Yellow Jacket

Hemera's skies hold four moons. Three are always present, lighting the night in shifting colors and patterns. The fourth, Neru, is hidden until eclipses, when it emerges and transforms the sky into a spectacle of black and firelight.

No moon is feared. All four are cherished. Across Legion, Princedoms, and the Green Zone, they shape festivals, superstitions, art, calendars, and myths. To Hemera's people, they are not just celestial bodies but living companions, guardians, storytellers, and symbols of the world's endurance.

Deyra, the Shepherd

Deyra is the greatest of the moons, vast and silver, steady in its orbit. Its three massive craters, The Three Eyes of Deyra, have stared down since before the Collapse. Farmers once planted and harvested by its cycles, and sailors still plot their voyages by its rise.

Deyra is called the oath-moon. Promises sworn beneath its light are thought unbreakable, and even the Legion honors contracts signed on a Deyra night as binding beyond law. Families use its light for marriages, naming ceremonies, and the blessing of newborns.

Deyra represents protection, continuity, and constancy, the moon that guards all who live under its gaze.

Varros, the Hunter

Varros is copper-bright and restless. It rises and sets with little rhythm, darting across the sky with a hunter's pace. Its sudden appearance excites people, a surprise moonrise of Varros often sparks music, dancing, and festivals in streets and villages.

Because of its fire-bright glow and unpredictable path, Varros is associated with boldness, passion, and risk. The Princedoms honor it before campaigns, raising drinks to "the Hunter who never misses." The Legion has sayings about it: "When Varros runs, strike first."

Varros nights are noisy, filled with celebration, feasts, and games of chance. Its joy is in its unpredictability, a beloved interruption to the rhythm of the sky.

Clyra, the Mirror

Clyra is pale-blue and serene, shining brightest in the winter months. When it rides above the oceans, sailors speak of mirror tides, when the water lies flat as glass and reflects the stars so clearly it seems the sea has turned into the sky.

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Clyra is called the truth-moon. Lovers confess beneath it, families reconcile grudges, and rulers announce decisions when it sits at its zenith. Even the Nine have bent to its reputation: House Ryan and Holo Spire have used Clyra's glow endlessly in their media and fashion branding, presenting it as the perfect light of honesty and beauty.

In quieter places, Clyra nights are for song and reflection, for speaking truths too difficult to carry in daylight.

Neru, the Veiled Moon

The most beloved of all is Neru, revealed only during eclipses. It appears as a black disk rimmed in pale fire, turning the sky into a wonder no words can capture. Its appearance is rare, unpredictable, and unforgettable.

When Neru shines, the world celebrates. Bells are rung, bonfires are lit, and whole communities stop what they are doing to watch together. Neru festivals are joyous, filled with lanterns and music that last through the night.

Most of all, Neru is tied to birth. Children born under its light are celebrated as blessed by Hemera herself. Families hang black lanterns outside their homes, and neighbors gather to toast the newborn. Some villages hold feasts that last days. The child's name is recorded in local ledgers and remembered for generations.

Neru births are rare, perhaps once in a generation, and each one becomes a story retold for centuries.

Cultural Significance

Legion: Honors all moons, but Neru-born soldiers are treated with respect and pride, believed to carry the world's blessing into battle.

Princedoms: Celebrate all moons with festivals, masks, and theater; Neru nights are often marked by grand parades.

Green Zone: Corporations cannot resist using the moons in propaganda and branding, though Neru's unpredictability frustrates them. In secret, Houses like Sarn and Verdance keep precise records of Neru births.

Common Folk: Each moon shapes life. Deyra for protection, Varros for joy, Clyra for honesty, and Neru for destiny.

Legacy

The moons are constant companions, each loved for what they give. Deyra is the guardian, Varros the spark, Clyra the truth, and Neru the blessing.

The true Vaeliyan Verdance, Bastard son of House Verdance, later the veil Warren wears, was born under the Black Light of Neru.