The Heavens, the sky, the moons and the stars above...they are governing influences in every day life and in magic.
The Heavens are tightly tied to the 5 Elements, even as each season is tied to the elements and stars and planets above.
This section details the relationship between the moons, the stars and Fierd. Astlan has a fairly complicated yet very organized and logical calendar allowing precise predictions of weather, crop seasons and life and death.
Because the Heavens are so closely aligned with the Elements the time of year and season can greatly impact the casting of great and complicated spells. By aligning the timing of certain major rituals and spells with their associated elemental season a wizard or priest can greatly boost the power of their spell. Similarly certain spells work less well during inauspicious seasons and time periods. |
There have been skeptics, of course, asking how distant objects can possibly influence things on Astlan. The answers are simple. Fierd is the single largest source of Fire near Astlan. Similarly, the night Sky, why cold compared to the day, still reflects the billions of instances of Fire in the local universe.
Similarly, the dirt beneath our feet, the planet itself is a massive source of both Earth and Water. As are the moons. The moons' gravity affects the tide and the motion of water. Earth and water play a complicated dance, an ebb and flow that can measurably effect the power of spells.
We know that large amounts of Earth attract air, and thus the greatest source of Air is that surrounding Astlan, followed by that around each of our moons. While in Astlan, the local air is generally symmetric to a caster; the affects of the moon's Air can affect a spell, and the motion of the moons affects the motion of the Seas, and the motion of the Seas and the heat, the Fire, they hold influence the motion of the Air on Astlan.
As the seasons change, the Seas move and with them the Air above heats and cools and moves in various patterns, creating vast Cells of Air, as described by the Wizard Hadlee. Frozen water to the north and far south affects the temperature and motion of massive Air Streams that cause weather to race across the planet.
For all of this, and more, it's critical that a wizard understand the flow of the elements around him or her, and for that, they must understand the motion of not only our planet, but the moons, the stars and Fierd. Failure to adjust for these elemental conditions can mean the difference between success and failure in many endeavors. |