The Sword of Light

Aereth lies within a great spiral galaxy visible from the world's surface as a dusky river of countless stars.

Its most common name is the Sword of Light.

To the Ddraig, the Sword represents the road along which souls continue their journey through the stars. Other cultures see in it the eternal struggle between Light and Shadow or attach their own religious and philosophical meanings to its presence.

Aerethian scholars have studied the heavens for centuries. Although the world's technology may appear simple by modern Earth standards, its astronomers possess sophisticated knowledge of celestial motion and have observed distant stars and extraordinary events far beyond their own solar system.

No other world in the Bel system is known to support complex life.

Belinus — Bel

Type: Yellow-white star
Common Name: Bel
Meaning: The Shining God

Belinus, almost universally shortened to Bel, is the star around which the system revolves.

It was named for an ancient deity associated with the sun, fire, healing, fertility, purification, and the success of crops and herds. The old name survives even in cultures where worship of Belinus has largely faded.

The traditional Fires of Bel, celebrated on the first day of the 5th Moon, mark the approach of summer in cultures that still observe the ancient festival.