the end of the slideshow! There is still so much to talk about, however, so I'll be opening up the floor to anyone with questions or comments. Let's discuss Celestials and go over some extra stuff right now before our quiz. We've already had a few digressions, but I'm excited to see what you'll come up with now. Thank you all for listening so well to the lecture and saving your difficult questions for the end. Remember that after this and the quiz, you'll come one by one and tell me what Celestial you'd like to research. I won't be officially assigning them just yet, so check your inboxes tonight or tomorrow for my decision. Alright, let's discuss!

End of lecture. An attached quiz may be found at the bottom should it be found.