Celestial Spirits

During the early wars between the Negerai Prime and the nine warriors, a substantial number of nature spirits from Negaria fled to a smaller continent located to the southwest called Khanjar Kuro. On this new-found promised-land, many remnants of Avlis from before the time of the gods still exist to this day. As society and politics on Negaria evolved through the ages, so too did events on Khanjar Kuro, and because of the relative isolation of this smaller land, different methods of worship and religion evolved

Celestial Spirits are a unique breed of god-like beings on the southern continent. For the most part, their origins are similar to heroes and immortals: a spirit becomes venerated by local inhabitants and gains insight and ability from that adoration. However, because these spirits are an integral part of nature to begin with, the manifestations of their immortality differ from those of conventional races achieving this status. The innate abilities of the spirit are increased and multiplied, and often their forms become more beautiful and naturally harmonistic. Those without deep knowledge of Avlissian spirits would go so far as to classify the newly arisen celestial as a completely different spirit breed.

Nearly all inhabitants of Khanjar Kuro worship the Celestial Spirits. There are too many of them to list, and each one is characterized by a unique personality, philosophy, and area of influence. Everyone who knows about Celestial Spirits recognizes that there are many different levels of divinity that they may possess. Smaller spirits tend to rule over specific areas, like a grove or rock formation, while larger spirits may cover an entire region, or even an aspect of nature, like poison or the bearing of fruit. In many cases, these larger spirits specialize in one of the four elements: earth, air, fire, or water in addition to their areas of control.

The largest of the Celestial Spirits form a special group called the Celestial Council. This organization acts as the focal point of worship on Khanjar Kuro. In effect, the members of this council manage answering the prayers and guarding affairs of the continent while they strive to keep the area isolated and safe from anything that would upset the status quo. Beyond that, they deal with the internal matters of the domains of Khanjar Kuro and have been known at times to involve themselves with both petty affairs and pivotal events. There is no limit to the number of members on the council, and there have been times when they have numbered in the tens, or as little as eight. As new Celestial Spirits are formed, they take their places on the council, and as Celestial Spirits on the council meet their demise, they are either replaced or their vacancy is compensated somehow. The majority of these council members take the form of celestial dragons during their ascension.