What is a Star?[]
A Star, in its natural state, is a constantly expanding and contracting energy source and sentient being created by the Starmaker. They breed curiosity among men and offer guidance and insight by their light and movement.
History []
It was said long ago in the furthest expanses of the cosmos, the Starmaker had tried many times to seed other worlds with life, only to find that other planets were simply not viable. In most cases what it came down to was life was simply too fragile to survive, often struggling just breathe in the extraterrestrial environments of other planets. However taking inspirations from the Moon Maiden and the Lightgiver he attempted to create a new lifeform, that could survive in the hostile emptiness of the cosmos, a creature that could sustain itself and something that could make a once blank sky a little brighter.
It took countless attempts to forge the stars from the sparks of creation and every tome, grimoire and parchment Aristillus had collected on the subject of alchemy, but after much work and determination, he was able to create the first stars, who would give men aspirations of science, magic and a need to seek out the wonders that were beyond their reach.
The stars themselves however while content to live among their sisters and brothers for the most part, there were a few who not unlike their father had a boundless curiosity. There are a few rare, but well documented cases of stars falling from the sky, but as a whole rarely ended well, with witches, fae and all manner of magic users seeking to harvest their hearts for their power. Aristillus warned the stars to never leave their place in the sky, explaining to them the dangers of what awaited them in the world below. It wasn't until Aurora was born that the Starmaker expressed any kind of trust in humanity or blessing to allow one of his own to be adopted by them.
In this day and age Aristillus is still very protective of his creations and rarely allows them to travel to Ga'leah fearing what would happen if any of them contracted the Blight or if their hearts were harvested for something sinister.
Culture []
Female Stars are organized into distinctive family units called Constellations composed of several Stars born and named around the same time and are consequently quite social among their own kind. Because each Star shares a telepathic bond with the other Stars in her Constellation, the loss of any one Star is felt and mourned by all her sisters. Male Stars are significantly more reserved and serve a more specific role, acting as messengers and errand runners for the Starmaker. An old wive's tale that shooting Stars bring good news is inaccurate -- Shooting Stars regularly deliver bad news too.
As a whole they're very family oriented and protection of their own kind is often a chief concern. This is based on the idea that the needs of of their society outweigh the needs of an individual. To those who are not familiar with the complexities of their society, they often appear as friendly, outgoing and charitable, however truth be told interests rarely go beyond securing the interests of the cosmos and their own kind. Because of their culture, most stars have a deep psychological need to take consensus before taking any kind of major action, because they feel the action of one can impact an entire constellation. Very rarely will a star leave a constellation or a shooting star leave his service, for they feel strongly about desertion and feel as if they are turning their backs on their family. It's usually this course of action that causes a star to fall from grace and become a "dark star." The stars find beauty in complex geometric patterns and consider mathematics to be an art form. Much of their crafts and clothes are designed after the patterns they've noticed in nature, whether its the orbit of a planet, the collision of two satellites, etc.
Characteristics []
There are two types, Constellation Stars (female) and Shooting Stars (males). In Allutheria, fallen Stars take on the form of young humans, but otherwise appear as ordinary space rocks in Ga'leah without the aid of magic.
Reproduction []
The Starmaker did not create Stars with a means to procreate, though physical collisions have been known to take place resulting in fusion Stars. New Stars are formed by the Starmaker, typically from the remnants of dying stars and each are given a name and title by the God of Knowledge.
Star conception requires many thousands of years so consequently their lifespans can last hundreds of thousands of years. In the sky, Stars have very few dangers to beware of and typically lead relatively stress free lives.
Abilities []
As creatures incredibly influenced by their intense emotional range, they are incapable of internalizing those emotions without explosive consequences, including the formation of a Dark Star. When they are happy or excited, they radiate their warmth and project it onto all others in their presence, however, when they are afraid, anxious, or depressed, their negativity can be just as contagious and incredibly toxic. Dark Stars are particularly infamous for their negative outbursts. Stars have the ability to "shine" or "glow." When they are happy, content, and at peace, they emit a warm yellow, or potentially bright white light from within themselves. This is a manifestation of the Star's life-force exposing itself. Legend dictates if one slays, then consumes the heart of a Star while s/he is glowing, the individual will absorb the Star's remaining youth, but their existence will be rife with hardship.
Weaknesses []
A Star can be summoned by magic, but only if the summoner knows the Star's true name, assigned by the Starmaker. Though Stars can be summoned into Allutheria, where their true nature is concealed by a human form, they cannot pass into Ga'Leah without magical aid or enchantment lest they turn to space rock. Stars are particularly vulnerable while in human form though, and susceptible to any ordinary mortal affliction.