Caeli

Three Caeli, of varying Affinities.

**Stargazing theologians and artists who seek to bring order to the madness.**

A dualistic people, separated by night and day, the Caeli are also divided by faith, favoring the ancient wisdom of the many sects of the Ascensionist faith, or the knowledge of the Grand Design put forth by ancestors known to many Caeli who still live. The old ways teach of the grand plan and how the future could be divined from the stars, but the old ways have failed, and Imeris has burnt. Now the Caeli must make sense of the new world they live in, and what comes next cannot be determined.

## **Features**

### **Celestial Affinity**

Each Caeli is born with a specific, non-inheritable 'Affinity', which attunes them to the sun or the moon. This Affinity expresses itself in their skin complexion and activity cycles. Caeli skin pigmentation ranges from dark brown to pale blue or white with markings appearing all over the body, which are usually symmetrical and associated with affinities.

* **Solar Affinity:** Solar Caeli have the activity cycle that matches with most of the Entente, seeing most activity while the sun is overhead. Solar Caeli usually prefer the direct route to problem-solving. Like all Caeli, they enjoy patterns and planning, but their plans are often more straightforward than others', focusing on perfecting a single route rather than plotting around every possibility. They take on warm colours. Their skins are browns, bronzes and reds, whilst their markings range from gold to red to white.

* **Lunar Affinity:** Lunar Caeli are nocturnal, being most active during the night. Due to this Caeli civilization is often said to never sleep, as at least half of their people are awake at all times. Instead of prioritising the path in which they excel, Lunar Caeli are typically more adaptable, planning around eventualities which may or may not actually come to pass. Their bodies take on shades of grey and or cold colours. Their skins are blue, purple, pale or grey, with their markings ranging from silver to black.

### **Grasp Beyond Their Reach**

Caeli are inquisitive by nature with an inherent drive to investigation and experimentation. Caeli are among the foremost scholars and tacticians of the Entente and even the most disinterested Caeli poke and prod into new projects and progress. These lofty aspirations often lead them to view other people of the Entente as pedestrian.

### **Masters of Etiquette**

The cyclical nature of Caeli biology has made their society highly formal with emphasis on courtesy and punctuality. Caeli often act bitter and distant if these expectations are not met. There are certain schools of Caeli who believe that those must follow the etiquette of the host, but others who stick to a strict code of Caeli ideologies.

The Caeli practice dueling among themselves as a way to settle disputes, although because of their affinities, many duels break down into arguments over the time they should take place. When a duel is ordered, those challenged may decline, but it is often a sign of disrespect and a breach of etiquette. Once terms are accepted and the circumstances are in order, the victor is shown to be the winner of the dispute and it is bad form to suggest otherwise.

## **Culture**

### **Naming Conventions**

Caeli typically have a combination of Gaelic and Arabic names, with their given name being a part of their longer True Names. All Caeli have a True Name, which describes the state of the stars/planets/etc at the time of their birth alongside family names and given names. Most true names are longer than to be used in traditional conversation, and thus a given name is used

**Example male given names:** Calisto, Gracio, Jaad, Mundhir

**Example female given names:** Zulima, Armida, Hissa, Nadeera

### **Holidays**

Four main holidays are observed within Caeli society, based on the movement of various celestial bodies;

* **The Solar Apogee**, taking place on the Summer solstice to celebrate the peak of the Solar Affinity. Celebrated with bonfires and roasted meat in large groups.
* **The Lunar Perigee**, taking place on the full moon nearest to the Winter solstice, it celebrates the peak of Lunar Affinity. A time of introspections, celebrating the relationships closest to you via the exchange of gifts.
* **The Conclave**, a twice-yearly festival, occurring on the Vernal and Autumnal equinoxs. It is the only day of the year where the Caeli Affinities experience a peak. The Vernal equinox, or the 'Zenith', sees the Caeli experience a near 24-hour period of peak Affinity, celebrated with food and drink. The Autumnal equinox, or 'Nadir', sees the opposite, with minimal activity, leading to a day of rest.

### **Astrology**

Due to their Affinities, Caeli place a huge amount of respect and veneration to the celestial bodies. The methods of **Caeli Astrology** are observed by members of the race, regardless of religion.

### **Elders**

Caeli live forever, but as they age they begin to become less self-dependent and care little for things around them. Old Caeli are truly wise and the knowledge they can pass down has helped the species advance as a whole. Truly ancient Caeli are more like prophets, giving words that none may understand until it is too late. It was common for Caeli to visit catatonic elders just so they could air their grievances to someone without the expectation of judgement.

With the fleeing of Imeris, the Caeli had to leave many of their elders behind, resulting in a massive cultural loss to the race.

### **Religion**

The Caeli have two main religions within their society; **Akarism** and **Ascensionism**.

### **Punctuality**

A high value is attached to punctuality in Caeli cultures. With their opposing sleep schedules, meetings of any kind can be very difficult to arrange. It is for this reason a lot of value is put in the hours of dawn and dusk, because for some it is the only time they can meet without being tired.

## **History**

* **??? BA**, the Caeli move from the savannahs of Faisah to the more fertile lands of Penhira. They begin to record their history. The most ancient myths and beliefs are recorded as well, including the philosophy of the Skysage Ghan, which will serve as the root of **Ascensionism**.
* **??? BA**, Caeli city states form on the isles of Belgethor and the edges of Penhira, while larger realms are forged deeper inland.
* **??? BA**, Araen the Westerwind unites these Caeli city states into a **Kingdom**. He calls for a Council in Akar to agree to a central faith, leading to the creation of **Akarism**. The fledgling kingdom starts its conquests in Ascensionist realms.
* **~1200 BA**, the Battle of Oldary Rock and the forming of the **Imeris Entente**.
* **??? BA**, due to Araen's old age, he becomes unable to rule. After losing one last war, he is removed from public life by the bureaucracy he created. The Araenic Kingdom becomes a much more decentralized nation, ruled by regents. This war also concludes the age in which Ascensionists and Akarists fought over territory as the Ascensionist League joins the Entente.
* **??? BA**, rumors arise that Araen the Ancient passed away. These rumors get wilder and wilder, from him passing away in his sleep to him ascending beyond this mortal coil. None of these rumors are ever verified, however, because both his handlers and regents insists that Araen should only only interact with his caretakers in the Spire of Akar, for his own sake.
* **200 BA**, following a bad harvest an insurection starts in the provinces surrounding Akar. At first the rebellion gains much ground and remains focused on dealing with supposed corruption in the Araenic Kingdom and Council of Akar. These claims of corruption aren't incorrect, but it loses legitimacy when its charismatic leader, Siorus, claims to be the reincarnation of Araen.
* **100 BA**, the Araenic Kingdom has another civil war, as it does about once a century.
* **80 BA**, the Humans disappear and all trade with them ends, resulting in an age marked by poverty for previously prosperous lands.
* **0 BA**, the Cataclysm occurs. There are many other names for the Disaster, such as the Geronticide indicating the way it ended the lives of many Caeli elders. The races flee the mainland. The Council of Akar is wiped out.

## **Physiology**

### **Ages**

Whilst Caeli physically mature by age 30, society considers them adults at ages 50-100. The Caeli do not continue aging past this maturity and have no known maximum lifespan, only dying to injury or acute illness.

The physiological effects of ageing on Caeli are limited to fat loss and deepening skin tones, however a complex variety of psychological changes will take them, as a result of their many lifetime experiences.

Into their second century they will slowly become detached from material needs and emotions, with the oldest Caeli completely unaware of everything around them. This 'enlightenment' takes many forms, such as violent madness, catatonia or utterly alien behaviours.

### **Appearance**

Caeli stand around 2 meters tall with thinner builds but their complexion is based on affinity:

**Solar Affinity:**Solar Caeli take on warm colours. Their skins are browns, bronzes and reds, whilst their markings range from gold to red to white.

**Lunar Affinity:**Lunar Caeli take on shades of grey and or cold colours. Their skins are blue, purple, pale or grey, with their markings ranging from silver to black.

Caeli exhibit unique symmetrical markings that appear on the body which gradually change as they age; Caeli consider the symmetry of these markings to be a conventional mark of beauty. Their eye color of a Caeli is unpredictable, varying just as much as the color as their skin markings, hair, and skin color. Their hair has a wide range of colors. These usually are the same as or similar to their bodily markings, such as white, red, and brown.

## **In Game Appearance**

### **MPM Sliders**

In MPM, the following range of sizes can be expected, with a variation of 10-15% either side;

```
Head: 90/90/90
Body: 90/120/90
Arm: 90/120/90
Leg: 90/120/90

```