The Faith of the People

To most of the Horizon’s inhabitants, the Icons are a real force to worship and placate in order for life to function. Many people have their own favorite Icon – one that has helped them through hard times or brought them luck. A sacrifice can be made to one’s favorite Icon before an important event that normally wouldn’t fall under that specific Icon’s general niche – praying too often to a multitude of Icons is said to bring bad luck and to nourish the Dark between the Stars. Common people believe that the Icons – contrary to the Church’s rhetoric – have more than one face, and are as prone to anger as they are to generosity. Sometimes, it can be wise to honor an Icon with offerings just to ward off its gaze. Take care not to treat the Judge this way however: the Judge is an Icon that doesn’t take kindly to false worship.  

TABOOS

There are many taboos in the Horizon, connected to the Icons’ vengeful tendencies. Certain things must not be done, or even mentioned – to speak of the Dark between the Stars is among the worst things one can do, for example. Instead, people use metaphors or euphemisms. Other taboos include certain foods, not showing generosity or hospitality, refusing to accept gifts, and speaking ill of the Icons.  

TALISMANS

Believers often carry talismans representing their favorite Icon or the Church of the Icons. Talismans are holy items and are often miniature sculptures or portraits of the Icon or its symbol. Just like offerings, talismans can be bought in the street markets outside most temples and chapels. The Talisman Market in Icons City is known for its many different and exotic interpretations of the Icons. Many pilgrims wish to return from their pilgrimage with a talisman that has been blessed in the Dome of the Icons. For a talisman to have holy power, it must be blessed in a temple before the right Icon, accompanied by the proper offerings. The talismans are usually left in the temple for one whole day, and to take a talisman during this time is one of the strongest taboos in the Horizon. It is common for people to put their talismans back on the altar during religious festivals to recharge their holy power.  

ICONOSCOPES AND PROPHECIES

For each of the Icons, there is a segment in the calendar and in the sky. The constellations of an Icon can vary between systems, as some of them are so far apart that the night sky shows different stars. It is widely accepted that Iconoscopes – descriptions of how the stars in the segment of one Icon or another interact with other stars along the ecliptic – can predict someone’s future. Iconoscopes are personal and centered on the most important Icon in someone’s life. Crafting an Iconoscope is a complex process with more exceptions than rules. The techniques vary between systems and cultures, and a sibyl or oracle from one system may have a difficult time trying to read the stars in another system. Making an Iconoscope for someone who didn’t ask for it is taboo, as is trying to read one’s own future. There are also methods of soothsaying that don’t involve the stars. Using an Icon deck to read the future in the cards drawn is one method, while arithmetic is popular on Dabaran. Arithmetic is the art of using unworldly numbers and algorithms to predict the future. The true mathematicians of Dabaran regard arithmetic with disdain, but the practice is in wide circulation on the planet.  

LOCAL ICONS

Almost wherever you go, you will find local Icon variations not acknowledged by the Church or orthodox believers. In some systems, one Icon takes precedence over all others –such as the Martyr on Zalos – and in some places, important figures in society have been elevated to an almost god-like position, such as Iconocrat Aremerat on Sadaal for example. Certain primitive Firstcome tribes interpret elemental beings, strange phenomena, or wild spirits as Icons, of which the Azaäleans in the Kuan jungles, Ba-yinn the Star Snake or the Ouroboros all are examples. The Kandah cloud in the Rimward Reach and the winking pulsar outside of Algebar are both considered holy by nomads. Regardless of local customs, the nine Icons exist in every system, albeit under different names. Only in a few cases has a local Icon replaced one of the original nine – an important ancestor, some lesser deity or even a spirit or djinn. In the Yastapol system, Ekaterina, a dead malika, has replaced the Judge. Ekaterina represents justice, but also fertility.