The Eye of the Stars
From Haelrahv Wiki
- As written by Glim Faethyn
The Eye of the Stars is more of an omission than a constellation. It is a roughly circular absence of any celestial bodies, apart from a large, dense cluster of stars with a particularly bright star near the center of the cluster.
The Eye, as it is often called, has been studied and observed for many centuries. No one is certain what caused this strange blank in the night sky.
The Eolai call it The Eye of Aiba Lli, the Twilight God. They say Aiba Lli watches Haelrahv from afar, gleaning the secrets told in the shadow of night. It is also said that the souls of the worshippers of Aiba Lli reside forever in the center of the Eye, to look back on Haelrahv from cities of light.
While not all races consider the Eye to be divine, many have ancient legends regarding this bizarre celestial ccurance.
Several sects devoted to the Eye, some considered to be no more than drunken myth, have sprung up like a plague of weeds, from time to time.
One such sect, known simply as The Dark Eye, is said to comprise every race and has existed for untold centuries. The only mark ever spoken of, in relation to the sect, is a black circular tattoo with a bluish-white center. No one has even claimed to see such markings, for fear of being called drunken fools. To this day no one has seen any members of this sect, although brothers and sisters enjoy tormenting their younger siblings with tales of The Dark Eye abducting them for induction into the sect.
There are nearly as many tales associated with The Eye of the Stars as there are stars along its rim.
The Fool, a bright red star in the rim of The Eye of the Stars, was named after a drunken Psionic in ages past who claimed to be able to see into the dark hearts of men. Sadly, he never saw the hearts of the ones who lynched him as a public menace. To this day A Fool in the Sky is used to refer to young, foolish Psionics who are often chastised for being drunken menaces.
The brightest star of the central cluster of The Eye is known to Eolai as The Night Sun, named after an old Eolai priest who lived nearly eight hundred years ago. It was said he had been born to serve Aiba Lli on Haelrahv and that his skin was of such pale coloring it almost seemed transparent. He had never been seen by light of day and was often called The Son of Aiba Lli and Sun of Twilight, up until he was executed for betraying Aiba Lli. Upon the day of his execution the Night Sun seemed to dim greatly, seemingly in the grief of loss.
Opposite The Fool is a pair of stars known as The Knight of Stars and The General of Night.
It was named, according to one legend, after a young Eolai Guardian named Kylion Drandor who served as a protector of a keep once located a short distance from Titan City.
Word of an attack from a neighboring kingdom reached the Lord of the Keep, whispered upon the lips of darkness a group of spies.
The Lord knew he could not withstand an attack from the other kingdom with his men at arms alone. He sent word to his liege, King Daezor, asking for an army to repel the pending invasion.
To hold off the impending war the Lord sent Kylion to guard a key pass near the mountainous border, granting him half the standing force at the keep.
As the dark sea of invaders swept through the valley leading to the pass they butchered the settlers located in the borderlands and razed their villages.
It is said that as the flood of savages approached the pass Kylion knelt down and offered a prayer to The Eye, hoping that whatever God had created the Eye would look favorably upon him in the coming battle.
When the army of the other kingdom finally reached the pass(they were prone to drunken debauchery as they conquested) they quickly battered down the meager defenses at the mouth.
Many of Kylions men broke and ran as the mercenary army approached, their steady march and booming war drums echoing like a second battle off the sides of the pass.
The remaining defenders were nearly as fierce as the invaders and held them off as best they could. Kylions blade cut a swathe through the invaders, that night, felling officers, soldiers and horses alike.
Those fighting among his small band had never seen Kylion fight so fiercely, before. Some say it was his prayer being answered. Others suggested he had simply been in a drunken rage.
Despite their grand efforts they were soon overwhelmed and slaughtered, except for Kylion who was bound with chains and marched before the army until they neared the keep.
The General of the army, who was a massive Jaddan, drove Kylion forward using a barbed whip and forced him to kneel before the drawbridge.
Although the archers defending the keep sent forth a rain of arrows and bolts, the Mages in the army kept their General and his prisoner safe.
As Kylion knelt, praying fervently that his life would be spared, the General drew his blade and sent it whistling at his neck. As the blade tore through Kylions neck a faint flash appeared near the Eye of the Stars. A new stars light had reached Haelrahv, for the first time.
An odd fluctuation occurred then, causing the magic users of the army to collapse in severe pain(whether mental or physical is unknown). Their protective shields they had erected for the General were shredded by arrows as their spells lost force.
Beside the new star a second flash appeared, another star newly born to the game of the universe.
To this day, it is said, the Knight of Stars and the General of Night circle each other in a great celestial dance, sometimes almost seeming to brush against each other, their struggle on Haelrahv continuing in the borderlands of The Eye of the Stars.
There are many other tales told regarding The Eye and its countless border-stars. Some might even be true.
