Night Sky of Krynn
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The night sky of Krynn plays a large role in the Dragonlance books and roleplaying games. The luminaries are a reminder of the presence of the gods in the lives of mortals or as a grim reminder of their absence.
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[edit] Moons of Krynn
The three moons regulate the magic of Krynn. Wizards of High Sorcery draw on the power of the gods of magic through these moons and their power waxes and wanes with the moons. Wizards are only affected by the moon that represents their alignment.
- Solinari is a large white moon, named for the god of good aligned magic on Krynn. It follows a period of 36 standard days (9 days per quarter).
- Lunitari is a medium red moon, named for the goddess of neutral magic on Krynn. It follows a period of 28 standard days (7 days per quarter).
- Nuitari is a small black moon, named for the god of dark magic on Krynn. It follows a period of 8 standard days (2 days per quarter). The moon Nuitari can only be seen by Wizards of the Black Robes. It can be detected by non-evil aligned wizards and astronomers when it obscures other luminaries.
- The Great Eye is a phenomenon that has occurred only a handful of times in the history of Krynn. It happens when the timing, paths, and fullness of all three moons coincide. The three moons come together at the same spot in the night sky, creating a great eye that looks down on Krynn. Solinari, the largest and slowest, moves into position first. Solinari creates the white of the eye. Lunitari moves in second, the medium red moon creating the iris. Smallest Nuitari moves in last, creating the pupil. The three moons hold their alignment briefly before moving away from each other again. When the Great Eye is whole, it is the one time casual observers can see the black moon Nuitari. Also, when the Great Eye is formed, all the moons of magic are full and aligned together. At this moment every magic user on Krynn feels the forces of magic at their absolute strongest, and the most powerful magical spells may be worked. The legendary Dragon Orbs were created on a Night of the Great Eye.
Although Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman had defined the moon cycles and were aware of how each would be seen at any point in the novels, Margaret Weis decided not to completely follow their guidelines:[1]
| I could never keep the phases of the moon straight. At last I decided that they would be up if I needed them up and down if I didn't! |
[edit] Constellations
The constellations of Krynn share a connection to the gods that share their names. They are the celestial symbols of their power and influence on Krynn. Each constellation also has an alternate name taken from its apparent shape in the night sky.
[edit] Constellations of the Gods of Good
- Branchala (the Harp) is a harp-shaped constellation visible in the night sky. It is found between the constellations Habbakuk and Mishakal.
- Habbakuk (the Blue Phoenix) is a constellation visible in the night sky. It is found above the constellation Zeboim and between the constellations Branchala and Majere. It is shaped like a Phoenix in flight.
- Kiri-Jolith (the Bison's Head) is a large constellation visible in the night sky in the shape of a bison's head. It is found to the right of the constellations Chemosh and Hiddukel, and to the right of the constellation Morgion.
- Majere (the Rose) is a long, rose-shaped constellation visible in the night sky. It is found between the constellations Sargonnas and Habbakuk.
- Mishakal (Infinity) is a constellation visible in the night sky in the shape of a Möbius strip. It is found between the constellations Branchala and Morgion.
[edit] Constellations of the Gods of Neutrality
- Gilean (the Book of Souls) is a constellation visible in the night sky. The constellations of the gods of Good and Evil wheel around this fixed constellation.
[edit] Constellations of the Gods of Evil
- Chemosh (the Yellow Goat's Skull) is a constellation visible in the night sky in the shape of a goat's skull. It is located above the constellation Hiddukel and between the constellations Sargonnas and Kiri-Jolith.
- Hiddukel (the Broken Scale) is a large constellation visible in the night sky in the shape of a broken set of scales. It is found below the constellation Chemosh and next to the constellation Kiri-Jolith.
- Morgion (the Diseased Hood) is a constellation visible in the night sky in the shape of a hood with a crown and two eyes. It is found in between the constellations Kiri-Jolith and Mishakal.
- Sargonnas (the Condor) is a constellation visible in the night sky in the shape of a condor with wings spread. It is found in between the constellations Chemosh and Majere.
- Zeboim (the Dragon Turtle) is a turtle-shaped constellation visible in the night sky. It is found below the constellation Habbakuk.
[edit] Planets visible
Little is known about the planets visible from Krynn other than their names, which correspond to the gods of Neutrality for which they were named and serve as the celestial symbols of their power and influence on Krynn.
[edit] Altered future
When Raistlin planned on challenging the Dark Queen Takhisis and becoming a god himself, history was split. In the true history of Krynn, Raistlin sacrificed himself to spare the destruction of the world. In a time traveling accident, Raistlin's brother Caramon Majere and the kender Tasslehoff Burrfoot were accidentally sent into the future when they attempted to stop Raistlin. They saw a future where Raistlin had defeated not just Takhisis, but all the gods. Raistlin ruled undisputed, but his battles and evil had completely destroyed the world. In the night sky of that ruined world the sky was dominated by Raistlin's constellation, a giant hourglass. The other constellations were gone or rapidly fading at the edges of the night sky.
[edit] Chaos War
When Takhisis stole Krynn and flung it to another corner of the universe, the luminaries typical to the night sky of Krynn appeared to vanish. The stars were unfamiliar and a single, ghostly white moon took the place of Solinari, Lunitari, and Nuitari.
[edit] War of Souls
After the conclusion of the War of Souls, the constellations, moons and planets representing the gods of Krynn returned to the night sky. The single false moon that had been present since the theft of Krynn vanished.
[edit] Missing constellations
After the War of Souls, the constellations representing the fallen gods Takhisis and Paladine disappeared from the night sky. These two are the largest of the constellations and are closest to the constellation of Gilean and appear to chase each other across the sky.
- Paladine, The Platinum Dragon, is a very large, curving constellation in the shape of a roaring dragon.
- Takhisis, The Queen of Darkness, is a very large, curving constellation in the shape of a great five-headed dragon.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman [November 1999]. “Book 2, volume 1, chapter 11, The dream ends. The nightmare begins.”, The Annotated Chronicles, 1st edition, Wizards of the Coast, 618. ISBN 0-7869-1870-5. Retrieved on 2006-07-01.
[edit] Other books
- Margaret Weis; Jamie Chambers; Christopher Coyle (2003). Age of Mortals: Dragonlance Campaign Setting Companion. Sovereign Press. ISBN 1-931567-10-7.
- Margaret Weis; Don Perrin; Jamie Chambers; Christopher Coyle (2003). Dragonlance Campaign Setting. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-3086-1.
- Margaret Weis; Tracy Hickman (1987). Dragonlance Adventures. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-88038-452-2.
