CelestusCulturePlacesTech

A vastness of white space, infinite in scope and without attenuation in its nature, lay within an abnormal universe of infinite improbability where the impossible not only occurred, but did so at regular intervals as required by the laws governing the chaos in which this realm had been forged. Here, mighty cities of mechanical and arcane intricacy floated like mountains in a dance of clockwork rhythm. The stars burned with magical power, and the space between them contained air, pressure, light and warmth. A gem among realms, life existed here in myriad forms. Physical laws bent themselves to the will of a cognizant and active system. Poets and dreamers gained inspiration here. Artists and architects marveled at its sights. Loredelvers and mages pondered its genius. And rulers, politicians, and ambassadors came to represent their respective cultures, vying for trade access between realms as granted by the myriad of laws maintained and constructed by the constituents of the order that dwelled here.

This was the Celestial Realm. The realm of the Wu.

What is the Wu?
Originally, I had the concept that "The Wu" might actually be a person - a singular individual ruling this "organization" that regulates skein traffic. As the story progressed, however, this concept didn't quite fit anymore, and I decided that the Wu should be something of a democracy.

How did the Wu begin? I imagine it "evolved" over time from the few remaining Tanathian mages who survived whatever holocaust wiped out the Tanathian Empire. One would assume that the skeins ceased to operate for a time, but we don't really know what happened to the Tanathians, we only know they vanished some 40,000 years ago. If any Tanathian mages remained after the skeins became active again, they may have bound together and created an organization to assist the various colony worlds that had been separated. This then grew as other mages were tapped from other realms to assist with establishing some form of order to further organize their efforts. And since trade between realms was one of the primary purposes of the skeins, it only makes sense that politicians and merchants become involved.

The original founders of the Wu likely chose Celestus as the home realm because of its attributes. Celestus is rife with Ka, it has a peaceful aspect to it - a divine and holy feel. It represents what many cultures would consider to be a mythological heaven. Space has atmosphere and warmth. Planets move in a clockwork alignment. In short, though Celestus began as a natural place, it 'seems' to be an artifical realm. When stars here die, they collapse not into singularities or neutron stars, but rather usable spheres of iron, gold, silver, diamond, and other precious metals. These then become the "planets" of the Celestial Realm. And upon these worlds, the constituents of the Wu built their domiciles.