Astronomy, Astrology, & Cosmology

The night sky above the world of Selan is very much like our own. Only one pale white moon traces in counterpoint with a single sun, keeping the tides in constant motion. Millions of stars glitter and twinkle across the night sky, in silent watch over the sleeping world below. The following is a discussion of the specific elements found in the Selan sky, their names, and what the common folk of E'gath believe that they are. Other cultures may disagree with the beliefs of what they represent, but their presence is unmistakable.

While the people of Selan do not know this, the planet of Selan is spherical in nature. While not believing that the world is flat (after all mountains and valleys aren't flat), they have not given much consideration onto the actual shape of their world. It simply is, and was created by the Elder gods.

Selan has a single orbiting moon. Many of E'gath believe that it is a far distant view of Elysium, home of the Angels. Others, more devoted to Kreeng, believe that it is their god keeping a constant watch on his followers. The moon is responsible for the E'gath Calendar, taking 30 days for the moon to fully orbit Selan, a lunar month. The moon is always new on the first and last days of each month, and always full on the 15th and 16th. It waxes and wanes normally in the intervening periods.

Selan has a single orbiting sun. Generally the people of E'gath consider it to be the face of Piccor (Elder god of Magic and the Sun), but there are a few others who feel otherwise. Selan rotates on its axis in a standard 24 hour period creating day and night. It does a complete orbit around the sun in 360 days in a elliptical orbit. All of the standard seasons apply and are each three months long. The days grow shorter and longer with the seasons and are mirrored in the opposite hemisphere.

Also orbiting the sun are several other planets and planetoids. Not that anyone on Selan knows what a planetoid is, but they are still there. Each of the planets have differing colors, some have rings of ice and dust, and some others slowly change their hues throughout the year. None of the other planets are close enough to rival the moon in sheer size and prominence of the night sky. Scholars point to ancient elven and dwarven texts for the origin of the planet names.

Korvox - Small red planet.
Mishanal - Larger light blue and white planet. Still hardly visible with the naked eye.
Grugan - Small gray planet with a vibrant multi-colored ring seen on special nights.
Auriel - Small yellowish planet that flares with very occasional monthly golden light.
Syrcor - Medium sized planet that alternates from invisibility through every color of the spectrum. Syrcor requires three full months to travel across the color spectrum.
Jinno - Small bluish planet with multiple rings of ice surrounding the equator. The rings are not visible to the naked eye.
Trenis - Medium sized green planet with a swirling mass of white that is not visible to the naked eye.
Wilques - Medium sized pure white planet.

Covering the night sky in soft sparkling lights are the constellations. Each culture has their own interpretations and visions of the night sky, based upon their folklore, religions, and history. What follows is simply a smattering of the more common and well-known constellations on Selan.

The Great Dragon - Visible in the summer months, the Great Dragon is actually incorporated by several other smaller constellations. E'gath mythology says that this is the tribute given to the dragon that aided Tahlin during the Great Rebellion. He sits there and watches all with an alert eye, ready to return to Selan to fight the elves again.

Astrological Symbols of E'gath

Symbol	Generic Idea & Value	Dates on Calendar
The Dolphin	Impressionable	Khadinora 19th - Primus 20th
Aries	Outgoing	Primus 21st - Marela 19th
The Mountain	Conservative	Marela 20th - Dalume 20th
The Shape-shifter	Versatile	Dalume 21st - Murelm 20th
Cancer	Emotional	Murelm 21st - Warshun 22nd
The Dragon	Authoritative	Warshun 23rd - Sulent 22nd
Virgo	Exacting	Sulent 23rd - September 22nd
The Open Hand	Helpful	September 23rd - October 22nd
Scorpio	Determined	October 23rd - November 21st
Sagittarius	Optimistic	November 22nd - December 21st
The Turtle	Cautious	December 22nd - Batila 19th
The Hawk	Independent	Batila 20th - Khadinora 18th

The list above is a very generic and simplified version of E'gathan astrology. The places of the individual planets and other celestial objects in the night sky will further determine more information about the individual. There are twelve houses in the night sky, one for each planet, one for the moon, and one for the sun.

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