ethereAL
the
domain
"What would the earth be without the sky above? Without the warmth of the great sun, without the gentle light of the moon, without the guidance of the stars? If there was no night, how could we have the day? If there were no storms, how could we have the calm that follows? The world exists in careful balance, to interrupt that balance is to tear apart the delicate fabric woven from the light of our sun, the pull of our orbiting moon, and the dust of burnt out stars."
AS ASTRA PER ASPERA
PANTHEON OF CELESTIAL BODIES
THE MONACH OF THE HEAVENS
Aliases: A'vei, Hathor, Ouranos, Jade Emperor, Tzacol, Nyame, Amenominakanushi, Anu, Váruṇa
The Great Deity of the Heavens
The supreme ethereum controls the heavens themselves. The great celestial realm of the Gods themselves, ruled by the great monarch who built the stars, planets and empyreal plane. He takes pride in the wonder humans have for his creation, but scoffs at their feeble attempts to understand it. The father, who watches the gods within his domain as his children, whose arms reach across the universe to hold it all within his embrace. Matters of the gods do not go unnoticed by him, and above all others, he is the guardian of the interests of the immortal planes.
THE ETHEREUM
The celestial domain is everything above the physical sphere of the Earth. From the great skies and the weather within them, to distant cosmos, including everything in between. Everything in the celestial domain is made of ether, whose natural motion is circular. This is the heavenly realm.
Celestials
Those blessed by the ethereal gods.
Celestialism
The following of the ethereal pantheon.
Heaven’s folk
Disciples of the celestial pantheon.
Magical energy used to conduct ethereal magic is called ether.
Celestialism is inherently tied to the realm of the Gods, and its followers hold great respect not only for the ethereum, but also for the gods and those within their dominion. They naturally preach the authority and power of the Gods, and respect the inherent disconnect between the Gods and humanity. This distance is by design, to ensure a clear boundary between creator and creation. They believe they will be welcomed into the heavens upon their death, and that the stars themselves represent the most exalted of followers.
All followers of individual Gods fall under the practice of Celestialism, with varying beliefs. Any who are loyal to any/all ethereal Gods are welcome under Celestialism.
Domain Feature: Ether Attunement
A raw connection to the ether allows faithful followers to be attuned to the heavenly realm. They are able to sense the position of celestial objects, to feel the circular motion of the universe, and align themselves with it. With their connection, they can take advantage of the celestial energy that supplies the earth, from the gravitation ebb and flow of the moon, the electromagnetic radiation from the sun, and the dissipated stardust. They can intuitively detect the time of day, season of the year, or phase of the moon.
Embodiment of Atmosphere, Gravity and Sight
Deity of the Sky
THE ARCADIAN OBSERVER
Aliases: Imana, Hera, Juno, Heimdall, Horus, Latobius, Asherah, Hwanin, Virococha, Cabaguil, Hepit
The Observer watches all that is below the heavens, a calm soul who feels strongly for those who are unable to grasp the sky. For those below can never dream of the freedom that heaven entails. When humanity reaches for the stars, she beckons them forth, and when they return home, she blankets them with warmth. A kind soul she may be, she is not free of resentment as she brings grudges along to the end of time. She sees every sin, she feels the damage done to those who cannot find freedom. The stubbornness of the Observer is what causes her to be both emotional yet loyal to their companions.
Those who pray under them are blessed with the power of levitation as these prayers are one of the ways they could connect through the faithless world beyond. It can raise things around the user but never theirselves. Those blessed by the Sky are given the chance to peek through their knowledge, understanding and mastering the forces that draw bodies of matter together or drive them apart. The world above becomes their home, as they become careful observers as the world, just as she has.
The Sky blessed have often been neglected, regarded as less powerful than their more impressive ethereal brethren. But they have always held a quiet intelligence, a knowledge of the world unexplained by experience. They often find themselves pursuing academia, some becoming scholars, others becoming teachers. They have always been drawn to people-focused work. Some use their power to aid in the research of aeronautics, but some have hesitated, not wanting to take away any of the wonder of the skies.
Deity of Storms
Embodiment of Weather, Electricity and Cycles
Aliases: Verin, Thor, Negafook, Oya, Ba'al, Zeus, Jupiter, Adad, Taranis, Perun, Anemoi, Rudra, Yu Shi, Lei Gong
The RESTLESS TEMPEST
The constant change of the winds, the push and pull of weather systems, the dance of pressure gradients, they all represent a precise form of chaos. Impossible to control, but altogether incredible to behold, the brilliant limbs of light striking the earth below and rumbling growl of thunder echoing into the sky cannot be underestimated. As expected, with mighty power, comes a mighty personality, though it could be argued that such confidence is warranted. He is quick to anger, quick to calm, quick to answer and quick to respond: everything moves fast, and sometimes the world can't quite keep up. He is always the first to defend when his allies are threatened, and the first to stand down when his actions were ill-conceived. He is surprisingly quick to apologize, and his confidence doesn’t interfere with his humility.
In times of old, the storm blessed were brought on ships to calm maelstroms. They protected cities from great disasters. Only they could quell the anger of the gods, but times have changed. The world has grown more unstable, and no longer can a single storm blessed keep the peace. They have helped humanity understand weather events, bringing them as close to the danger as they can without sustaining harm. Storm chasers and meteorologists, scientists and storm enthusiasts,
Prayer to the Storm has gifted magic users with control over static electricity, enough to short circuit electrical equipment, at least. The Storm’s blessed inherit the raw power that calls to the ether in anguish. Those under them acquire the wrath that they try to hide, allowing their apostles to control weather, create storms, and even lightning. They take pride in the electricity that surrounds their apostles, their light, and the representation of their vengeance. But what they have always been called upon for, is their ability to calm storms, bringing them to an end. Nobody truly knows how they do it, whether they control the storm itself, or plead with the god to spare those who would be swept away by it.
Deity of the Sun
Embodiment of Warmth, Power and Desolation
The sun blessed are considered beacons of warmth and purity, alongside the light blessed. The two often work together as champions of change, working in humanitarian efforts and charity. As well as her great power, they seek to pass on the legacy of giving freely to those less fortunate. It is noted, that often those chosen come from what could be considered 'less fortunate' backgrounds, and with her blessing quickly rise up in status. But she knows they will not forget their roots, and they do not forget her kindness.
The disciples of the sun are granted warmth, a comfortable accompaniment in a world that grows colder. But the blessed risk misusing far more destructive power. The blessed sometimes find themselves at odds with their values, holding the power of solar flares, beams of sunlight and raw heat emanating from them with unparalleled intensity. To unleash their full potential is to watch the world burn. To let go of their restraints is to accept the damage they will inevitably do.
Aliases: Ete, Ra, Wi, Anyawu, Nanahuatzin, Meri, Inti, Sue, Malakbel, Istanu, Hvare-khshaeta, Sol, Aurora, Helios, Hyperion
THE COSMIC LUMINARY
The sole star, burning alongside the god’s greatest creation, providing its warmth, sustaining its life. Without the sun, the earth would have no place amongst the heavens, and humanity has always praised the great luminary and all her glory. As humanity reaches out to the universe, they maintain their distance from her flares and rays. The closer they come, the greater the risk, and even the Sky protects humanity from the scorching heat. There is danger in her beauty, but all she ever wanted was to be close.
Deity of the Day
Aliases: Aru, Mithra, Mehr, Hemera, Eos Nefertem, Magec, Anpao, Cipactonal, Ch'aska Quyllur, Zhulong, Aruna, Dagr
Embodiment of Light, Hope and Purity
THE RADIANT ZENITH
Blessed by the light, and working alongside the sun, those chosen seek to rid the world of the evils that continue to plague it. Sometimes they are considered a personification of hope, and as such, those chosen by the god are often those who do not shy away when faced with danger, but continue to stand strong, no matter their own fear. Sometimes they are religious figures, sometimes they are activists, but more often than not, they make themselves known, and speak for voices that are usually left unheard.
The dedicated followers of light are able to illuminate the darkness in times of need; they will never truly be alone in the darkness of this world. Those blessed by the light are expected to light up more than just the darkness. They are tasked with banishing evil from this world, and standing up for hope and goodness. They must live up to their role, as beacons of hope, even if it means using light as a weapon of harm. But more than anything, they use light to guide people through the darkness of humanity.
Deity of the Moon
Embodiment of Dreams, Sleep and Subconsciousness
THE TWILIGHT WAYFARER
Aliases: Kuulu, Luna, Khonsu, Hypnos, Chandra, Ira, Inyanga, Mani, Jie Lin, Soma, Breksta, MÄ—nuo, Chang'e
The cycle of the circadian would not be complete without the great rest of the night. The Moon represents this cycle of rest, recovery and reflection, before returning to the world revived. Interrupting this rhythm is to neglect the cyclic nature of the world; to neglect the need for repose. They are part of the cycle, the perceptive yet relaxed mirror of the sun. They prefer the unconscious abstractions of the human mind to the conscious reality. Their verbose self can make conversations quite confusing and their curiosity knows no bounds. They speak in whispers and questions, spinning mysteries into minds. Despite all of these, the Moon knows the great depths of humanity, and though they are an onlooker, they see the truest form of people’s personality. They can be quite timid at times, being one to hold their pains on their own and ending up hurting and in tears because of it. For one that hopes to rid others of their nightmares, they are one that cannot rid of their own.
The moon blessed are called upon to relieve the woes of humans, much like the psychological gods are. They are known to be understanding, knowing even the deepest of fears, and drawing out secrets some expected to hide their entire lives. They make good healthcare workers, but more interesting are those who work in criminal justice, using their ability to see into the hearts and minds of humans to unravel the webs of lies created by culprits. They create connections with even the most isolated.
Prayers to the Moon will oft reward the faithful with a good night's sleep. Their devotees deserve at least the occasional reprieve from their enigmatic creations. The blessed, however are freed from the trouble of ever needing to worry about their sleep. They may choose to sleep as much or as little as they’d like without growing tired. Such is the benefit of aligning yourself with the Moon. They also walk in the realm of dreams, as a guardian sent to heal the emotional wounds of humanity as they sleep soundly. A lonely battle, that is fought without any thanks, or understanding of the great burden it is to step into the darkest recesses of the human mind.
Deity of Starlight
Aliases: Pem, Itzpapalotl, Astraeus, Asteria, Ausrine, Ira, Sopdet, Auskelis, Tzitzimitl, Žvaigždės, Vakarė
Embodiment of Stars, Storytelling and History
The STELLAR WEAVER
The history of humanity has been written across the cosmos. As the world grew, and stories were weaved into the fabric of reality, the universe expanded and filled with stars. Stars were drawn into constellations, and the sky became a world of its own. The weaver has always been inspired by the reckless hope of humanity; their endless eagerness to reach for the stars. Wisdom comes from struggle, and by leaving the mystery open for them to reveal unto themselves, they continue to push humanity into seeking out their own destiny. Of course, it’s not always so serious, and ultimately, Starlight is a storyteller, calling to the world to solve their riddles, and nagging the gods with their endless ideas.
The power of the stars is difficult to reach, and not all those blessed by the stars can reach them. The god does not tell them how, but rather lets them figure it out for themselves. And those that do, form connections with the souls of the stars. They themselves are often storytellers and artists, people with a great appreciation for the beauty of the universe. Thought to be a little strange, as you'd expect of those who talk to stars, they can often become isolated the deeper they delve into the ether, but for each friend they lose on earth, they gain above.
Those who seek the wisdom of the stars are granted the knowledge of the stories they tell and the wisdom contained within them. The blessing of the stars brings those stories to life, with a great power that demonstrates the beauty of the ethereum. Of course, the power of the stars is only as strong as he who wields it, but the stars happily lend their power if they are asked nicely (or so it is said). To summon the constellations is to call upon your friends and each have a purpose to serve.
Deity of the Night
Aliases: Sunai, Nox, Ratri, Nyx, Achlys, Scotus, Erebus, Nut, Araphel, Nótt
Embodiment of Darkness, Despair and Edge
THE TENEBROUS SHROUD
Where there is light, darkness must always follow. Quiet and cool, settling over the earth like a blanket. The calm is welcome, but within it lurks dangers that seek to harm the weak and defenseless. The expansive darkness has always been a mystery so frightful it was believed to be evil, but to characterize the burning rays of light as good, and the overwhelming embrace of shadows as evil is foolish. It is only in the darkness that light may shine, and it is only through the darkness that humanity may prove its worthiness to the gods. Sometimes those who love you most must expose you to the harsh reality of the world, because they may not always be able to protect you.
The dark blessed carry the same cool aura as the night deity. They maintain their humanity, but something in them slowly disappears. They call it a mercy, for if they didn't detach from the 'light' everybody so craves, they wouldn't have it in them to fulfill the work expected of them. They are the executor. The assassin. The spy. They work in the shadows, ensuring the job is completed by those who walk in the light. Very rarely do they take pride in such work, but they understand their role.
Those who succumb to darkness find themselves stronger in the shadows, and even stronger yet on the moonless nights. Those chosen by the Night will never be truly powerless, not even in the day. Every shadow is within their control, and every shadow is a possible weapon. But the night will always be their home. Some become the very monsters people fear the dark holds, and others fight off the monsters that seek to veil themselves in Night’s hallowed darkness.
