Starveil

Beneath Va’nu’s relentless sun, the desert shimmered as the air shifted. Light bent and dunes warped as delicate crystals drifted down like luminous snow. The wind stilled. Sounds stretched and softened. Va’nu’ians paused, memories surfacing, emotions sharpening. Within the cities deep beneath the surface, walls glimmered, echoing the crystals above, bridging surface and depths. For hours, disputes softened, stories were told, oaths reconsidered. The world reflected without judgment. Then, as quietly as it came, the Starveil ended.

The desert resumed its rhythm, yet every witness felt changed: paths clearer, burdens lighter, and the world seen anew.

Overview

The Starveil is a planetary event in which the upper atmosphere of Va’nu crystallizes and descends, coating the desert world in a temporary veil of light, silence, and reflection.

It is not a storm.
It does not rage.

It arrives.

The Event

Without precursor or warning, the heat of Va’nu’s sun refracts strangely across the sky.

Light bends.
Shadows sharpen.
The air hums with tension, as though the world is inhaling.

Then it begins.

Microscopic crystal lattices condense within the upper air and drift downward like slow, luminous snow. Each shard is warm to the touch, translucent, and harmless — dissolving into inert sand-glass within hours.

From orbit, Va’nu gleams like a polished gem.

Immediate Effects

Silencing Effect:
Sound dampens dramatically. Wind fades. Voices carry oddly close, yet feel distant.

Visual Distortion:
Light refracts unpredictably, creating prismatic mirages. Distant structures appear doubled, inverted, or stretched.

Thermal Softening:
Surface temperatures drop slightly. For a brief time, the sun’s judgment is muted — never gone, but gentler.

The event lasts between three and seven hours.

Physiological Impact

The Starveil is largely non-lethal.

However:

• Prolonged exposure induces disorientation, emotional vulnerability, and vivid memory recall.
• Many experience heightened perception — smells sharpen, ancient memories surface unbidden.
• Some Va’nu’ians report hearing whispers not as sound, but as felt meaning.

Outsiders frequently find the experience overwhelming but unharming.

Effect on the Below

Subterranean cities resonate faintly during the Starveil.

• Stone walls gain a subtle sheen.
• Ancestor inscriptions momentarily gleam as if newly carved.
• No damage is recorded, but many claim the deep cities are “listening outward” during the event.

The Underground is never breached.

Cultural Interpretation

Va’nu’ians believe the Starveil represents reflection without judgment.

• It is the only time the sun allows the world to examine itself.
• Conflict is suspended by custom; violence during Starveil is considered vandalism. Punished by death once it ends.
• Children are traditionally brought to the surface briefly during Starveil to view the sky, regardless of age or status.

The phrase “Walk the Starpath” means to face truth without fear.

Rituals & Practices

• Memory Vigils: Families recount ancestral trials openly beneath the falling light.
• Oath Pauses: No binding oaths may be sworn during Starveil — only reconsidered.
• Travel Stillness: Travelers halt mid-journey, remaining where they stand until the last crystal fades.

Aftermath

When the glass dissolves, the desert appears unchanged.

But many Va’nu’ians report:

• Decisions made differently
• Long-held grudges eased
• Sudden clarity regarding personal trials

Nothing is forgiven.
Nothing is erased.

Only seen clearly.

Scientific Status

No complete model explains the phenomenon.

• Atmospheric chemistry suggests impossibility.
• Solar interaction data shows no anomaly.
• The crystals do not match any known mineral structure once dissolved.

Official classification lists the Starveil as:

“A transient atmospheric crystallization event with no known cause and disproportionate sociocultural resonance.”