The
Study of Omens and Celestial Portents
By Pentaith
Illistim
We Moon Mages
study the stars and the heavens in order to
know what
will come. There are, of course, other methods.
The
Skindancers and their corpse-bones, the Tezirites and
their
gruesome mirrors, the Prophets of the deranged madman
G'Nar Peth.
(Strange people, to gouge out their eyes and see
the future in
enruned bowls. Not a pleasant life.) Each is
the inferior
device of a lesser sect, when all is said and
done. The
blood of the Celestial Compact runs in my veins,
and the stars
call to me. I would rather hold a sturdy
telescope in
my hands than a nightmarish mirror or a bag of
entrails. And
so, it is about the heavens that I write.
The stars
have always been linked closely to the gods. It is
said in some
myths that "Phelim strew the stars in the sky
by gathering
some of Tamsine's tears and setting them
against the
velvet black of the heavens, then bid Kertigen
hammer for
him four moons, which he then nestled along with
the stars in
the heavens, and set to turning." (From the
Immortals, by
Rowan Windlyric and Amritam Gweththew) Many
other myths
about the Immortals and their stars abide,
(such as the
common folktale about Meraud wandering
Elanthia when
the wolf howls at Katamba), but we cannot
confirm these
to be either true or false. What we do know
is that the
stars can often reveal information about things
closely tied
to their god through observation. This is
accomplished
either through the simple process of
predictions,
or the more complex celestial events, detailed
below.
Throughout
the ages various forms of celestial phenomena
have taken
place, omens that reveal things of the future
not readily
apparent to a novice seer. Through the
understanding
and interpretation of these omens, we can
greatly
increase our foresight abilities on a scale far
larger than
seeing one person's future. I share my
knowledge of
these occurrences in the hopes of advancing
the study of
astronomy for everyone in the Guild of Moon
Mages.
Note that
though these omens have all occurred before (some
on multiple
occasions), what they portended then may not be
the same in
the future. Foresight is an ever-changing
process, and
(no pun intended) is highly unpredictable.
One of the
most common celestial omens involves the
constellation
of the Raven. This constellation consists of
seventeen
stars, and it rests in the North. The Raven is
the emblem of
Kertigen, god of craftsmen, precious gems,
and wealth.
Kertigen is worshipped by traders, metalworkers,
and jewelers
alike. So festivals and merchant gatherings are
events that
hold a special place in the heart of this god.
When the
Raven is seen flashing, or winking, it is an omen
of a coming
festival, or merchant. The Raven blinked and
flashed in
the year 346 (followed by the arrivals of several
merchants),
and in Ka'len 353, the Raven flashed again. Also
seen then was
a vision of a Raven over a tower with a
crystal dome.
This omen foretold of Ten'ra Agalith an
Ilithian
celebration to the gods of darkness, intending to
appease them
so that they do not spread chaos and
destruction
amongst us.
The Viper is
a constellation made up of eighteen stars, two
of which are
bright red. These two stars are the animal's
eyes. The
Viper is the emblem of Ushnish, god of famine, ice
age, flood,
earthquakes, disease, and other such things.
When the two
stars that make up the Viper's eyes glow their
brightest,
pestilence will spread through the lands, caused
by Ushnish.
Our powers of foresight are small defense
against such
horrifying disasters, but we must use the
knowledge to
prevent as much suffering and death as is
possible.
Such is the burden we bear.
The
It is the
emblem of Murrula, goddess of beauty and music.
When the
and festivity
coming soon. The last time the Phoenix pulsed
in this
manner was to announce the restoration of the Bardic
Guild, which
had been ashes for more than three hundred
years due to
the slaughter carried out by the Dragon
Priests.
After the
pulsing of the Phoenix, the then-High Priest of
the Dragon
Priests, Tenebraus, came to the Crossing in an
attempt to
capture and kill Siryn, a woman attempting to
restore the
Bard Guild. Siryn and Tenebraus were both
killed, and
the Bard Guild in the Crossing was reopened, led
by
Silvryfrost, a student of Siryn. This occured in the
month of
Lirisa, the year being 349.
A few months
before Ilithi became accessible again, a
blazing white
star was born in the skies. At specific
intervals of
time, the star would flash in the sky. Stars
like it had
been seen before, but they were rare. Its birth
foretold many
possible things. The forging of a powerful
artifact, the
signing (or breaking) of a great treaty, the
birth of a
new nation. In the case of this specific star, it
foretold the
restoration of the trade roads from Zoluren to
Ilithi by way
of Leth Deriel's Deobar Bower Gate and the
Obsidian Pass
gondola. The Deobar Bower Gate's opening took
place in the
year 350, during the month of Uthmor the Giant.
And finally,
one of the greatest, and most frightening,
omens. The
Bloodworm Comet. The Comet is seen against the
constellation
of the Mongoose, emblem of Rutilor. I was
first alerted
to this phenomenon by another astronomer,
Penelope, who
had been studying Bloodworm for centuries. She
was an old
woman, who remembered well the days of the great
Empire of the
Seven Pointed Star.
Penelope
truly was one of the finest scholars our Guild has
ever known.
She taught Amiss DeRhi, famous as a seer and
magician, and
Taramaine Ennis-Braun, the Guildmaster Prime
(or
Grandmaster, as some prefer to call the position) of the
Moon Mage
Guild. Her loss is still a grave wound to us
all. I have
since kept a close watch on the comet since
Penelope's
death, continuing the magnificent research that
she began.
The Bloodworm is an
ancient omen. What it foretells is a
frightening thing.
When the Bloodworm appears, the power and
existence of the
gods themselves will be challenged. This is
why it appears in
the constellation of the Mongoose, as
Rutilor is the
defender of the gods. Penelope said she had
never discerned if
the Bloodworm came about as a result of
this
"challenge", or if the comet somehow caused it.
The last
appearance of the Bloodworm was during the time of
the Empire of
the Seven Pointed Star. The Emperor then was a
man by the
name of Chezarek. Imperial rule was not enough
for this
ambitious man, as he knew that in seven years he
would be
forced off his throne, his power lost. So Emperor
Chezarek made
a pact with a demonic force. He would release
the force, in
exchange for great power. However, once free,
the demon
killed Chezarek, and very nearly destroyed the
Empire. The
Bloodworm Comet watched it all from its throne
in the
heavens. As of the time of my writings, we still do
not know for
what reason the Bloodworm is currently here,
but we do
know the comet will not go until its purpose is
fulfilled.
On a side note,
there are several celestial omens which
have never been
fully interpreted. Years ago, the Vulture
constellation,
emblem of Alduath, flared bright red for
several nights. The
cause of this is still a mystery. In
addition, Hodyrn,
the primary star of the Unicorn
constellation
(Emblem of Hodierna), is currently surrounded
by a corona. What
this means, we do not yet know. I hesitate
to write these
things, as they will surely make this book
dated. However,
after thought, I have decided to include
them to encourage
future generations of Moon Mages to
continue this
research. With some more study and
observation,
the answers will hopefully be revealed.
May your research
be blessed by the guiding of Firulf,
and may Phelim
direct your eyes through the heavens.
By my hand,
Pentaith Illistim