The Guiding Star

The top of the ladder...

The Guiding Star is the most prominent celestial body in The Ladder, a constellation held above all others by The Followers of the Guiding Star. The followers are one of the 12 cults in The Commonwealth, though their presence is rarely noticed by those in the Web and even other cults. These cultists keep their heads in the stars.
The Guiding Star is the ultimate destination for the cultists. What began as a search for power in the heavens ended in discovery. After years of staring at the stars and envisioning countless different constellations, the progenitor of the cult discovered a secret. While the stars will forever be out of reach, they can act as the gateway to something far more attainable.
Through dreams and waking visions, these cultists have discovered a world between worlds. They are influenced by these constellations, changed as each of the 15 constellations reach their zenith. They ascend into these places, making their way through each destination like climbing a ladder, and all in search of reaching The Guiding Star.

The Guide to The Heavens

There's something about the guiding star that makes it the most important body in the complex explorations taken by the cult. It seems to function like the center of some great celestial maze. The cultists navigate this maze, and those who reach the center are given many gifts.
Those who know of the cult struggle to identify what it is that's happening during these expeditions. Are they having an out of body experience? Is it some form of Astral projection, or do these places only exist in the mind? Perhaps it is none of these things and these strange worlds come to the cultists instead, as if called by their worship.
The Guiding star is at the center of it all. It's the ultimate question and answer at the same time. What is known is that the star is "alive" in a way. The star communicates across the reaches of space and time, reaching into the minds of the cultists and unlocking doors many feel are best left closed. It guides them along a path that leads to its celestial throne, and even the cultists fail to understand why.

The Nature of the Star

The star is neither malicious, nor benign. The star is something beyond understanding. It shimmers faintly, neither the brightest, or most beautiful body in the sky. What's strange is how it was never discovered before. The Alexandrian University has several task forces dedicated to the stars but failed to find much until the cult became known.
When the declarations were made at 12 cults flat, the University seemed smitten with the cult, focusing its efforts on their Guiding Star. They collaborated, even allowing members of the cult to join in in their efforts of astronomy They studied The Guiding Star for years and found it's not a star at all. It's a supernova.
This was a bittersweet breakthrough. Somewhere on the opposite side of the universe, this star went supernova, and its power has reached the earth. Whatever will is behind this power travels along its cosmic waves. The problem is this power is finite. The cult's access to The Guiding Star's power will fade as the light from its explosion disappears from the nighttime sky.

Oh, The Places You'll Go!

As the center of this celestial world, the guiding star links to 15 other destinations. These places are radically different from one another, and anyone can find a place they enjoy among its variety. In the end, however, they seek the Celestial Throne. Beginning in the first weeks of January, they begin at the bottom and work their way up, unlocking 15 doors until finally they reach the center of the maze.
The Celestial Throne is a paradise, and changes with everyone who enters it. Somewhere sits the eldritch king and queen, and they will congratulate those who can reach them. They spend the precious time they have learning about their visitors. They claim not to be gods, but travellers seeking a place to call home.
The Followers of The Guiding Star assists in their search, mapping the stars of the 15 worlds in a complex and ever changing star chart. They learn gifts and powers from the constellations, and bring them back when they return to their bodies.