The vault of the night sky is littered with stars, like gem dust scattered across fine black velvet. The fixed stars form a backdrop for the moons (Luna, Gorm, and Ioun) and the variable stars. These stars are grouped into constellations, and of these the zodiacal figures are the most important and consistent across cultures. Individual stars sometimes enjoy names of their own, which can often be traced back to the stargazing habits of ancient dragons.

The Zodiac

As the sun passes through the sky, it carves a path through the same circuit of stars, granting these stars particular importance to cultures around the world. Humans around the Wilderlands (and even far-off Karak) divide these stars into thirteen roughly analogous constellations. These constellations roughly correspond to the thirteen months of the Takvim, Karanhath, BCCC, and Gou Lun calendars (used in Ghinoran-influenced lands, Viridistan, the City-State, and Karak, respectively).

• bull
• goat/ ram
• serpent/ fishes
• soldier/ archer
• twins
• goat-fish
• pitcher/ vessel
• crab/ crayfish
• rooster
• maiden
• eagle/ hawk
• owl
• lion/ wolf

Other common constellations

The stars on either side of the zodiac are not as consistently named and organized across the Wilderlands, but the following are often recognized:

• aranea/ spider
• arrow
• bear
• bee/ wasp
• cat
• claw, northern
• claw, southern
• crown
• dog (the dog’s eye is the north star)
• dragon’s maw (notable less for the stars it contains than for the inky darkness between its “teeth”)
• eel
• goose
• harvestman
• horse
• pegasus
• sailing ship (by far the largest commonly-recognized constellation in the sky)
• toad
• triangle
• troll