Neya

The star rests in the northern sky, waiting for the one day a year where it might reach the right place to cast its purple light over the city of Kuyoyang and confirm to the people that heaven wills that the emperor maintains its favor.

— Long Travels

Neya, from the Sheboi word for 'favor' is a star in the northern hemisphere. The star is unique in that once a year, its light will shift to a purple shade as it passes over the city of Kuyoyang in the Amun Dynasty. While outside scholars have various theories about what exactly causes the shift in the star's hue, the Sheboi believe that the star is a signal used by the heavens to display their favor towards the ruling emperor. Legends about the fall of previous empires always include the star shifting bright red rather than purple on its designated day to signal the heavens' displeasure at the ruling family's conduct and demand a new emperor.

History

Due to the Night of Ignorance perpetrated by Amun Bo-Bae, there is no way of knowing how far back the practice of using Neya to determine Heaven's favor goes and some even believe that the stories of the star shifting red when Heaven desired a new emperor are a fabrication by the Amun themselves. Nonetheless, the earliest records from the Amun period depict the observation festival as if it were an established tradition leading many scholars to accept that the festival predates the rise of the Amun.

Alternative Name(s)

Heaven's Eye

Type

Star