Celestial paragons are exceptionally powerful celestials, similar to archfiends but for the outer planes of goodness rather than evil. They are generally organized into three groups. The first is the Court of Stars, which consists of Morwel—celestial queen of the Eladrin—and any of her current consorts. As one might imagine from the Eladrin queen, her court operates somewhat like other celestial hierarchies and somewhat like a fairy court. Not all chaotic good give fealty to the Court of Stars, nor are they expected to, but most will at least provide aid if it is requested and they are able to provide. The second group of paragons is the Celestial Hebdomad, which consists of the Tome Archons—the leaders of the celestials residing within each of the respective seven layers of the lawful good plane of Celestia. The Celestial Hebdomad organizes and rules over the general day to day existence and functioning of the plane as well as its armies of archons, so that each deity and their angels may concentrate on their particular sphere of influence within the realms. The third group of paragons are known as Talsid and the Five Companions and consists of the council who lead over the type of nature-linked celestials known as guardinals. From time to time members of the council may retire or (extremely rarely) are defeated in battle, and another exceedingly powerful guardinal will take their place. Talsid himself has lead the companions by unanimous consent for several thousand years. This post will cover the Court of Stars and two of the Celestial Hebdomad, the next will finish the Celestial Hebdomad, and the post following that will be a bonus sized entry covering Talsid and the Companions.
Morwel, Queen of Stars
Also known as the Sovereign of the Twilight Realm and the Lady of the Lake, Morwel is one of the greatest non-deity descendants of Corellon Larethian, existing simultaneously as both a celestial paragon and the leader of her own fairy court. She typically appears as an impossibly beautiful eladrin woman dressed only in a cloak of starlight but as any celestial eladrin, she can change her appearance at will. Her realm, also referred to as the Court of Stars, is a demiplane that exists entirely as a manifestation of Morwel’s incredible power. It serves as a link between the plane of Arborea, the Ethereal Plane, and the Feywild, opening anywhere (and only where) she desires, with the pathways changing at her whim—though only at night (in the destination, as it is always a beautiful autumn evening in the Court of Stars). As a chaotic good being leading chaotic good celestials, she does not rule through a hierarchy but through pledges made to her or to those who have in turn pledged themselves to her. She and her consorts trust each other absolutely and they often represent one another’s interests when another is preoccupied. She has had many lovers (including deities, primordial elementals, and dragons) and has many individuals from whom she receives counsel, but currently has only two consorts: Gwynharwyf and Faerinaal.
Excellent Classes: Bard, Cleric (Trickery or Twilight), Druid (Dreams or Stars), Paladin (Ancients or Watchers), Ranger (Fey Wanderer or Horizon Walker), Sorcerer (Divine Soul), Warlock (Archfey or Celestial)
Excellent Backgrounds: Courtier, Entertainer, Faceless, Far Traveler, Feylost, Folk Hero, Inheritor, Knight of the Order, Noble, Outlander, Saint of Beauty (Found Here)
Excellent Locations: Myth Drannor, Neverwinter, Evereska, New Sharandar, Cormanthor, The Court of Stars, The Gates of the Moon, The Infinite Staircase, Arborea, The Feywild
Character Hooks:
- A fey pact warlock on a personal mission to use their skill and unearthly splendor to raise the reputation of the Court of Stars in the mortal realms to equal that of the Summer Court and Gloaming Court.
- An aasimar descended from celestial eladrin who manifested wild magic when sleeping nude under the stars with a lover, and while they have figured out how to channel the power even in the day, they have not yet mastered fine control nor the ability to reliably cast their spells when wearing clothing.
Pregenerated Character: Briarmane, Fairy Fighter
Gwynharwyf, the Whirling Fury
Gwynharwyf is the champion and one of the two consorts of Queen Morwel. In addition to leading the bralani—a type of celestial eladrin with power over snow, wind, and sand who possess the ability to transform into whirlwinds—she is a significant source of elemental and primal power for barbarians and others who draw upon the power of the wilds to do battle. She is considered the ultimate model of how righteous anger can be used in service of goodness. She is usually depicted entwined in a lover’s embrace with Morwel (and possibly Faerinaal as well) or charging into battle with nothing but two opalescent scimitars and her rage.
Excellent Classes: Barbarian (Especially Storm Herald), Bard (Swords), Cleric (Tempest, War), Fighter, Monk (Kensei), Paladin (Glory), Ranger (Fey Wanderer, Monster Slayer), Rogue (Swashbuckler), Sorcerer (Storm), Warlock (Celestial, Hexblade)
Excellent Backgrounds: Athlete, Faction Agent (Order of the Gauntlet, Harpers, Emerald Enclave), Far Traveler, Feylost, Folk Hero, Gruul Anarch (Ravnica), Marine, Uthgardt Barbarian, Elementclad Mystic (Found Here)
Excellent Locations: Fireshear, Ironmaster, Hundelstone, Kuldahar, Mirabar, Yartar, Wyrmdoom Crag, Icewind Dale, Calimshan, Moonshae Isles, The North, The Shining South, The Court of Stars, Arborea, the Feywild, Any coastline, mountainous area, or desert with strong winds
Character Hooks:
- A tempest cleric whose birth was met with a swirling gale inside the building. He has worn nothing but the winds for his entire life.
- A fire genasi paladin who was once a greedy villain but changed her ways and among her oaths swore to keep no possessions more than her celestial patron takes into battle—a pair of scimitars, and magic jewelry suitably glorious (should she find any).
Pregenerated Character: Honor Valentine, Dragonborn Warlock
Faerinaal
Faerinaal is the other of Queen Morwel’s consorts and her most trusted advisor. While he is mischievous, he is also disciplined and brilliant, a master of both wizardly and bardic arcana in addition to his power as a celestial paragon. He takes great pride in attending to Morwel’s desires, to coordinating the smooth operation of the Court of Stars, and command of the Court’s more militant stalwarts—though the latter serves almost exclusively in a defensive capacity, protecting the interests of the Court and the welfare of the celestial eladrin. Before his ascent to the status of celestial paragon, he was a soldier in the eladrin armies who invaded the abyss and defeated the original foul inhabitants of that place before the demons appeared to fill the vacuum of power. Beyond this little is known of him outside of the Court, as he has been Queen Morwel’s lover and remained at her side in her domain almost always for countless mortal ages.
Excellent Classes: Bard (Particularly Eloquence or Valor), Cleric (Especially Arcana, Light, Nature, or Twilight), Druid (Shepherd or Stars), Fighter (Arcane Archer), Paladin (Ancients or Watchers), Wizard (Any except Necromancy)
Excellent Backgrounds: City Watch Investigator, Courtier, Faction Agent (any chaotic good faction), Feylost, Inheritor, Knight, Noble, Outlander, Sage, Trickster Bait (Found Here), Weaveclothed (Found Here)
Excellent Locations: Myth Drannor, Neverwinter, Evereska, New Sharandar, Cormanthor, The Court of Stars, The Gates of the Moon, The Infinite Staircase, Arborea, The Feywild
Character Hooks:
- A tiny but proud fairy noble swarmkeeper ranger who is continually surrounded by admiring and helpful lesser fey subjects.
- A bodyguard-courtesan who uses extensive knowledge of illusion magic to excel in both roles for their ward.
Pregenerated Character: Dral Mog, Bugbear Ranger
Domiel
The Mercy-Bringer rules over Mercuria, the Golden Heaven of Celestia. While neither male nor female (as is the case with all of the Celestial Hebdomad), Domiel is a handsome, masculine figure with golden skin and wings and beautiful black hair. As Mercuria is the armory of the heavens and the gathering place of its warriors, Domiel also serves as a general of heaven’s armies of archons—a role he performs with sternness and great wisdom. He wears no garments or armor and the only symbol of his office is a huge flaming greatsword. He is the sworn enemy of all tyrants and protector of those deceased who have earned peaceful respite.
Excellent Classes: Barbarian (Ancestral Guardian or Zealot), Cleric (Grave, Life, Light, Peace, or War), Fighter (Any), Monk (Kensei, Mercy, or Sun Soul), Paladin (Crown, Devotion, or Redemption), Sorcerer (Clockwork or Divine), Warlock (Celestial), Wizard (Abjuration, Bladesinging, or War Magic)
Excellent Backgrounds: Acolyte, City Watch, Faction Agent (Any Lawful Good Organization), Folk Hero, Knight, Knight of the Order (Eye of Justice, the Most Holy Order of the Sacred Shrike, Order of the Gauntlet, Order of the Golden Lion, Order of the Radiant Heart, the Triadic Knights, the Trueblades), Marine, Noble, Soldier, Waterdhavian Noble, Gymnosophist (Found Here)
Excellent Locations: Athkatla, Luskan, Sundabar, Tantras, Procampur, Westgate, Bryn Shander, Tethyr, The Vast, The Sword Coast, Mount Celestia
Character Hooks:
- A former soldier who was unable to defeat a monster because their weapon broke, who became a monk so that they could never again find themselves in need of weapons and armor.
- A tiefling whose skin changed from pallid white to metallic gold in color when they swore their paladin oaths, and refuses to conceal this sign of their devotion made manifest.
Pregenerated Character: Oridi Eldervale, Loxodon Druid
Pistis Sophia
The Ascetic is the ruler of Solania, the Electrum Heaven of Celestia. Like the other members of the Celestial Hebdomad, Pistis Sophia is neither female nor male, though she possesses a haunting, slightly feminine androgynous beauty and wings that appear to be made of crystal. As serene patron of mystics, hermits, ascetics, and monks, she carries no symbol of rank or office and teaches her followers to cast aside all possessions, even their clothing, as according to her what is required for true happiness and pure harmony is truth and detachment from insecurity and greed. She possesses no palace or throne and simply travels through her misty, fog-shrouded realm, visiting the many monasteries and cathedrals located there, as well as frequently attending Erackinor—the grand home of the Dwarven pantheon and the Soul Forges of Moradin.
Excellent Classes: Cleric (Knowledge, Life, Order, or Peace), Druid (Land or Stars), Monk (Ascendant Dragon, Astral Self, Four Elements, Kensei, Mercy, Open Hand, or Sun Soul), Paladin (Any except Conquest, Glory, Oathbreaker, or Vengeance), Ranger (Horizon Walker), Rogue (Scout), Sorcerer (Divine Soul), Warlock (Celestial), Wizard (Abjuration, Divination, or Illusion)
Excellent Backgrounds: Acolyte, Anthropologist, Cloistered Scholar, Far Traveler, Folk Hero, Hermit, Outlander, Sage, Gymnosophist (Found Here)
Excellent Locations: Black Raven Monastery, Candlekeep, Friary of St. Amahl, Other Good-aligned Monasteries and Hermitages, Zazesspur, Uzurr, Athkatla, Keltar, Citadel Felbarr, Silverymoon, Telflamm, Tasseldale, Mistledale, Delimbiyr Vale, Amn, Calimshan, Damara, Luiren, Mulhorand, Luruar, Tethyr, Thesk, Lake of Steam, Hordelands, Mount Celestia
Character Hooks:
- A druid who refuses to use any manufactured objects, wearing only hide cloaks and belts of vine, and using a long stick from a lightning-struck tree as a magical focus.
- A sun soul monk who keeps absolutely no equipment or riches for longer than required to send or deliver it to their monastery where it will be used to defend and support the community.
Pregenerated Character: Yavrid Gatebreaker, Dwarf Paladin
