Astrology
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Astrological Timeline
Calendar
Star of Eraston
Celestial Gate aka Eye of Aminus
Orb of Sheliak
Moons

Celestial Spheres

Stars

Constellations

Shadow of Degar
Lights of Lutherik

Magic

“Once, I was the Hierophant Druid, the center of that great religious order, in the lands of Old Camus. In my early years in the order, I was as blind to the truth of Wizardry as all my other peers. I never saw the truth. As I aged though, I began to collect their books and scrolls. I studied them, in hopes of learning what demons these mages had made deals with to learn their skills. What I discovered rocked the foundation of my own understanding of the universe; these Wizards come from across the sea were wielding the same powers that were we. They had learned this power without the aid of any divine beings. They had learned this “Magic” by their own will. As I said before, Druids do not draw on the Source via the Gods. Instead they do so on their own, but with rituals and prayers taught to them by Naeja and other nature gods. These Wizards had created their own rituals and prayers. This knowledge opened my eyes to the greater picture of the universe. I had learned many of their spells in my studies, but never thought I should try them, having previously believed they were the dark rituals of devil worshipers. Now, though, I saw them in a different light. They are all just tools, such as our own rituals were, to control the Source of creation that is the power of Aminus. So, I began casting their spells and my experience grew greatly. I began to study all forms of Magic and came to the same understanding that Omar provided to you above. It was not long though, before my secret was discovered by the Arch-Druids, who declared immediately that I was a betrayer to our ways. I did not argue with them. What I had learned was enough for me to realize that I was no longer interested in being just a druid. I set out to discover greater secrets of the universe.
I have traveled the world, visiting other lands and learning their histories. I discovered that in ancient times the Kal-Kamorans worshipped gods who taught the secrets of the Celestial Sphere as the basis of their religion. They were a people of absolute laws, and this was their undoing. In Ryosha, the study of the stars is a philosophical measure, but follows the same ideals. They believe that people are born under certain stars and these affect their destiny in life. It was in these travels that I first met Omar “The Red”. This great Sorcerer revealed to me many of the secrets he had learned in his millennia of life. Though we often clash on ideals, we both have the same thirst for knowledge. I suppose I must say I was his apprentice for many years, and it was he who taught me my greatest skills.
Omar said earlier that the constellations are a written language, which reveal the secrets of creation. Some know this and others do not. The deities, certainly do, but to them only the constellations of the gods matter. Wizards often go about their study of magic with little interest in the stars, never realizing how much more powerful their will could be if they would only take advantage of those celestial patterns. Some have, however, noted these changes and have developed forms of wizardry that make use of these stellar movements. Sorcerers sometimes can sense the changing of the Source. Rarely do they record their knowledge, and those who have rarely make notes that are particularly useful. Bards almost never associate the stars with their musical abilities, so I attained little from their archives. Druids, however, have always recognized the natural procession of the celestial sphere, the moons and the Orb of Sheliak. Most of their rituals and holy days are associated with this universal order.
All of the knowledge I have collected, I am recording here, adding to it my own personal research. Those willing to learn will attain skills to allow them to channel their magic through the alignments of the constellations and celestial movements. Mastery of this skill is unlikely, but even a small portion of understanding will greatly enhance your spell casting abilities.”
~Morkelon

What is Magic?

The Power of Aminus, the Creator, flows through the world as currents. Everything, matter and energy, living and inanimate, is the creation of Aminus and thus is susceptible to the manipulation of the power of creation, the Source. Magic, thus, is the manipulation of the power of creation.
There are many forms of Magic, but all fall into two categories. Divine magic is the power of the gods, who were created with mastery over certain aspects of the Mortal Realm. The gods grant this power to worshipers, priests and prophets, who act out their will. Arcane magic a broader type of magic, not an innate ability but learned magic and thus, though sometimes not as powerful, much more diverse and in many ways without limits.

ASTRONOMY

The movement of the stars and other celestial bodies, as compared to the World of Naeja and the Eternal Gate, has a great influence over the flows of magic. The truth is that these movements, their patterns, are what drive the constant change of the universe. Most Astromancers have an orrery in their places of study, so as to track the complicated movement of the spheres.

The Celestial Sphere

The Celestial Sphere is the name given to the imagined sphere that encircles Naeja, displaying the stars of the universe, the rotation of the sun and moons and the Silent Watcher. To understand how these stars move and how they affect the Source, one must understand the Universal Procession of Time, as set by Loran. Naeja is at the center of the Celestial Sphere. The Silent Watcher, the Eye of Aminus, is the center of the Universe and the Gate to the Eternal Planes beyond.

The Orb of Sheliak and the Seasons

The Orb of Sheliak is the sun for the world of Najea. It revolves around the world, taking 1 full year to make its revolution, or 360 days. The seasons and periods of day and night detailed below, are measured by those who live in the northwestern hemisphere of Naeja; Verosia, Old Camus, Shuro-Tahn, Velderheim. The revolution of the Orb of Sheliak is tilted in such a way that during half the year it faces the southern hemisphere of the world more directly, and the other half of the year it faces the northern hemisphere more directly. This creates six seasons. In Koril, it faces the southern hemisphere and thus appears to be closest to the southern horizon, creating a season of ice and snow. In Reahnyn, it begins its ascent again, warming the land and bringing a season of renewal. By Sheliak it has risen high in the sky, and the land is fully in bloom. By Zoraug it is directly over the northern hemisphere, burning hot, and the flora begins to wither. Soon it begins its decent again, but the heated ocean has churned up terrible storms that cover the skies. This is the season of Torik. As the storms settle the Orb has returned to the same angle in the sky as it had been during Reahnyn, but this is the season of Morin, when the land is cooling and the crops are ready to harvest. Finally the orb drops to its lowest point and the cold season of Koril once again returns.

Night and Day

The World of Naeja rotates on its Axis, creating day as it turns the continents toward the Orb of Sheliak and night as it turns them away to face the stars. Because of this turning the Orb and stars rise in the east and set in the west. Each day/night cycle is marked as 24 arms long, with a new ecliptic rising every 2 arms (an arm is equivocal to an hour). While the angle of the orbit of the Orb of Sheliak creates the seasons, it also affects the length of day and night during the year, which changes every ninety days. The mid point of Koril marks the winter solstice, the longest night of the year; 10 arms of day and 14 arms of night. As the Orb moves up its path, the days lengthen and the night recedes. By the last day of Reahnyn they have balanced, marking the Vernal Equinox; 12 arms of day to 12 arms of night. Then the days begin to become greater in length than the night. The middle of Zoraug marks the summer solstice, the longest day of the year; 14 arms of day and 10 arms of night. Finally the Orb begins to descend again, and with it the days shorten and the nights lengthen. By the first day of Morin, the Autumnal Equinox occurs; 12 arms of day and 12 arms of night. Finally, the Orb descends to the southern horizon, passing from Morin to Koril. By mid Koril the night is at its longest again. The Solstices and Equinox are important dates for spell casting purposes (see Astrolomancy below).

The Moon of Loran

The Moon of Loran revolves around the world every thirty days. Its orbit tilts throughout the course of a year, so that the Orb almost always lights it. Only once a year does a Lunar Eclipse occur, so that the shadow of Naeja blocks the moon from the light of Sheliak. The angle of the moon to the sun is always such so that every year there is one day, somewhere where a Solar Eclipse occurs. A Solar Eclipse creates a shadow that crosses over the world, but more so it appears that the Orb of Sheliak is completely blocked out to those who are in the shadow of Loran. Once every five years, the path of the moon is such that it crosses between the Orb of Sheliak and the northern hemisphere such that the shadow crosses over the entirety of Verosia and Old Camus. This is a day of significant power. In Loran’s revolution around the world, the Orb of Sheliak lights it, and thus it appears to wane and wax between a full moon and a new moon in one month’s time.

The Moon of Wor’yck

The Moon of Wor’yck is very distant compared to the Moon of Loran and the Orb of Sheliak. Once every seventy-five years its orbit completes itself, but this is a most dreaded event. The moon cuts sharply in its orbit around the world, slicing through the atmosphere and turning up terrible storms. It takes only ten days for it to complete its path, but in its wake it leaves a terrible destruction and wrecks havoc on those who try to manipulate the Source. Hence it is the Moon of Chaos. The Ryoshans claim that it did not always strike the world, but that tens of thousands of years ago, a race called the Lac’er’tu had a great and terrible civilization where the Path of Wor’yck now exists. Apparently Wor’yck was their father and taught them great magic, but they pried into secrets he denied them and he went mad, destroying their civilization. The Ryoshans believe this is when they, who had been slaves to the Lac’er’tu, began their own civilization. Hence, despite the chaos wrecked by the storms, they consider the ten days of its passing to be an incredibly holy time.

The Silent Watcher

The Silent Watcher, also called the Eye of Aminus or the Gate to the Eternal Realms, always appears in the night sky, rising in the east, crossing the northern sky and setting in the west. In Korel (winter) it is low on the horizon and in Zoraug (late-summer) it is at the apex of the sky. All stars and constellations can be tracked in the night sky by their relative distance and angle from the Eye of Aminus. In Ryosha the Eye is barely visible in Korel, and I suspect that in the lands even further south, below the “equator” of the world, it is isn’t even visible in these later months.

The 12 Ecliptics; Ages and the Convergence

The Orb of Sheliak moves on the same course through the Celestial Sphere. The orbit of Loran tilts back and forth. The path of these two stellar bodies mark a width of the night sky called the Zodiac. Since Loran revolves every thirty days and the Orb every 360 days, the Zodiac is separated into 12 “houses”, one for each month. Within each house there is a constellation of stars, representing one of the twelve primary powers. These constellations are of incredible importance to those channeling the source.

Every seventy five years (one revolution of Wor’yck), the Celestial Sphere appears to turn one degree. Currently, the Orb of Sheliak always rises on the first day of Reahnyn in the Constellation of “XXX”. Thus this is called the Age of XXX. However, over twelve hundred years ago it always rose in the constellation of “XXX” on the first day of Reahnyn. Every 2,250 years (30 revolutions of Wor’yck, or 30 degrees of rotation) the constellations shift, and this marks a period of incredible change in the world. Throughout history it can be discovered. The last time this occurred the kingdoms of Old Camus collapsed and the Ronans migrated to their new lands in Verosia. There is still another thousand years before another Age begins.
It takes 27,000 years for the constellations to return to their original position again, called a Convergence. Some believe the Convergence will mark the end of the world. I suspect it will be a period of change like never before, though I doubt the world will ever end. It has been over 25,000 years since the last Convergence, which marked the end of the Age of Ice. The Duervar ruled the world before this, and the Titans before that, and before that it is believed that only flora and fauna covered the world. Only the gods know for sure, and very few of them at that.

The Five Spheres

The Spheres are the five planets that move through the 12 Ecliptics with the Moons and Orb. Each sphere applies its own influences over the forces of magic. These are not the schools of arcane magic, or the domains of divine magics, but rather characteristics of all magic. These are the Five Spheres:
Temus: Temus is the Sphere of Time. This shimmering blue star controls the time related characteristics of magical spells and effects, such as casting time and duration.
Demus: Demus is the Sphere of Dimensions. This glowing red star controls the characteristics of magical spells and effects that have dimensions, such as range and area of affect.
Kenus: Kenus is the Sphere of Power. This brilliant white star controls the power level characteristics of magical spells or effects, such as Effective Spell Level and Damage.
Menus: Menus is the Sphere of Matter. This glimmering green star controls the characteristics of magical spells and effects that are matter based, such as creation spells and material components.
Cerus: Cerus is the Sphere of Coordination. This fiery yellow star controls the interactive characteristics of magical spells or effects, such as saving throws and targets (self or a number of targets).

The Constellations

There are other stars of importance. Clusters of stars form constellations in different parts of the night sky, all spiraling out from the Silent Watcher. The greater gods of the Ronan pantheon all have their own constellations, but other gods have constellations as well. Surprisingly neither the Gelvani nor the Duervan gods have constellations. The Duervar say this is because their people, who usually live beneath the earth, rarely look upon the stars. The Gelvani say it is because they are the people of Arvanis, and Eternal Realm, where the night sky is only illuminated by Loran. The priests of those gods who have constellations can perform rituals during the time when their constellations rise into positions of importance. Because of their location in the night sky, I believe that most these constellations are not visible in the southern hemisphere. I know of no civilized lands below the Path of Wor’yck, which marks the equator of the world. Beyond Shuro-Tahn is a continent ruled by the Oni, or demons. Beyond that is a great glacier, which none have ever sailed beyond. If there are lands that far south, then perhaps their denizens worship totally different gods with their own constellations. They certainly do not have the glory of the Silent Watcher in their sky.

The Stars of Dawn, Twilight, Summer and Winter

There are four stars that are very different than all others. They do not shimmer like most stars, and are not mists in the sky as some constellations are. Instead they are shine like the moons do in the sky, though they appear as brilliant as stars. They revolve around the world as the moons do, and may themselves be orbs of matter like Loran and Wor’yck. The Star of Twilight comes into view shortly before dusk, and stays in the sky until close to mid night. The Star of Dawn comes into view shortly after mid night and stays visible in the sky well after the Orb of Sheliak has risen. The Winter Star is only visible in the months of Morin and Korel, and illuminates the northern sky through the night. The Summer Star is only visible in the months of Sheliak and Zoraug and illuminates the southern sky throughout the night. This is because, in the seasons they are not visible, they are in the sky during the day, hidden by the light of the Orb of Sheliak.

The Orb of Chionanthus

Another strange star is the Orb of Chionanthus. A white glowing orb that circles the sky much like the four stars mentioned above, I believe it may be another stellar body close to Naeja. Parthan religious history states that it appeared in a brilliant flash in the night sky thousands of years ago, and marked the birth of the god of Knowledge, Chionanthus. Since then it has illuminated the night and is even slightly visible by day. The Historians, worshipers of Chionanthus and keepers of all history, say it was placed there to always gift them the light they need to read and write. It is bright, though not nearly as bright as the Orb of Sheliak. It is true, however, that the holy symbols of these priests can glow brilliantly when the star is in the sky. It travels close to the eastern hemisphere, such that it is mostly visible from just before dusk to just after dawn, though its rotation isn’t that simple.

The Light and the Shadow

There are two anomalies in the night sky that are neither constellations nor any other celestial bodies, though they do represent the power of gods; the Lights of Lutherik and the Shadow of Degar.
The first are the Lights of Lutherik, Lord of Lies and Illusions. They seem to glow in the sky at night, usually in the warmer months, when the Orb of Sheliak is high in sky by day. They shimmer and flow like light off a chromatic river in the night sky. I am still not sure how the light is formed, but I know that the deceptive god is most powerful when his phantasm illuminates the darkness.
The other is the Shadow of Degar, Lord Shadows. A streak of darkness rises in the night sky during the colder months, somehow it opposes Lutherik’s shimmering lights, though the two never coincide. The Shadow of Degar rarely blocks out constellations, instead it moves like a slithering snake through the sky blotting out distant stars. Rarely, when it has crossed the constellation of another god, it has coincided with some divine occurrence in the eternal realms that signify Degar’s triumph in one of his many attempts to steal from the other gods. The Shaden, rutheless half-living servants of the Shadow Lord, gain great power by the Shadow’s crossing and emerge from their realm to serve their masters secret plans.

The Schools of Magic

Wizards have defined eight schools of Magic: Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy and Transmutation.
Each school is represented on one of eight Arcane Constellations. These constellations spiral out from the Eye of Aminus
Abjurations are protective spells. They create physical or magical barriers, negate magical or physical abilities, harm trespassers, or even banish the subject to another plane of existence….

How the stars affect the Source…

The movement of the stars and celestial bodies affect how the source may be drawn upon during different times of the year. Magic, as most know it, does not seem to be affected, but that is because they are not tapping into the benefits of those celestial movements. Druids and Priests have long known about these celestial movements, though Priests only focused on the constellations of their own deities. Druids; however, have many special rituals based upon the movements of the Celestial Sphere. The study of Arcane Magic as it relates to the movement of the stars is called Astromancy.

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