Throne of Stars

“The Summit of the World”

“At the roof of reality, where air becomes void and stars burn close enough to touch, one figure sits and watches. Always watching. What do they see? What do they wait for? No one knows. No one dares stay long enough to ask.”
—Pilgrim’s account

Quick Reference

Throne of Stars - The Summit of the World

Overview

The Throne of Stars is the highest accessible point in the known Aetherium—a jagged peak of rock and ice floating at the very edge of breathable atmosphere, where the Aether fades to void-black and stars burn with impossible clarity. It is a place of extremes: lethal cold, suffocating thin air, absolute isolation, and cosmic beauty so overwhelming it breaks the mind.

For the past 40+ years, one figure has occupied this impossible summit: The Watcher, a hermit of unknown origin who survives conditions that should kill within hours. They sit in meditation, gazing at the stars, speaking only in cryptic prophecies to the rare pilgrims who brave the deadly ascent. No one knows who they are, how they survive, or what they watch for. They simply endure, unchanging, at the roof of the shattered world.

The Throne of Stars is not a settlement, not a destination, barely even a location—it is a threshold between world and cosmos, reality and mystery, life and transcendence. Most who attempt the climb die. Those who succeed and return are changed, though they struggle to explain how. The Watcher offers no hospitality, no comfort, no answers—only presence, observation, and occasional utterances that might be prophecy or might be madness.

The peak itself is utterly barren: no vegetation, no shelter, no water, no life. Just rock, ice, and the figure who should not exist. From the summit, the entire known Aetherium spreads below like a sea of distant lights. Above, the stars press close, their patterns clear and terrible. Here, at the boundary of breathable atmosphere, the constellations seem almost alive—watching back.

Geography and Structure

The Peak

Size: 200m diameter at base, rising 100m vertically to summit

Shape: Jagged spire, nearly vertical faces

Terrain: - Bare rock (gray, ancient) - Ice coating (permanent) - No soil, no vegetation - Unstable (rockfalls common)

Summit: - Flat area (10m diameter) - Natural stone seat (the “Throne”) - Exposed to all elements - 360-degree view of Aetherium

Altitude: - Highest point in known Aetherium - Estimated 20km above The Deeps - At absolute edge of breathable atmosphere - Air pressure ~40% of normal

Environmental Conditions

Temperature: - Constant extreme cold (-30°C to -50°C) - Wind chill makes it worse - Lethal exposure within 2-3 hours (for normal humans)

Atmosphere: - Thin air (40% normal pressure) - Difficult breathing - Altitude sickness universal - Suffocation risk without acclimatization

Weather: - Constant wind (50-100 km/h) - Ice storms (frequent) - Clear periods (rare, beautiful, deadly) - No shelter from elements

Visibility: - Extreme (can see 500+ km in clear conditions) - Stars visible during day - Constellations overwhelming at night - Entire Aetherium visible below

The Throne Itself

Description: Natural rock formation resembling seat

Location: Highest point of summit

Features: - Worn smooth (wind? Use?) - Faces north (toward Constellation of Memory) - Perfect view of all constellations - Where The Watcher sits

Significance: - Named for this formation - Sacred to some - Cursed to others - Mystery to all

Access and Approach

The Climb

Difficulty: Extreme (expert mountaineers only)

Duration: - From Highfall: 2-3 days - From lower settlements: 5-7 days - Includes acclimatization stops

Requirements: - Expert climbing skills - Cold weather gear (extensive) - Oxygen supplementation (sometimes) - Guide (usually Veil-Born) - Iron will

Mortality Rate: ~30% (many turn back, some die)

Dangers

Environmental: - Extreme cold (hypothermia) - Thin air (altitude sickness, suffocation) - Ice storms (disorientation, freezing) - Rockfalls (unstable terrain)

Physical: - Exhaustion (thin air) - Frostbite (exposed skin) - Altitude sickness (cerebral edema) - Falls (vertical faces)

Psychological: - Isolation (overwhelming) - Cosmic awe (mind-breaking) - Despair (why continue?) - Hallucinations (oxygen deprivation)

Who Attempts It

Pilgrims: - Seeking prophecy - Desperate for answers - Testing faith - Proving worth

Scholars: - Studying The Watcher - Investigating survival - Astronomical observations - Pre-Shattering research

Veil-Born: - Spiritual journey - Coming-of-age trial - Seeking cosmic connection - Visiting “kin”

The Desperate: - Last resort - Nothing left to lose - Seeking meaning - Seeking death (sometimes)

The Watcher’s Presence

Daily Routine (Observed)

Constant: Sitting on Throne, facing stars

Movement: Minimal (shifts position occasionally)

Needs: None apparent (no eating, drinking, sleeping observed)

Activity: Watching (always watching)

Speech: Rare (only when visitors present, sometimes not even then)

Survival Mystery

No Supplies: - No food visible - No water source - No fuel for warmth - No shelter

No Decline: - Unchanged over 40+ years - Doesn’t age (apparently) - No frostbite, no illness - Impossible endurance

Theories: - Pre-Shattering technology (hidden life support) - Divine protection (Constellation blessing) - Rot-touched (corrupted biology, no needs) - Not human (appears human, isn’t) - Ascetic transcendence (beyond physical needs) - Multiple people (replaced periodically—unlikely)

Reality: Unknown (The Watcher won’t explain)

Interactions with Visitors

Tolerance: Allows presence (doesn’t welcome or reject)

Speech: Minimal, cryptic, prophetic (maybe)

Hospitality: None (no food, shelter, warmth offered)

Duration: Visitors can’t stay long (environment lethal)

Pattern: - Visitor arrives (exhausted, desperate) - Watcher acknowledges (or doesn’t) - Visitor asks question - Watcher responds (cryptic) or stays silent - Visitor leaves (or dies trying)

The View from the Throne

What Can Be Seen

The Aetherium Below: - Entire known world visible - Islands like distant lights - Regions distinguishable - Trade routes traceable - Storms visible forming

The Stars Above: - Overwhelming clarity - Constellations vivid - Patterns visible (subtle movements) - Cosmic scale apparent - Beauty and terror combined

The Horizon: - Curves (world’s edge visible) - The Periphery (distant, mysterious) - Unknown regions (beyond known Aetherium) - Void (infinite, terrifying)

The Deeps Below: - Darkness (absolute) - Occasional lights (mysterious) - Unknown depth - Forbidden territory

What The Watcher Sees

Unknown: They watch, but what do they see?

Speculation: - Constellation movements (astronomical) - Future events (prophetic) - Past echoes (memory) - Nothing (meditation) - Everything (cosmic awareness)

Evidence: Prophecies suggest they see something

Significance and Symbolism

To Different Groups

Veil-Born: - Sacred pilgrimage site - Connection to stars - Spiritual pinnacle - The Watcher as kin

Constellation Clergy: - Ambiguous (holy or heretical?) - Some see divine test - Others see false prophet - Debated significance

Scholars: - Astronomical observatory (natural) - Research opportunity - Mystery to solve - Frustration (The Watcher won’t explain)

Common People: - Myth and legend - Place of prophecy - Impossible location - Most never attempt

Symbolic Meaning

Threshold: Between world and cosmos

Isolation: Ultimate solitude

Transcendence: Beyond human limits

Mystery: Unanswerable questions

Endurance: Impossible survival

Watching: Eternal observation

Notable Events

The Watcher’s Arrival (~247 S.)

Event: Figure appeared on summit

Origin: Unknown (no one saw them climb)

Purpose: Never stated

Duration: 40+ years (ongoing)

Bishop Vael’s Pilgrimage (275 S.)

Event: Bishop Ardent Vael climbed to seek prophecy

Prophecy: “The light will fail before it returns”

Effect: Vael returned shaken, faith shaken

Significance: Contributed to his crisis of faith

Kalis Dren’s Consultation (280 S.)

Event: Kalis Dren visited before Nexus Spire expedition

Conversation: Unknown (Dren didn’t share)

Prophecy: Possibly “What was lost circles back, but changed”

Outcome: Dren proceeded with expedition (never returned)

Storm-Captain Kiera’s Warning (278 S.)

Event: Kiera Windcaller asked about Black Tempest

Warning: “Don’t look too long into storms”

Effect: She looked anyway (saw something inside)

Significance: Unclear (she won’t say what she saw)

The Failed Pilgrim (284 S.)

Event: Pilgrim reached summit, refused to leave

Duration: Three days (trying to outlast The Watcher)

Outcome: Froze to death

The Watcher’s Response: None (continued watching stars)

Body: Still there (frozen, preserved)

Mysteries

The Survival Question

How does The Watcher survive?

Observations: - No food, water, shelter - Extreme cold, thin air - 40+ years unchanged - No visible technology

Theories: All inadequate

Answer: Unknown

The Purpose Question

What are they watching for?

Possibilities: - Specific constellation event - Return of something lost - Nothing (pure meditation) - Everything (cosmic awareness) - Can’t stop (compulsion or curse)

Answer: Won’t say

The Identity Question

Who is The Watcher?

Clues: - Pre-Shattering knowledge (possibly) - Impossible survival (not normal human) - Prophetic ability (maybe) - 40+ years (doesn’t age)

Theories: - Luminar Council survivor - Constellation manifestation - Rot-touched ascetic - Pre-Shattering AI in human form - Something else entirely

Answer: Unknown

The Prophecy Question

Are the prophecies real?

Evidence For: - Some accurate (retrospectively) - Consistent over decades - Visitors report genuine insight

Evidence Against: - Ambiguous (any outcome fits) - Selective memory (remember hits, forget misses) - Cold reading (tells people what they want)

Answer: Debated

Current Situation (287 S.)

Status: Unchanged (The Watcher still there)

Visitors: Declining (fewer attempt climb)

Significance: Unknown (perhaps irrelevant, perhaps crucial)

Mystery: Deepening (40 years, no answers)

Quest Hooks

1. The Pilgrimage: Escort someone to Throne of Stars (survive journey)
2. The Prophecy: Seek specific answer (desperate situation)
3. The Investigation: Study The Watcher (how do they survive?)
4. The Rescue: Failed pilgrim needs help (race against time)
5. The Assassination: Someone wants The Watcher dead (protect? Help?)
6. The Identity: Research who they were (pre-Shattering records)
7. The Vigil: Stay on summit (as long as possible—why?)
8. The Replacement: The Watcher is gone (where? Why? Who’s next?)

GM Notes

Using Throne of Stars

Purpose: Ultimate mystery, prophecy source, impossible location

Tone: Cosmic, isolating, mysterious, deadly

Function: Plot device, character challenge, philosophical question

The Watcher: Keep mysterious (never fully explain)

Potential Revelations

The Survival: Technology, divine, Rot, other (choose carefully)

The Purpose: Watching for specific event (what?)

The Identity: Pre-Shattering survivor, constellation, AI, other

The Prophecies: Real or fake (ambiguity is feature)

Running the Climb

Challenge: Make it difficult but not impossible

Danger: Real consequences (death possible)

Reward: Prophecy (cryptic but meaningful)

Change: Characters return different (how?)

Related Topics

• The Watcher
• The Veiled Heights
• Highfall
• Veil-Born
• Bishop Ardent Vael
• Constellation of Memory

“I climbed for three days. Nearly died twice. Reached the summit frozen, exhausted, desperate. The Watcher sat there, unchanged, watching stars. I asked my question. They said, ‘You already know.’ I said I didn’t. They said, ‘Then you’re not ready to know.’ I climbed down. Took me two years to understand they were right.”
—Pilgrim’s testimony

“The Throne of Stars is where the world ends. Not physically—the Aetherium continues below. But metaphorically. Symbolically. Spiritually. Stand there and you realize how small we are, how vast the cosmos, how little we understand. The Watcher has stood there for 40 years. What does that do to a person? Or maybe they’re not a person anymore. Maybe that’s the point.”
—Scholar’s observation

“I’ve been to the Throne three times. Each time, The Watcher said something different. First: ‘The stars remember.’ Second: ‘What falls will rise.’ Third: ‘You’re still not listening.’ I don’t know what they mean. I don’t know if they mean anything. But I can’t stop thinking about it. Maybe that’s the real prophecy—the question, not the answer.”
—Elder Talvyn