Lawful Good

The Celestial Host of the Alabaster Isles

Origin

When The Sentinel descended to Primordias, it punched up through the planet's crust, exploding upward and pulling great sub continent sized chunks of white bedrock into the sky. There they remain, hung where Celestia, the plane of eternal sky, bleeds through. Impacted within the sky itself, The Sentinel looks down on the Alabaster Isles from a point above the sky vortex that acts as the portal to Celestia. Through the portal lies Grand Zion, a magnificent crown hung in an endless sky.

It is from Grand Zion that The Sentinel's first born, the empyreans, rule its realm. Twelve make up the Empyrean Council while the thirteenth sits the throne of the Alabaster Citadel in the Zion of Primordias. The sitting empyrean enforces the laws of the council and the will of The Sentinel through its generals, the solar, first amongst the choirs of angels. The solars lead the celestial armies and rule the celestial cities. They carry out the will of the empyreans to the far corners of the Alabaster Isles.

Planatars make up the next level of the celestial hierarchy and act as lieutenants to the solars, going where they cannot. They are leaders of battle and lords of the Isles, responsible for the well being of their citizens. Devas are the lowest choir of angels and last of the celestial ancients. They are knights and protectors, carrying out the will of higher choirs without question or hesitation.

Domain

The Alabaster Isles float off the eastern coast of Sanctus. They are a swarm of large islands surrounded and separated by smaller mountains of stone. The Sentinel has warped the Isles into a lush paradise, gentle streams spring from the rock and wind their way through mossy hills and golden fields before falling from the cliffs. White stone breaks through the landscape in great spars that jut into the sky.

The pastoral fields and hills are dotted with rural communities of halflings that prefer serenity to the activity of the cities. The landscape is split and divided by fissures and canyons that fall away to the ocean far below. Perched on the edges and floating above the divides, cities of graceful structures shine in the sun, their white stone streaked by translucent veins of crystal.

The great city of Zion hangs far above the largest isle, draped in a blanket of tower encrusted islets and crystal streaked boulders. It spirals its way into the sky, straining to reach the point where The Sentinel is trapped. The tallest tower is the Alabaster Citadel, floating just below the sky vortex. The surrounding skies are busy with halfling airships and winged Celestials.

Society

The society of the Celestial Host is based on a rigid hierarchy and arranged in a feudal fashion. Every individual knows their place and there is no room for change or choice. The lowest caste belongs to the halflings, mortals, yet imbued with the essence of The Sentinel. Halflings have developed all manner of flying apparatuses to serve them in a society that floats in the sky. The majority charter passage on dirigibles and airships, while a daring few pilot personal flying machines. The most powerful among the halflings ride pegasi. The halfling sky cavalry are some of the most deadly warriors in the world.

Halflings live lives of comfort, virtue, and discipline. They seek simple pleasures and appreciate all manner of creative expression. Though some are known to overindulge, as a rule, halflings seek moderation in all things and balance leisure with a strong work ethic and sense of duty. As the farthest reaching extension of The Sentinel they are expected to serve the military for seven years of their youth. "Every citizen a soldier," creates a unique society that pairs duty with liberty in tenuous balance. This makes for a culture that can be too rigid for some.

Those of the angelic choirs fulfil their duty without question, leaving little understanding for mortal shortcomings in the Celestial Host. Some halflings, especially in their youth, rebel against the strict laws of their society. This sends them out into the world as exiles, forced to make their way as merchants, mercenaries, or beggars. Some return home with time, facing the ritual of redemption, while others live out their lives elsewhere.

Paths

Templar

Cleric (Light Domain)

The Templars are based in the capital city of Zion. Their temple is surpassed only by the Alabaster Citadel in height and proximity to The Sentinel. The temple scours the isles for gifted children, testing them for The Glow, an uncanny connection to The Sentinel that manifests as milky white eyes that glow with a pearlescent sheen. Parents sometimes hide The Glow, going into exile to keep their children from being chosen. Those collected are taken to Zion, to begin their lifelong training in the Temple of Light.

Templars learn to channel the pure radiant light of The Sentinel. The more they are exposed to the its light, the more it blinds them. At the very highest ranks of the temple, the Templars are entirely blind, though by this point they no longer need eyes to see. All before them is illuminated by the light of The Sentinel.

Watcher

Fighter (Eldritch Knight)

The Watchers are soldiers and officers of the Celestial Host. They are trained in Benefor, the largest city outside the capital, at the oldest military academy in the Alabaster Isles. Students are taught far more than combat and tactics here. They are taught to perceive the world to such a degree that they begin to see The Weave, the magical fabric that underlays everything.

Watchers are taught to manipulate The Weave with battle katas and meditation. They are taught to see truth, in all things. Those that make it to graduation are given their choice of deployments and are highly sought after. Combining martial prowess, tactical genius, keen perception, and battle magic, these warriors make inspired leaders of battle.

Seraphim

Paladin (Oath of Devotion)

The Seraphim are devoted to The Sentinel. They seek to embody the ideals of law and good in all that they do. The Crystal Basilica sits at the very edge of the largest island, Zion rising above in an arcing spiral of white stone. Seraphim come to the basilica as petitioners. Those chosen leave all else behind, entering The Order with no name, possessions, or past. They are taught the laws of The Sentinel.

After 99 days petitioners are given a choice. They can leave, reclaiming their old names, or they can kneel before the throne of the Alabaster Citadel, to be judged by the sitting empyrean and given a new name. This is when their training begins. When they earn their armor as adepts it will be pearlescent white, embellished with winged patterns in pure crystal. When they become masters their armor will have wings that allow them to soar through the skies. By the time they become grand masters they won't need winged armor to fly.

Cherubim

Ranger (Beast Master)

The Cherubim live amongst the wilds of the Alabaster Isles. They are those that seek the peace and balance of nature. Solitary except for their bird companions, they roam the isles, wearing wingsuits and floatstone amulets. With their bows and crystal daggers they carve out a life of freedom, soaring on the air currents and hunting with their birds.

The savage aarakocra nest in the caverns that run through the Alabaster Isles, most of them living below the isles on the underside. The Cherubim contend with the aarakocra for hunting territory and often come into conflict with them. The life of the Cherubim is romanticized in rural communities because they often aid the farms against raiding aarakocra. Settlements raise militias to defend their homes but only the Cherubim are able to match the aarakocra's speed. The very greatest of Cherubim are able to face the mighty roc and it is this that has made them folk heroes.

Forsaken

Sorcerer (Wild Magic)

Halflings are mortal, and despite being imbued with the lawful good light of The Sentinel, some halflings turn from it. Halfling folklore whispers about the very worst of them. They call them Forsaken, halflings that commit a terrible act of betrayal by hunting down the rarest of all creatures that live on the isles, the coatl, and killing them in order to drink their blood.

It is said that if you drink the blood of the coatl, it will open your mind to the cosmos, the universe will pour into you and reveal the great cosmic truth. This truth will destroy you and elevate you, filling you with the power of entropy itself. By doing this, Forsaken sever their connection to The Sentinel. This is seen as the greatest sin a halfling can commit. Those Forsaken that learn to channel and control the wellspring of cosmic chaos no longer need a connection to a deity.

Wardsmith

Wizard (School of Abjuration)

The Wardsmiths see a different world illuminated by The Sentinel. The Weave is the magical fabric that underlays all of reality and those with the gift of weave sight become Wardsmiths, almost exclusively. They are not forced, but their journey to understand what they see in The Weave leads them to the same place, the Great Akashik Library. The library dominates the city of Akasha on one of the smaller of the Alabaster Isles.

Here, Wardsmiths find the knowledge they seek, and willing teachers in the form of the Akashik College of Weavecraft. Students of the college learn to read the patterns they see in The Weave and how to control them. The Weave is seen as the perfect expression of lawful goodness and the Wardsmiths become masters of preserving and cultivating its patterns, allowing them to deny those that would use The Weave to do evil.