Zodiac

The Zodiac are the driving astrological force impacting the forces of magic on Colmaris, and play a major role in the societies and religions of the people living in the world. Originally codified either by the pre-Breaking Trevultines or by the modern Trevultines, all societies known on Colmaris recognize the same twelve-house Zodiac, though in many cases they are given different significance.

The Zodiac consists of twelve major constellations of stars which are more or less equally spaced around the circumference of the night sky. Each such Zodiac Sign is said to be the ruler of a house, which is an arc of the sky roughly 30 degrees wide centered on that sign; the movement of the Moons through these houses is used by magical practitioners of various kinds as a bellwether for their efforts.

The position of the sun relative to the zodiac is used as a measure of the passage of time and repeats itself roughly once a year. Some devotees of divination rely on the sun's position in this way at the time of a person's birth as an indicator of their personal qualities. Additionally each sign has a crowning star whose color determines the effective magical color for the entire sign, which has relevance in determining the impacts of the sign on Sorcery.

Each sign is also associated with a powerful artefact known as the Stellarchiac Jewels.

The twelve Zodiac Signs are as follows:

• The Ram, which rules the First House. It is an orange constellation whose crown is referred to as "Ramshead". It is not especially bright but is implicated most observations of the Spring Equinox and is thus associated strongly with the beginning of springtime and the breaking of disasters.
• The Bull rules the Second House and is considered a red constellation, and its crown, "Disciple", is the fifteenth brightest object in the night sky. The ruler of mid-spring, the bull is considered to be symbolic of strife and warfare as many military campaigns are launched while the sun is in its house.
• The Twins rule the Third House. The twins wear two crowns and are therefore associated with two colors of magic: Yellow Magic and Blue Magic named for "Brother" and "Sister" respectively. In addition to being the only sign ruled by two colors, the Twins are strongly associated with the Feng Empire due to an ancient tradition that suggests that before the Ancient Breaking, Feng lay far to the east of Trevultum.
• The Crab rules over the Fourth House and is considered to be the first sign of astrological summer. It is an orange constellation thanks to its dim crown-star, Ovus. Its placement at the "birth" of summer gives it twin associations with rest and action.
• The Lion rules over the Fifth House and therefore midsummer - some call it the King of Signs as a result. It is among the brightest of all the signs and is considered a white sign due to its crowning star, "Kinglight". The sign is mostly associated with pre-Breaking cultures now lost.
• The Maiden rules over the Sixth House. It is crowned by a blue star, "the Grape", and is associated strongly with times of rest in most lands. The Greatwinds consider The Maiden a protector diety and reverence her sign greatly.
• The Scales rules over the Seventh House and is the final sign of the long summer, though sometimes it is associated with autumn. It is a fairly faint, but white constellation ruled by the crowning star "Judgement". The sign is strongly associated with life and death and with rulership, and also with the Trevult Imperium, especially through its association with the Trevaltine Royal Family, House Volta.
• The Scorpion rules the Eighth House and has a strong association with autumn - in fact, the Greatwind believe that autumn begins because the Scorpion has killed the sun, which spends the rest of the year dying as a result. It is a Red sign, crowned by "Scorpion's Heart". Many mythologies place figures associated closely with the scorpion as their antagonist, including some accounts of the Ancient Breaking.
• The Archer rules the Ninth House and is the final sign before the commencement of astrological winter. It's crowned by a star known as "the Nock" which is a somwhat dim red star. It has a strong association with ends, especially of eras, such as the deaths of rulers or the occurrence of disasters.
• The Goat rules in the Tenth House and is crowned by "The Goat's Tail", a White sign. It's associated strongly with astrological winter (which it is said to begin). Greatwind legends associate the Goat with protection and sacrifice; it is said to give itself to mankind each year to ensure their survival of the winter-that-has-come.
• The School is the ruling sign of the Eleventh House. Perhaps strangely for a sign associated with the imagery of fish, they are crowned by "the crests", the four largest stars of the formation, giving it a yellow coloration. Greatwind legends favour the School heavily, because the school feeds and supports the sun as it passes through them following the winter solstice, which they associate with the sun's apparant revival and the "beginning of the end of winter".
• The Waters is the ruling sign of the Twelfth House, strongly associated with Blue Magic due to its crowning star, "the Seastar". The precious nature of water since the Ancient Breaking, which has placed most if not all water on Colmaris out of human reach, is said to have strongly diminished its influence.