Elsewhere
There are three realms: Deus, the mortal realm; Caelum, more commonly referred to as the realm of the gods; and the Third Realm, the unknowable, misty plane where the souls of the dead reside. So where does that leave the universe beyond the flat land of Deus? Is each star in the night sky its own sun, as Second Course astronomers dreamed?
As it turns out, the answer is no. Velsen astronomer Ysɾa Starfinder determined near the end of the Third Course that, while the moon is its own solid body, the stars visible from Deus are situated as holes in a dark sphere surrounding Deus and its moon. The light shining from outside the sphere is normally blocked, resulting in a black night sky, but each hole in the sphere allows in enough light to be seen as a star when the sky is dark. The sun, likewise, is a larger hole cut in a second sphere—both spheres together block out all light, but when one is no longer present, a brilliant blaze is visible.
Ysɾa is a Yvelse word for a cultural phenomenon widespread among Velsen. While the word has been adopted into Modern Dean as a term for a longing for a different life, a valid use of the word in Yvelse as well, its primary definition is an innate longing to have been born around a different star. Such a sentiment is common among Velsen, even those Velsen who were raised in non-Velsen communities. The ubiquity of this concept was taken before Starfinder's discoveries as proof that stars beyond the sun had worlds of their own and could be visited, given the proper technological and magical advancements.
The concept of stars including the sun as mere holes in a crystal sphere would seem at first to debunk such philosophy around ysɾa. However, while the stars themselves may not be places in their own right, their existence implies the existence of a realm of light immediately outside the sphere of the sky. This realm is referred to as Elsewhere.
Elsewhere is at this time primarily conceptual. While there certainly must be a source of light in order for the stars and sun to shine, it is possible that the nature of this source has been misunderstood—perhaps the stars and sun are not holes in a crystal sphere leading to a source of light, but merely glowing points set on the inside of transparent spheres. Supporters of this idea point out that, if the stars and sun are holes on two separate spheres, then either one should entirely blot out the other—eliminating the sun—or some light from Elsewhere should shine through, brightening the night sky.
Nevertheless, it must be agreed that the existence of multiple moving crystal spheres implies something outside the boundaries of those spheres. Whether Elsewhere is a world of endless light shining through the stars and sun or a realm of darkness outside a set of transparent spheres, our current understanding points to it being a physical place that, like the independent stars our ancestors believed in, could very well be visited someday.
Perhaps the true meaning of ysɾa is not a yearning for the stars themselves, but for Elsewhere beyond them.
As it turns out, the answer is no. Velsen astronomer Ysɾa Starfinder determined near the end of the Third Course that, while the moon is its own solid body, the stars visible from Deus are situated as holes in a dark sphere surrounding Deus and its moon. The light shining from outside the sphere is normally blocked, resulting in a black night sky, but each hole in the sphere allows in enough light to be seen as a star when the sky is dark. The sun, likewise, is a larger hole cut in a second sphere—both spheres together block out all light, but when one is no longer present, a brilliant blaze is visible.
But what of ysɾa (the philosophy, not the man)?
Ysɾa is a Yvelse word for a cultural phenomenon widespread among Velsen. While the word has been adopted into Modern Dean as a term for a longing for a different life, a valid use of the word in Yvelse as well, its primary definition is an innate longing to have been born around a different star. Such a sentiment is common among Velsen, even those Velsen who were raised in non-Velsen communities. The ubiquity of this concept was taken before Starfinder's discoveries as proof that stars beyond the sun had worlds of their own and could be visited, given the proper technological and magical advancements.
The concept of stars including the sun as mere holes in a crystal sphere would seem at first to debunk such philosophy around ysɾa. However, while the stars themselves may not be places in their own right, their existence implies the existence of a realm of light immediately outside the sphere of the sky. This realm is referred to as Elsewhere.
Elsewhere is at this time primarily conceptual. While there certainly must be a source of light in order for the stars and sun to shine, it is possible that the nature of this source has been misunderstood—perhaps the stars and sun are not holes in a crystal sphere leading to a source of light, but merely glowing points set on the inside of transparent spheres. Supporters of this idea point out that, if the stars and sun are holes on two separate spheres, then either one should entirely blot out the other—eliminating the sun—or some light from Elsewhere should shine through, brightening the night sky.
Nevertheless, it must be agreed that the existence of multiple moving crystal spheres implies something outside the boundaries of those spheres. Whether Elsewhere is a world of endless light shining through the stars and sun or a realm of darkness outside a set of transparent spheres, our current understanding points to it being a physical place that, like the independent stars our ancestors believed in, could very well be visited someday.
Perhaps the true meaning of ysɾa is not a yearning for the stars themselves, but for Elsewhere beyond them.
Type
Metaphysical, Astral
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In response to the prompt Write about something that can be seen in the night sky. What is it named after?
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