Comets

While they are not extremely common, several comets visit the Mithran system on a regular basis. Of these, the most well known comet is known as Gelkan, the Harbinger. It is said that this comet, which is visible for 21 weeks out of every 500 years, heralds world-shaking changes. It is currently visible in the night sky of Cyradon. It was first sighted the night that the refugees arrived from Anias. Its closest approach to Mithra was on the second night of the Festival of Arene. This was the night that the Rhona performed the Ritual of Estrousal and healed a large portion of the Devastation although it was relatively small compared to the remainder of the Devastation.

There are two other comets that make regular appearances in Mithra’s night sky. The first is Beljor, who appears once every 108 years, and the second is Velniv; which appears once every 150 years. Both of these comets are visible for only a few days, a week at most. They are often thought to bring bad fortune with them when they return to Mithra. It is rare for more than a single comet to be seen in a given year. Seeing two of the comets in a single year is thought to bring extremely bad fortune. All three comets are only visible within a single year once every 13,500 years. On the night that the Rhona performed the Ritual of Estrousal, all three comets were visible in Mithra’s sky simultaneously. This rare conjunction is seen only once every 27,000 years.

#4300 Cyradon, page 15