The Constellations of Terafa

As mentioned previously, Terafa has two suns, a moon (or two moons, depending on whether I decide to stick with my current campaigns 'mistake' or not), and a ring system. The skies are already quite busy! There are, however, two remaining things to add to that skyline - the stars and any other planets in the sky (which, in fact, will appear as large wandering stars).

To that end, I need to define a number of constellations for Terafa, with the ideal number being 12 - to match the 12 months of the year on Terafa, and also because that matches the constellations defined in our own skies - and so is the comfortable number. Fortunately, D&D now includes a very nice division into 12; there are 12 classes in the PHB in 5e. And so, here are the constellations, in the order in which they appear in the night sky.

• The Preacher: Seen as a benevolent figure leading the world out of the depths of winter, the preacher is associated with wisdom, resilience, and healing.
• The Ascetic: Seen as a counterpart to the preacher, the ascetic represents the crueller aspects of winter as supplies run low and times become harder. She is associated with denial, sacrifice, and want.
• The Scoundrel: A marker of better times to come, the scoundrel represents joy and laughter. Particularly honoured by halflings, the scoundrel is seen as a mischevious but not malicious figure. Nonetheless, those who uphold laws throughout Terafa become increasingly wary as this sign becomes dominant.
• The Hermit: The story has it that the scoundrel runs into the wilderness where he lives as a hermit for a time. This story is contradicted, however, by the traditional representation of the hermit as female. The hermit is associated with the waking of nature after a long winter, the sowing of seeds, and general husbandry of nature.
• The Minstrel: Also known as the bringer of joy, the minstrel is an appropriate icon for the long lazy days of summer just starting. And yet the minstrel is also a martial figure, as armies march to war in these days.
• The Wise Man: Despite the name, this figure is commonly depicted as female. Depicted as being pregnant with knowledge, and also with sorrow, she is associated with books, lore, and also false prophecy and also the knowledge that the year has reached its brightest days.
• The Woodsman: Associated most of all with the ripening of crops, the time when the woodsman comes to the fore is marked by many lords riding the boundaries of their domains, ensuring that all borders are secure prior to the days of winter beginning.
• The Tumult: The most unusual constellation, the tumult is actually a shapshifter - each year the stars of this sign reconfigure themselves. Nobody knows why this is, although there are many theories. Those who observe such things try to draw omens for the winter ahead from the current configuration as this sign becomes dominant.
• The Paragon: The favoured sign of all who excel, and all those who see themselves amongst that group, the paragon is associated with victories, new beginnings, and the like. More marriages are conducted while the paragon is dominant than at any other time in the year, and children born under this sign are considered especially blessed - and also bound to labour under unreasonable expectations all their lives.
• The Champion: The most martial of all the signs, the champion is the season of battles, and perhaps the last season when armies can expect to march in the year. The champion is depicted as a female figure, and as such is quite often associated with those who would protect women and children especially.
• The Berserker: As the year comes to an end we have the season of chaos, when nature turns against man and things become harder. The berserker is associated with wild celebrations, strong drink, madness, and tyranny. He is the most masculine of all the signs, and also the one that the common folk fear most of all.
• The Witch: Finally, as the year ends comes the season of the witch. An openly malevolent sign, the witch rules the dark days of winter, when the world is cold and life is hard. Yet she is also the source of healing when all other sources fail... albeit at a terrible cost. All that said, there are those who declare that the witch is the most misunderstood of all the signs, for this is also a necessary season of rest, without which the cycle could not begin anew.
• Myriad: Although most astrologers consider there to be twelve signs, some few identify a thirteenth sigil between the witch and the preacher. Certainly, there is an oddity in the calendar, as the signs become dominant in turn a little too quickly for the turn of the seasons and yet, somehow, the months align year after year. Those who mark this thirteenth sign place hir between the witch and the preacher. Xhe is depicted as neither male nor female, or indeed as combining aspects of both. The ambiguities of this sign are manifold - to the extent that many people simply cannot see the sign in the sky at all; for many, there is simply a void in the appropriate region of the heavens.