DayLITE: Haldskyr - Temples of the Watching Stars

Haldskyr: The Temples of the Watching Stars

Rememberence 

Haldskyr would be an entirely different world if it had not been for the twelve celestial beings that came here and affected its future. After the Great War, when the dust was settling all over the world and people were rediscovering it not as a war-torn place, but as one of growth and possibility, the Watching Stars moved away from directly affecting the world. Stories of the Stars’ help in the Great War are clouded in mystery, with the facts largely forgotten. With the thousands of years that have passed since, many don’t actually remember which events are attributed to which celestial being. Nowadays, the understanding of the Stars, their functions and domains, come mostly from the natural passage of time and the planet’s cycles that were applied by mortals to the Stars. And though the values and characteristics assigned to the Stars may be untrue, does it really matter if they carry the meaning people need them to carry? For most, their own belief and faith is more important than the facts of the ancient past.

Heroes & Ancestral Veneration

The Heroes, chosen by the Watching Stars, are revered, or at the very least respected, all over Haldskyr. Most families in Haldskyr believe themselves to be descended from some great Hero of the Great War. Whether said Hero was a fighter, scholar, healer, or artist, almost every bloodline claims at least one such person. Ancestral veneration is common and powerful spirits are able to still influence the world from the land of the dead. They are often called upon for rituals and during celebrations, with seats and meals left out for recently departed. The ancestors can impart blessing or curses on their descendants based on their behavior and how well they fulfilled their responsibilities. Burial grounds are thus deeply respected, and the rotting of the body, the responsibility of Rottunhond, is required. Otherwise, a spirit can remain tied to their material body, neither able to ever visit their family nor depart the world of the living entirely.

Worship

Rituals. The worship of the Watching Stars is cyclical, changing month to month. People do not partake in the worship of all twelve Stars at once on a regular basis. Each Star is connected to a different month in which their celebrations and devotions take place. It is seen as a respectful way of giving the Stars times of peace, unbothered by requests and prayers. However, there are many requests and prayers. However, there are many rituals not limited to seasonal celebrations, instead tied to daily life, ranging from large events to family rites. Each person additionally undergoes rites of passage - grand celebrations tied to all common experiences: births, naming ceremonies, marriages, and deaths.

Temples. Worship of the Watching Stars is not obligatory, nor enforced by leaders or priests. There have been people who attempted to structure the faith and worship of the Stars and implement them into Haldskyr’s laws to leverage the power of faith over people, but such attempts continue to be unsuccessful. There are also some who try to build hierarchies between the Stars, arranging the celestial beings by their importance or usefulness, but the worship of the Stars, so tied to one's own journey through life, is much too personal to categorize. Those who try to insert a ranking between the Stars are often shunned.

The big cities in Haldskyr often have large temple complexes representing all the Stars. But some of the temples are more unique than others: with an unexplained history, in an unusual place, or with specific culture or traditions. This book contains twelve such temples, one for each of the Stars. Some are more spiritual, to do with the internal world, some more practical, researching and impacting the external world of Haldskyr. Nonetheless, each temple brings something to the world, be it healing, technological progress, or protection.