HOME | DD

Description
The map depicted in the image above represents the various different constellation visible in the night sky from directly under the south pole of the planet. The asterisms shown were chosen in fitting with the Mayic perspective of most of my other work, though they do incorporate the constellations of several other cultures due in no small part to the syncretistic nature of their society. The Mai believe the stars are living creatures swimming about in the waters above the earth shepherded by the four planets: Loktae, Cherochi, Uestun, and Kayan. Depending upon who you ask the organization of the stars is either coincidental, having no clear rhyme or reason for why they are arranged in the way they are, while others argue that they were ordered so by the god Anaehyon, the Shepherd of the Heavens. It was his way of preserving the stories of the people for the rest of time - kept recorded high in the vault of the heavens. Comets and shooting stars are the product of these great beasts of light and iron dying and falling down and down to earth below - burning up in hte atmosphere in a brilliant flash or striking the ground, leave of gift of metallic magic the people could use to help find their direction in the world. The most important star to ever grace the night sky was called Nyonmei, the white eye. According to legend it was once the great beaming eye of the demonic serpent Karak, the bringer of chaos. He threatened to destroy the world and return it to the uncreated mess of matter it was before Toneihi Tamayoki awoke upon the shores of the Ivory Isles, a colossal threat who would only end up being stopped at the hands of a fearsome warrior, Neirahu, the two-faced god of love and war. His love for the world ignited the flames of his passion, creating the purificatory power called fire - and he would use this in tandem with his magical spear Akvut to lay the demon low. With each thrust of his spear great gouts of venomous vermin seeped from its wounds only to be destroyed with the flame. It destroyed his foe utterly and protected Neirahu all the same. When the battle was won, he danced upon the corpse of his enemy and plucked its eye from out of its cyclopean skull. He set it high in the heavens at the middle of all things, the final third of the axis mundi, the crown of the cosmos itself, and it would remain there for all time as testament to his martial greatness.

In the fourth age of the world, when the gods have faded into the background to allow humans there chance to assert themselves and carve out their own destiny, the White Eye of Karak is their guiding southern star and a sign that Anaehyon, the reincarnation and evolution of Karak is watching over them. He keeps shepherds flocks safe from harm and surveys all the world so that he can dispense omens for the shamans to interpret about future happenings.

The other asterisms have stories of their own, some more involved than others, but I will try to be brief so that I can cover each of them without boring you all overly much. The below descriptions give information about each constellation and a brief summary of any story it's involved in within the Mayic mythic cycles.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Beaked Whale (Hlocfe) - An asterism adopted from interactions with the Cuncizui people of the Eggshell Archipelago. Its shape is said to resemble the form of a Hlocfe, the colossal, aquatic swimming beasts that has convergently evolved a body plan similar to those of the great cetaceans of old Earth. They originate from the world of the Lizardfolk , though humans interact with them regularly and even hunt them for their plentiful meat and blubber. Just one of these beasts could feed a clan for several months. Alongside the Nanjolti, it is one of the two asterisms that lie within the Great Lake constellation.

The Egg-Beast (Nanjolti) - An asterism adopted from interactions with the Cuncizui people of the Eggshell Archipelago. Its shape is said to resemble the form of a Nanjolti, the egg-laying, seal-sized birds that lazily swim the shallow waterways between the isles where they live. The people of these islands rely heavily on these beasts for not only their eggs, but also their meat, bones, and waterproof feathers which they use for various artistic purposes. Alongside the Beaked Whale it is one of the two asterisms that lie within the Great Lake dark constellation.

The Gray Gliding Rostrummonk (Cacla) - An asterism adopted from interactions with the Cuncizui people of the Eggshell Arcipelago. Its shape is said to resemble the form of a Cacla, a small, beaked member of the kyokue lineage that climbs about in the trees and glides between their canopies with the help of their slate gray patagium. They are a fructivorous species and an important seed dispenser for the temperate jungles where these tribes live such that they venerate them as the originators of the practice of agriculture. In Cuncizui legends the Cacla king and his troop of loyal subjects took pity on the plight of the lovely maiden, Nanghlu who was stolen away in the night by a great and terrible monster and forced to become his wife. The Cacla maintained communications between her and her pining lover who would later go on to brave the seas of Sanja Baba and rescue her from her captivity, slaying the demon who threatened to keep her there.

The Lovely Maiden (Mangkirei) - An asterism that appears in throughout several different cultures alongside her companion, the Pining Lover. The constellation takes the shape of a woman raising her hands to the sky in despair, awaiting the return of her lover. The exact story about their relationship and how they were separated varies between cultures. The Cuncizui believe she was stolen away in the night by an evil lesci who wanted to marry her. She was taken to a distant island separated by a deep and tumultuous sea no-one sane would dare attempt to cross. The king of the Cacla took pity and asked his mother Jirnana to send omens to her lover so he could figure out where she had gone. In the end he makes his way across the seas by way of his magical flying boat and slays the demons. When the lovers died, the great giants, the Hiswu, rent holes in the sky through which their story could be remembered forever more. The Mayic version of the story is listed under the description of the Pining Lover asterism.

The Tunnelhawk (Shu) - An asterism originating from Mayic culture. The constellation takes on the shape of a Shu, a small, hexapedal predator that fills a similar niche to cats for the Mai, often spending their time hunting down and killing small vermin that threaten to devour crops.

Description
The map depicted in the image above represents the various different constellation visible in the night sky from directly under the south pole of the planet. The asterisms shown were chosen in fitting with the Mayic perspective of most of my other work, though they do incorporate the constellations of several other cultures due in no small part to the syncretistic nature of their society. The Mai believe the stars are living creatures swimming about in the waters above the earth shepherded by the four planets: Loktae, Cherochi, Uestun, and Kayan. Depending upon who you ask the organization of the stars is either coincidental, having no clear rhyme or reason for why they are arranged in the way they are, while others argue that they were ordered so by the god Anaehyon, the Shepherd of the Heavens. It was his way of preserving the stories of the people for the rest of time - kept recorded high in the vault of the heavens. Comets and shooting stars are the product of these great beasts of light and iron dying and falling down and down to earth below - burning up in hte atmosphere in a brilliant flash or striking the ground, leave of gift of metallic magic the people could use to help find their direction in the world. The most important star to ever grace the night sky was called Nyonmei, the white eye. According to legend it was once the great beaming eye of the demonic serpent Karak, the bringer of chaos. He threatened to destroy the world and return it to the uncreated mess of matter it was before Toneihi Tamayoki awoke upon the shores of the Ivory Isles, a colossal threat who would only end up being stopped at the hands of a fearsome warrior, Neirahu, the two-faced god of love and war. His love for the world ignited the flames of his passion, creating the purificatory power called fire - and he would use this in tandem with his magical spear Akvut to lay the demon low. With each thrust of his spear great gouts of venomous vermin seeped from its wounds only to be destroyed with the flame. It destroyed his foe utterly and protected Neirahu all the same. When the battle was won, he danced upon the corpse of his enemy and plucked its eye from out of its cyclopean skull. He set it high in the heavens at the middle of all things, the final third of the axis mundi, the crown of the cosmos itself, and it would remain there for all time as testament to his martial greatness.

In the fourth age of the world, when the gods have faded into the background to allow humans there chance to assert themselves and carve out their own destiny, the White Eye of Karak is their guiding southern star and a sign that Anaehyon, the reincarnation and evolution of Karak is watching over them. He keeps shepherds flocks safe from harm and surveys all the world so that he can dispense omens for the shamans to interpret about future happenings.

The other asterisms have stories of their own, some more involved than others, but I will try to be brief so that I can cover each of them without boring you all overly much. The below descriptions give information about each constellation and a brief summary of any story it's involved in within the Mayic mythic cycles.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Beaked Whale (Hlocfe) - An asterism adopted from interactions with the Cuncizui people of the Eggshell Archipelago. Its shape is said to resemble the form of a Hlocfe, the colossal, aquatic swimming beasts that has convergently evolved a body plan similar to those of the great cetaceans of old Earth. They originate from the world of the Lizardfolk , though humans interact with them regularly and even hunt them for their plentiful meat and blubber. Just one of these beasts could feed a clan for several months. Alongside the Nanjolti, it is one of the two asterisms that lie within the Great Lake constellation.

The Egg-Beast (Nanjolti) - An asterism adopted from interactions with the Cuncizui people of the Eggshell Archipelago. Its shape is said to resemble the form of a Nanjolti, the egg-laying, seal-sized birds that lazily swim the shallow waterways between the isles where they live. The people of these islands rely heavily on these beasts for not only their eggs, but also their meat, bones, and waterproof feathers which they use for various artistic purposes. Alongside the Beaked Whale it is one of the two asterisms that lie within the Great Lake dark constellation.

The Gray Gliding Rostrummonk (Cacla) - An asterism adopted from interactions with the Cuncizui people of the Eggshell Arcipelago. Its shape is said to resemble the form of a Cacla, a small, beaked member of the kyokue lineage that climbs about in the trees and glides between their canopies with the help of their slate gray patagium. They are a fructivorous species and an important seed dispenser for the temperate jungles where these tribes live such that they venerate them as the originators of the practice of agriculture. In Cuncizui legends the Cacla king and his troop of loyal subjects took pity on the plight of the lovely maiden, Nanghlu who was stolen away in the night by a great and terrible monster and forced to become his wife. The Cacla maintained communications between her and her pining lover who would later go on to brave the seas of Sanja Baba and rescue her from her captivity, slaying the demon who threatened to keep her there.

The Lovely Maiden (Mangkirei) - An asterism that appears in throughout several different cultures alongside her companion, the Pining Lover. The constellation takes the shape of a woman raising her hands to the sky in despair, awaiting the return of her lover. The exact story about their relationship and how they were separated varies between cultures. The Cuncizui believe she was stolen away in the night by an evil lesci who wanted to marry her. She was taken to a distant island separated by a deep and tumultuous sea no-one sane would dare attempt to cross. The king of the Cacla took pity and asked his mother Jirnana to send omens to her lover so he could figure out where she had gone. In the end he makes his way across the seas by way of his magical flying boat and slays the demons. When the lovers died, the great giants, the Hiswu, rent holes in the sky through which their story could be remembered forever more. The Mayic version of the story is listed under the description of the Pining Lover asterism.

The Tunnelhawk (Shu) - An asterism originating from Mayic culture. The constellation takes on the shape of a Shu, a small, hexapedal predator that fills a similar niche to cats for the Mai, often spending their time hunting down and killing small vermin that threaten to devour crops.