Lizard's Maw

Base Photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash

Geography

The Lizard's Maw is a constellation that is strongly associated with magic. The constellation travels from the West to the East and vice versa in retrograde. The constellation reaches its zenith five times a year, ad it is them that magic and gemstones are at their most powerful. It dips below the horizon for one week biannually, during which time, magic is rendered completely ineffectual. During these two weeks, many people remained cloistered in their homes, in fear of the actions of those who depend on magic to retain their sanity.

History

The first recorded sighting of the constellation is accredited to the chief astronomer of Yonisen during the last three years of his reign. It was some time before the correlation between the stars and magic only came into focus 150 years later, and the findings published by philosopher Devod.
This correlation was a relief to society as they were now able to make better predictions about the powers of magic. It took some time to streamline calculations as the path of the Lizard's Maw is not in sync with their lunar calendar. The constellation was named for its resemblance to a dragon by Juli astronomers, but many Helios believe that the constellation is the palace of the gods patrolling the heavens.

Dread Week: A biannual event when the constellation dips below the horizon. The behavior of magic practitioners can become unpredictable and potentially fateful. Most people opt not to leave their homes for the entire duration of the week. Every fifth year, there is a single Dread week in the year, with three the consecutive year. These years are referred to as, very creatively, Dread Years and are considered to be years of poor luck and death.

Aviras Calendar: Aviras is run according to two main calendars. The most accepted and widespread is the lunar calendar, but there is also a calendar based on the movements of the constellation.

Alternative Name(s)

Palacia, The Advocate.

Type

Star