The Centaur and the Woman Warrior come into full alignment.
A constellation was an arrangement of stars in Realmspace as viewed in the night sky.
Significance[]
Clergy of Mystra, goddess of magic, held a regular ceremony in which they observed various stars and constellations, named them, and gave them reverence. Sometimes a silent image illusion was used to brighten stars and animate constellations, though this was a bit ostentatious. The Temple of Mystra in Wheloon did this every clear night in 1374 DR.[1]
They had a reason to do so: alignments of constellations in the heavens above gave magical power to similar events in the world below.[2]
In Kara-Tur, it was believed that the Moon Women of the Celestial Bureaucracy were responsible for steering the motions of the constellations along their courses.[3]
History[]
A conjunction of certain constellations (or "heavenly signals") over Kara-Tur in Shou Year 2311 (1061 DR) heralded the birth of H'Dang Li, future first High Lord of Oceans of Tabot.[4]
The Centaur and the Woman Warrior came into full alignment, their swords crossing, in the summer of the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR, in the evening as Waterdeep experienced the hottest day of the year. Meanwhile, unaware, Timoth Eyesbright, a heroic centaur, and Vajra Valmeyjar, a renowned warrior woman, had a protracted arm-wrestling contest in the Selûne's Smile tavern. The cosmic alignment amplified the power of their contest, which merged with magic that had sweltered in the heat and tore a mystic nexus point into a rift. This opened a door to an extra-dimensional prison, releasing Aviss and Fellandar to wreak a path of destruction in the city. Khelben Arunsun urged Vajra and Timoth to continue arm-wrestling to hold the door open, before he hurled the villains back in. Vajra and Timoth broke off, closing the rift.[5]
A new constellation, the Lady of Mystery, was identified after the Time of Troubles in 1358 DR, following the ascension of Midnight as the new goddess Mystra, the Lady of Mysteries. The stars composing that constellation were formerly considered to be two separate constellations, the Dragon of Dawn and the Firbolg.[6]
Known Constellations[]
Faerûnian Constellations[]
Сlockwise: Mystra's Star Circle, Lavarandar's Lantern, Arrows of the Gods, Auroth the Ice Snake, Jassa's Dagger, Eyes of the Watching Woman, Sleepless Knights.
- The Centaur, viewable over the Sword Coast North in summer.[2]
- The Woman Warrior, viewable over the Sword Coast North in summer.[2]
- Amaunator's belt, viewable over the Spine of the World in summer.[7][8]
- Correlian, viewable in autumn.[9][10]
- Esetar, viewable in autumn.[9]
- The Shard of Selûne, viewable in autumn.[9]
- Mystra's Star Circle (also known as the Crown of the North or the Cold Crown), viewable in the North in winter and autumn.[11][12]
- The Harp.[6]
- The Sword and Dagger.[6]
- The Lady of Mystery.[6]
- The Dragon of Dawn.[6]
- The Firbolg.[6]
- The Eyes of the Watching Woman (also known as the Double Daggers, Two Jambiyas, or the Eyes of Elah), which indicated true west in the North.[11][13]
- The Arrows of the Gods (also known as At'ar's Arrows, the Sun's Signpost, or the Caltrop), which indicated true east in the North.[13][11]
- Auroth the Ice Snake (also known as Urwath the Sand Snake by the Bedine)[11][13]
- Jassa's Dagger[11]
- Lavarandar's Lantern[11]
- The Sleepless Knights[11]
- The Huntsman, (also known as the Hourglass, in the Lands of Intrigue,) visible in the spring.
Zakharan Constellations[]
In Zakhara, twelve constellations named after Enlightened deities were recognized, each of which was visible in its completeness for three months of the year:[14][note 1]
- Hajama, visible in the Zakharan night sky in winter;
- Hakiyah, winter/spring;
- Haku, spring;
- Jauhar, spring;
- Jisan, spring/summer;
- Kor, summer;
- Najm, summer;
- Selan, summer/autumn;
- Zann, autumn;
- Bala, autumn; and
- Vataqatal, autumn/winter.
Tuigan Constellations[]
The Tuigan named most of their constellations after horses. A few exceptions were named after topics of hunting or war. These included:[15]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Only eleven constellations were named in the source.
References[]
- ↑ Richard Baker, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan, Matthew Sernett, James Wyatt (March 2007). Cormyr: The Tearing of the Weave. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 11. ISBN 978-0-7869-4119-3.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Dan Mishkin (September 1991). “Summer in the City”. In Kim Yale ed. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons #33 (DC Comics) (33)., p. 15.
- ↑ Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume I). (TSR, Inc), p. 25. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
- ↑ Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume I). (TSR, Inc), p. 74. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
- ↑ Dan Mishkin (September 1991). “Summer in the City”. In Kim Yale ed. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons #33 (DC Comics) (33)..
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Nigel Findley (September 1991). Into the Void. (TSR, Inc.), p. 171. ISBN ISBN 1-56076-154-7.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend and Kevin Melka (1998). Cormanthyr: Empire of the Elves. (TSR, Inc), p. 6. ISBN 0-7069-0761-4.
- ↑ slade, Jim Butler (October 1996). “The Winds of Netheril”. In Jim Butler ed. Netheril: Empire of Magic (TSR, Inc.), p. 14. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Elaine Cunningham (October 1991). Elfshadow. (TSR, Inc.), p. 110. ISBN 1-56076-117-2.
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (April 2000). Elfshadow. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 122. ISBN 0-7869-1660-5.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 Cryptic Studios (June 2013). Neverwinter. Perfect World Entertainment.
- ↑ Richard Baker (May 2003). Condemnation. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 9. ISBN 0786932023.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Ed Greenwood (November 1991). Anauroch. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 36. ISBN 1-56076-126-1.
- ↑ Sam Witt (March 1994). The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook. Edited by Dezra D. Phillips, C. Terry Phillips. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 41–42. ISBN 1-56076-828-2.
- ↑ Victor Milán (October 1995). War in Tethyr. (TSR, Inc), p. 227. ISBN 0-7869-0184-5.
Further Reading[]
- Allen Varney (1991). Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix II, Constellate page. (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 1-56076-071-0.