Last night the stars began to blink.
The haze that blankets the sky sometime between the months of Sanalis and Heimid- that some say is the visible proof of the Veil- makes the stars fight harder to be visible. They witness many things across the planet, silently watching as humens are born and animals die. With a clear line of sight to the night sky, one knows you are never truly alone. They know your secrets, have stood guard when your world has crumbled into fire and ash. They have witnessed your heartbreak, and did not judge when your anger bubbled over. For eons, the stars have watched all events…but one.
Perhaps that is why, when the stars begin to blink, the people of Ethecorra say that the first omens of the Wild Hunt being called have begun. The stars watch until they dare not any longer, reluctant to catch the gaze of a god. Most are wary of any interaction with a god today. Some would say that the gods are no longer here, but that does not stop them from being worshipped, or called upon. But if there was one god you do not call upon, its Him.
The Death God.
Even the Bloodbound are unwilling to draw his gaze before their time- they know better than most that He waits for you at the end of your life, however long that may be. The humens, of course, deny this. Their loyalty does not lie with the Death God, but with their Father-God. They wait for Him to return and claim them, taking only those who are worthy with Him when he returns, and so humens fear the gaze of the Death God.
For to draw the gaze of the Death God means to be claimed by him. No one knows the truth of what happens at the moment of death, but the Death God is feared above all others.
That is why the stars hide, and the inky blackness of the night sky becomes starless. I have heard many a story for this phenomenon; from the scientific definition of mists that rise at the turning of a season, to the refusal of the star to shine in the Death God’s presence. I have even heard the whispers that the Hunt rides through the sky first before it reaches the land. I have overheard the recollections of mortals, and their dreams of hooves pounding against the unseen ground as the Riders prepare for their Hunt.
I have seen the superstitious lay salt across their doors, as if it would bar the entry to a God. Perhaps it does. I have seen the devout carry symbols melted in iron to protect either their soul or heart- or both.
I have seen the Bloodbound raise a glass in His honour. Many a feast has been hosted when the stars begin to blink- a phenomenon that lasts only a few days- in which the Bloodbound toast to their eternity and that when the Death God calls, the prayer that His face is a warm and friendly one.
It’s the desperate that go looking for Him. Either to strike a bargain, or to accept their fate when all else feels lost.
Yes, the Death God is feared above all others.
~Nerien.