Celeste

**Celeste the Resolute Maiden**, known to the elves as **Selenae Moonbow**, is the Realms goddess of the moon, night, magic, inner strength, and discovery. To the elves she is a goddess of archery, but in most other religions, she received this domain in her marriage with Marlfax, and with her husband, she is the mother of the godlings Megaera, Artemis, and the Trickster. She is a patron of those seeking arcane secrets, explorers, elves, and one of Evarencia's moons. Many half-elves see her as a patron.

Although she is primarily connected to the angels of arcadia, Celeste is closely affiliated with Fey creatures with some paying worship to her. Her rivals include Lycus and the Moonlit King who both are always vying for control of the moons. She is the patron of the Mages of the Blue Moon as well as the Resolute Valkyries.

## Celeste

### Titles & names

* Celeste Marlbow
* The Resolute Maiden
* Selenae Moonbow

### Symbols

* A luminous light blue crescent moon
* A crescent moon used as a bow

### Ascended Followers

* Angels
* Sel'Adrin

## Worship

### Associated domains

* Archery
* Discovery
* Inner Strength
* The Moon
* Night
* Willpower

### Relics

* Crescent
* Moonlit Sword

## Description

### Appearance

The Resolute Maiden is an interesting deity that takes on a wide variety of profiles which causes the depictions of the goddess to vary between cultures. The elves give her the form of Selenae Moonbow, a beautiful and fierce archer huntress who hunts by the moonlight. Mages give her a more stoic appearance, but what is common in her depictions include luminous, blue angelic wings and the lack of a smile in her depictions. Her halo, unlike the gods of heaven, is not a complete circle, resembling more so an omega glyph. In appearance, her daughter Artemis is said to have resemble her the most, meaning she likely has stygian blue hair and ethereal eyes. As a native of the Splendorous Fey-Night, Celeste is believed to have many features that make her appear fey-like with a dress that appears to be similar in material to the wings of a Luna moth. She is always accompanied a pair of huntsparrows or goodfellow robins, her mood depending. Her bow, Crescent, is never far from her.

## Worship

Celeste is worshipped by a wide variety of peoples spanning many different cultures. To many folk, she is Celeste, the Resolute Maiden. To most elves, she is known as Selenae Moonbow, and is a member of their pantheon, the Sel'Adrin. Mages often have a great respect for the goddess considering she is seen to command the arcane moon. She is a major part of the Selusian pantheon, with her marriage to Marlfax being something of a parallels to their cultural founding.

One of Evarencia's moons bears her name. The blue moon of the arcane is known as Selenae to many throughout the realm. The name Celeste is commonly given to children by parents, as seen by Fenris' childhood friend and former lover who bore the goddess' name.

### Symbols

A blue, crescent moon is often utilized as a symbol for Celeste and it is often given a string and arrow to make it her bow, Crescent. The luna moth is also seen as a symbol of hers as well.

### Temples

With the worshippers of the Resolute Maiden being from diverse sets of cultures, temples and places of worship devoted to Celeste may vary wildly. She is often paid homage to in elven temples as Selenae. Other temples constructed to her resemble more traditional religious structures while there are even groves devoted to her.

#### Notable Temples

* Resolute Cathedral located in Shiverdelve

### Notable Cultures

* Selusians
* Resolute Valkyries
* Traditional Elven Culture

## History

### Background

Selenae Moonbow was born the daughter of Selladine, the queen of the elven gods and her ex-husband, Malikath the Betrayer. Due to this connection to the betrayer, Selenae was often viewed with disdain by her fellow Sel'Adrin, and after Malikath's attempt at revolt and carnage was stopped, Lady Moonbow set out into the Splendorous Fey-night of Arcadia from Selle Esteen on a journey of guidance and self-discovery. It is believed that Selenae guided the exiled to elves through the Feywild to Evarencia to settle as their home and made sure they did not lose their innate abilities with the arcane arts. It is during this time that Selenae came know the god of the hunt, Marlfax, and the two became married. When she joined with the other Realms gods, she took on another name in addition to her Sylvan name; Celeste, a name from the draconic tongue referring to the magic of the heavens. With these other gods, she found acceptance for who she was and all of her being, and so, she chose not to return to Selle Esteen until all her people were accepted back into the heavenly garden.

With Marlfax, she had three children. Megaera, First of the Furies, who was married to Azrael; Artemis, the Huntress; and the Trickster, whose avatar is believed to have been Marten the Pilferer. Although those who worship Celeste would claims he does not have a favorite child, many theologians would argue she has a preference for Megaera. She is also for having a close relationship with the Lady of the Lake, Gwynlia.

During the Sunless Era, at the Battle of New Dawn, Celeste's avatar, the Resolute Maiden is said to have manifested wielding her husband's bow, Godkiller. Wielding the Qilan stag-horn bow, she slayed the dreadlord Al-Sedexus, the Arch-Vile. Lycus, the Moon Fury escaped her and continues to attempt to take her powers from her moon. The Moonlit King surely also has been an enemy of the Resolute Maiden, given his manipulations of her daughter. As a member of multiple pantheons, Celeste has many great responsibilities and loyalties across many different lines.

## Relics

* Crescent
* Moonlight Sword

## Trivia

* One of Evarencia's moons is named after Celeste's sylvan name, Selenae.
* Celeste is used as a name in the setting as it is also used as a name by many cultures. It's in setting meaning is similar to the meaning of the word in the real world.
* Celeste and Selenae were not always meant to be the same god, but creator MrPuddins decided it would be interesting if different cultures believed these gods were the same entity. They enjoyed the idea so much so he made it canon.
* The title of 'Resolute Maiden' came from another campaign setting Mr. Puddins was working on that reused the goddess' name. He liked the title so much, he brought it to Evarencia's lore.