Astronomy

Astronomy, not to be mistaken for astrology, is the science of looking at the stars and the Celestial Bodies in the starry night sky and trying to understand the place of Aloria in the universe concerning other objects. Astronomy is a somewhat developed science, as many Heritages have spent centuries staring at the sky and making observations. As such, knowledge of these Celestial Bodies (a name for all entities that can be determined in space) is fairly widespread, and each Celestial Body has different names in various Cultures and Languages. For ease of reference, this page will take the Ailor understanding as default, offering additional translations for other Heritages with a major investment in astronomy. Astrology as a subset of astronomy is usually left up to players because horoscopes aren’t real. Star constellations are used in Aloria, they just aren’t mentioned on this page because they don’t have a widespread cultural impact.

Celestial Bodies

The Father, known in Common, or the Red Celestial, is the Celestial Body closest to Aloria according to astronomers' calculations. It usually rests in front of the red nebula called the Red Celestial, but the Celestial has a dull purple color. It is hard to get a proper view of the Father, as it usually appears in the night sky when it is partially obscured and in front of the sun instead of behind it. Much about the Father is largely unknown, though based on some studies it's assumed to be smaller than Aloria and because of this moves faster than Aloria. The Father is a so-called Elemental Celestial, meaning it causes some unexplained effect on those who look at it. If a person is Void-touched in any way and peers up at The Father through a telescope, they feel unease, dread, and an unexplained sense of doom until they look away. As an Elemental Celestial, when The Father is high in the sky during summer, the Void-touched claim they feel invigorated, with the culmination of this feeling cresting on the 22nd of June called Full Crimson Rise, during which the Father is exactly in front of the Red Nebula and produces a strong red glow that is visible to the naked eye. The Father is called "Messennä" in the Allorn language and "Fuma" ("Prince Consort") in Sihai. The Father is considered a cultural icon for the Teledden, but the Sihai generally consider it a bad omen, and the worst of bad omens is the Full Crimson Rise, which the Sihai refer to as the Emperor’s Blood Day, which they consider immensely ominous.

The Maiden, as it is known in Common, or the Blue Fair, is the Celestial Body further from Aloria based on calculations than the Father, and unlike the Father which is between Aloria and the sun, actually behind Aloria in their rotation around the sun. The Maiden’s true color is difficult to distinguish because it is entirely encased in the Ice Nebula, called such due to the colors and sparkles akin to ice crystals. The Maiden has several smaller glowing Celestial Bodies that circle it, each named only in the Allorn language after the Estelley Pantheon (they lack names in Common). The Mother is a so-called Elemental Celestial, meaning it causes some unexplained effect on those who look at it. If a person is Exist-touched in any way and peers up at The Maiden through a telescope, they feel unease, dread, and an unexplained sense of doom until they look away. As an Elemental Celestial, when The Maiden is high in the sky during winter, the Exist-touched claim they feel invigorated, with the culmination of this feeling cresting on the 15th of December called Maiden’s Riposte, during which The Maiden and the whole nebula is lit up to such a degree that it is visible to the naked eye, and quite dominant even during the day as a bright glowing white-blue smear in the sky. The Maiden is called Ïevanna in the Allorn language, and Huanghou (Empress Consort) in Sihai. The Maiden is considered an important symbol in Nelfin culture, at least for those who worship Estelley, and the centerpiece to many Nelfin celebrations and festivals during winter. It has no real cultural meaning to the Sihai, besides the fact that they consider The Maiden The Father’s equal, and thus ominous, but not as much as The Father.

The Red Dawn, known in Common, or the Green-Red Farsight, is the Celestial Body furthest away from Aloria with several ill-explained properties. While most astronomers agree that Celestial Bodies are in effect worlds like Aloria, The Red Dawn fails to meet certain criteria for this, as it is seemingly see-through. Red Dawn is best described as a reddish object in the sky with a constantly swirling green mist or fog that violently swirls, even clearly visible from afar. More troubling, however, is that the stars in the night sky behind it are visible while the Celestial moves through the night sky. The Red Dawn is not an Elemental Celestial, though some claim it has some effect on the powers of the Ordial inclined. Still, because so few Ordial inclined are considered legal or well enough understood by many state apparatuses, no official dialogue on it being classified as an Elemental Celestial has been established, and much of it remains in the realm of rumor. Because of these rumors, however, the Ordial-aligned often refer to this Celestial as the Celestial Corpse, believing it to be the corpse of a Celestial Body roaming the night sky. The Red Dawn is called Bënnara in the Allorn language and Hixi in Sihai. This Celestial Body has no real importance for either culture, though the Sihai sometimes use it in symbolism because the green clouds surrounding the object appear in the same color as jade.

Solfa, known in Common, is the only Celestial Body with a personalized name though why is unclear. Some tribal folklore has it that the spirit of the world roams the starry night sky with its ardent companion near it, and to some degree, Solfa seems to match this description given its orbiting object, always visible in the sky. It is thought by astronomers to be a habitable Celestial just like Aloria, because of what they think are hues of green, yellow, and blue on its surface, which seems to indicate to them that there is plantlife, water, and some sulfuric material on the surface. Solfa is not an Elemental Celestial and despite the inclinations of some Mages to want to feel some empowerment from it, they do not, and this has been tested time and time again. The only real noteworthy aspect about Solfa is the orbiting object called Crystallum, which is treated as its own Celestial Body further down. Solfa is called "Solfä" in the Allorn language and "Yaofu" in Sihai, and notably, the Sihai name is curious. Folklore among the Sihai has it that Solfa is a temptress of a Celestial Body that draws the minds and souls of those who daydream too often and too fervently what life on a different world could be like, and thus end up losing their footing on Aloria, a tale of caution, and the reason why its name is "The Temptress" in Sihai.

Crystallum is the only non-spheroid Celestial known in the night sky, which is an orbiting object of Solfa, though to call it an orbiting object is not quite accurate and there is still an extremely lively debate on what it is. Crystallum appears like a large crystal jutted from a large rock, with smaller pieces of rocks and crystals on the sides, all appearing as if the crystal was ripped out of a large surface area from one of the Celestial Bodies, unclear from which. This object is massive, almost continent-sized in Alorian terms. The object always appears in the same relational position next to Solfa and Aloria, anchored more in position with Aloria. It is orbiting Solfa, but it is more accurate to say that its orbit follows Aloria so it always faces Aloria. Strange mists can be seen dancing away from the object, and some observers claim they have seen the shapes of rain clouds reflected in the crystalline surface of the object. Some scholars have claimed Crystallum is the Maraya Home Fleet, but this is not true, because many observations have been made of both objects in the sky, the Home Fleet distinctly in Aloria’s cloud web, and Crystallum far high up in the night sky. Even among Maraya, to whom the object is generally attributed, there is a wild debate over what the object is with some believing it was errant Maraya tech that drifted from Aloria, others say it is a paradise where their people live far away from the now alien world inhabited by other Heritages. The object has no name in the Allorn language because they refused to categorize it as anything but an asteroid, while the Sihai call it Shagua, or The Fool, to remark how it went too close to Solfa from Aloria and is now trapped there.

The Sun and the Moon

The sun and the moon also exist as Celestial Objects. The sun and moon have important roles in a variety of cultures. The sun, for example, is believed to be the home of the soul of the Black Dragons called "Shambaal" in the Songaskian language, while the Nelfin call the Sun "Majëra," which is phonetically close to mother. The Sihai refer to the sun as "Taiyang," and it is commonly seen in symbolism, especially on their clothing. The moon is culturally important to the Isldar, to whom the celestial is called "Sina," while the wider Allorn world calls it "Assenëia." The Sihai call the moon by many names, but the object in the sky is "Yueliang" ("Moonlight"), and is considered to have connotations of destiny and fated future lives. The sun and the moon behave the same way our real-life sun and moon do.