The Council of Stars
The Nine Deities Strong Enough To Have Constellations
The Council of Stars is the most widely held religious belief in all of Aedeva. In fact, in its most basic form, it encompasses many of the popular religions of the civilized peoples the world. The basic tenants of this belief system are outlined below. It should be noted here that although belief in the Council of Stars encompasses several other popular religions, each one is itself a distinct belief with a myriad of practical realities. So the information below should be taken as an informational guideline rather than a list of hard and fast rules.
The Council consists of nine gods, each with their own specialities and peoples. Each of these, as well as their associated beliefs, are outlined in later chapters in this guide.
Of these nine gods, Cir, god of the sun, is generally considered to be the strongest of the nine, and their leader. This is contested in some places, but such contestations are generally localized to small towns on the outskirts of what most people consider to be civilization.
Though there are more gods in the world of Aedeva, the Council is unique in that their forms and wills can be seen in the stars themselves.1 Specifically, in the constellations that share their names. It is believed that each god has power over their own constellation, causing minor changes to communicate with their followers.
To have your own constellation below the Council of Stars is to be officially acknowledged by the Council as a god. This is an extremely rare occurrence, for obvious reasons, but there is historical evidence that this process has occurred in the past.
Because of this association of constellations with godhood, the creation or discovery of new constellations is virtually unheard of. Not even individual stars are given names, being instead referred to by their location relative to the nearest constellations. Occasionally, the dukes of Cireth will entreat Cir to grant a single star to a particularly worthy subject, bestowing them with immense power.
