Æthera
The brightest point of light in the endless abyss.
Æthera, sometimes referred to as Celestia, is the Crendamite name that refers to the largest of three celestial bodies that orbit Arc - Tus as naturally occurring satellites. Because of its synchronous rotation with the planet, only the moon's near side can be observable at any given point. During nightfall, it can usually spotted between is smaller counterparts, Nimla and Glacia. It is the brightest object in the night sky, followed by its lesser siblings. This occurs because the moon's surface can partially reflect the light from the Sun's rays, yet none of its heat.
Due to its prominence in the night sky, as well as its regular phases, Æthera has a significant presence in the culture, mythology, art and calendar systems in Arc - Tus.
It is commonly believed that the name 'Æthera' was coined by the people of Crendameth because of a popular, yet unsubstantiated, belief that the celestial object was a source for all the æther that could be found in the world because of the light blue halo that can be observed with the naked eye when it is full, as well as the jets that seem to spread downward into the planet. However, the name actually stems from a handful of collections from the bards from The Age of the Map, wherein the poems penned by the elves described the moon as 'Aethe Narläs' (literally, a bright wanderer). The name was widely regarded as beautiful by the inhabitants of the early Kingdom. According to legend, Andor of Cren was so thoroughly enamored with the designation that he adopted it, and would use it when speaking to his subjects. Over time, misspelling and mispronunciation led to the moniker widely used today.
As for 'Celestia', the name appears in several passages of the early beliefs of Crendameth , the religion founded from the combination of the settler's beliefs once the Kingdom was formally establish, with evidence suggesting that there were integrations happening even before then. These beliefs held this moon responsable for the coloring of the world's oceans and, in some iterations, the sky.
There are two occasions when the Elder's light is celebrated, and that occurs during the longest nights of the year. It's said that the Elder's two sisters hide their lights in shame, as there is not point in attempting to outshine the Elder's lantern.
Most of the people of Valhindle do not consider the beacon or The Guide as gods. Rather, they view them as products of the gods' gifts to the mortals, offering light during the darkest hours of the day in life and a destination for those in death.
For the faithful of Al Raamahwil, Æthera represents a diamond that was discarded by the One God after choosing to renounce all of their worldly possessions. However, they couldn't possibly let such a perfect and rare gem be tossed aside as if it were nothing, for it would be a shame to lose it forever. Therefore, they hung it in the sky, where, once his labors were completed, they would not be able to reach it, while also allowing the mortals they created to gaze at its magnificence without any possibility of them ever being able to take it for themselves.
There's a legend in Al Rami mythology that speaks of the diamond's role in the end-times, where someone foolish and rapacious enough manages to reach it, wherein the One, in a fit of rage, shatters it and the pieces fall to the land, causing it to crash into the world's settlements and decimating the world's population.
The most prominent example can be found in the Duchy of Estus, where the people of the Shadowfort celebrate the Night of the Moonlance, a series of dances and rites in service of the moons' light, allowing them to keep the encroaching darkness at bay and permitting the Blood Hunters with the necessary light to keep hunting the things that hide in the night's veil.
The moon elves, ere found north of the Kingdom's borders, were reputed for their worship of all three moons, going so far as to build their settlements high up on the mountains in order to be closer with them. Their name for Æthera was Æterna. They understood fully well why it changed phases and when the next change would be, using this information to prepare for the nightly rites that accompanied the most significant ones (namely, the full, half and new moons).
The moon elves' culture was inseparable from their beliefs. As such, most of their actions were guided by their findings in the field of astronomy combined with the axioms and creeds of the faith, attributing anything from a good harvest to small occurrences, such as happening upon a coin on the street, to the moons, particularly Æterna.
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Due to its prominence in the night sky, as well as its regular phases, Æthera has a significant presence in the culture, mythology, art and calendar systems in Arc - Tus.
Name
The many names of the celestial object are largely tied to tales, legends and mythologies from yore.It is commonly believed that the name 'Æthera' was coined by the people of Crendameth because of a popular, yet unsubstantiated, belief that the celestial object was a source for all the æther that could be found in the world because of the light blue halo that can be observed with the naked eye when it is full, as well as the jets that seem to spread downward into the planet. However, the name actually stems from a handful of collections from the bards from The Age of the Map, wherein the poems penned by the elves described the moon as 'Aethe Narläs' (literally, a bright wanderer). The name was widely regarded as beautiful by the inhabitants of the early Kingdom. According to legend, Andor of Cren was so thoroughly enamored with the designation that he adopted it, and would use it when speaking to his subjects. Over time, misspelling and mispronunciation led to the moniker widely used today.
As for 'Celestia', the name appears in several passages of the early beliefs of Crendameth , the religion founded from the combination of the settler's beliefs once the Kingdom was formally establish, with evidence suggesting that there were integrations happening even before then. These beliefs held this moon responsable for the coloring of the world's oceans and, in some iterations, the sky.
In Religion
Æthera has long been the subject of mythology in the world of Arc - Tus, with some peoples even making it and its smaller counterparts the focal point of their faiths.Yōken
In Yōkenji folklore, Æthera is the silvery flame emitted by the Elder Wisewoman's lantern, and its appearance in the sky is taken as a symbol for rest and meditation for those who are embroiled in their duties to the land, be them farmers or warriors. According to legend, the Elder Wisewoman, first of the three, had the brightest and most fierce flame, needing to use different amounts of light depending on how dark the night was, each configuration corresponding to a crescent phase in Æthera's lunar cycle. When there was not a single light in sight, she would open the lantern completely, though it took considerable effort to do so, therefore needing to rest afterwards, her lantern slowly closing as she rested.There are two occasions when the Elder's light is celebrated, and that occurs during the longest nights of the year. It's said that the Elder's two sisters hide their lights in shame, as there is not point in attempting to outshine the Elder's lantern.
Valhindle
According to Valhind mythology, Æthera is a great beacon that lights the way for any for the sailors that have journeyed into the Great Sea of Stars, their name for the afterlife. There, spirits aboard a vessel crewed with shades that have ventured across the Great Sea sail indefinitely across tranquil waters, guided by the 'beacon' into lands unseen. The beacon's caretaker, a figure known only as The Guide turns the light in various directions so that it always faces the spirits that are finding its way to it from all sides, not only those who set forth from Valhindle, thus explaining the moon's phases.Most of the people of Valhindle do not consider the beacon or The Guide as gods. Rather, they view them as products of the gods' gifts to the mortals, offering light during the darkest hours of the day in life and a destination for those in death.
Al Raamahwil
For the faithful of Al Raamahwil, Æthera represents a diamond that was discarded by the One God after choosing to renounce all of their worldly possessions. However, they couldn't possibly let such a perfect and rare gem be tossed aside as if it were nothing, for it would be a shame to lose it forever. Therefore, they hung it in the sky, where, once his labors were completed, they would not be able to reach it, while also allowing the mortals they created to gaze at its magnificence without any possibility of them ever being able to take it for themselves.
There's a legend in Al Rami mythology that speaks of the diamond's role in the end-times, where someone foolish and rapacious enough manages to reach it, wherein the One, in a fit of rage, shatters it and the pieces fall to the land, causing it to crash into the world's settlements and decimating the world's population.
Vanhindle
Not much is known of Vanhindle's myths and religions. What little information has reached other countries cites the name for Æthera as 'The Great Skylight', although the reason as to why that is has yet to be disclosed.Crendameth and the moon elves
In the Kingdom of Crendameth, Æthera has several dedicated beliefs and associated deities (namely, The Moonbow Huntress), all contained under the many faiths there practiced. However, there are certain locations where the moons' worship has more significance than others, with rites that span entire months in their honor. Generally speaking, those who follow certain branches of the loose pantheon in Crendameth will find meaning in the moon's appearance in the night sky, with different myths, legends or tales as a means to explain why it has different phases and what each one of them represents.The most prominent example can be found in the Duchy of Estus, where the people of the Shadowfort celebrate the Night of the Moonlance, a series of dances and rites in service of the moons' light, allowing them to keep the encroaching darkness at bay and permitting the Blood Hunters with the necessary light to keep hunting the things that hide in the night's veil.
The moon elves, ere found north of the Kingdom's borders, were reputed for their worship of all three moons, going so far as to build their settlements high up on the mountains in order to be closer with them. Their name for Æthera was Æterna. They understood fully well why it changed phases and when the next change would be, using this information to prepare for the nightly rites that accompanied the most significant ones (namely, the full, half and new moons).
The moon elves' culture was inseparable from their beliefs. As such, most of their actions were guided by their findings in the field of astronomy combined with the axioms and creeds of the faith, attributing anything from a good harvest to small occurrences, such as happening upon a coin on the street, to the moons, particularly Æterna.
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Unbeknownst to them, however, Æterna was not just an object of worship, for things resided in apparently discarded ruins that were barely observable through their instruments, the best apparatuses to ever chart the night sky. The beings that inhabit this place are ancient, transcending the need for descriptions such as 'race' or 'sex'. Through the moon elves' continued worship, and the sacrifices they made, these entities began existing beyond a mere idea, acquiring a physical form that has yet to be seen by sane eyes. By way of this materialization, and the elves' prayers, a powerful spirit, powerful enough to trick the world into believing that she was a goddess, was born and named Teuvel, whose avatar eventually became one Arcana Brightsong. A thing that lusted for power and continued worship through prayer and sacrifice, Teuvel has become mad over the silence that has replaced the constant flow of petitions that she heard normally. She's biding her time before completely taking over Arcana's body.
Geography
Based on observation done from the Tower of Stars at the Starkeep, the Starfield Observatorium at Starfield, the Godseye at Shihouketsu and The Domed Oasis in the dunes of Al Raamahwil, Æthera's geography appears to consist primarily of large craters and gorges that litter its surface, with mountains that have been described as taller than any in the world and canyons that could fit entire cities in them, some of which can be observed with the naked eye on a clear night's sky. Evidence suggests that there is a layer of fine, granulated dust coating the surface of the plains of solid rock that cover the vast majority of the moon's surface.
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Lost to most people in the world is the fact that the moon elves of northern Ar'Nuhûn had detailed knowledge of the Æthera's geography. Said lore was both painted and carved into the walls of the innermost sanctum in a temple near the heart of Mooncrest, a mountain not far from the Kingdom of Crendameth's northernmost borders. These described not only sterile valleys and vacant plains, but fully detailed underground caverns where water once flowed and even great ruins found near the moon's far side. These consist of broken pillars, collapsed arcades and ruined galleries, all depicted stylistically in the sanctum's walls. However, there is no detail regarding who placed these structures there. Recurring imagery features a red-tinted silver blade overlapping what appears to be the sun's rays, as well as a jagged, pendant-like object surrounded by an argent halo.
Fauna & Flora
There are no confirmed living beings on the surface of Æthera, nor is there any evidence to suggest that there are any underneath it. No plant life has been observed, either. All evidence points to the fact that the conditions of the moon's surface do not allow for living things to flourish.
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However, there were being there. Just not ones that were alive as a mortal understands life.
Natural Resources
If there are any resources of value or note on Æterna's surface or its underground, they have yet to be discovered or reported, as no one that has ever attempted an expedition through magical means has returned to discuss their findings.
History
Since time immemorial, Æthera has shone above the world, lighting the nights and providing a safe haven from whatever might lurk in them. It is, however, speculated that the moon form after the world did. Some far-fetched speculation even cites it was a ball of flaming rock that coalesced into the sphere that now orbits the world, yet there is no evidence to support these claims.
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