The Star Twins

The Star Twins are sibling deities observed and worshipped in Niarism, the most widely observed religion in Eia, tied to actual stars in space. They are characterised informally as the Day and the Void Stars, two celestial bodies outside the realm of Eia, which spins between them. The Day Star, known by the deity Niara, the religion's namesake, is the larger of the two stars and brings daylight to Eia. The Void Star, Gargatoa, is smaller, colder and farther away, emitting just enough light to act as a typical world's moonlight. The popular phrase "Sky's eyes" used to express fear or disbelief comes from the Star Twins.

Though no tangible evidence has been found, it is believed that the stars are close enough to pull on each other, in turn causing strange phenomena to occur on Eia. This is popularised in the myth of Niara and Gargatoa, a sister and brother who were born to create life and destroy it respectively. Over the course of history, the general Niarist population have tainted the original teachings of the Star Twins by converting the story into one of good versus evil - originally, both of the sibling Gods were equally responsible for positive and negative processes in life.

Niara in modern teachings is the Goddess of Life and Light, however, she was initially meant to represent Life and Hate; the ability to create and the ability to despise creation. Similarly, Gargatoa, the God of Death and Darkness, was to represent Death and Love; the ability to destroy and the ability to bond with those lost. There was a time when Eians blessed others via either of the Star Twins depending on the situation. Those who had given birth or wished others harm were blessed in the name of Niara, while those who had passed or longed for what/who they couldn't have were blessed in Gargatoa's name.

The butchery of the Old Story happened during the Second Emergence when the Afterkind came to Eia and wiped out thirty percent of the population. It was quickly associated with death and was assumed to be the will of Gargatoa.