Quesar

Quesars were living constructs of light created by the aasimon.

Description
Some described quesars as stars brought to the ground. These gaunt humanoids shined with an intense light that would blind most creatures and extend for about 40 feet (12 meters) from their bodies. Behind the radiant glow, a quesar had blue skin and white hair that stood upright from its noble head. They stood about six feet (183 centimeters) tall and weighed 160 pounds (73 kilograms). Their faces were narrow, and they had pointed ears. Their bodies appeared frail, but they physically were quite strong.

Abilities
The power of a quesar was in its holy light. A quesar could increase the brilliance of its glow with ever-stronger effects. It could always increase the intensity of its energy halo to the point of blinding and illuminating a radius of some 80 to 100 yards (70 to 90 meters). About every four hours or so, it could increase this intensity further to become as intense as a searing light or sunburst spell, damaging most bystanders.

In addition, three times a day, it could release an instantaneous burst of energy so intense that it would disintegrate most life.

Quesars had both darkvision and low-light vision. They moved on their two powerful legs at about twice the speed of a typical human.

Quesars were immune to electricity and fire and resistant to magical spells. They were more easily harmed by adamantine weapons than by other metals.

Quesars had near perfect memories. If a quesar became a wizard, it did not even need to use a spellbook, for it could perfectly memorize all spells. On the other hand, their powerful magical resistance meant that it was impossible for them to activate most magical items. (The aasimon intentionally designed this limitation into the quesars, so that they could not use the magic treasures that they were guarding.)

Quesars spoke the Celestial language. They were also reported to be telepathic and able to read and understand all languages.

Personality
The quesar were free-thinking yet unmovable in their views. They were both virtuous and compassionate. A quesar was always honest. Most quesars had a strong desire to find their purpose in the multiverse, and some strove hard to prove themselves worthy of the celestials who created them.

The majority of quesars had a neutral good moral and ethical outlook, but some were more lawful or more licentious than others. Evil quesars were instantly destroyed.

Essentially golems, quesars thought little for their own safety; they had only a limited sense of self-preservation.

Quesars seemed incapable of laughter, and they lacked an understanding of the social mores of celestials and tended to be antisocial. While nothing prevented a quesar from having companions, they did not have friends, because intimacy was an alien concept to them.

When a quesar became angry, the intensity of its light grew stronger.

Many quesars still resented their aasimon creators.

Combat
Quesars never used weapons; they did not need to, for the power of their radiance was effective enough against nearly any enemy. They also could pound foes with their fists, which discharged radiant energy with each blow.

Quesars could not wear armor, nor did they employ any other sort of defensive equipment or magic.

Society
The home plane of the quesars was Elysium, within the layer of Belierin. There, they lived independent of the rule of other beings, yet they often supported celestials in the fight against evil, but only on their own prerogative.

Most quesar lived in strongholds that had been abandoned by the aasimon, where they continued to guard the celestial treasure hordes for which they were designed. Some left Elysium and wandered the other Upper Planes, seeking a purpose. Still others decided that their purpose was to combat evil and descended on suicide missions to the Lower Planes, sacrificing themselves in destroying fiends with their holy radiance.

A few rare quesars offered their services to the higher powers. For example, quesars sometimes acted on behalf of the dwarven goddess Haela Brightaxe. Another quesar was known work for a powerful tulani of the Twilight Court.

Quesars avoided angels, but they occasionally had contact with other celestials, especially the guardinals who defended Belierin. They sometimes provided directions to the guardinals through Belierin's vast marshlands.

Quesar were not designed to be religious, but a few of them, feeling indebted to the gods who ultimately granted them their freedom, chose to worship some of the powers. Among them, Eldath, whose divine realm was located in Elysium, was commonly worshiped.

Quesar could be summoned by the most powerful of good spellcasters.

Ecology
As a construct, a quesar did not need to eat, sleep, or breathe and was immune to a large number of harmful effects that would cripple most other types of lifeforms. The positive energy of healing magic did not work on quesars, but their bodies repaired themselves as long as they were in bright light equivalent to that of daylight. This regeneration from light continued even after a quesar was immobilized and appeared "dead"; given time, light would restore a fallen quesar to life. Thus, one of the only ways to destroy a quesar was to place its remains where light could never reach. At which point, the quesar's remains would fade away. Alternatively, spells such as disintegrate or energy drain could also destroy a quesar.

Not surprisingly, a quesar who could not recharge itself in light grew weakened over time and became unable to use its energy halo to blind or damage enemies. After a day of darkness, a quesar would burn out and lose its halo entirely.

While externally, quesars appeared both male and female, this was purely for aesthetic reasons; quesars were sexless creatures and could not reproduce. Quesars could exist, however, for many thousands of years.

History
Quesars were a form of artificial life constructed by angels to serve as guardians over magical treasures, but they gave them minds, free will, individuality, and the capacity to learn. The quesars initially served loyally, but as time passed, they ultimately rebelled against their creators, desiring to live free.

The first quesar to do so was named Ourixad, and he petitioned the Parliament of the Concordance to grant his kind freedom, which was rejected. The conflict ultimately led to a war, and Ourixad was one of the first casualties, destroyed by a planetar.

Thankfully, the war was very short, because the deities of Elysium directly intervened. The aasimar were commanded to allow the quesars to live as they pleased. The quesars, on the other hand, were advised not to give in to chaos, which was often where freedom led.

Despite being given their freedom by the gods, the celestial hierarchies mostly ignored the quesars, leaving them to their own devices and not even requesting their aid in the fight against evil. Many aasimon remained angry at the quesars for their rebellion.

A group of asuras, who were often themselves at odds with the aasimon, had petitioned the other celestial races to include quesars within their hierarchies, but these pleas were met with little success.

The aasimon refused to share the secrets of creating quesars, so the quesars slowly began to die off.

Rumors & Legends
The guardinals defending the layer of Belierin discovered the site where the quesar's were first formed from mud. Half-formed shells of quesars were strewn about. Some thought that these were unfinished quesars abandoned by the aasimon, but they were in fact failed attempts by the quesars to build more of their kind. A remnant of the celestial power of the aasimon still lingered in the place.