Astra
Astra, also known as the Queen of the Stars, is the cosmic god of the stars that represents creation and leads the Cosmic Pantheon. She is a major goddess of Celestialism.
Mythology
Astra is considered to be one of the primordial deities of Celestialism - along with Aionus and Drakon. One popular sect believes that she is one of the first deities born from the abyss.Depictions of her range from monuments, to paintings, to murals, and more. She is normally pictured as a human woman with near-white hair.
Represented by the bow-and-arrow shaped constellation Tovelos, Astra shoots her bow and arrow across the sky to create new stars and constellations. Through her powers, she sustains the light and heat of the Sun. Aionus and Tychan are two major gods that are permanent members of her court.
In her time on Arethil, Astra resided on Mount Dincia in the Spire – the tallest known mountain of Arethil. She chose that spot in order to be as close to the heavens as possible. A temple was built on the mountain yet remains unexplored in the Age of Expansion.
Astra did not directly rule a kingdom or domain on Arethil like the other deities of the Cosmic Pantheon. She normally acted through those of her court at the time or forces mortals to make the perilous journey to her temple to demonstrate their loyalty to the Cosmic Pantheon.
Astra created new Races depending on the needs at the time. She supposedly created the Orcs after she found the strength of the humans to be less than desirable for some tasks she required – such as construction or the subjugation of Races corrupted by the Dark Ones.
In addition, Astra bestowed upon mages the ability to cool or heat objects. By invoking Astra’s name, mages were able to perform feats such as freezing an opponent or setting a forest ablaze. Other gods of the Cosmic Pantheon gave magic to mortals and magic that continues to call upon the Cosmic Pantheon exists in the Age of Expansion.
When the War of the Dark Ones, the Noxomarchy, began, Astra joined her fellow gods and subjects in battle in the east. Of all the gods, Astra left the fewest scars on the land during her battles despite displaying power that rivaled them all.
At the end of the Noxomarchy, Astra and the Cosmic Pantheon casted the Dark Ones from Arethil. Yet the price of doing so required the gods to fight the Dark Ones among the stars.
Even after Astra left Arethil, she and other gods remained in contact with mortals. As with other gods, a Voice appears periodically that claims to speak for Astra. Magic used in their name was, and is, still viable.
Astra normally gives her favor to elemental mages, archers, astrologists, and leaders.