The Celestials are lawful spirits that dwell in Celestial Heaven, a constituent of the Spirit Realm. They are also the creators of The Path of Honor, a moral code of behavior which instructs mortals how to live honorable lives. The Celestials maintain an overarching spiritual state which governs both mortals and spirits through a system of bureaucracy.
Nations of the Mortal Realm, such as Shou Lung and Choson, have sought to replicate the celestials' bureaucracy for their own government systems. This in turn beckons the veneration of the celestials as gods, which helps portray these mortal governments as "divine" or "sacred" extensions of celestial will.
The Celestial King
The Celestial King (Lawful Neutral) is the head of the celestial bureaucracy, exemplar of how mortal monarchs ought to act and behave.
The Nine Great Dragons
The Nine Great Dragons are the top servants of the Celestial King. They stand beside his throne, always ready to do as he bade as agents of his divine will.
Each Great Dragon takes responsibility for an aspect of The Path of Honor. Their duty is to embody that ideal of The Path— one of the nine cardinal virtues of Artistry, Compassion, Courage, Prosperity, Life, Karma, Love, Respect for Tradition, and Scholarship— and so teach by way of example.
The Nine and their virtues are:
- Ai Ching (Lawful Good): goddess of love, marriage, and family.
- Da Dan (Lawful Good): god of bravery, combat, martial arts, and war.
- Wen Shue (Lawful Neutral): god of literature and education.
- Chuang Tong (Lawful Neutral): god of history, lore, and tradition.
- Fa Kuan (Lawful Evil): god of justice and punishment.
- Hsing Yong (Lawful Good): god of fortune and prosperity.
- Kwan Yin (Lawful Good): goddess of compassion, healing, and mercy.
- Nung Chiang (Lawful Good): god of life and fertility.
- Yi Shu (Lawful Neutral): god of innovation and the arts.
Lesser Immortals
The Lesser Immortals are servants and aides to the Nine Great Dragons. They are drawn from the spirits of the deceased, those who had in life been especially holy towards The Path. They are bestowed with limited divine powers. Under the direction of one of the Nine Great Dragons, Lesser Immortals often have certain tasks to carry out, as they are responsible for the management of Celestial Heaven and its sphere of influence.
There are seven main groups of Lesser Immortals:
Ancestors
Serving Ai Ching, the Ancestors are the spirits of the deceased that have been granted entry to Celestial Heaven for being exceptionally honorable to The Path. They always have delicious food and fine clothing, and enjoy eternal lives without pain, weakness, or suffering.
Ancestors have the responsibility of watching over their still-living descendants, judging their honor and character. They may try to offer guidance to their descendants, by contacting them (e.g. speak with dead) or affecting their environment with magic.
Starred Servants
Serving Chuang Tong, the Starred Servants have the great responsibility of maintaining Celestial Heaven itself. They polish the crystal orbs of the stars, and steer the motions of constellations. Since these partially govern the Celestial Calendar, the Starred Servants are the patron saints of festivals, portents, auspicious moments, and other matters of time.
Bejeweled Ladies
Serving Yi Shu, the Bejeweled Ladies create copper, gold, jade, silver, and other riches, and hide them in the material world for mortals to discover. Those who happened upon treasures and riches out of luck were obligated to thank the Bejeweled Ladies.
Rice Spirits
Serving Nung Chiang, the Rice Spirits govern life and fertility, causing plants to grow, animals to have their young, women to bear babies, and decide if a family should have children.
Angels of Resurrection
Serving Kwan Ying, the Angels of Resurrection roam the Spirit Realm, returning the wounded warriors of Heaven to healthy condition. In the eternal war between Celestial Heaven and the Underworld, warriors cannot "die" in the Spirit Realm. But they can still be broken; as such, it is the Angels' responsibility to find them and put them back together.
Lords of Karma
Serving Fa Kuan, the Lords of Karma act as defense or prosecution for the souls of the deceased, or sit as judges themselves. Together, they decide whether or not a soul was righteous enough to be raised to Celestial Heaven to be among the Ancestors, or even to become Lesser Immortals. Those they deem dishonorable are condemned to imprisonment in the Underworld.
The Lords of Karma each carry a black codex called a "Death Note", which records the names of every mortal being, as well as how and when they will die.
Spirit Warriors
Serving Da Dan, the Spirit Warriors have the duties of creating courage and resolve in those who wavered. They lead armies of phantom spirits, the manifestation of which could swing a battle. Spirit Warriors also escorted the spirits of mortals for judgement by the Lords of Karma, and guarded the gates of the Underworld against trespassers. They also actively fought against the Demon Lords and their hordes. When honorable warriors died on the battlefield, they were often believed to become Spirit Warriors.
