Aerys

Aerys is the neutral-good light deity of Celestia. They are often represented by the domains of light and life, although other aspects of them can be tied to knowledge and war. Aerys is the creator and source of the Light of Celestia, intricately bound to it and unable to entirely leave the plane, although they can still appear in visions, splinter-forms, and dreams. The Light of Celestia, and the Light of Aerys are used interchangeably, and is often abbreviated to just The Light.

### Origins

The definite origin of Aerys and Celestia is unknown, the deity having shared no details and nothing willing to speak still alive from that time. However, bedtime stories and legends passed down from generations perhaps hold some inkling of the truth.

*Long ago when time was new, there was a star that sparkled in the sky above the material plane. The star watched the mortals below them, watched them trudge through the daily routines of their lives over and over again until finally their bodies gave up and they died. The star pitied the people below them, for, their lives were so short and even after struggling through every hard moment, at the end there was nothing for them but either endless nothingness or endless pain in the newly-born lower-planes. There were other afterlife planes, of course, but they were ruled by deities that demand a sacrifice or allegiance from the mortals to enter their protected gates.*

*The more the star watched, the more depressed they became as they watched someone grow from a crying baby, to bright child, to a strong adult, to a wise elder, and then…nothing. The mortals deserved a place to rest after they’d made it through the challenge that was their lives. But no such place existed that was accessible to all who deserved rest.*

*The star, after centuries of watching this, finally decided that if no one else was going to make a place, they would. And, the star set off, vanishing from the night sky. Where exactly the star traveled, no one knew. Some say the star went to the sun and moon, asking for a piece of the sun’s brilliance and part of the land of the moon. Others say that the star traveled beyond the very existence of the planes, past where time and space had not yet been invented to find a place. A few whisper that the star travelled down to the lower planes and either tricked or bartered with the new darkness that grew there for the power to create space itself.*

*Whatever the star did and wherever the star went, they obtained the power to create such a place, a sanctuary for the souls of mortals that had no other place to go. A place for them to finally rest after so many years of living.*

*But in order to make such a place, the star had to give up a piece of themself. They had to fully bind themself to this new place, new plane. They had to give up their own light to create it. And thus Celestia was born out of the sacrifice of a star, a star that gave everything they had and everything they were to simply give mortals a place to rest.*

*The starry skies of Celestia are where these mortals’ souls rest, each having their own special star in the heavens. These stars are visible even during the day, although the sun outshines them all. Many say that the sun is the representation, the star if you will, of that first star’s death, their sacrifice.*

 *When the star disappeared to find a place, the mortals took notice and named the disappearing star Aerys, or, “Evanesced One”  in the ancient common tongue. The star has been known by this name ever since.*

*Even to this day, while other deities can wander the planes in mortal form as they wish, Aerys is unable to do so. They can send out their influences, omens, dreams, and visions, but are unable to take solid shape outside of Celestia's influence. They are the Light of Celestia and the Light of Celestia is them.*

### Appearance

Aerys’ full appearance is an average-sized androgynous humanoid who is entirely made of light. Their features are not solidly defined, although they normally appear with long, swirling hair, and gently shifting robes. However, their appearance varies depending on how far away from Celestia they are. Typically, in Celestia, their form is that of an adult, but even at the edges of the Celestial Plane, their form appears younger. Aerys cannot appear in any sort of humanoid form on other planes except in places of worship or to beings who carry the Light of Celestia within themselves, like Celestial Aasimar, and even when they do, their form is childlike. The weaker the connection to Celestia, the more childlike they appear. On the flip side, the stronger the connection to Celestia, the older they appear. Outside of these places of worship or connections with the Light of Celestia, Aerys can at the very most appear as a ball of light, but normally can't take shape at all, barely able to communicate through omens, let alone words.