Lightbows of the Ivrâ ad Êsca

Unlike normal auroras, which can of course also be observed in the northern or southern latitudes at the poles of Elaqitan, the arcs of the Ivrâ ad Êsca are a special phenomenon that only occurs in the north of Brictealgis.   They are a recurring phenomenon during the Brictaelgian summer, when the moon and sun pass through the constellation of the "Tears of the Stars."   Travelers would mistake them for monochrome rainbows, but they are circular auroras that spread like pulsating waves across the summer night sky to the very end of the atmosphere, transforming it into a magical orange.

The lightbows have two meanings for the goblins. First, they see in the arcs the revelation of a divine veil, proving to them that the home of the gods exists.   Second, they believe that the moon god Tâmid married the sun goddess Mîrta, and during their wedding night, the gods of the stars and the dawn and dusk were born. Despite their marriage, however, the two can only rarely be together, and so some stars wept, and their tears created a circle of glittering fragments in the firmament, which the goblins called "Tears of the Stars."   During the Brictaelgian summer, when the moon god and the sun goddess pass through this circle, the goblins hope that they will transform day into night and finally reunite. But this only happens about every 235 years. In the other years, the two simply grow closer, like lovers separated by an invisible wall. Therefore, the goblins see the lightbows as a sign of their love for each other and, at the same time, sadness over the lack of union between the two gods. However, to thank the goblins for their hopes and prayers, the two gods leave them a generous and precious gift.

Only in the north of Brictaelgis does a shrub grow that only blooms when the lightbows are visible in the sky for about two months – the ice pearl bush. Ice pearls are inedible, but are considered very valuable by the goblins, which is why the frost goblins of the Ice Giants harvest them after the phenomenon has ended and sell them as an important export. The income is vital to survival, allowing them to import important foodstuffs for the harsh winters in the ice giants' caves.   Ice pearl bushes are approximately one meter tall bushes with silvery-white leaves that only sprout and bloom when the lightbows bathe the sky in a brilliant orange, which lasts for several hours and days. Without this light, the bushes look like small, bare weeping willows. But with the first rays of light, the branches begin to reach for the sky, and the first buds of small, heart-shaped, silvery leaves grow. After about two weeks, the leaves are large enough to photosynthesize with the light of the Ivrâ ad Êsca. Small, delicate anemone-like flowers appear, pollinated by azure beetles. By the end of the phenomenon, the pollinated flowers will produce the coveted ice pearls, which sink to the ground as the light fades, detaching from the bush, which slowly retreats into its mournful state. The ice pearls can now be collected, polished, and sold by the frost goblins.