BLOG Series #2: Meet the Celestial Family
In the first blog, I introduced a few of the Celestials without explaining much about who or what they are. So, without further ado, let’s dive into a bit of Midar’s magical history:
Before there was Midar, there was Voice—a being far beyond our world. From its chorus, it created the five divine beings known as the Celestials. Each of these five were charged with shaping a part of the world and, in turn, the five Celestials exerted Voice’s will upon Midar, making the intangible story-song of Voice a physical reality. They are not only architects but gods.
Each Celestial commands a domain born of Voice’s dual nature—Mother and Father, light and dark, creation and destruction. From these opposing forces came the five children: Sovereign, Moon, Sun, Star, and Void. Their influence is recorded in history books, whether it was their presence in the first ages of man and magic or their silence in the most recent age.
Below is a closer look at each of the five Celestial children and the “Circles” they represent (i.e. the domains they rule and the powers they wield).
Voice – The Celestial Creator
Voice is not one, but many. It is the chorus of the beginning and the herald of the end. Known as both Mother and Father, Voice is the guide of creation through its song and its silence. When the two halves speak as one, they shape reality. It is everything and nothing. It is what all are born from and what all shall return to.
Sovereign – The White Circle
Also known as the Messenger, the Observer, and the Shapeshifter, Sovereign is recognized as the eldest of the Celestials. Unlike the rest of his “siblings”, he is not born from Mother or Father but represents both aspects of them. He is the leader of the Celestials and interpreter of Voice’s will, thus taking his place in the very center of Midar. There, he watches from his Ivory Tower. Sovereign was meant to keep the balance, but struggles between keeping order and causing chaos. Humanity is his creation, and it is through Sovereign’s nature that their free will later gives them the ability to attune to any Circle of the Celestials.
Moon – The Sapphire Circle
Fierce and untamed, Moon is known as the Warrior, the Current, and the Caretaker. She sits in the north, ruling by the influence of Mother. She is the heart of nature’s fury. From the unruly tide of her oceans to the gnarled roots of her forests, the other Celestials fear Moon’s resolve, yet depend upon her strength to nurture and protect all life. Her children are the Florafolk—a gentle people who come in the many shapes and sizes of various flora found in Midar, and the Waji—a resilient population of fish people who dwell in and defend various bodies of water.
Domain: Water and Nature
Sun – The Copper Circle
The ever-radiant Sun sits in the vast desert of eastern Midar and embodies Father’s astute will. He is also known as the Alchemist, the Scholar, and the Bulwark. Sun is the mind and hand that forge the grand designs of Voice. Sun wields the strength of mountains and the passion of a perpetual flame; He is the light that shines over Midar, and through him, all knowledge and invention thrive. He is credited with creating alchemy, the science of potion-making and healing. His children are the Hum-Roks—a people who mostly dwell in the underground and are made of metal and earth, and the Celks—an ancient family of deer-like creatures that house a crucible between their antlers (they are also the smartest of all living creatures).
Domain: Earth and Fire
Star – The Amethyst Circle
As the Seer of the Celestial family, Star is known as the Guide, the Storm, and the Visionary. Her light glimmers more faintly next to her siblings, yet her visions allow her to look beyond the veil of time to predict the good or portend the grim. With Mother as her lead, Star is the weaver of the sky and the conduit of the storm. Sadly, Star is also the most overlooked of her siblings and often disregarded for her achievements. She is the most attuned to the spirit of all living things and often helps guide them to the land beyond life when their time is near. Unlike the soul (see Void), the spirit is a force more closely represented by one’s will and determination. It is the devotion of one’s spirit that would lead one to Star, where she sits in the south of Midar. Her children are the Hagrended—people meant to replicate humanity but twisted by the unruly storm, and a Wyrdwing—a single, large blackbird that serves to guide souls into the afterlife and is capable of looking through time.
Domain: Air and Energy
Void – The Gold Circle
The shadow of all things, Void is both a mystery and a foundation. Born of Father, he is what remains when the light fades. He is the limitless darkness between the stars, the sun, and the moon, and the dealer of death and dreams. Where Star is connected to the spirit, Void is connected to one’s soul—the very blood and life-force of all living beings. Unlike his siblings, Void has no children. Sovereign interrupted Void’s descent to Midar, and thus, his will was never carried out in the west where he belonged. Despite this, Sovereign still wielded his power over death and shadows to mold Midar to his ideal rather than the natural state. Thus, the land of the afterlife beyond Midar—the Phantom Plane—was used to experiment on the dead, warping the paradise into a realm of monsters and demons. Sovereign referred to Void as the Harbinger, the Shadow, and Celestial Death to instill fear into any who questioned why he acted how he did. Thus, Void was kept within Sovereign and his prison (a great sword) for ages until one dared to defy him. Still, the temperate land of the west remained a shadow of what it should be and has long been considered cursed, scarred, and haunted by some unseen beast. Until the Last Celestial returns, these lands will remain a reminder of Sovereign’s betrayal.
Domain: Blood, Shadows, Dreams, and Death
Coming Soon…
That’s all on the Celestials for now, but their story is far from over. So stay tuned, as later this week I’ll be diving deeper into the Artificers and the Circles they serve. In the following months, you can also expect more blogs unpacking the history, lore, and magic of my world! In addition, I will also use the blogs to give updates on my editing process. (Briefest of updates: The Last Celestial is now sitting right under 200,000 words compared to last week’s 202,556 words!) As always, the road ahead is long, but I am so excited to share anything and everything about it—from the world surrounding the story to tidbits of the story itself. If you have any questions, I would love to start answering them! Feel free to comment below, on my Instagram, or on my TikTok, where I’ll be posting some videos in the coming weeks.
And, as I am working on editing the draft of my novel, The Last Celestial, I will provide updates and sneak peeks into the story
