The Glorious Vulkenar Telescope

The year was 1356, known as the year of Glorious Vulkenar. For 11 months, the night sky above the Haan Archipelago would be illuminated by the explosion of the well-known star Vulkenar.
After its last shine faded, Ruhk astronomers claimed they made a defiant discovery: Vulkenar was still there.
Diminutive compared to its original size, imperceptible to the naked eye or almost any eye, and incredibly powerful, Vulkenar had turned into a colossal magnet that could influence not only the rest of the firmament but also the lives of all societarians.

Discovery of the Magnetar

In the decade following the year of Glorious Vulkenar, dozens of astronomers documented the beauty of the supernova, but the generalised consensus was that Vulkenar had died after it's spectacular explosion, a deadly blow to the beliefs of the Cult to the Stars.
Only a few continued following the tracks of what didn't seem to be still there. A select group of astronomers from Ruh claimed to discover a resurrection: The supernova had left behind a very small ultra-magnetic body they called a magnetar.
These people were able to see the new body of Vulkenar thanks to a marvellous telescope built by the Celestial Master She Ponders the Skies.
This telescope, known simply as the "Glorious Vulkenar Telescope" was said to be able to show the real face of the sky, the celestial bodies hidden by previous telescopes, and even the influence of one celestial body on others.
The telescope worked with great precision but extreme complexity, and Ponders was the only person able to calibrate it. However, she showed her discoveries to her apprentices, who wrote down and told the community about the new Vulkenar.
Ponders also discovered the new magnetic influence of Vulkenar, and made to the public an ominous announcement: The magnetic force was so tremendous that it could even reach their planet Vhas, though weakly, and influence the metals and the people, however she said further investigation was needed to comprehend the reach and consequences of this influence.
The story goes on to claim that the very next day a thunderstorm swept the island of Ruh for three days and three nights, preventing Ponders and her team from continuing their observations.
On the third night, a thunder fell into their observatory, destroying it.
Upon seeing the fire and destruction, Ponders ran into the tower to rescue her marvellous telescope and was never seen again.
Neither her body nor her telescope were ever recovered.

Historical Basis and Evidence

The event of Glorious Vulkenar is general knowledge both in the scientific field of the archipelago and in the cultural heritage of Ruhks, and numerous trustworthy accounts exist of the event.
It is also known that, as with most sky-related events, Ruhks were the ones paying the most attention to the event, and the ones to theorize about the potential for supernova events to leave some remains of the original star behind.
However, the same cannot be said about the Celestial Master Ponders or about her legendary telescope, for which all remaining references are directly related to the discussion of magnetars.
Belief in the story of the legendary telescope and the existence of magnetars varies across the island, while most scholars outside of it attribute the entire legend (or at least the claims from Ponder's team) to have been a desperate attempt by the Cult to the Stars to bring hope to their people, as the death of a single visible star could mean the beginning of the end in the eyes of their followers.

The Stars are Granted

— Dogma of the Cult to the Stars

Date of First Recording

Circa 1360, E.Alz

Date of Setting

The decade after 1356 E.Alz

Related Ethnicities

• Ruhk

Related Locations

• Ruh Island
• Vulkenar

Related Organizations

• Cult to the Stars