Once upon a time, there was a god born from the stardust of a peculiar star's supernova.

They named themselves Asteri, and, seeing as how their own universe was empty, they decided to travel to other realms.

On their journey, they met many different people; other gods, good and bad, and their creations which were much the same.

After they'd exhausted themselves sightseeing, they returned to the universe where they were born. It was still disappointingly empty, as far as Asteri could see, even after all that time had passed.

Deciding to change this, Asteri created a world for themselves, sculpting beautiful high cliffs and low river valleys. They filled it with all manner of plants and animals--some imitating things they had seen in other realms, some fantastical and unique.

Still, when they were done, they were unsatisfied. Divum, as they decided to name it, was full of life and utterly devoid of anyone to enjoy it.

Asteri decided to change that by sculpting a little person in their image.

The first Clareph was born, deviating from Asteri in one place: their chest, where Asteri had magically imbued them with life, was left with a diamond-shaped scar.

Delighted with this success, Asteri created more, experimenting with different looks and personality types. Clarephs ended up in every corner of Divum, driven by their natural curiosity.

Since Clarephs are born from magic, they inherently possess some control over it.

All Clarephs possess the ability to float in midair, held aloft by their cloaks. They can't gain altitude by themselves, but many enjoy hiking up Divum's tall cliffs to jump! (This... has also resulted in at least one case of a Clareph strapping themselves to a rocket in order to gain height. Their best scientists have all agreed that this was a Bad Idea.)

All Clarephs also possess the ability to traverse the boundary between universes. Culturally, it's encouraged for young adults to travel and see other worlds (preferably with a friend!) just like how Asteri travelled before returning to Divum.

Travelling in this way is incredibly tiring, however. Even though Clarephs can sort of control where they end up, especially if they're travelling in a group, it's recommended to stick to safer worlds for their first adventure... lest they get eaten by some local predator while they recover their magic reserves.

Many Clarephs possess greater aptitude for controlling their innate magic. Unlike with floating or travelling, when using these forms of magic the Clareph's hearts glow white regardless of their original color.

Most commonly, magically talented Clarephs display an aptitude for healing--they can heal themselves and others by speeding up their natural recovery. This works great for minor cuts and bruises, which is quite an issue for younger Clarephs learning how to glide.

With training, Clarephs have also learned some other forms of magic; it's not uncommon to see a Clareph lighting their hearth with magic, or absentmindedly using it to stir a pot while they attend to something else.

But where does magic come from? How does it work? What are its limits? These are the questions at the core of Divum's premier magic academy. Located in the capital city, Caelum, Clarephs who want to study advanced magical theory--as well as magic originating from other worlds--flock there to learn!

Divum

Divum is still as beautiful as when Asteri created it. Clarephs place a strong importance on preserving natural beauty, and so their infrastructure is usually built around it rather than on top of it.

Caelum, the capital, is home to the largest population of Clarephs anywhere. More advanced than the rest of Divum, Caelum is built on top of the entrance to the Abysm...

It's also home to the main temple devoted to Asteri. Supposedly, they reside there themselves, although few Clarephs have seen them and fewer can justify their claims.

Additionally, it houses the largest institution devoted to the study of magic in Divum--Caelum can almost be thought of as a "college town", since so much of the local infrastructure is devoted to supporting the large population of students that flock there to learn.

The rest of Divum varies. Little towns of Clarephs dot the landscape, each insular little community unique in its specific attitudes and culture.

Clarephs aren't the only inhabitants, either. It's rare, but some Clarephs have brought back friends or lovers of other species home with them. Supposedly, even one of the professors at Caelum academy just happens to be a magically talented human.

Life Cycle

Clarephs who want a child are able to pray at shrines and temples devoted to Asteri to request one. These prayers are answered, usually, within a month or two, and the child is usually delivered to the shrine itself.

Since Clarephs tend to possess a strong sense of community, younger Clarephs tend to be raised communually.

The parents who requested the child are expected to provide the basics, but Divum is safe enough to let children wander (as long as they come home in time for dinner!)

They mature at about the same rate as humans, and are able to float after their cloak grows large enough to support them during their early teens.

Unlike humans, however, Clarephs can potentially live indefinitely. They stop "aging" during adulthood, and live until some outside force kills them.

This has lead to a few interesting situations. Clarephs that visit other worlds often lament the fact that the friends they make during their journey tend to not last as long as they thought they would--returning to these worlds and finding only their friend's grandkids, or even great-great-great grandkids.

It also means that Clarephs have a lot of time to devote to their jobs and hobbies. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone better at baking than the Clareph that's been practicing for hundreds of years; sometimes, people from other realms specifically journey to Divum in order to seek these Clareph's expertise.

Death is rare in Divum. When it does happen, it's regarded as an unspeakable tragedy; quite literally, actually. Many Clarephs will refuse to talk about anything even tangentially related to the deceased, and there's a very strong taboo around mentioning how or why it happened. This is because of a common superstition that mentioning the death will curse the mentioner to die in a similar fashion.

Due to this, Clarephs that work with the deceased tend to wear veils and charms to "protect" themselves. The deceased are usually handled by the religious leaders in a community, and the bodies are ceremonially... and literally... returned to Asteri.

Economy

Many rural places in Divum do just fine on a barter economy, but for towns and cities bartering isn't sufficient.

The commonly accepted currency in Divum is called Star Stones, colored crystals made of a lightweight material that breaks cleanly into cubes. The material is gathered from "fallen stars" or, meteorites that hit Divum's surface.

Blue is the most common color, followed by red, followed by purple. A blue Star Stone cube is arbitrarily set to always be worth "1", and the other colors are worth more.

Star Stones are commonly accepted as one of Asteri's blessings, as they are the direct cause of meteor showers. There's a stargazing festival every year during the brightest meteor shower--in our real-world calendar, it's around November.

Gender

Clarephs are born sexless. Young Clarephs are usually referred to in the neutral (they/them) and choose a presentation most comfortable to them later in life. These are mostly informed by gendered notions and fashions from other universes.

Gender is mostly considered a fun hat, and doesn't have the same importance in Divum that it does on Earth.

Ornaments

Ornaments are like earrings, the only difference being that they aren't removeable, and they don't necessarily attach directly to the ear. Clarephs are made with diamond-shaped ornaments (usually three or more!) and through Asteri's blessings they can have the materials or shape changed. Clarephs that do good deeds for others get these blessings more often; and so Clarephs with blessed or divine ornaments are treated slightly better on the whole.

Clarephs like to accessorize by tying things to either end of their ornaments, as part of their overall cultural love of accessorizing.

Courtship

When a Clareph is attracted to another, a common practice is to give the object of the affection a flower crown incorporating the colors of their cloak as a gift!

If the feeling is mutual, the Clareph that made the first move will usually receive one back in their partner's colors.

Due to this, a lot of relationships tend to start in the Spring.

Clarephs on Divum don't really have "marriage" in the traditional sense, but after being partnered with one (or more) others for a significant length of time, Clarephs tend to exchange pieces of jewelry in their partner(s) colors to signify that they're spoken for, and not looking for any additional romantic relationships.

Clarephs that are attracted to humans or other species are often frustrated when it seems like their courtship gestures aren't returned... it's all just a misunderstanding, and travelling Clarephs are advised to read up on the courtship rituals of the universe they're travelling to!

Unwanted partnerships are usually broken off privately. If a married Clareph suddenly stops wearing their partner's jewelry, it's taken as a sign that the relationship has soured and maybe to offer condolences in a tasteful (and private) way.

Cleanliness and Beauty

Clarephs tend to take extremely good care of themselves. Having shiny, voluminous fur and feathers is considered pretty, and there's a decently large market for fur shampoos and conditioners.

Currently, cloak piercings are "in" and lots of Clarephs clip charms and shiny things to their cloaks!

Clareph fashion designers make clothes in all sorts of styles. Backless tops are popular to account for cloaks, and skirts and low cut pants are equally popular to account for tails.

Some Clarephs choose to forgo clothing entirely! It's a popular choice, especially among those who simply can't be bothered. However, those who travel to other worlds seem to wear clothes more often.

Other Species

HUMANS Clarephs think that humans are quite cute! Many Clarephs attempt to copy human fashion and customs just because they think that they're neat (and humans are the basis for many Clareph's notion of gender!)

Humans are welcome in Divum, although they're an uncommon sight. The highest population is probably in the capital, Caelum. Since their lifespans are so comparatively short, and Clarephs are hesitant dealing with death on the whole, there's quite a few humans living in Divum working as undertakers.


ATHENAI
As far as knowledge goes, you can't do much better than asking an Athenai. Technology on Divum isn't particularly advanced, but any Clareph that's remotely interested in the topic often finds themselves in the Endless Library.

Clarephs are often kind of spooked by the first Athenai they meet, more machine than flesh and blood. There's very few of them in Divum—not enough to have much of a stigma—but the ones that do exist find themselves in very technical and detail-oriented roles.

Some Clarephs do perceive Athenai as condescending, due to the gap in knowledge. Otherwise, attitudes towards them range from neutral to positive on the whole.


KARURIUM
Many Clarephs admire the aesthetic qualities of Karuriums! The Karuriums that contain flowers are considered especially beautiful. Clarephs tend to be friendly towards Karus. The ones that have visited their homeworld are even moreso; partially motivated by sympathy. It must be terrible to live in such an inhospitable environment! Divum is nothing like it at all.

Karuriums are not allowed to be brought back to Divum, and if caught they will be sent back immediately. They each serve a vital role in their homeworld as they preserve the flora and fauna that came before; if a Clareph finds themselves in a relationship with a Karurium, they should prepare themselves to travel back and forth quite a bit.


DREADNAUTS
There are quite a few mixed opinions among Clarephs regarding Nauts. The prevailing attitude is one of cautious acceptance, since many Nauts seem to genuinely want to assimilate into their host cultures.

However, there's not much in the way of accomodations for Nauts that find themselves in Divum. It's more common to see Nauts that are only there for a brief visit rather than ones who want to stay permanently.

Divum's oceans are shallow, freshwater, and pretty unsuitable for deep-sea creatures, after all.


YUMI-POPS
As talking about the dead is approximately the Clareph equivalent of cursing yourself, Yumi-pops are both unmentionables and highly stigmatized in Divum, if they even make it that far. Many Clarephs simply choose to avoid the reapers entirely—those who accidentally find themselves in the Yumi-pop homeworld tend to leave the first opportunity they get.

Clarephs don't have souls in the traditional sense. Instead, they are animated by slivers of Asteri's power, concentrated in their heart.

It's hypothetically possible that a Yumi-pop could take that power into themselves... but who knows what would happen?

Clarephs interested in staying alive aren't keen to find out the answer to that one.


KYNOMA
Kynomas and Clarephs are very similar in many aspects, and as such the two species are pretty close. Just like how Clarephs have Asteri to look up to, Kynomas have Azu.

Clarephs can come and go from Aureum, the Kynoma homeworld, as they please—and likewise, Kynoma are always welcome in Divum. While humans tend to stick together in Caelum, Kynoma can be found in every corner of Divum just... poking around...

This author is convinced that Azu and Asteri must be collaborating behind the scenes, at any rate. There's quite a few Kynoma crossbreeds wandering around.


SOMNIWARDENS
Clarephs sleep less often than humans do, and the daylight cycle on Divum is actually a few hours longer than it is on our Earth. So, Somniwardens aren't in high demand in Divum; but Clarephs who have trouble sleeping do sometimes end up at a sleep hotel.

The two species have quite a bit in common, but unlike Clarephs, Wardens seem to care less about the god of sleep that created them.

A Clareph bringing a Warden back to Divum to help them sleep is seen as a little odd. Most other Clarephs would probably rather pray to Asteri about not getting enough sleep—and so they would just assume that the Clareph in question has a crush or some other motive.

Other Attitudes

Religious Clarephs tend to think of Asteri as a personal friend. They tend to answer prayers quite directly, but as the years go on they seem to have less and less time for their individual followers...

Visibly Blessed and Divine Clarephs are treated a little differently than their regular counterparts. Visible proof of Asteri's favor tends to afford them preferential treatment, especially within Caelum. Due to this, some Blessed/Divine Clarephs choose to leave Divum altogether, uncomfortable with being singled out.

Most Clarephs see humans as equals, if... a little impulsive and rash. Many Clarephs don't really understand the rush, since they live for so long--but they do appreciate the innovation that humanity is capable of with their short little life spans.

Since Clarephs naturally have the ability, many consider travelling to other universes a sort of rite-of-passage! However, many think that those who end up settling in other realms are strange... what place could be better for a Clareph than Divum?

Clarephs love celebrating! The biggest festival of the year is held in mid-spring, the Wishbloom festival, to celebrate the blooming of a rainbow flower also named wishbloom. It's one big excuse to get together with friends and family and eat a lot of festival food.

Traditional food includes all sorts of kebabs--meat skewers, veggie skewers, and a fried donut-like cake dipped in powdered sugar are all very common.

Generally, Clarephs are very comfortable with being physically close/touching/cuddling with their friends. Close friends often braid each other's hair as a sign of affection.

The Abysm

Beneath Caelum lies the entrance to the Abysm.

Asteri sealed it under their temple, specifically requesting that it be built atop the entrance.

Few Clarephs have entered, and exactly none have returned; there's wild speculation within the Academia as to what's hidden beneath, made all the more conspiratorial as Asteri refuses to say.

... what, exactly, are they trying to hide?

A group of Clarephs is called a charm.

The first Clareph is still alive. They're rarely seen, but they live in Asteri's main temple in Caelum, working as an honorary priest.

There's a species of winged chinchilla-like creatures that many Clarephs keep as pets! Their naturally long, soft fur lends itself to extremely cute "hairstyles"... there's competitions to judge them, much like "cutest dog contests" here on Earth!