Constellations Contest
Contest Details
Back by popular demand, the Constellations portion of the Astral Bodies Contest now has its own contest! If you had leftover ideas from the last contest or perhaps have gotten some new ones in the time since then, now's your chance to send them in!
What we're looking for...
- Three submissions per person are allowed!
- Constellation name and backstory: Is it named after a deity? Or perhaps a tale a bard wrote? Or maybe it's based on myths/legends/folklore (could be regional or Lithrydel as a whole!) Or is it just something as simple as an inanimate object?
- Stars within: Is there some that are brighter than others? Specific colors? What shape is it?
- Any additional details: Are there any rituals connected to them? Is it more prominent in the sky during certain times of the year? Do sailors use a particular constellation for navigation and why?
Deadline
Get your submissions in by the end of February 23rd! Hmail them to Meri, Valrae, Kanna, and Khitti. Voting will take place during the 24th-25th, and the winners will be announced on the 26th!
Vote here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2dbnUaSKS_pPAiuSW6Bcow7sasv62kGoOXjjRM7S7hgTBGw/viewform
Prizes
- All entries will get 2.5K per submission.
- Each winning submission will be added to the Constellations page, making it in-game lore.
Third Prize
- A +10 custom, themed after the Third Prize constellation. (An item slot preference can be given by the winner, but is not mandatory.)
- 5k gold
Second Prize
- A +15 custom, themed after the Second Prize constellation. (An item slot preference can be given by the winner, but is not mandatory.)
- 10k gold
First Prize
- A +25 custom, themed after the First Prize constellation. (An item slot preference can be given by the winner, but is not mandatory.)
- 15k gold.
Entries
The Harpy's Claw - Written by Quintessa
Mythos:
According to legend, long ago there once lived a terrible and powerful Queen of the High Seas. She was a wealthy merchant princess in some tales and a cunning pirate captain in others, but in all these stories the Sea-Queen's wrath could not be denied. She controlled the coastal regions of Lithrydel with an iron fist, wielding a golden claw that she used to execute those who resisted her. This so-called Queen of the High Seas ruled like this for many years until eventually Paladins of Cyris gathered in current-day Cenril to put a stop to her reign. In a meeting on the cliff sides they devised a plan to depose this false queen, the power of their god blessing their intentions. Within a few short months they had shattered the Queen's fleet and placed her in chains, bringing her forward in a tribunal on the same rocky cliffs where they had plotted her demise. It is said that Cyris himself came to dole out judgment and angered by her arrogance he transformed this vain and cruel queen into a harpy as punishment for her sins. He then took her weapon, the Harpy's Claw, and took it with him back into the heavens, far enough away that she could never reach it but shining bright enough in the night sky that she always had to look upon it. To this day the Harpy's Claw represents a warning of the consequences of her hubris.
Constellation:
The Harpy's Claw consists of several bright yellow stars arranged in the shape of three sharp, curved talons. Each "claw" or finger of the constellation is made up of three stars, nine in total, with a tenth forming the "wrist" of the formation. On nights with decent cloud coverage the Harpy's Claw is bright enough to remain visible but it appears to turn orange or red, colloquially known as a "blood claw" in some cultures, and a foreboding and vague omen in others. Sailors often use the Harpy's Claw constellation for navigation, especially during treacherous voyages. It is said that when the constellation is crimson red in the sky, it serves as a warning to sailors to proceed with caution and to respect the power of the sea, for a storm may be looming just out of sight over the horizon.
Mothelf - Written by Khitti
Appearance/Number of Stars: Made of 13 stars in total. While 11 stars made up nearly the whole of the moth elf, two bright red ones make up its piercing stare. These two stars are known as The Eyes of Madness to the forsaken elves, ever shifting between a garnet and ruby shade of red. Trinkets based on the constellation or the Mothelf itself usually have either gem. When the eyes are ruby, the more superstitious forsaken elves carry umbrellas with them, to keep them from looking up into the Eyes of Madness.
Myth: It has long been rumored by the scholars in Vhys that the original spider culling during the month of Fellsol was thanks to the influence of the Mothelf itself. A mysterious cryptid of the Vhysian ancient forest, it has always claimed the woods as its own, well before the forsaken elves settled in that area of Rynvale Island. It is said that the Spider Goddess’ children overran the place, forcing the Mothelf into a very small section of the massive forest. And so, it waited and bided its time, and with time brought the elves. The Mothelf used its strange power, swaying the elves into a temporary madness, wherein they would slaughter the spiders that had taken up residence in the Mothelf’s home. After the slaughter, the Mothelf would keep a long, metaphorical leash on what are now called the forsaken elves, bending some to its will when it required them for some dark deed. It is said by the Vhysian scholars that the constellation itself did not come into being until the spider massacre was over, as if the Mothelf created it as another way to keep watch over its home and the forsaken elves that unknowingly and unwillingly helped it.
Rituals: While solitary practitioners often leave offerings of food and drink at the woods’ edge in hopes that the Mothelf leaves them be, there is a secret cult that dwells within the ancient forest that sacrifices 13 souls to the Mothelf every Fellsol, during the festival known as The Culling.
Best Viewed: From the ancient woods of Vhys, during the month of Fellsol.
Wings of Lore - Written by Cresente
As it's name suggests, Wings of Lore, or 'The Wings', is a wide M-shaped constellation meant to resemble that of outstretched avian wings. There are five stars that make up this formation, with the center one being a bright red dwarf star. The others are a pure white, as noble avians feathers often are. In some of the floating cities, Lore was believed to be the first avian to walk the hollows, and the very first bard who would not hesitate to imbue an empowering song upon their people.. Avians see The Wings as proof of their divine right to reign over the skies above dragon-infested mountains, and their superiority over dragonfolk. Among bards who worship Lore, The Wings are a symbol of freedom to express oneself freely and to stretch their own proverbial wings.
The Bovox - Written by Fiadh
The Stars
The Bovox Constellation, or the more scholarly Athair Faireil, is a series of fifteen stars. The brightest of these stars, Faire, named after the legend that preceded the astronomer’s mapping, rests at the center of the seven that create the “bulls head” formation and shines with a bright, watchful golden light. Eight stars make up the body of Bovox, the second largest star placed in a fist close to his heart.
While the seven stars that compose the head of the bull remain bright and visible throughout the year, the full constellation is visible throughout Mithrise and dominates the southern part of Litrydel’s skies most brightly during the 16th night.
Often mistaken for a simple minotaur, the Bovox Constellation greatly resembles the strange melding of both beast and man - the figure of a body kneeling with a hand closed over his fist, the head of a bull where the face of a man would be more usual to rest.
The Myth
In the twilight of creation, when the cosmos were but visions in the eyes of gods, and the dreams of dragons echoed through the vast expanse, a peculiar creature came into being - the Glashtyn. Like what is said to be their distant cousins, the minotaur, the Glashtyn held the shape of a man and the head of a bull. Unlike the minotaur, they were able to borrow the full form of a human save for the telltale sign of horns. This was said to be the God’s first attempt at the creation of man. Forged from the collective breath of deities, they were bestowed with the task of shaping the world, molding mountains and weaving the sinuous tapestry of streambeds with their laborious hands.
As the era of gods waned and the age of man began, the Glashtyn dwindled, severed from the divine whispers that birthed them. All save one, who, in defiance of celestial fate, found solace in the arms of an elvish princess. Their love, forbidden and radiant, kindled a flame that transcended the boundaries of their disparate realms.
Together, the Glashtyn and the elvish princess fled, creating a life hidden from the gaze of disapproving deities and avaricious kings. In the haven of their union, a son was born, a symbol of love's triumph over celestial constraints. Yet, their joy was short-lived, for the shadows of a lost kingdom and the wrath of the elvish princess's father, the king, loomed over them.
In a tragic twist of fate, the fallen king, blinded by possessive rage, murdered his own daughter. As the bereaved Glashtyn rose to defend his son, the king aimed a fatal blow, sealing the creature's demise. However, in the celestial realm, the goddess Loda, patroness of crafts and workmanship who most favored the beast made for such work, took notice.
With a thunderous swing of her mighty hammer, Loda intervened. The king fell, struck down by the goddess's divine justice, but the Glashtyn, already wounded, could not be saved. For the realm of the dead and dying belongs only to Vakmatharas, and not even the Goddess Loda could intervene. In a moment of mercy, Loda granted the dying creature a final wish – to be cast into the tapestry of stars, where he could watch over his son for all eternity.
And so, the myth of the Glashtyn constellation was born, a celestial tribute to the love of a father that defied the boundaries of mortal and divine realms. The Bovox, a constellation of steadfast vigilance, forever gazes down upon the world, a silent guardian in the night sky.
Agryos, The Winged Boar - Written by McCraken
Once every 267 years, the celestial bodies align just-so and in the autumnal sky appears for one night only the distinct, starry outline of a wild razorback boar. Several bright stars aligning above the boar’s shoulders form the major bones of its ‘wings’. As this constellation appears so infrequently, it has become conflated in common vernacular with events that are either rare or extremely unlikely—hence, the expression, “When pigs fly!”
Hippocampus - Written by Khitti
Appearance/Number of Stars: Composed of 11 bright stars and a handful of smaller ones. 2-3 stars each create the head/neck (3 stars), and each of the front legs (2 each), where they join together at one of the brighter stars of the bunch, called the Heart of Selene. From there, a wide swath of tiny stars are spread across the sky to form the tail, looking very similar to the tail of a comet. Only to further the comet-looking appearance, the narrow end of the tail ends in another bright star, the Zaytorian Scale. From there, on both sides, it branches off into 1 lesser star on each side to form the tail fin.
Heart of Selene
Deep blue-green in color. It is also visible during the month of Selevann.
Zaytorian Scale
Bright aquamarine in color. It is also visible during the month of Zayvann.
Myth: Based on one of Selene’s most prized creations, in honor of the brackish water-dwelling kelpie, and for her beloved fellow water god Zaytor. The actual hippocampi can be rather shy creatures, thus almost never allowing landwalkers to properly see them and enjoy their beauty. Frustrated by this, Selene asked Q’na for a small collection of stars for her own use. While Q’na usually can’t be bothered with silly requests, they did often have an overabundance of stars and so indulged Selene just this once. And so, with the stars she was given, she used her waves to paint the skies with them, shaping them into the majestic half-horse, half-fish creature that she so loved.
Rituals: While most rituals are often to Selene herself, some sailors pray upon the hippocampus constellation. They burn offerings of dried kelp and fishbones, in hopes of giving their ship the speed needed for their journey, whether it be with the wind or the waves.
Best Viewed: During the fall and winter months, when the sea is at its angriest.
The Sisters - Written by Mcracken
Children in coastal areas traditionally sing a simple rhyme, in a game similar to “Eeny Meeny Miny Mo”:
Over the land and under the sea,
This is the tale of the sisters three:
One got stolen away from home,
One turned into a block of stone,
And one was left to cry, cry, cry, cry alone.
The rhyme’s origins are assumed to be extremely ancient. Some believe it is linked to folktales surrounding a stand of volcanic monoliths on Rynvale island but more commonly it is recognised as a simplified version of a long-lost myth associated with the constellation universally known as “The Sisters”.
The Sisters are a triune of similar-shaped constellations centrally connected by a dense star cloud. This is usually depicted as three women in a roughly triangular formation, joined together in the center by a tangle of serpent-like hair.
While the rhyme itself isn’t a happy one, The Sisters remind us of the powerful bonds shared between siblings and close friends, those familial and emotional ties which connect us to each other. Though we may strive for independence, still there is that part of us which craves connection and all too often suffering results when these ties are broken. It is likely, therefore, that the children's rhyme began as some sort of cautionary tale.
Cessair - The Mourner’s Wings - Written by Fiadh
The Stars
Cessair, The Psychopomp, or most commonly, the Mourner’s Wings, is composed of sixteen stars, the majority making up the great and vast bat-like wings of Cessair, the constellation can be seen throughout the month of Mourningfrost but remains hidden throughout the rest of Lithrydel’s calendar year.
During her brightest hours, the shape of a great bat can be traced through the lines of the stars, her wings spanning far and wide across the night sky.
The Myth
In the shadowed realms where mortality meets the abstract, there existed a creature of silent wings and compassionate purpose—a companion to death known as Cessair, the winged beast of the Afterworld. With fur as dark as the void and wings that whispered through the air like the last breaths of the departing, Cessair served as a faithful companion to Vakmatharas, the God of the dead and dying.
Cessair's duty was to guide the souls of the departed to the realms beyond, ensuring a peaceful transition from the tangible world to the mysteries that awaited. Each beat of her wings echoed the heartbeat of passing souls, and her eyes held the reflection of the distant afterlife.
For countless seasons, Cessair fulfilled her sacred duty with unwavering dedication. She danced on the precipice between life and death, an intermediary that bridged the mortal coil to the unknown. Vakmatharas, though often seen as malevolent by mortals, witnessed the grace and mercy that Cessair bestowed upon the departing spirits.
Yet, as the ceaseless march of time unfolded, even Cessair found herself ensnared by the inescapable clutches of mortality. Death, supposedly impartial and always inevitable, visited her with a touch that silenced her wings and dimmed her ethereal eyes. Vakmatharas, the lord of that death, for the first and last time was filled with an anguish as profound as the void itself.
In his sorrow, Vakmatharas sought to immortalize the memory of Cessair. He painted her likeness in the vast canvas of the night sky, creating a constellation that bore the shape of her wings and the grace of her spirit. A loving testament to the faithful companion who had guided countless souls to their final resting place.
During the coldest and darkest of all the seasons, these stars shine as symbols of the compassion that transcended even the cold dominion of death and the endurance of love. The Mourner’s Wings is a reminder that even in the face of mortality, there existed moments of comfort... And that even death itself has known the bitter taste of loss.
Vote here!
Voting will be open until the 26th.