The Gladiator

The Gladiator. The Northern Sign.

Renowned as the brightest constellation in the skies of Ma’rune.

You look up at the night sky, gaze straying to the stars shimmering in the north. There, so low that they almost sit on the horizon, is the Gladiator. The constellation shines brighter than the stars around it.

On a night like this one with not a cloud in the sky, you can make out the wings and the dual swords.

You have never really been one for praying. Or for believing in the gods at all - and oh how glad you are that Ronan cannot hear your thoughts, cannot hear the heresy of implying that there are more gods than Van-Hael - but looking up at the Gladiator you can feel your heart pounding with something. Hope? Determination? Fear?

Named for Rielik, a fourth generation deity and Goddess of Strength. The constellation depicts the Goddess in mid flight, with silver feathered wings unfurled behind her, wielding a large spear thrust high in the air and a smaller spear in her other hand.

It is located in the northern skies, hanging so low that it is almost impossible to make out the full picture of the constellation. Most nights, parts of the constellation are covered by clouds.

On numerous accounts, written pre-Lightfall, the constellation was first referred to as “The Gladiator”. Many attribute the name to Rielik’s mortal proclivity for participating in daelin gladiatorial bouts (or Trials of Valour).

To see the Gladiator in all of its glory is considered a blessing, even amongst the men and women who do not believe in Rielik. They say that should you gaze upon the Goddess and see her as she was on the eve of her final battle, her fury will blaze within you until the full moon fades. The reason for this is that most full sightings occur on or around the full moon, typically because the stars burn brighter on such a night.

For those that believe in Rielik - whether they worship the whole of the Elryvian Pantheon or not - they will often pray to the constellation as a way of honouring the Goddess. Typically, this is done on the eve of a battle and those that pray will hope for good fortune.

Features

The Gladiator is comprised of 16 main stars.

6 of these stars - Giret, Nilo, Row’oc, Kas’Terel, Lof, and Mosun - form an hourglass like shape, with a star to either side - Nasek and Kyonemi. Nasek is to the right of the ‘body’ and in a raised position, whilst Kyonemi is to the left of the ‘body’ and in a lower position.

People commonly depict these as the body and arms/hands of Rielik. On its own, this asterism may be referred to as the Champion.

On the same side as the star Nasek is an asterism that is commonly known as the Gold-Spear - one half of Rielik’s faithful weapons. This asterism is a long line comprised of 5 stars. 3 of these stars appear below Nasek - Pea’a, Borca, and Solath. The other 2 stars appear above Nasek - Antreph and Verna (the brightest star), the latter of which marks the tip of the Gold-Spear.

On the other side, ‘held’ in the ‘hand’ of Kyonemi, is an asterism commonly known as the Blood-Spear - the second half of Rielik’s faithful weapons. This asterism is comprised of 3 stars. 2 of these stars appear to the left of, and slightly above, Kyonemi - these stars are Senroh and Angorak. The final star appears to the right of, and slightly below, Kyonemi - this star is called Phynix and marks the tip of the Blood-Spear.

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The Gladiator and Love

A surprising development is the Gladiator’s association with love.

The first accounts of this association arose in 607 AL. Origins vary, but it is often attributed to the youths of the eastern kingdoms; areas where the Elryvian Pantheon in particular is quite popular, such as Vigne, Elryn, or Ca’astan.

They dubbed the constellation Lover’s Crusade.

Let us discuss the phenomenon of the Gladiator - or rather, the constellation’s secondary moniker of the Lover’s Crusade.

Rielik, the constellation’s namesake, is known primarily for her strength and combat prowess. A warrior. Someone who, according to a multitude of historical texts, enjoyed frequent participation in the Trials of Valour.

And yet, early in the year 607 AL, a vocal minority of the younger generation attributed love to both the Goddess and the constellation linked to her. They took her dominion over strength to fortify their own bonds, their love for one another. Platonic or otherwise. In Rielik and the Gladiator, they saw a sign to be brave. To conquer the battlefield known as love. To defeat the fears and anxieties preventing them from confessing their feelings to a partner.

One might see it as admirable.

Would Rielik? Such an answer will always elude us. With the deities gone, we can only speculate on their opinions. But we must remember this: in radiance, Rielik represents confidence and inner strength. Does the reasoning given by those youthful souls not fulfil both of those domains?

Cynthia Leventys,
Scholar of the Moonglow Archivists

The new moniker caused quite a stir, to the point where the controversy is debated centuries later.

Followers of the Elryvian Pantheon believe that renaming the constellation is a sacrilegious act. To them, Rielik is a warrior first and foremost. In their minds, there are a number of other Gods within the pantheon which would be more suitable for these youthful lovers to devote their time to.

However, people who follow Rielik on a singular level - i.e. as deity removed from the pantheon entirely - or with a specific focus on her teachings tend to have a more agreeable stance. These types of people believe that just because Rielik is predominantly portrayed as a warrior and the Gladiator constellation is her symbol, this does not mean that others cannot use the Goddess’ gifted strength for other things.

Details

The Gladiator contains three asterisms:

• The Champion (main cluster of stars, looks like Rielik’s body)
• The Gold-Spear (a long line of five stars, looks like Rielik’s larger spear)
• The Blood-Spear (a line of three stars, all of which have a distinctive red hue)

Alternative Name(s)

The Northern Sign

Though the constellation may be difficult to view in full, it is used as a means of navigation by many throughout Ma’rune. It acts as a constant reminder as to which direction is north.

In areas where the worship of Rielik is unpopular or outlawed, the constellation will more commonly be referred to as the Northern Sign. It can also be referred to by its two asterisms: the Post and the Point.

The Brightstar

A rather simplistic name that refers to the constellation containing some of the brightest stars in the sky. Notably, at the point of Rielik’s larger spear is the star “Verna” - the brightest star, so much so that it can be seen even as the sun begins to rise or fall (depending on the time of day).

Lover’s Crusade

Controversial and divisive.

Though Rielik has no known dominion over love, those who refer to the constellation as the Lover’s Crusade have their reasons. They either do so in reference to Rielik’s partnership with Valis, the Goddess of Law, or to the bonds she shared with her mortal Court (so vast and unyielding that Rielik almost denied herself a chance at ascension for them).

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General Opinions

Kingdoms and their common monikers

People from kingdoms such as Valissa, Rennarsie, Vorne, Lo’gar, and Brywall will almost always refer to the constellation by its original moniker. They are either more accepting of Rielik’s modern day worship, or do not believe that the constellation’s name should be changed based on whether it is acceptable to worship a deity or not.

People from kingdoms such as Vigne, Ca’astan, Elryn, Kiberia, and Cermia will generally refer to the constellation as the Gladiator, but may also use a different moniker. The Brightstar is quite a popular moniker in Cermia due to the rise of The Church of Van-Hael followers in the region.

In contrast, many people from the kingdoms of Yondar and Tennith will refer to the constellation as either the Northern Sign or the Brightstar. This is because of the high density of Church of Van-Hael followers in both of these regions, although the Gladiator seems to be making a bit of a comeback in some northern Tennith communities.

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Further Reading