Celestials are a noble and powerful race that mostly inhabits other worlds, appearing on Qurand only exceptionally. Occasionally, one may encounter a Celestial in Sairis, Xalgon, or other centers of magic where portals to other dimensions exist. It is also said that Celestials maintain several hidden bases on Qurand, mostly in remote areas far from civilization, from which they observe the state of the world. Celestials are a technologically and magically highly advanced race, having successfully achieved a synthesis of mechania and animagic. Their creations belong to the category of artigy, where technology is indistinguishable from magic. Part of their artigic development includes the modification of their own physical and mental faculties; however, the Celestials performed this with a sense of balance and slow maturation. They did not turn themselves into cyborgs stitched together from organic and technological parts; instead, they gradually refined their own evolutionary path, carefully integrating artigic elements into their bodies and minds until they became part of their hereditary makeup.
In appearance, Celestials are humanoid beings, about a head taller than the average human, with somewhat gaunt bodies, long limbs, and narrow skulls. They always possess four upper appendages—either four arms or a pair of arms and a pair of wings. Their skin is dark turquoise, while their hair, teeth, nails, and irises are a shimmering silver. If they possess wings, these are covered in silver feathers. Their hair is not like human hair but consists of very thin, long, soft, and free-falling silver plumes. They are so pliable that they can be easily tied or braided into a plait.
Their skin bears a natural pattern of lines and shapes in light blue, corresponding to the flow of energy meridians in their bodies. These meridians form a sort of dynamic loom for the instantaneous creation of a magical “suit-construct” whenever needed—be it armor for combat or attire for protection against cosmic cold or stellar heat—which can then be dissolved back into the meridians. They can still consume normal food, but they do so mostly out of habit as part of ancient traditions; the energy gained from food would be entirely insufficient for many of their activities. Their primary energy source is sunlight, which they capture with invisible artigic constructs in their aura and store in cells within their bones, in the space where other races have marrow. Thanks to this, they can undergo fasts of any length and do not even need to breathe. Using mana ley lines, they can ascend as high as they wish into the atmosphere and even beyond its borders, where some of their Qurand-based settlements are reportedly located.
Celestials are divided into a vast number of subspecies. More accurately, every Celestial is something of an original, as they modify their bodies throughout their lives according to their needs (though options are not entirely arbitrary, as they must conform to the requirements of artigic harmony). For the same reason, it is difficult to speak with certainty about the number of genders, as Celestials long ago decoupled social roles from reproductive functions, and most of their children are born through various artigically-adapted methods. Nevertheless, there are some typical configurations found among certain groups of Celestials, which are viewed as distinct “nations”:
- Angui: In addition to the characteristics described above, these Celestials have forearms, calves, and the upper back covered in silver scales, and they possess four arms.
- Aquila: These Celestials have most of their bodies covered in silver feathers; they have only two arms but possess a pair of wings on their backs.
- Dragon Princes: Very powerful Celestials with four arms and a peculiar light-wreath of six wings, formed entirely of telekinetic will intertwined with artigic constructs. Dragon Princes are known for their ability to travel freely and immensely fast through interstellar space.
