Celestial Bodies of the Veiled World
The Sun
Solvael, the Waking Flame
Solvael is the solitary sun that governs the Veiled World, a radiant force of gold and white that marks the heartbeat of the seasons. Its eternal arc stretches over all lands, anchoring the agricultural cycles, magical tides, and ritual timekeeping of nearly every known society. Its brilliance is considered divine by many, arcane by others, but universally essential.
In places like Esliviel and Qirina, Solvael is a symbol of enlightenment and progress. In more superstitious or magically resistant nations such as Lothenar, it is seen less as a deity and more as a celestial constant—unchanging and impartial. The sun’s movement is also closely tied to the leylines, especially during solstices and equinoxes, where solar flares subtly affect magic's ebb and flow across different regions.
Solvael's stability defines the common calendar used by most of the world: 13 months of 28 days each, totaling 364 days, with a special “Day of Echoes” every fourth year to harmonize celestial rhythms.
The Moons
Velas, the Quiet Mirror
Velas is the primary moon and the celestial clock of the world. A luminous orb of silver-blue, its surface appears to shimmer with patterns that subtly shift with the tide of magic. Completing a full cycle every 28 days, Velas is a constant across nearly all skies—predictable, orderly, and deeply woven into the rituals of every major civilization.
It governs the tides, amplifies divine magic, and influences dreamscapes. For spellcasters, its waxing draws power, and its waning brings rest. It’s often associated with the act of weaving fate, memory, and mystery into the tapestry of the world. Eclipses of Velas are rare, but when they occur, they are seen as cosmic pauses in destiny.
Naruun, the Veiled Eye
Naruun is the world’s second moon—subtle, fractured, and rarely visible. It emits a dusky crimson hue, and follows an irregular, elliptical path that renders it unseen in most nations. Its rare appearances coincide with odd magical surges, sudden prophetic visions, or spiritual unrest. While it remains mostly a curiosity or myth in much of the world, it is of profound importance in Veria.
Veria’s Celestial Divergence
The Verian Calendar’s unique structure—mystically rooted, older, and distinct from the celestial Velasian Calendar.
Veria does not follow the Velasian calendar used by the rest of the world. Instead, it operates on the Cycle of Echoes, a metaphysical calendar tied to Naruun’s phases, ancestral rhythms, and spiritual tides. This calendar is based on 20 “Echoes” of 13 days each, totaling 260 days. Their weeks are 8 days long, known as Petals, and each Echo ends with a ceremonial Night of Stillness, where time is said to pause to honor the unseen threads of fate.
Unlike the world’s fixed calendar, Veria’s months are often recalibrated by spiritual astronomers known as Ritekeepers, who adjust festivals, court dates, and even harvests based on Naruun’s irregular rise. This fluidity, while mystical, created major diplomatic and trade tensions when Veria reopened its borders. Reconciling contracts, military coordination, and even seasonal celebrations has been a logistical nightmare for most other nations—especially Lothenar, which has condemned the Verian system as “borderline heretical chaos.”
Yet, Veria holds firm. The Twin Veiling—the rare occurrence where Velas and Naruun are seen together in Veria’s skies—is considered a world-altering event. These nights mark the potential rise or fall of dynasties, the return of long-lost souls, or great shifts in magic. Whether truth or myth, history has shown strange things do often follow.
History
Timekeeping: Most of the world uses a consistent calendar, but diplomatic missions to Veria often carry specialized time-tellers known as Bridgekeepers, trained in reconciling dates and translating between systems.
Religion and Prophecy: Many Verian spiritual doctrines claim Naruun is the soul’s shadow, and its light reveals truth veiled by Velas. It is said that those born during Naruun’s rise are touched by the ancestral spirits, destined for greatness—or ruin.
Magical Tension: During Naruun’s visible phases, reiatsu magic intensifies. Practitioners report heightened emotion, enhanced spiritual projection, and bizarre magical phenomena. These effects sometimes ripple outward, subtly influencing leyline behavior in nearby regions, especially during the Twin Veiling.
Comments