A New Constellation: The Aquiras Gate Constellation Name: The Aquiras Gate Origins: Pre-Valterrian Mizahar Description: This constellation is made of eight stars shaped like the Watchtowers that are seen dotting Mizahar’s landscape in the typical lowercase ‘h’ fashion. Four stars make up the tower while three more create the gate that comes off its side. The final star sits above the four that make up the tower. This is the brightest star in the constellation and the brightest star in the sky, brighter than the second brightest by a magnitude of three. As it sits where the Watchstone would sit on a typical Watchtower, this star has become known as “The Watchstar” or “Lady Priskil’s Light.” Visibility: The Aquiras Gate has a slight declination north from the celestial equator, making it visible to most cities on main continent of Mizahar. It is most prominent during the Summer months. Significance: Due to the brightness of The Watchstar, this is an amateur astronomer’s favorite way of orienting themselves in the night sky. The constellation’s prominence also makes it seafarers’ best hope if navigating on overcast nights. Mythology: The Aquiras Gate appeared in the night skies many centuries before the Valterrian. The earliest recorded sighting of the constellation was 671 BV. It was said that before this time a great beast roamed Mizahar, moving freely between the Ukalas and the mortal realm and bringing destruction wherever it went. Many of the great deities went to war against the creature, but none returned unscathed, none returned victorious. Ruros’ mighty battle prowess was turned aside by the beast’s ferocity. Yahal, Ivak, Dira and more unsuccessfully tried to bring it down. It was even said that this creature taught the Dravlak the meaning of fear. When no one could bring the creature down, the war against it reached a stalemate. The Gods and Goddesses kept the beast at bay but couldn’t keep it from trying to bring its havoc to the world of Mizahar. The war raged, and no headway was made on either side.
Finally, the lovers Aquiras and Priskil came to Zintila with an idea. With the aid of Priskil’s protective light, Aquiras would craft a door invulnerable to the beast’s wrath, but there were no materials on the face of Mizahar strong enough to build such a gate. That was why They came to Her. They wanted to craft this gate in the heavens, at the very edge of the Ukalas, and build it with the stars. Zintila agreed. This beast was a threat to Mizahar and, as such, was a threat to her mother Semele. The three worked together for forty long days, using their combined powers to craft a Watchtower more magnificent than any that smattered the face of the mortal world, but as it neared its completion, Priskil’s light drew the eyes of the beast.
It rose from the face of Mizahar where it had been doing battle with Yahal and His champion and sped toward the great Watchtower in the heavens. Beautiful and piercing, Priskil’s light drew the beast like a moth to a flame. As Zintila and Aquiras rushed to finish the gate, Priskil summoned all of Her light to protect the three of Them and faced the creature alone, and when the two clashed it was said for the only time known to mortals Her light shone brighter than Syna’s. For a full day and night’s time, the two waged war, Priskil standing as a beacon of hope and the wall between the beast and the gate builders. The immortal lights lent Her their strength. Leth never let His light waver, and Syna never set.
For all its wrath and rage, the beast was cunning. It conserved its strength, waiting for a moment to deal the ending blow. Despite the borrowed strength from Her fellow heavenly deities, Priskil began to fatigue. As the battle raged, Priskil’s light dimmed until finally it sputtered. In that moment, the beast made its move. It lunged and threw all of its malice into one blow, sure to be fatal to even a Goddess.
But the beast was not the only cunning one there. All the while, Priskil had been keeping an eye on Her lover’s progress and drawing the creature closer to the gate. The apparent weakening of Her light was not what it appeared to be. Rather, it was the Goddess conserving her own strength for one more attack, just as the beast had been doing. As it lunged, the Goddess released Her pent up light, and the resulting flash was such that every mortal watching was blinded. Some say there are Gods and Goddesses who do not see the same as they did before that day. But its effects on mortals and deities didn’t matter. What did matter was what it could do to the creature, and what it did worked. It stunned the beast and blinded it for a moment, and that moment was enough for its blow to swing wide and for Priskil to shove the beast through Her lover’s doorway.
The gate wasn’t complete, but Aquiras slammed the door shut behind the beast anyhow. The workmanship was rushed, and there was no way out of this small portion of the Ukalas. The beast found itself trapped in this prison, for every time it tried to use the door, it found itself back in front of it again.
To acknowledge Priskil’s valiant battle against the creature, Zintila made the star that represented the Goddess of Light’s Watchstone the brightest star in the sky and named it after Her. Priskil’s Light.
But the beast was not defeated, only trapped. And so it waits for a champion great enough to enter and face it. But anyone brave enough to pass through Aquiras’ Gate will share the same fate as the creature. |