LORE
It was a dark age for humans when the first was created. Out of the strife and oppression came a Nirrak,
wished into existence by the desire for justice and change. Salvia, as she would later call herself, was alone for some time,
revelling in the chaos of humanity as she used her magic to change lives, though not always for the better.
Only a little time later, came Nova. The first Astrial, born out of a wish for peace and kindness.
Though at first, the two seemed to spite each other, they quickly grew to love each other and created the first otherworldly planes to exist together.
Their gems, once a dull grey, began to glow the colour of their lover’s eyes, an eternal symbol of their love and adoration for each other.
Over the centuries, more wishes would spark life, some Nirrak, some Astrial, but all were loved by Salvia and Nova dearly, as their children.
Aided by Paia as their council, they created a safe space where creatures of all types began appearing in the Cloud Tops. These new creatures were tasked with guarding
the dreams that had brought them into existence, preserving the hopes that humans treasured so closely.
They loved each other’s differences, and it was out of that love that their child came to be. Born from a wish between a Nirrak and an Astrial,
Dusk was a hybrid of both, simultaneously enjoying the chaos humanity brings as well as the love they shared between them.
But it was the creation of Dusk that sparked an inferno between their parents that shook the very fabric of the universe.
Whilst Salvia wanted to raise Dusk as a Nirrak to know how to protect themselves and others, Nova insisted they grow up as an Astrial to understand
the peace that kept them united for so long. In a fit of anger, Nova lashed out at Salvia, and slashed her wife across the shoulder.
Who in return slashed one of Nova’s gems and shattered it.
The repercussions of the fight were felt even in the human world, where earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis rocked the surface.
It was the imminent destruction of humanity that eventually forced them to stop, only for both to swear never to see each other again
and they divided the Cloud Tops into two. One, for Astrials and Cloudies, the other for Nirraks and Terrors.
Meanwhile, confused and afraid, the young Dusk was taken in by a Nirrak turned Astrial named Evelyn and raised in a small home in the Cloud Tops,
far away from both factions. As Dusk grew, slower than any Astrial or Nirrak before them, they learnt the value of understanding both sides of
themselves, and learnt to love themselves wholly and fully, regardless of their species.
Though centuries passed with animosity between the two groups, Dusk travelled and saw all the love that was still harboured
among their parent’s people and wondered where it had all gone so wrong. It was upon travelling to different places in the Cloud Tops and meeting all
different shapes and sizes of people that she realised that peace could be achieved between them, but it would need to start with where it had all begun.
It was with Dusk’s help, Paia’s guidance and Evelyn’s threatening glare, that Nova and Salvia were drawn back to their homeland
and faced with their now adult child. They were confronted and forced to discuss their feelings with each other, unravelling years of spite and hatred,
until all they were left with was the love that they had once held for each other.
Though not all was lost, as their gems, whilst slightly dimmer over the milenia, still glowed brightly with the iridescent colours of their partners eyes.
With this knowledge, the two retook their place on the throne and begun their relationship anew, eventually creating the Cloud Tops we all know today.
Astrials,
The Wish Givers
Creation
Astrials are formed when a human makes a wish. Once the wish has been fulfilled, the Astrial will continue to grant wishes to whomever it deems worthy of the Astrial’s magic.
If an Astrial’s magic is powerful enough, it is possible that an Astrial can create another Astrial from a wish. This is rare, and the only known example of this is with the Queen and King’s child.
When an Astrial is created, they can occasionally take on traits from the human that originally made the wish that made them.
For example, a human that wished for its plants to grow may create an Astrial that loves to garden.
Magic
An Astrial’s magic is contained within its horns. The more horns an Astrial has, the more magic they are able to use.
An astrial with no horns has no magical capabilities, if their horns are cracked, their ability to use magic is significantly less potent.
Astrial magic is fully versatile, and can be used for nearly anything, but the limit is based on their horns.
Biology
Astrials can survive without food, water, sleep, or any other human necessity, nor can they die from natural means. However, that is not to say Astrials are immortal.
If an Astrial is created without a gem, then significant damage to their body will result in them becoming stardust again.
If an Astrial’s gem is cracked during their lifetime, it means the Astrial in question is more susceptible to damage and has a harder time staying healthy.
When an Astrial has more than one Gem, it was created by a wish that was particularly strong or involving,
and requires more magic to grant. When an Astrial has more than three gems, it becomes a Nirrak. However,
this is not the only way a Nirrak can be formed…
Nirraks,
The Trouble Makers
Creation
Nirraks are formed in a multitude of ways. The first, is when an Astrial is created with more than 3 gems,
this makes their body considerably larger than the standard Astrial. The second way a Nirrak can be formed is when a human makes a wish wit
malicious intent, creating a Nirrak that is more inclined towards malicious actions. The final way a Nirrak can be formed
is when an Astrial becomes aggressive and performs malicious acts.
Magic
Much like the Astrials, Nirraks magic is stored and used through their horns, however, due to their bulk and gems,
they are much more likely to have stronger magic. Nirrak magic is also just as versatile as Astrials magic,
however it tends to be used to cause chaos and mischief rather than to help or aid others.
Biology
Nirraks are naturally larger than Astrials due to the amount of life gems they are able to have. Nirraks with more gems,
or extra growths tend to be larger but that isn’t always the case. Orbital gems for Nirraks are controlled by a Nirrak’s magic and float around the Nirrak’s neck.
When a Nirraks gems are cracked or removed, they will suffer heavy damage and will either die or be severely injured until they are able to heal.
A Nirrak with a cracked gem can survive, however it’s ability to use magic is severely compromised.
A Nirrak must have spikes on their body in order to protect the most vulnerable parts of themselves. The spikes on their body function in the same way that Nirark horns do,
able to contain and control magic. The more spikes on their body, the more magic the Nirrak tends to have.
Cloud Jumpers,
The Dream Keepers
Creation
Cloudies are created from positive human dreams, and are formed when the dream becomes vivid.
A cloudie’s personality is determined by the dream in which they were created from,
and they tend to spend their days learning from Astrials or napping.
Magic
A cloudie’s magic is considerably less potent than that of Astrials or Nirraks, due to their smaller size.
However a Cloudie with three or more horns may be able to use more magic depending on the horn’s size.
The life gem of a cloudie tends to be smaller and fewer than those of their species cousins. However unlike Nirraks or Astrials,
their gems are embedded into their body and are much harder to break,
especially if the gem is replacing another trait like the horns or tail.
Biology
Cloud Jumpers are naturally built for flying at high altitudes and rarely will touch the ground,
this is through the aid of their pressure slits and glidewings. It’s not uncommon to see cloudies sleeping whilst floating.
Cloudies also have pouches, which act as a small gateway into their own pocket dimension, able to store any number of items so long as it can fit inside the opening.
However, living things cannot exist inside the space for long as there is no breathable air inside the pouch space.
Night Terrors
The Mischief Makers
Creation
Terrors are created from negative emotions from human nightmares, and are formed when the nightmare becomes intense.
A terror’s personality is heavily influenced by the nightmare in which they were created from, as well as their design. Driven towards mischief, they often spend their time taunting others or pulling pranks,
along with following around Nirraks. While not necessarily at odds with their equally esoteric siblings,
terrors often view cloud jumpers as softer and without purpose.
Magic
A Terror’s magic is even more volatile and plentiful than even their cousin species, generated in over-abundances in their relatively small bodies.
The amount of vents one has directly correlates to how much control they have over their overflowing energy. The sheer amount of heat and magic has led the life gems of terrors to partially liquify on their bodies. Even solidly shaped gems have a semi-fluid texture to them and feel soft to the touch. While this makes their gems much easier to scuff and chip than even Astrials, they remould their shape very quickly.
Biology
While sharing some physical attributes to their siblings, Night Terrors often float closer to the ground where they can get up to more trouble.
Their vents help them constantly maintain altitude as well as allow their manoeuvrability to be more precise. Their reliance on flight is so strong that most Night Terrors refuse to even touch their feet on the ground- using their long tails to traverse if need be. Terrors also have pouches, which act as a small gateway into their own pocket dimension, able to store any number of items so long as it can fit inside the opening.
However, living things cannot exist inside the space for long as there is no breathable air inside the pouch space.