The People of Stella
| Continent: | Anubia |
| Government: | Theocratic government guided by the elder houses |
| Ruler Authority: | House of Xing (spiritual guidance) |
| Capitol: | |
| Major Families: | House of Xing; House of Hitose; House of Shen |
| Prominent Clans: | Takida southern branch; Tao northern branch |
| Core Magic: | Celestial Summoning; Seith Magic; Earth, Gem and Metal Magic |
| Primary Exports: | Lacrima; specialist minerals; textiles; candles; sweets and pastries |
Stella is one of the oldest primordial sovereign nations situated on the continent of Anubia. Woven into the deep cosmic tapestry of Ensla, its societal framework is ruled by three ancient foundational families, each commanding an absolute monopoly over specific elements of governance, magic development, and domestic resources.
To outsiders, the country presents a highly complex, deeply spiritual, and tightly guarded esoteric culture anchored to the celestial movements of the stars and the underworld.
The Great Trimarchy
The House of Xing: Divine Guidance
The House of Xing serves as the absolute spiritual core and administrative guidance for the nation, overseeing the vast network of planetary temples. While uninitiated foreign diplomats frequently mistake individual regional temples for independent branch families, they all answer strictly to internal lineages within the main Xing hierarchy.
- The Bloodborn Priesthood: Within Stellan canon, the elite titles of High Priest and High Priestess are strictly hereditary and cannot be attained by outsiders. The primordial Gods of the cosmos will not accept a chosen vessel unless they are born directly into the sacred bloodline. Furthermore, the divine selection protocols restrict this alignment to exactly **one chosen vessel per generation, per temple**.
- The Main Line and the Matriarch: The current governing branch of the Xing is diverse, anchored completely by the High Priestess of Mehturt, who reigns as the supreme Matriarch of the family. Her identical twin children, **Xiao Xing** and **Li Xing**, were chosen at birth by the cosmos to manifest as the High Priest of Set and High Priestess of Ra, respectively. In accordance with ancient, insular Stellan customs regarding cosmic symmetry, specialized court rumors suggest their deep emotional bond surpasses standard sibling parameters—an anomaly local temple acolytes dismissively shrug off to outsiders as the "secrets of the starborn."
- The Tao of the North: Originating from the northern frontiers with ancient roots tracking deep into Daevale, the Tao branch strictly commands the temple arrays of Heset, Thoth, Horus, and Osiris. While the Temples of Heset occasionally accept non-lineage disciples, the initiation protocols are exceptionally rigorous and physically trying, causing a vast majority of external candidates to forfeit before attaining status.
- The Takida Branch and The Hall Keys: Operating as the southern vanguard of the family, the Takida line represents a powerful, highly covert faction uniquely attuned to the shadow fields. Bound to the service of Bast, Anubis, and Ma'at, the Takida are metaphysically tied to the absolute defense of **The Hall of Two Truths**. Within the wider Xing family, they are referred to as the "Keys to the Hall," as only entities born into this distinct, silver-haired lineage possess the organic capability to contract the high-tier keys. Following the catastrophic Water Festival incident some twenty years prior—which tragically claimed the fabled Children of the Hall—the remaining Takida lines were reduced. Following the disappearance of the legendary Ten High Priests, two males born from the concubine halls and a single female were rescued and raised by the Seith; without the original Ten Keys, the burden fell directly onto these Seith guardians to execute the sacred temple duties.
The House of Hitose: The Seith Vanguard
The House of Hitose represents the strong, deeply rooted martial and mystical line of the **Seith**, carrying records that track back to the original founding era of Stella. While the neighboring House of Xing aggressively enforces genetic purity and insular breeding lines to preserve temple alignments, the Hitose operate under an entirely opposing evolutionary directive: they are driven by a consuming instinctual need to wander Ensla to locate the exact **other half of their soul**.
Because of this constant integration of foreign bloodlines, the Hitose rank as the most diverse, multi-ethnic family in the country. It is historically impossible to accurately catalog the exact number of surnames operating within this household. Despite this outward diversity, the family remains entirely calm and unified, with their mixed bloodlines continuously yielding unique children and inventing innovative new branches of specialized Seith magic. By unalterable Stellan custom, regardless of the individual surname used by a Seith operative, all are recognized as Hitose by blood.
The House of Shen: The Earth-Makers
The House of Shen (historically recorded in draft scripts as the Shin) are the master craftsmen, architects, and creator mages of Stella, widely believed to be the absolute first mortal settlers to break ground upon the Stellan landscape. Possessing unparalleled control over earth, rock, precious gems, and metallic properties, they oversee the nation's critical industrial and defensive architecture.
The Shen spend generations managing Stella's subterranean core, carefully regulating the crystal mines to guarantee resources are never overdrawn or ecologically depleted. Among foreign merchants, it is heavily rumored that the Shen possess highly classified alchemical methodologies that allow them to literally "grow" raw deposits of **Stellanium** and **Celestium** inside their deep vaults, a process that remains completely unconfirmed to outsiders.
Landscape, settlements and borders
Stella's country reference describes rolling grassy hills and mineral-rich ground, with towns and villages built around temples. Moonstone and granite form the bases of many settlements. Protective runes regulate entry, particularly at night; visitors encounter a culture that shares its worship openly while guarding knowledge of its magic and lineages.
Many settlements are identified by their temple rather than by a separate town name. Daevale is a notable exception: the reference places it at the meeting of Stella, Bosco and Iceberg, marked by glowing boundary runes. Enchantments moderate the neighboring regions' mountain cold and airborne pollen. The city is a meeting place for the three cultures, including priests who compare their traditions without treating their shared gods as grounds for conflict.
Source: Stella, country reference.
Temple geography
Nine major temples form the country's religious framework, alongside numerous smaller temples devoted to other gods.
| Region | Temple group | Deities |
|---|---|---|
| Central region, around the capital | Temples of the Sky | Mehturt, Ra and Set |
| Southern region, toward the water and Bosco | Temples of Judgement | Anubis, Ma'at and Bast |
| Northern region | Temples of Wisdom | Osiris, Horus and Thoth |
The country reference identifies these nine as cornerstones, rather than an exhaustive list of Stellan worship. Stellan Houses separately associates the northern Tao line with Heset's temples as well as Thoth, Horus and Osiris. Acceptance as an outside disciple of Heset is described as a lengthy and demanding process, distinct from the bloodborn priesthood.
Sources: Stella; Stellan Houses.
Economy and everyday culture
Mining and specialist magical materials are important to Stella's trade. The country reference identifies lacrima and a costly mineral export spelled Stellarium; the family reference uses Stellanium and Celestium when discussing the Shen. These source terms are retained without assuming they describe the same substance. Shen mages maintain the mines and limit extraction to avoid exhausting them. Claims that they can grow mineral deposits remain rumors reported by outsiders.
Textiles, embroidery, candles, sweets and food provide a second strand of production. The reference describes women weaving and embroidering in the afternoons and village meals at which households exchange dishes or cook large communal pots. These gatherings express the importance of family and local community alongside religious life.
Daevale is particularly associated with new or unusual candles, confections and pastries that may later cross the borders. Such goods can be difficult to obtain abroad even when their prices are modest compared with magical crystals.
Sources: Stella; Stellan Houses.
Historical traditions of the Hall
The early country reference recounts the Hall's first manifestation through a twin brother and sister whose hair turned silver as the magic marked their lineage. Their granddaughter could hold the Hall open alone; later descendants could open only a limited number of its keys without severe strain. This account explains the association between silver hair, the southern lineage and the Hall's demands.
The family reference describes the Water Festival catastrophe and the disappearance of the Ten Keys from the perspective of the surviving temple households. Seith took on duties left unfulfilled while the necessary summoners and keys were absent. These passages describe an earlier state of the lineage and are not a statement that the Hall remains inaccessible during later character events.
Sources: Stella; Stellan Houses.
