Celestian (Greyhawk Action)
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| Greyhawk Action! |
A distant god of stars and the paths between them, Celestian is mostly worshiped by oerdian wizards, those who see magic as a tool and the pathways of the universe as magical conduits.
Celestian (seh-LES-tee-an) is a benign Oeridian god. The brother of Fharlanghn (his only close ally), he chose the distances of the stars and planes rather than Oerth. He appears as a middle-aged man of completely black coloration, always wearing his symbol: a piece of jewelry with a shining ruby, jacinth, topaz, emerald, sapphire, amethyst, and diamond. He has few ardent worshipers on Oerth, but counts among his following the many strange beings that live in and above the starry night.
The distant stars are an inspiration to travel, be encouraged to wander far from home, just as the stars do. The stars are eternal and are pleased to be a guide for both legs of a journey. The stars may reveal their secrets if you study them. Celestian and the stars are beacons on the final journey, leading the soul to its final reward.
The clerics are divided into seven orders, bearing no special titles other than the gem of their order; each order's holy symbol differs in which gem is placed at the center. These orders (and their area of focus) are ruby (inner planes), jacinth (travel), topaz (wards and protection), emerald (Oerth), sapphire (astrology, understanding), amethyst (outer planes), diamond (psychopomp, soul ward). Poorer clerics merely have a colored stone or piece of glass in place of the gemstone.
Most of Celestian's worshipers are scholars, astronomers, and planar explorers, with a few sailors. They search the world, sky, and planes for artifacts of the stars, fragments of meteorites, and lore relating to the stars, space, or the planes. Many of his clerics make a pilgrimage to a holy site in the Barrier Peaks.
In oerdian lands, Celestian has the the duty of psychopomp and guides the souls of the dead to their final destination. Celestian sees the soul as a flighty thing and the body as a mere garnment the body leaves upon death, his cult is not very concerned with graves, burial, or the undead.
Celestian is a favored deity of good-aligned members of evil nonhuman races; while their eyes are unable to tolerate daylight, they find acceptance and hope in the light of the stars
Alignment: N (NG)
Weapon: Shortspear
Pathfinder Domains
Knowledge, Magic, Repose (Psycopomp), Travel, Void.